One thing I enjoyed about the first chapter of, “The Edible History of Humanity,” by Tom Standage is that it provided a description of how the domestication of the three cereal grains, maize, wheat, and rice, has had an effect on both the plants in question and the human race. The act of humans “...deliberately cultivating…” (Standage 2) these grains gave them the ability to settle into permanent communities and farm for most of their food, something which had never been done before and set a precedent followed even today. In turn, the domestication of these plants for easier farming made the plants practically unable to reproduce without the aid of human farmers, “The grains are attached to a central axis known as the rachis. As the wild …show more content…
Of the nine pages in chapter one, six of them are given to maize and how humans have changed it through domestication. This is disappointing because all three grains were instrumental in the development of their respective societies, yet the article only goes into great detail for maize, specifically its progression from …show more content…
By providing a more dependable and plentiful food supply, farming provided the basis for new lifestyles far more complex societies.” I agree with this because, by domesticating these three cereal grains and settling down to farm them, neither the human race or the grains could thrive without the other. Humans could not settle down and prosper without a crop to harvest every year because, without that, they would be forced to return to the nomadic lifestyle. Without developing permanent communities to farm these domesticated crops, society as we know it may have never developed. The grains, in turn, with their selected mutations, would not be able to spread their seed without the help of humans. As explained on page 7, In a small proportion of plants, however, a single genetic mutation means the rachis does not become brittle, even when the seeds ripen. This is called a “tough rachis.” This mutation is undesirable for the plants in question since they are unable to disperse their seeds. But it is very helpful for humans gathering wild grains, who are likely to gather a disproportionate number of tough-rachis mutants as a result.” Because the tough rachis was selected by the harvesters and passed on to later crops, as time passed the plants would no longer be able to reproduce without the interference of human
Maize, beans, and squash made possible the “three-sister” farming which produced some of the highest population densities.
of cereal grains is since there weren't any other foodstuff to makes soup they were able to make a thick porridge or a thin broth or gruel. This discovery led to the creation of tools and techniques to collect, process, and store grain. (pg.11-12)
Journal #1. Page 32-“The era of human history when agriculture was the most important of all productive technologies and the foundation for most human societies.”
Corn crops were a staple life force in the early cultures of the natives. This caused the natives to cease their early practices of hunting, gathering and moving from place to place. It helped them transform into a more agricultural society. This crop was high in yield which could sustain a large population, therefore contributing to a growth and stability of their civilizations
An Edible History of Humanity is a book written by Tom Standage. It was first published on in 2009 by Walker & Co in the English language. The book is divided into six parts covering twelve chapters. It talks about the civilization of man from Old Stone Age during hunting and gathering all the way to present-day day. In this book, Standage describes how the development of food production has contributed to the civilization of humans (Standage, 113). He also outlines the role of food in the existence of humankind. The main theme in this text surrounds’ the history of man painting food as the tool in industrial evolution, civilization and how it impacts wars, as well as ecological competition. Standage concludes that food is the key cause of
When humans turned to agriculture, they had to depend on the weather for crop production and a good harvest, which did not always turn out to their favour. Neolithic farmers faced drought,
First, the forced cultivation and consumption of corn on the Plains Natives had a negative impact on their health by limiting their diet in comparison to their ancestors. Utilizing Bioarcheology, historians and scientists have been able to examine the
In the educative essay “What’s Eating America,” Michael Pollan designates the history of corn, a good and healthy food if cultivated properly. This essay is very informative because it talks about American’s diet. In this essay, Pollan examines the way of growing the corn as an influential example of using the chemical fertilizers in food. Also, He complains “Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn it into food, has in no small measure become a process of converting fossil fuels into food…” (Pollan 302). While it might be very useful when used in a prudent way, in reality the usage of chemical fertilizers is higher and the farmers are feeding their corps more than it needs which affect the ecology’s system. In other words, his focus is on corn and not only does him just points out corn presence in nearly all food products; but he comes up with other matters like fossil fuels and the factories polluting the atmosphere. Thus, it’s astonishing when someone stops and thinks about how many things are composed from corn.
The history of corn can be dated back to the beginning of time, but the use and value of corn had been unnoticed until it was introduce by the Native Americans. Where corn had seemed to be a big part of their everyday life from, being in myths, legends, and for a huge portion of their diet corn was an essential component. "when the Europeans had touched base to the New World during the late fifteenth century, the Native Americans had introduced corn what they had called maize to the Europeans .This crop was then later on grown and adapted from Canada to southern South America very quickly, which then began to form the new basis of the New World civilization" (Leventin & McManhon, 2012). The way corn has been changing and revolutionizing throughout time has been both fascinating and drastic. Rather than conventional corn being grown, it is genetically modified corn that have been dominating today 's crop industry and farming but the question remains as to how the various types of GMO corn has influenced the way it is grown and used and what its ramification are.
Native Americans started the development of maize. In 1491 Mann says, “Indians developed an extraordinary number of maize varieties for different growing conditions, which meant that the crop could and did spread throughout the planet”(pg17). With the spread of maize the Indians caused several
“The discovery of agriculture was the first big step toward a civilized life.” (Arthur Keith)
“Feasting has been proposed as the major context and impetus behind the intensification of production leading to the domestication of plants and animals.” (Hayden). This line taken from our Reading assignment sheds light as to why we have domesticated plants and animals – interestingly, it relates to the traditions we have in our culture. This explains how we now differ from non-industrialized society and the way we value food compared to them. Domesticated plants and animals make our food gatherings much easier and much more bountiful because we have no need to worry about running out of food or even providing the food for our feasts. But, could the reason for the domestication of plants and animals really be as simple as to make it easier for us to feast? Yes it is that simple. Here is why, we are a postindustrial society which means we no longer have the time to go out and hunt down a wild boar or shoot a turkey to feed are family and friends at Thanksgiving. So how then do we get food for our gatherings? We herd and bread these animals for profit. Because this method is easier and more beneficial to our society the domestication of our plants and animals has become one of the biggest factors in our world economy. This goes back to our
Since the beginning of human development humans have been revolving around agriculture. It is known that, “Archaeologists and palaeontologists have traced the origins of farming to around 10,000 years ago” (Mason). This is truly remarkable to believe that the revolution as a whole may pivot on this period so long ago. Once this happened agriculture began popping up all around the ancient world spreading like wildfire. This planting of crops and domestication of animals allowed people to develop specialization because not everyone had to forage anymore. This allowed
The emergence of agriculture was a major stepping stone in human history. During this birth of agriculture, also known as the Neolithic revolution, humans began inhabiting permanent settlements, grow their own crops, and domesticate both plants and animals for food (Weisdorf, 2005). Considering humans have been hunter-gatherers for the majority of their approximately 7 million years of existence, the emergence of agriculture in the Old World only occurring 10,000-5,000 years ago, marks a significant transformation in food sustenance techniques (Weisdorf, 2005). However, this turning point in history is associated with both positive and negative implications. There is much controversy over whether or not the introduction of
From the very beginning, humans were hunters and gatherers. They survived by hunting animals and gathering fruits. Hence, the importance of fruits was from early human civilization. Apples, one of such fruits with varying benefits, can be made into cider, wine, pie, jelly, brandy or sundried so that the fruit does not decay because of overproduction. In year 2013, 80.8 million tonns of apple was produced worldwide, out of which china alone produced 49%. Apple is one of the easily preferable fruit, as it can be eaten straight away, unlike other fruits which needs to be peeled off. An old proverb “An apple a day keeps a doctor away” might also have impacted in favor of this fruit. Apple mostly consist of water (85%) and carbohydrate or sugars (10%). This makes it very nutritious not only to humans but also to other microorganisms spoiling it.