An Edible History of Humanity

In the Introduction, Standage provides a historical account of the relationship between food and people. He argues that food has directly shaped social, economic, and political landscapes. Standage begins with the introduction of agriculture into human life. Because of farming, people could settle and develop civilizations. Farmers selected plants based on their traits, painstakingly cultivating the plants humans eat today. The production of food for civilizations led to political structures, and religions formed around growing seasons. The desire for spices and new foods led to greater travel and imperialism. As humans changed plants and the methods of food production, food changed human lives in return.

Food also became an important symbol of status and influence: “Throughout the ancient world, long before the invention of money, food was wealth—and control of food was power” (x). The connection between food and power carried forward through the Industrial Revolution when the need for a high-yield, low-cost food supply changed how the world thought about business and production. Militaries used food to influence the outcome of war, including the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Napoleon’s fall was directly related to a failure to feed his military. The 20th century applied science and technology to develop food surplus, leading to an escalation in human population.