Food Inventions

In this section, I will describe the general areas where food inventions have taken place. I have categorized them under crop farming, animal keeping, and industrial manufacturing.

A tractor

Crop Farming

We know that already 10000 years ago humans were growing crops. The first major invention in this are was the plow, in the beginning, they were crude and only softened the soil. These simple ones were soon replaced by heavier and more advanced models, today there are big machines that manage to plow vast areas in little time. Likewise, machines that planted and harvested has developed greatly over time. Crop breeding and the use of herbicides and pesticides have also been influential. A very important step was when it was discovered that you can avoid soil exhaustion by changing crops every other year. Ditching was the first effective man controlled method to control water supply, today watering is many times made through elaborate sprinkler systems. From the beginning fertilizing was made with manure, today chemical products have replaced it.

Animal Keeping

The habit of keeping livestock gave ready access to meat, wool, manure, hides and milk products. Horses and oxen also have served as a draft and riding animals. We have kept animals for over 10000 years. Pasteurizing livestock, that is to herd, has been the most common way to keep them. With industrialization also came new, more effective, methods for animal keeping. Animals have been and still are bred in a very controlled fashion, all with the aim of cost-effectiveness. Genetic manipulation and hormone treatment are common. They are kept in very stressful, unclean and overcrowded spaces. The in many ways cruel ways to treat animals have led to much debate, both from moral and human health aspects.

The milking machine-made dairy farming a lot more effective.

Industrial Manufacturing

In the 18th and 19th century industrialization changed the world profoundly. The reasons behind it were many, among them a few inventions. Steam engines had made transport easier, ready access to high-grade iron ore and improved furnaces made steel and iron better. This, in turn, led to the possibility to construct more precise machinery. Science and many new discoveries were many times incorporated in manufacturing methods. The industrialization led to that food became cheaper and easier to transport. Many of the food products we find in the supermarket would have been several times more expensive if it hadn´t been for the highly effective production methods of today. Examples of important food inventions are pasteurization, canned food, dry freezing, and vacuuming.

On Other Pages

I discuss other inventions on other pages, go here to read about older food conventions or maybe you want to know about more food preservation modern methods. I have also written about food preparation and the major inventions in that area.