Inventions & Food Trade

Food trade and inventions have greatly affected the way we eat. Some even claim that modern man was born when she started to use fire, not only providing warmth and protection from animals but also admitting food preparation. Trade and travel have spread plants and livestock all over the world for so long we don´t know when it began.

Food Preparation
The use of fire is just one of many inventions that have changed how we eat and live. In the beginning, it was probably just an open fire, then it became crude stone ovens, clay ovens... all the way until today´s microwave ovens. If you want to read more about how food preparing has changed over time go here
Many argue that the use of fire separates us from other animals.

Food Preservation
This is another category that hugely has changed our lives. The fact that you could survive without having access to fresh games or other fresh food was of course very important and subsequently made life a lot easier. Click older food preservation methods to learn more about salting, drying and smoking. If you want to read more about canning, freezing and vacuum packing just go to modern food preservation methods

Food Inventions
The wheel, the plow, ditching, bow and arrow, gunpowder and the milking machine; inventions that all have essentially changed human life and what and how we eat. Go here to see an account of major food inventions in human history

Food Biology & Breeding
Science has unraveled several of nature's secrets. Many of the results have been used in the food industry. Breeding of both plants and animals are examples. Today we actually meddle with nature's own building blocks, changing genetics without really knowing the consequences. 

Food Industry
When the food started to get produced in factories things changed fast and the food trade changed forever. Economical interest quickly led to methods of producing and transporting that guaranteed low production costs and longevity. What comes out of a machine does not always look or taste appetizing so adding artificial substances to give flavor and color became standard. The need for large amounts of foodstuffs also led to the heavy use of herbicides and pesticides in agriculture. Animal farming changed drastically, diminishing living space and adding growth-enhancing hormones to even further increase profits. All this has started to become heavily criticized during the last decades, environmental impact, animal rights, and human health issues are the reasons. If you want to learn more about the food industry and how it has developed go here

Food Transport
The pre-historic man could not effectively transport food. It was very cumbersome and time-consuming, the only effective means of preservation was drying. The invention of the wheel leads to the building of roads and the use of carts which drastically made food trade easier. Skilled craftsmen could build ships. The use of oars and sail was replaced by steam engines. Petrol and diesel engines, airplanes, freezing technologies... Today all types of food is transported all over the world. Read about how the development of food transport has affected what we eat

Food Trade
Trading has played a vital part in civilizations from the beginning. The exchange of wares, goods, and services has permitted variety, specialization, and excess. It is quite amazing to ponder over the fact that a person living in a modern city today never has caught, harvested or in any way produced base food. Profits from trade with food have contributed greatly to the exploration of the world, the growth of economies, exploitation, and war. Go here to read more about food trading and its history

Food Marketing
The term marketing has a modern ring to it, but it is deceiving. The marketing of products is as old as trading. Appealing to factors like taste, fear, vanity, and pride it has always been one of the most important selling methods. Food is no different. In the olden days, the king wanted the best and imported exclusive, expensive and exotic wares - who doesn´t want to eat like the king? This has developed, just like food production has, into an enormous apparatus. Go into a supermarket and look around you! Want to read more about food marketing and its history? Click here