Historic evolution of gastronomy:

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Historic evolution of gastronomy when, why and
how cuisines have evolved Kevin
Fields
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How Did We Get from This?
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To this?
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From hunter / gatherers, weve progressed to
consumers who view food as more than just fuel
for our bodies.
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Initially, we ate what we could catch or forage.
Then it was catch, forage or cultivate. Now it
is what we can catch, cultivate, forage (not so
common anymore) or fly in from around the world.
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In the developmental stages from eating merely to
survive, to becoming sophisticated consumers,
there have been a range of significant stages.
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Those stages apply across two areas, what
Gillespie (2001) refers to as Gastro-geography
and Gastro-history
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Gastro-geography The food available to our
ancestors was determined by the type of terrain
and the prevailing weather conditions in their
locality. This controlled what would grow (wild
or cultivated), or what could be caught or reared
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Gastro-history This concerns food items,
influences and techniques learned through trading
with adjacent nations, and brought back by
explorers traveling further afield. Migration of
people has also been a major factor.
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Within Europe, the advent of Greek civilisation
brought about much of what we know today about
eating habits and ancient societies. The
writings of Archestrate, Greek poet and
gastronome (4th century BC), provides information
about early Greek gastronomy, but very little has
actually survived.
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Sicilian cooks were prized assets for many rich
Greeks. The competition to deliver the best food
for guests resulted in a move for feasts to be
based on quality, rather than quantity. Standards
of food production increased.
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The Romans also played a major part in the
development of gastronomy. Apicius wrote about
the ..art of the table and recorded recipes,
processes and the dining habits of Imperial Rome.
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Further gastronomic advances were made as the
very rich competed with each other to serve the
best dishes to guests. This process was enhanced
by the Roman habit of bringing back foodstuffs
and processes from conquered lands, adding them
to their own culinary customs.
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The Romans also had a gastronomic impact on
conquered countries. Example - Britain. Apples,
garlic, onions, shallots, leeks, cabbages, peas,
celery, turnips, radishes, asparagus, rabbits
possibly even chickens were introduced by the
Romans.
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The next significant stage is probably the
influence that Portuguese explorers had by
bringing back previously unknown foodstuffs to
Europe. Potatoes, peppers, tomatoes etc are key
ingredients in many modern European diets
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Another stage in the development of gastronomy,
possibly a key one, was the French Revolution.
The death of the aristocracy left many skilled
chefs out of work with little prospect of ever
again finding a fine household to practice their
art in. The solution is that many of them opened
eating houses - perhaps restaurants is too fine
a word in their early stages - but its what they
became.
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The advent of these restaurants brought dining,
rather than eating, to the public in general
those that could afford it rather than it being
the domain of the very rich.
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In the early 1900s our knowledge of the world
around us was greatly advanced by the advent of
cinema, including newsreels between the main
feature. Previously, if you werent one of the
very small percentage of the population with
experience of travel, all knowledge was gathered
through books, papers, and magazines.
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The next significant stage was the increasing
popularity of tourism. From the 1960s to the
present day, tourists from the developed world
have travelled, learned, and then looked for
similar experiences, gastronomically speaking,
back in their home locations.
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We now have critical mass of experienced,
knowledgeable, adventurous, sophisticated diners
whose wants and needs help push the boundaries of
gastronomic provision. People who accept that
gastronomy is both an art and a science.
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Modern Media As well as knowledge developed
through experience, vicarious learning takes
place as we absorb knowledge through the
experiences of others. Travel programmes have
done much to teach us about food from places
well never visit.
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Modern Developments Many tourism destinations
have developed gastronomic provision through
delivering an international menu ensuring the
food is recognisable and acceptable to visiting
tourists.
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While some tourists will always seek out the
familiar, more and more are looking for something
different. Food which represents both the
heritage and culture of the destination. Not just
national dishes but regional specialities as well.
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This is an ideal time for this to happen. As our
concern for the environment grows, issues such as
food miles the distance that food travels from
production to consumption are reaching public
consciousness.
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The promotion of local cuisine satisfies
environmental criteria, as well as cultural ones.
Additionally, the benefits of tourism are that
much greater if economic leakages are reduced as
more food is produced locally, and less is
imported.
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In summary, the greatest impact upon the
development of gastronomy has been the movement
of people. Whether that movement was for trade,
for war, for tourism, or for economic
migration. As the movement of people is unlikely
to cease, so is the development of gastronomy
unlikely to cease.
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The gastronomy of a region may rightly be
considered to be part of the culture and heritage
of that region, but just as culture grows and
evolves, so does gastronomy. As it evolves,
making it part of your tourism product can only
be beneficial.
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So how did we get from this?
To this?
However we managed it, I for one am rather glad
we did!