History of Cooking

What's been Cooking through the Ages?

From humble beginnings

At the dawn of civilization, meal preparation was most likely an uncivilized affair. Meals consisted of whatever could be coaxed or placed into the mouth chewed and swallowed. As you can imagine, this was a matter of trial and error. If you ate something that made you sick, assuming you survived the ordeal, you were usually smart enough not to repeat the experience.

As time went on, the first primitive humans stumbled upon the idea of cooking meat purely by accident. Likely having found the remains of some animal in the ruins of a forest fire, they later made the mental leap to cooking meat on purpose. The preparation of vegetables, nuts and grains followed behind. The culinary arts, in rough form, were born.

Great advances come

In the centuries BC, humankind began cultivating the sources of their food. Crops and livestock were tended and nurtured and the early forms of ovens became common. From that point on, human have had a love affair with food of gastronomic proportions. Food and drink have so pleased us that we were quick to see that cooking is more than a simple function. Indeed it is an art; an art that commands the participation of all of the human senses.

A new art form is born

A meal well prepared is truly art in its highest form. The combination of appearance, aroma, texture, taste and even the sound of the food sizzling or the wine bubbling make it a feast for all of the senses. The culinary arts were originally passed on from cook to cook, from mother to daughter down through the ages. Cooks, even those of the middle-ages, had an abundance of tasks including medicinal preparation, nutritional concerns and the preparation of spirits. It was when the concept of “fine dining” became accessible to the masses that culinary arts schools and colleges came to being. Today culinary colleges are enjoying some of the highest enrollment rates of any post secondary schools.

Other Related Items