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.

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 oxes also has served as 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 industralization also came new, more effective, methods for animal keeping. Animals have been and still is bred in a very controlled fashion, all with the aim of cost effectiveness. Genetic manipulation and hormone treatment is common. They are kept in very stressful, unclean and over crowded spaces. The in many ways cruel ways to treat animals have led to much debate, both from moral and human health aspects.

Industrial Manufacturing
In the 18th and 19th century industrialisation 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 possibilities to construct more precise machinery. Science and many new discoveries were many times incorporated in manufacturing methods. The industrialisation led to that food became cheaper and easier to transport. Many of the food products we find in the super market 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 is pasteurization, canned food, dry freezing and vacuuming.

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


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