Agriculture Around the World

Agriculture was the invention that led to the end of the hunter and gathering lifestyle. No longer having to go out in search for food, people were able to settle in one place and cities and towns began to spring up. Agriculture in a way led to the invention of community, the idea of living amongst a group of your peers, succeeding or failing together. Agriculture has changed drastically throughout the years, always altering in order to provide more food for a growing population. After the World Wars a number of books and pamphlets were published regarding agriculture. With European infrastructure destroyed, usable farm land was hard to come by and the fear of starvation was real. Many economists and scientist put forth ideas that could help save agriculture. Canada became a huge agriculture gold mine. Not damaged by the war, the nation still located in North America took steps to encourage people to move out west and cultivate the land, making it farm ready. In a hungry world Canada was finding itself to be a very valuable asset to those who were on the brink of starvation. The U.N. was also putting forth research that suggested what needed to be done in order to help save the starving population of the world. After years of so much destruction no one wanted to see a nothing international crisis, starvation due to poor agriculture and food supply.

What the Indians Ate

Thanks to the Ayers collection at the Newberry there is a plethora of books on Native Americans. They describe in great detail how the Indians dressed, communicated, worked, and especially what they ate. The majority of the North American Indians used hunting and agriculture as their main source of food. I think everyone knows the story of how the Indians taught the pilgrims to farm by planting corn in row and fertilizing by using dead fish. And of course being such nice people the pilgrims repaid the Indians by taking their land forcing them to relocate to reservations.
So what did the Indians really eat? Well if the Indians were part of a coastal tribe they mostly relied on the ocean as their source of food. Indians living on the East coast of the United States had a diet of clams, lobster, and cod while those on the West coast ate salmon and halibut. The best way to prepare fish for a meal was to smoke it over an open fire. Native Americans who roamed on the Great Plains relied on hunting as their main source of protein. Groups of men would venture out into the plains in hopes of killing buffalo, antelope, elk, and deer. Every part of the animal would be used, nothing would be allowed to go to waste. Wild turkey, geese, and duck would also be hunted for poultry and rabbit and squirrel made a nice addition to any stew. No matter where the Indians lived the majority of them ate corn as a staple in their diet. They also raised a number of vegetables that were a great discovery in the New World. Some of these plants include beans, wild rice, tomatoes, peppers, squash, and potatoes. It was often times the duty of the women and children to care for the garden while the men hunted. Gathered food, such as berries, nuts, roots, and greens helped the Indians survive during a harsh winter. All of these foods helped sustain the native population for years before North America became colonized by Europeans.

The World Wars and Food

With new modern warfare came a new kind of approach on how food was served to men fighting on the front lines of both of the World Wars. A new way of packaging had to be instigated in order for food to be safe from contamination due to the use of deadly gases as new military warfare. Different meal plans and rations also had to be given out to brave men who decided to parachute into enemy territory. Food was forever changed by the World Wars. How food was received, how it was prepared, how everyone did their part on the war front by cutting back what they ate at home. Victory gardens became a thing of great importance. As outlined in a small book at the Newberry, students at a Chicago public school did their part to help out in the war effort. They planted a garden in order to cut back on the food the school had to buy so that all the extras could be sent to the soldiers over seas fighting the war. It is very important and key to note that food was the main thing that changed in every day Americans lives. During the wars people had to sacrifice what they usually ate on a regular basis for the good of the war. The World Wars were the first major wars fought far away from American soil. However, the effects of food consumption driven by the soldiers on the battle field could be felt on the home front.

Dowries Aren't Worth What They Use to Be

King Charles II married the Princess of Portugal, Catherine of Braganza, because of the contents of her dowry. Her dowry became so important to Britain because included in her dowry was the territory of Bombay, an area in India that would become a hub for British colonialism and trade at the end of the 18th century and the turn of the 19th century. All of this and more is outlined in the book, Richer Than Spices: How a Royal Bride's Dowry Introduced Cane, Lacquer, Cottons, Tea, and Porcelain to England, and So Revolutionized Taste, Manners, Craftsmanship, and History in Both England and America.
King Charles II married Catherine mostly because of the wealth that her dowry possessed. It was Charles' goal to bring England out of the finical strains that had been worsened by the time of the Commonwealth. The newly reinstated monarch of England wanted to prove that a monarchy was the best form of rule for the island nation. However, King Charles II left his legacy in the 1660s when he signed Bombay over to the East India Trading Company. By doing this Charles allowed for the establishment of the Company as an international trading powerhouse. With Bombay in its control the East India Trading Company was able to bring more spices, teas, and other food commodities to the England and the New World. Bombay and its tea trade are significant because what would England be like today if it didn't have it's afternoon tea? And what would America be like if it didn't have it's Boston Tea Party? Well thanks to Catherine of Braganza's dowry we will never have to wonder what the world would be like without tea.

Spices, a Taste of the Exotic in Europe

The Spice trade was probably one of the biggest power struggles between European powers in history. There was such a high demand for spices that nations fought with each other in order to gain control of small islands that produced crops of nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, cloves, pepper, ect. Spices had become a food of luxury in Europe after the crusades and accounts Marco Polo's travels opened the door to the East for Western Cultures. During the renaissance it was common for members of the upper class to carry around a thing of nutmeg and a small grater to season their food with. In fact spices became so popular in many countries that shipping industries developed in order to supply people with spices and other eastern commodities.
People went through great obstacles in order to insure that spices were on the market.
Sir Henry Middleton was one of those people sent out to secure spices for the East India Trading Company to sell. In a book titled, The voyage of Sir Henry Middleton to Bantam and the Maluco Islands; being the second voyage set forth by the governor and company of merchants of London trading into the East-Indies, it outlines the great adventures and struggles that Middleton had to go through in order to secure spices. The book tells of Middleton's encounters with the Dutch and the Portuguese, the two trading enemies of England, and of the struggle for the English to secure spices to take back to their country. The voyage even ends with an air of mystery. A ship loaded with spices disappeared off of the coast of South Africa and was never seen again. The disappearing ship was a sort of metaphor or reminder that luxury and wealth come at a price. And if one desired that luxury good they better be willing to pay the price.

Women Today Would Not Find the Duties Outlined Here Amusing

The work that I am about to discuss is a hidden gem that I found at the Newberry during my Undergraduate Seminar there. I used it as the bases of my research and I believe that the work says a lot about how women were viewed in Early Modern English society. Plus the cookbook located in this book was very long and full of recipes that ranged from duck to pickles. However, I'm pretty sure that the modern day woman would not be to impressed if she was expected to follow the guidelines laid out in this book, I know I wouldn't be.
The title of this book is also a long one, but I will just shorten it to, The Whole Duty of a Woman. The book describes in great detail how a young lady of good morals and prestige should behave in any sort of situation. I find it interesting that an early and more hostile women's self help book would contain a cookbook. I think that it shows historians how women were considered to be the main person who dealt with the preparation of food. Women being the main cooks in a household is an idea that has transcended throughout time and is still seen in today's society. I think that jokes about women's rightful place being in the kitchen are a strong indication of how some aspects of the past can be seen reflected in today's modern society. Although our cookbooks today don't also come with instructions on how to be a good virgin, wife, and widow.

The British Royal Kitchen and All it's Many Parts

As someone who sees the quantitative method as a superb way of doing historical research, I have to admit I get excited when I find a book that contains a lot of lists with numbers. It's kind of hard to argue numbers in my opinion. I should know, especially after all the times I tried debating the numbers on my math exams that were marked wrong. All the teacher had to do was pull out a calculator and prove that I was indeed wrong and i could no longer talk my way out of the situation. That's the reason why I love history so much, you can debate it and opinions vary. Not everything is black and white when it comes to past events.
So anyways, back to that book I was talking about. The title of the work is, A Collection of Ordinances and Regulations for the Government of the Royal Household, Made in Divers Reigns. From King Edward III to King William and Queen Mary. Also Receipts in Ancient Cookery. The title of the book is a mouth full, but the information it holds is endless and useful to those who want to know who worked in the royal palace or what the royal pantry was stocked with.
The most interesting part of this book to me however is not the lists and the numbers. Instead what captured my attention is hidden in the very back of the book. Tucked within pages upon pages of lists is a reprint of the Ancient Cookery. The cookbook was first published in the 13th century and contains a number of recipes written in Old English. The recipes were interesting to say the least. The writing style and the ingredients used made the cookbook a very entertaining read. However, I wouldn't recommend it to those with a weak stomach. Some of the recipes remind us why British food is not seen as the best cuisine in the world.