De La Cruz, Romell Ian B.

Hi16 C
Francis Navarro, Ph.D.
23 May 2014
Food in History: A Reflection on the Historical Significance of Delicacies
There is a clich that goes The best way to a mans heart is through his stomach.
We are in a History class but the statement still holds true, though we substitute man with
nation. Now, it would read The best way to a nations heart is through its stomach.
What would this mean? This would mean that a countrys cuisine is indicative of, not
only its natural resources and the way the people live, but also of their history. Food is an
icon of both history and culture.
I say this because of the fact that people of the ancient times ate what was available to
survive. But, then, what they ate were also limited by their beliefs in deities, or some Higher
Being. If they worshipped animals, they wouldnt eat animals. Instead, they would be eating
plant life and seafood. If there would be a scarcity of what they would normally consume,
more adventurous, sometimes even risky, organisms might be eaten. These food items are
what piques our interest now, especially with globalization.
These food items are, sometimes, the main draw for tourism. They are the featured
article in a countrys tourism video. The more exotic, the better. Why? Because they
defamilarize us with food. Tourist become exposed to flavors and ingredients that would
otherwise not be known to them.
What is also important to note is the fact that the way food is served has a cultural,
and maybe historical, basis, and not only for show. Some food presentations are created for
the sake of economy, to save money; some are created for practical purposes, like sushi and
maki being rolled into a one-bite item; meanwhile, others were presented for the purpose of
presentation itself, for the officials and the ruler of the nation. As the years go by, and the
rulers come and go, the culinary tradition of each nation largely stays intact, with the only
change being influences garnered from the travelling of the food. This is why certain Filipino
dishes, like adobo, have different styles of cooking.
Another reason for these adaptations are the history of the place and the ingredients
available at the time the dish was introduced. As a foreign dish to the tongue of the locals,

dishes are made familiar with the use of ingredients, which might have been otherwise
unknown, put into the dish. Again, the availability of these ingredients would, then, be
dependent on the historical context of the place.
Food, history and culture are three things that are intertwined that the explanation of
one implicitly begs the need for the explanation of the other three. This phenomenon is
because of the importance of food in the daily life of humans.