A Swift Overview of Eating and Drinking Since Antiquity

Abstract

This chapter offers a very broad survey of the transformation of diet in past 2500 years. Such an ambitious venture tends to highlight spectacular changes, such as the so-called Columbian exchange of the late sixteenth century. These changes undoubtedly altered the diet radically, but many other, small and less striking developments also played their parts in the long run. This survey focuses on the history of eating and drinking, primarily but not exclusively in the West, and not on the history of agriculture, commerce, retailing, or cooking. It emphasizes the quantity and diversity of food, its consumption, food policies, and health implications. Inevitably, all big and small changes in the food chain are reflected in the history of eating and drinking.