In the past, in times of war the supply of food was controlled by rationing.

Food has always played an important role in the lives of human beings. Levy Strauss, an eminent anthropologist, divides history into three periods based on the changing patterns of eating: (1) when man ate uncooked food; (2) when he discovered fire and started to roast meat; (3) when he ate boiled food. All these periods signify the advancement of human civilisation and the changing habits of man. As his taste in food improved, so did his mental and physical development.

Food has a special relation to the human body, which is why it is advised not to eat more than required. When man used to hunt for food there was no surety of getting it on a regular basis. He would eat more as he did not know from where and when he would get the next meal. With the development of agriculture, habits changed because food became readily available and hence three meals a days came about.

When society was divided into different classes, those who laboured hard kept their bodies slim and healthy; but those who lived on surplus production of others became fat and lazy and considered it a sign of prosperity and richness. The Talpur Mirs of Sindh used to regard obesity a symbol of beauty. With the advancement of civilisation, spices were introduced to make food delicious and presentable. European merchants travelled to Asia in search of spices, which paved the way for colonisation. Among these spices salt was important. It not only seasoned food but also preserved raw meat for future use. That was the reason governments monopolised its production and levied tax on it. In some countries it was used as a currency and partly paid in lieu of salary.

In every culture, food is regarded sacred and offered to gods and goddesses to get their blessing. It was also customary to distribute it among the poor in the name of saints. It’s believed that food cooked in shrines was blessed by the surroundings. Pilgrims would eat it to cure disease. It is still customary to cook special food on different religious festivals such as halwa on Shab-i-Barat or halim during Muharram.

However, some foods are prohibited in certain religions. Jews and Muslims have restrictions so eat kosher and halal respectively. In Hindu society the concept of cleanliness and food pollution is deep-rooted. In the past, the upper caste Hindu people did not eat with people belonging to the lower caste. Some upper caste people used to be strictly vegetarian, so much so that they did not even eat onion and garlic. To them, the kitchen was a sacred area and nobody was allowed to enter it. In modern times, though, these things have lost importance.

To the aristocratic people, kitchen used to be a status symbol. In their households, the cook had a very high status since he would prepare different kinds of dishes that could not be made by any other person. To show their wealth and hospitality, they invited friends and relatives and innovative dishes were offered to impress them. Eating together brought people closer to each other. If somebody refused the invitation to a feast, it would be regarded a great insult to the host.

On the other hand a hungry man was considered a threat to society. To slake his appetite he was ready to commit any crime. It is also evident in history that in the case of a famine, people did not differentiate between pure and impure foods. Moral values collapsed too. Parents used to sell their children to get something to eat. Women would particularly suffer during such crises such as prostitution and humiliation.

In times of war, famine or drought, the supply of food was controlled by rationing. Merchants and traders took full advantage of such situations and earned huge profits.

But hunger was encouraged in some religions to develop and increase spiritual powers. It is said that Lord Buddha achieved spiritual heights by remaining hungry. We find in the Sufi order, the tradition of poverty because it is believed that only a hungry man could think more deeply and intensively. To the Sufis, food was essential for the body while hunger was necessary for the mind. That is why Sufi saints eulogised poverty and condemned affluence. It is ironic that the classes regarded as makers of history got nourished with surplus production of peasants. The urban population depended on the supply of food material from rural areas that were exploited by the rich. It is also a fact of history that whenever the supply of food material was stopped, cities became barren.