Antoinette Waterhouse, age 10, of Santa Cruz, Calif., for her question:
WHAT DID PEOPLE IN ANCIENT TIMES EAT?
People in prehistoric times had little choice in what they ate. They did not grow or cook food, but ate only what they could find. Their diets probably included mushrooms, nuts, roots, seeds, wild berries, grubs, caterpillars, worms, snakes and small land animals.
When human beings learned how to make spears and atone clubs, they began to hunt larger animals for food. And when prehistoric people learned to use fire, they could roast food.
By the time people learned how to make pots, they found they could also boil and stew foods. And next they learned how to tame animals and plant seeeds.
Grain has probably been used by man for over 20,000 years and milk from domesticated animals for about 6,000 years. Humans then learned to grind grain into flour and to feed animals to produce meat. Their way of life then changed. People became herders and farmers and families settled in one place instead of roaming in search of food
The ancient Egyptians were able to grow three crops a year on the rich soils of the Nile River Basin. They raised beans, peas, melons, wheat, barley and grapes.
Egyptians in ancient days also used cattle for such farm work as plowing and threshing and grinding grain. They baked bread and had plenty of wild game and fish. They roasted ducks, antelopes, gazelles, geese, goats, pigeons, cheeps and storks over charcoal fires. They preserved extra food by pickling, smoking or salting.
Early Greeks sad Romans used figs, olives and a wide variety of seafoods. As their populations increased, they reached into other lands for food: cherries from Iran, apricots and spices from the orient and plums and dates from Syria.
During the Middle Ages, feudal lords depended on homegrown grain, vegetables and domestic animals.
Christopher Columbus made his famous voyage to America while searching for a short route to India to bring back spices:
Columbus didn't find spices on his trip to the New World, but he brought back such new vegetables as corn, sweet and white potatoes, squash and tomatoes.
Spanish explorers in South America brought back cassava roots and cacao beans, from which tapioca and chocolate are made.
The American colonists had large quantities of fish, game, nuts and wild fruits. The farmers grew beans, corn, pumpkins sad many other vegetables. They also raised pigs, sheep and cattle.
The Indians showed the colonists where to find salt and how to cook wild turkeys and lobsters. They also had food through the long winters becaue they learend how to smoke hams, cure meats and salt fish.
Food today is more plentiful and more varied as a result of advances in science and technology. Dehydrated, quick frozen and ready to serve foods sake cooking easier, too.