Nadene Goldfoot
The consumption of meat by humans has a rich and complex history, evolving from scavenging to organized hunting and ultimately to the domestication of animals and the rise of meat-based industries. Evidence suggests that meat-eating began as early as 2.6 million years ago, with early hominins incorporating meat and marrow into their diets. This early meat consumption was likely driven by scavenging, with humans utilizing tools to access bone marrow and other parts of animal carcasses.
The concept of "following the animal" in hunting refers to the practice of tracking and pursuing game animals, (following the herds on animal trails) which has been a fundamental part of human survival and cultural practices for thousands of years. This practice, often involving methods like persistence hunting and still hunting, was crucial for early humans and continued to be important as they migrated and settled in different regions, including the West.
Meat preservation techniques have evolved significantly over millennia, transitioning from simple methods like drying and salting to more complex ones like smoking, curing, and refrigeration. Early humans relied on natural preservation methods such as freezing in cold climates and sun-drying in warmer regions. Salt was a crucial preservative, used to draw moisture out of meat and prevent bacterial growth. Smoking also played a vital role, creating a protective layer and inhibiting spoilage. As technology advanced, methods like pickling, fermenting, and even using natural refrigerators like underground pits and streams were employed
As humans migrated westward, hunting practices adapted to new environments and game. These practices ranged from tracking animals on foot to using spears, bows and arrows, and later firearms.
- .Around 10,000 years ago, the domestication of animals, starting with goats and sheep in the Near East, revolutionized meat production. This shift led to a more consistent and reliable food supply and the development of livestock farming. Abraham's family(2nd millennium or 1948 BCE)continued to be dependent on sheep and were shepherds and kept sheep; having them when they entered Egypt.
- .The Roman Empire and later the Industrial Revolution saw the development of specialized meat-processing and preservation methods, further shaping the consumption of meat.
- Meat-eating may have played a role in the evolutionary development of humans, potentially contributing to brain size and other physical adaptations.
- Meat has become a cultural symbol in many societies, often associated with wealth, status, and specific religious or dietary practices. Jews follow Kashrut, rules covering the eating of meat, for one. They don't eat a meal that mixes milk and meat as they are eaten separately. Jews eat only certain animals. Later, when Islam came into being with Mohammad (570-632 CE [AD]) they also follow some of the meat rules of the Jews. Jews do not eat any blood. Jews do not hunt today; not after Moses gave us the kosher rules for animals, anyway, but they had to do something on the Exodus. This is why cheese blintzes were invented; something to eat when not eating meat. Meat is always well done, by the way, and salted when first obtained to get all the blood out.
Mankind could not eat meat very well unless they cooked it, as they soon found out after chewing a lot of raw meat and smelling the cooked aroma.
They had to learn to run 2 sticks together to make a fire, after discovering fire did a lot to improve the taste.
The history of matches can be traced back to early attempts to create self-igniting sticks. Early sulfur matches were used in China as early as 577 CE. The first truly modern, self-igniting match, developed in 1805 by Jean Chancel, utilized a potassium chlorate, sulfur, gum, and sugar mixture that was ignited by sulfuric acid. John Walker, in 1826, developed the first friction match, which gained popularity and was later copied by others.
Because of problems, many scientist, chemist and engineers of the early human civilizations (Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece and Rome) tried to find some way to make fire easy to create, portable and reliable. Because they lacked the knowledge of the chemistry and physics, their early efforts were unsuccessful. The only relatively successful example of the early control over fire came from 5th century AD China, where sulfur coated wooden sticks was used as a catalyst of creating fire. By 10th century manufacture of these "light-bringing slaves" or “fire inch-sticks” could be found in all parts of china, but the self-igniting match stuck was not found.
1000 years passed, and scientists still did not come close to the finding the way how to create self-igniting source of fire that could be used reliably by general population (few impractical and very dangerous chemical reactions were present). The basis of the modern match and lighter technology was founded by none other than an alchemist Hennig Brandt in the second half of 17th century, who his entire life dreamed of creating gold from other metals. During his career he managed to extract pure phosphorus and test his interesting flammable properties. Even though he discarded Phosphor in his alchemic experiments, his notes proved to be an important stepping stone for future generations of inventors.
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