History is not only about kings, queens, and wars. If one thinks, there is history to everything, history is all around us.
Mr. See, who visited Aarohi shared his interest in food and history. He likes to trace ‘How various food affected the world’. He shared ‘when I have interest, I read. I decide each month what I want to research’. He shared stories of tea, banana, salt refrigeration and various related stories. It was more to know that even food has history!
The story of tea – 4700 years ago, in the land of China it was called Bitter Soup. Used leaves as raw vegetables to add in soup.
Emperor wanted to make their people strong. The belief was to be able to consume bitter food to be able to survive anywhere. Coffee was monopolized by Italy. Tea was introduced in Europe. Water was not healthy to drink. The only thing safe to drink was beer. Tea was expected to trade for silver but finally, they agreed to trade for opium. British smuggled tea from China to India. The first place chosen in India was Darjeeling. For the tea to transport from China to Europe took 2-3 months. But it was still not same and more bitter. And it needed more sugar. Now sugar was needed more hence more production. Tea affected India and China. China got opium and India for slavery. Taxes were introduced in the US, American revolution started.
The story of Salt – At the time of no refrigeration, the only way to preserve was to add salt. 1000 years back soldiers had to have meat before going to war. Some countries who could not afford to pay would pay salt to their soldiers and that’s where the word soldier came from. So the richest person was the one who had Salt!
The story of Banana – Grows not from seed. Hybrid from two countries. Today all the bananas across the world have the same gene. Scientists want all Bananas to have the same gene. From 10000 bananas, one gets one or two seeds. Today in Burma, best selling is fruit is the banana. First refrigeration trucks invented because of banana. Some part of Africa, banana is the main part of the meal.
The session was full of stories. Now anything you look at ‘ it has a history!