An evolutionary theory of cuisine

The evolution of human diet is the product of both biological and cultural adaptations to various plants and animals in the environment. This paper develops a new theory for the evolution of cuisine practices which attempts to account for how food processing provided a critical link in enhancing the nutrient balance of major domesticated plants. Dr. Katz is a Professor of Anthropology and Director of the W. M. Krogman Center for Research in Child Growth and Development at the University of Pennsylvania. He first became interested in food and cuisine research as a result of his work with minerals in the diets of Inuit (Eskimo) peoples of the Alaskan Arctic and then with maize in the diets of the Lacandon Maya Indians in the early 1970s. Since then he has published numerous books and papers on developing the theory of cuisine presented in this paper.