A fascinating guide to the edibles that - though now taken for granted - have had a great impact on the development of modern civilization. Beginning with our ancient hunter-gatherer ancestors, this gastronomic odyssey takes us right up to the genetically modified foods of the future. Discover how sugar fuelled the transatlantic slave trade, why an oaty biscuit was so important to the Allied First World War effort and how a simple soup can came to be the inspiration for a modern work of art.--COVER.