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Food is any substance, composed of carbohydrates, water, fats and proteins , that can be eaten or drunk by animals, including humans, for nutrition or pleasure. Items considered food may be sourced from plants, animals or other categories such as fungus. Although many human cultures sought food items through hunting and gathering, today most cultures use farming, ranching, and fishing, with hunting, foraging and other methods of a local nature included but playing a minor role.
Most traditions have a recognizable cuisine, a specific set of cooking traditions using various spices or combinations of flavors unique to that culture. Other differences include preferences (hot or cold, spicy etc), and practices, the study of which is known as gastronomy. Many cultures have diversified their foods by means of preparation, cooking methods and manufacturing. This also includes a complex food trade which helps the cultures to economically survive by-way-of food, not just by consumption.
Many cultures study the dietary analysis of food habits. While evolutionarily speaking (as opposed to culturally) humans are omnivores, religion and social constructs such as morality or environmentalism will often affect which foods they will consume. Food safety is also a concern with foodborne illness claiming many lives each year typically due to contaminated or dirty water or undercooked meats. In English, food is often used metaphorically or figuratively, as in "food for thought".
Food sources
Almost all foods are of plant or animal origin. However water and salt (both inorganic substances) are important parts of the human diet. Salt is added as a flavoring but is typically a preservative in canned foods in modern times. Salt has a long history of being used to preserve meats and fish to the point where it has been used as a means of payment (see salary etymology).
Other foods not from animal or plant sources include various edible fungi, such as mushrooms. Fungi and ambient bacteria are used in the preparation of fermented and pickled foods such as leavened bread, alcoholic drinks, cheese, pickles, and yogurt. Many cultures eat seaweed, a protist, or blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) such as Spirulina. Additionally baking soda, another inorganic substance, is used in food preparation. In Japanese culture, seaweed (known as Nori) is used to wrap sushi or sashimi.
Plants
Many plants or plant parts are eaten as food. There are around 2,000 plant species which are cultivated for food, and many have several distinct cultivars.
Seeds of plants are a good source of food for animals, including humans because they contain nutrients necessary for the plant's initial growth. In fact, the majority of food consumed by human beings are seed-based foods. Edible seeds include cereals (such as maize, wheat, and rice), legumes (such as beans, peas, and lentils), and nuts. Oilseeds are often pressed to produce rich oils, such as sunflower, rapeseed (including canola oil), and sesame. One of the earliest food recipes made from ground chickpeas is called hummus, which can be traced back to Ancient Egypt times. Seeds are typically high in unsaturated fats and, in moderation, are considered a health food, although not all seeds are edible. Large seeds, such as those from a lemon pose a choking hazard, whereas seeds from apples and cherries contain poison cyanide.
Fruits are the ripened ovaries of plants, including the seeds within. Many plants have evolved fruits that are attractive as a food source to animals, so that animals will eat the fruits and excrete the seeds some distance away. Fruits, therefore, make up a significant part of the diets of most cultures. Some botanical fruits, such as tomatoes, pumpkins and eggplants, are eaten as vegetables. (For more information, see list of fruits.)
Vegetables are a second type of plant matter that is commonly eaten as food. These include root vegetables (such as potatoes and carrots), leaf vegetables (such as spinach and lettuce), stem vegetables (such as bamboo shoots and asparagus), and inflorescence vegetables (such as globe artichokes and broccoli). Many herbs and spices are highly-flavorsome vegetables.
Animals
Main article: Animal source foods
Animals can be used as food either directly, or indirectly by the products they produce. Meat is an example of a direct product taken from an animal, which comes from either muscle systems or from organs. Food products produced by animals include milk produced by mammals, which in many cultures is drunk or processed into dairy products such as cheese or butter. In addition birds and other animals lay eggs, which are often eaten, and bees produce honey, a popular sweetener in many cultures. Some cultures consume blood, some in the form of blood sausage, as a thickener for sauces, a cured salted form for times of food scarcity, and others use blood in stews such as civet. Some cultures and people do not consume meat or animal food products for cultural dietary or ideological reasons , Vegetarians do not consume meat while Vegans do not consume any food that comes or contains ingredients that come from an animal source.
Evolution
Taste
Animals, specifically humans, have 5 different types of tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (Japanese for delicious ). As animals have evolved, the tastes that provide the most energy (sugar and fats) are the most pleasant to eat while others, such as bitter, are not enjoyable for evolutionary purposes.
Sweet
Regarded as the most pleasant taste, sweet is almost always a type of sugar, usually a simple sugar such as glucose and fructose, or disaccharides such as sucrose, a molecule of both combined. Complex carbs are long chains and thus do not have the sweet taste. Artificial sweeteners such as sucralose are used to mimic the sugar molecule, giving one the sense of sweet, without the calories.
Sour
The sour taste is usually regarded as unpleasant. Sour is caused by acids, such as vinegar or ethanol. Sour foods include citrus, specifically lemons and limes. Sour is evolutionarily significant as it is a sign for a food that may have gone rancid due to bacteria. Most foods however, are slightly acidic as they help stimulate the taste buds and enhance flavor.
Salty
Salty is the taste of sodium or salt. It is found in almost every food in low to moderate proportions to enhance flavor, although eating pure salt is extremely unpleasant. There are many different types of salt: sea salt, fleur de sel, mined salt and grey salt to name a few. Its significance is that the body needs and maintains a delicate salt (electrolyte) balance (see kidney). Too much salt with little water will result in dehydration and death. Common salts are iodized, meaning they include iodine, a nutrient that promotes thyroid function. Some canned foods, notably soups or packaged broths, tend to be high in salt as a means of preserving the food longer. Salt works as a preservative because salt promotes water excretion in microorganisms such as bacteria. Similarly, dried foods also promote food safety.
Bitter
Bitter is a highly unpleasant taste characterized by having a sharp pungent taste. Dark, unsweetened chocolate, coffee (the caffeine is bitter) and some types of fruit are known to be bitter.
Umami
Umami is the least known of the tastes in Western culture but has a long tradition in Asian cuisine. Umami is the taste of glutamates, especially monosodium glutamate. It is characterized as savory, meaty and delicious. Salmon and mushrooms are foods high in umami.
Presentation
It is known that when presented with food, the consumer "eats" with their eyes first. Food presented in a clean and appetizing way will encourage a good taste, possibly even if it actually tastes average or so-so. Similarly, food is usually garnished with a main ingredient in the dish so that the consumer will know what to expect when prior to consumption. For example, a lemon curd would appropriately be garnished with some lemon slices so that the eater will anticipate a satisfying lemon taste. Messy or poorly plated food are not appetizing to eat as they psychologically trigger thoughts of uncleanliness.
Production
Main article: AgricultureFood is traditionally obtained through farming, ranching, and fishing, with hunting, foraging and other methods of subsistence locally important. More recently, there has been a growing trend towards more sustainable agricultural practices. This approach, which is partly fueled by consumer demand, encourages biodiversity, local self-reliance and organic farming methods. Major influences on food production are international organizations, (e.g. the World Trade Organization and Common Agricultural Policy), national government policy (or law), and war.
Preparation
While some food can be eaten raw, many foods undergo some form of preparation for reasons of safety, palatability, or flavor. At the simplest level this may involve washing, cutting, trimming or adding other foods or ingredients, such a
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