Foods and Culinary Utensils of the Ancients

"Foods and Culinary Utensils of the Ancients" by Charles Martyn is a historical record from the late 1800s that examines the food habits and cooking tools of ancient societies like the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, showing how cooking and eating changed through the years. The book looks at how food shaped society and culture, stressing how important knowing about food was for civilization to progress. Early on, Martyn talks about where cooking customs came from and how early people mainly ate fruits and nuts. He wonders about how people's diets changed over time, pointing out that they eventually started eating cooked meat and using fire. The start of the work examines the move from simple ways of making food to more complicated cooking methods, which sets the scene for a wider look at different old cultures and what they added to the world of cooking.