Food Bans: Early History: Pre-History to 1900

Laws banning certain foods have existed since time immemorial—often in the form of religious decrees. In the Old Testament, for example, after God created Adam and Eve he banned them from eating a food (often identified as an apple). Jewish kosher and Muslim halal rules have long banned the consumption of certain foods—including, in both cases, pork. Some ancient societies banned combining coffee with milk, as the mixture was incorrectly believed to cause leprosy. France banned consumption of the potato—which was said to be poisonous—into the eighteenth century.