Protein and Human History may sound like the title of a study in the manner of Arnold Toynbee rather than a restricted entry in this Companion, but is included here to draw attention to the way food history may encompass the broad, sweeping survey as well as defining the minutiae of kitchen practice. It may seem a truism to say we need food to live, but it is important to appreciate that until a human group or society has sufficient food and then, indeed, a food surplus, it is very difficult for that society to function at what we might term a ‘higher’ level. Until then, all its energies will be concentrated on subsistence, with no labour available for the production of other amenities, whether essential or ornamental. Nor will that society be able to look beyond the circumscribed boundaries of its food supply. Ensuring a sufficiency of food for all activities is a necessary stage in human development. This is a fact appreciated by modern governments and often underlies major shifts of policy: witness, for instance, Japanese dietary changes in the early 20th century described by Katarzyna Cwiertka (2006) and Barak Kushner (2012).
