What foods have changed over time?

Wedding cakes used to be cookies that were thrown at people. Meatloaf once involved animal brains and was eaten for breakfast. Christmas mince pies were once twenty-pound monstrosities. What we eat changes history, and the history of food has always been closely related to progress and social inequality.

For better or worse, food is literally the fuel that feeds human society. Nearly all members of Generation X are familiar with the Food Pyramid, a graphic produced by the government designed to show the type and proportions of foods that Americans should eat to stay healthy. Chains such as Panera Bread, Shake Shack and Chipotle have helped introduce the so-called fast and informal restaurant concept, which is based on freshly prepared food with quality ingredients that cost only nominally more than fast food in terms of money and time. Organizations such as the Red Cross and the World Food Programme are dedicated to ensuring that much-needed food deliveries reach the line of fire.