Food is a fundamental human need just like air to breathe and water to drink, but also it’s much more than that: it is one of the oldest and most important forms of human culture. While everyone eats, every country, region, and community has its own distinct style of cooking, and the sharing and intermingling of different cuisines has shaped the course of human history as well as our own personal experience of the world. And in today’s era of globalization, we have more opportunities to explore and appreciate the diversity of the world’s food cultures than ever before.
It is important to learn about food for reasons other than the pursuit of gustatory pleasure and cultural enrichment, of course. As food science and health informatics help us learn about the links between nutrition and health challenges like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, doctors and dieticians have an increasing role to play in improving public health. The environmental impacts of our food systems are also becoming a source of greater concern, as we seek to feed a growing global population sustainably without destroying natural resources or accelerating climate change.
