Random Most Historically Important Food Innovations (19 items)

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  (#6) The Oven

  If cooking with fire was a major step, the next logical step was the oven. This innovation, which dates back to over 6,500 years ago, used heat from a fire to cook food uniformly. This meant we could make things like bread and pastries, and also meant we could better cook meat and produce. Ovens also often heated the home, meaning that they had multiple uses in keeping our diets healthy and our dwellings warm. 
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  (#8) Rotating Crops

  Crop rotation means that different crops are grown on the same land in succession, either in order to change with the seasons, to maintain soil integrity, or to get the highest produce yield. This process dates back to 6000 BC, though it was not fully understood until more recently. This method is still practiced in many parts of the world and has enabled farmers to produce a steady supply of food and a greater variety of crops. 
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  (#9) Processing Sugar

  We're not certain who first cultivated sugar, but it is thought that the people of the Polynesian Islands first used it over 5,000 years ago. Sugar was originally traded as a luxury. This international food trade lead to the colonization of many nations and even lead to wars and the discovery of new lands. Not to mention, without sugar we would not have cakes, sweets, or confections, so there's always that benefit too.
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  (#5) Bottles and Corks

  We may have been storing food and liquid in earthenware containers for quite some time before this, but bottles and corks were definitely the storage method of the future. In 1500 BC, the first glass containers were made, and soon after came corks to seal the bottles. These sealed containers meant we could transport liquids - particularly wine - better and keep them for longer. It also meant we could preserve things, sometimes for several decades. The fact that we still use corks today speaks to how effective and important they have been to our world. 
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  (#7) Pasteurization

  Pasteurization is a chemical process invented by Louis Pasteur that uses heat to destroy pathogens in foods. In short, it makes our food healthier and less likely to get us sick. Originally, this was used in experiments with wine, but it is now widely used in the dairy industry to give us longer lasting, healthier, and safer milk. Without pasteurization, many products would not be as safe or accessible as they are now. 
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  (#14) Canning

  Preserving food in glass containers may have started with bottling, but this method of food preservation became a staple of many households. Nicolas Appert first preserved food through canning for the French Navy in the early 1800s so they could have food that lasted for an entire lengthy voyage. This changed the face of sailing, and indirectly, the face of warfare. Not only is canned food easy to store, consume later, and transport, it is also something that can be done at home or in factories en mass. 

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