"Earth" is
the title of a painting of a meat faced man done about 1570 by the Italian
artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo. (Published in The Life and Works of Arcimboldo
by Diana Craig. NY Smithmark, 1996. Hughes Food History Archives)
Hunting and gathering food was how people supplied themselves with food
prior to the development of agriculture and the domestication of animals.
"Buffalo Hunt under the Wolf-skin Mask" by George Catlin painted
between 1832 and 1833 (National Museum of American Art, Washington,
DC) depicts a clever hunting technique by Plains Indians. The buffalo
were accustomed to wolves and this allowed the hunters to stalk and
attack individual bison.
African Bushmen, also known as the San
of Southern Africa, bring home a gemsbok (antelope family) that they
have tracked and killed with spears. The hunters cut the carcass into
large chunks and carry foodback to the village to be shared with strict
equality. (Photo by Jane Taylor, published in Testament to the Bushmen,
by Laurens Van Der Post and Jane Taylor. Hughes Food History Archives)
Animals as large as hippopotamuses
have been successfully hunted in Africa since the time of the ancient
Egyptians. This is the end of a hunt on the Zambesi River in the late
19th century. ( Hughes Food History Archives)
Trapping animals has
always been an effective and relatively safe way to catch wild animals.
(Hughes Food History Archives)
The origins of domestic animals. (Hughes Food History Archives)
Herding domestic animals,
such as these sheep in Mongolia, is still an important way of life for
many people around the world. (Hughes Food History Archives)
Instead of killing animals at the time
of the hunt, farmers can choose the time, place and method of slaughter.
Prior to advances in refrigeration, animals were butchered on an as-needed
basis. (Hughes Food History Archives)
Sheep were butchered like this in early
20th century France. (Hughes Food History Archives)
Here are three scenes showing how cattle were slaughtered in the early
20th century in France. (Hughes Food History Archives)
Preservation of meat is always a challenge to insure food safety. Prior
to refrigeration and still in many parts of the world smoking meat to
preserve it is an important activity. This picture shows a 19th century
smoke house entrance. (Hughes Food History Archives)
Another important meat
preservation method was pickling. This is an 18th century scene of barrels
of pickled meat being rolled onto a ship for transport to the West Indies.
(Hughes Food History Archives)
Since the advent of refrigeration,
butchers frequently work in cold freezer compartments, preparing cuts
of meat. This butcher uses a special handsaw. Today cutting is done
with large mechanical saws. (Hughes Food History Archives)
