Lunch pails have certainly come a very long way! We went from using oiled goatskins, to being able to purchase accessories for lunch boxes! It is actually unproven that oiled goatskins were used as lunch boxes. However, it is a little known (but well documented) fact that they were used as early as 3000 BC by the Persians to feed their royal families. The Nile River made such a fertile soil that over time “the grainss were abundantly grown there, so that there were always a surplus of bread and wine. In addition to this there were always additions of onions and garlic, as well as all sorts of spices and seasonings. By the 3rd Century there were native goats living in the deserts of the Middle East, who would provide a steady supply of milk. It was only about a century later that the Spanish conquistadors brought goats with them to Spain, and the culture of making lunch boxes around this time was born.
Making a “lunch box” was a common practice in medieval Europe, as it was a good way to Carry less food. Typically a sturdy lunch box could contain a small bag of bread and some kind of filling. The bread would be cut out into shapes such as a baguette and the filling would be made from anything from left over bread, to fish and meat. The meat could be seasoned with all kinds of spices and herbs and then wrapped with the bread. Medievalmen often noted that the bread should be cut into triangular slices to make it easier for the eater to take notes while eating.
In the late 1800s there was a cartoonist namedoup, who challenged himself to come up with a crumpled piece of paper and then put a question mark on it. His title was ” challenger to unusual foods”. One of the many cartoons he drew was about unusual foods and the one he chose was about the tomato. In it he showed how he had left over bread and tomato, and how the two combined together to form a tomato, fresh ripe and ready to be enjoyed. And yes this cartoon perfectly captured the human imagination and also the frog, mice and giant ants that were always around him.
Why did chef whiff on the idea of a simple and easy lunch? Possibly it’s because food as we know it, is a fairly recent addition to our regional and cultural history. Civilizations across the globe have enjoyed food as a simple and pure necessity. Some of these cultures may not be able to identify with the convenience food afforded by others and may not have felt the urge to create it for themselves.
One of these unfortunate cultures is the ancient Incas of South America. For centuries, the Incas enjoyed nothing more than the meek and simple offerings of potatoes and corn on bread. James Bond might have bludgeoned this culture, but it was the Americans that moved-and discovered chili and corn on the cob.
Needless to say, the Spaniards found this food to be an especially appealing staple of life. And Mama Mabel was off to school to school helping them prepare this nourishing dish.
Southern Spain was a hot spot for chili and Spanish recipes came out in favor of it as well. You’ll find that in meals right up until the present day included dishes like Paella Valenciana, difficult to find in America today, as well as Paella de Marisco.
The Spaniards were not immune to the incidences of disease and may not have been so lucky as the Romans. This often led them to seek out crops not only to nourish themselves, but to feed their troops and the poor as well. This may have contributed to the popularity of rice as a staple and to the invention of several starch based sauces like soya and spaghetti.
Some food historians say that the Italians also introduced the meatballs during the Crusades and by the late 1200s had already experimented with something similar to the meatballs of today.
Today, of course, meatballs come in various forms. They can be fresh, frozen, dried or even picked fresh from your own yard. Meatballs are spherical and in every variety of shape. You can even find them with growing moss on them.
Meatballs have long been the most popular party food and they remain so today. They are great for getting kids involved in helping you make-it. Just keep them small anddense so that you don’t have to worry about serving them like burgers or ham or sandwiches.
About The Author
Helena Eater
How much does the quality of food really matter? If you eat food that tastes good, your life will be better. If you eat food that tastes bad, your life will be worse. The difference between good and evil is partly subjective: what tastes good to me might taste bad to you. The difference is also partly objective: what restaurants I think serve good food might serve lousy food to you. But if we stick to objective measures — measures such as how much weight people gain or lose — we can cut through some of the subjectivity.
