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Agriculture, food production, distribution and sales have shaped the course of human development and, taken together, are arguably the world's largest and most important industries to date. Think of all the activities necessary to provide you (and everyone else on this planet) with the next meal. First, farmers utilize soil, seeds, fertilizers and pest control to grow plants or pastures to nourish animals. They need machines to harvest the crops and storage facilities and trucks to transport the raw food to the processing plants. There, foods are prepared, mixed, filled, and packaged into finished or semi-finished products, stored and transported to grocery stores, restaurants, or some intermediates, like wholesalers or distributors; these will sort, categorize, further process, present and sell the packaged or fresh food to consumers.
So it is no wonder that the "agri-foods" industry plays a major role in almost all nations around the world, as well as in current global politics, economics and development. For example, agriculture is a major contributor to greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Conversely, climate change may hurt agriculture and food production in many regions of the world. There's a vigorous debate between national governments and international institutions, like the United Nations or World Bank, about what to do about growing poverty and hunger, the obesity epidemic, trade barriers in food and agriculture, food safety and agricultural development.
Finally, it's amazing to realize that we have a world of food just in front of our doorsteps. Think of all the food products from around the world which you can buy at your local grocery store. There, you will find most likely products made in China, Mexico, Italy, India and, yes, even Germany. Also consider all the cuisines (body of recipes) represented by the so-called ethnic or international restaurants. Surely you will be able to locate a Chinese, Mexican or Italian restaurant in your town or city, but also authentic Thai, Ethiopian or even German cuisine in greater metropolitan areas. The greatest international success, though, can be attributed to two humble local dishes, one from Naples, Italy, and the other from Ohio, USA. These two dishes have shaped a global fast-food culture in the past decades. Of course, we're talking about pizza and hamburgers, respectively. These dishes are the ultimate symbols of today's fast-paced, globalized life.
Which cuisines from other parts of the world have you tried so far? What differences or similarities to your local cuisines did you discover? Which "ethnic" cuisine is your favorite? Why?
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