The Food History Project
A Kitchen Project Newsletter, June 19, 2015

Father's Day is often celebrated by dad grilling food outdoors over a fire and has been the unwritten rule it seems since the hunter gatherer days. Men went out to hunt and they loved to play with fire. There are several theories about why the male species is the arbiter fire and cooking of the meat for nourishment of the family. .... I have been enjoying reading Michael Pollan's book "Cooked" about this topic and the small Skylight Cafe in Ayden, North Carolina  that National Geographic declared to be the capital of BBQ.  Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation   He talks about the theories of the origin of BBQ.... The Skylight Cafe Pit Room Many of the great BBQ pit masters will tell you that BBQ elements are simple, meat, wood, fire and a minimal amount of seasoning, but the real skill is control. Keeping that fire at a even temperature and cooing it low and slow takes lots of skills. Speaking of control Sigmand Freud posited a theory that man (and I do mean a man) learned to control fire many moons ago by first urinating on it, and then by NOT urinating on it and using it to heat his cave and cook. The great psychologist felt that man had the specific equipment for this that of course a women would have trouble doing.   So man's role was written into human DNA that he would supervise the flames...if they were outdoors of course. Another theory was posited by a writer Chareles Lamb from the eaely 1800's that wrote an essay for the London Times called A Dissertation on Roast Pig This theory of the first BBQued pig happened in ancient China. For the first 70,000 ages man ate his food raw. to cook it would be an insult to the Gods. Then........ When the son, Bo-bo, of a Swineherd master, Ho-Ti accidentally burned down the house with the pigs... Bo-bo plays with fire, and when going through the ashes accidentally tastes the charred pig ... Ho-Ti was upset until he tried the cooked pig..... Soon everybody wondered why Ho-Ti burned down his house so frequently. .... Roll the clock ahead ages and we have the BBQ capitol of the world in Ayden, North Carolina Where the only item on the menu is wood fire roasted Whole hog BBQ When the whole hog including the crispy skin is all chopped together The Blend can be a life altering sandwich. More about the Skylight Inn soon, or get the book I HIGHLY recommend it... Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation     Would love to hear your comments on our Facebook site Follow us at the Food History Cafe on Twitter       Stephen Block Thank you for joining this newsletter. I would love to hear from you! Please write me at; stephen@kitchenproject.com