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Food

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Food

is any substance, usually composed primarily of carbohydrates, fats, water and/or proteins, that can be eatenor drunk by an animal or humanfor nutritionor pleasure. Items considered food may be sourced from plants, animals or other categories such asfungusor fermented products like alcohol. Although many human cultures sought food items through hunting and gathering, today most cultures use farming,ranching, and fishing, withhunting, foragingand other methods of a local nature included but playing a minor role.Mosttraditionshave a recognizablecuisine,a specific set of cooking traditions, preferences, and practices, the study of which is known asgastronomy. Many cultureshave diversified their foods by means of preparation, cooking methods andmanufacturing. This also includes a complex food trade which helps the cultures toeconomically survive by-way-of food, not just by consumption.Many cultures study the dietary analysis of food habits.While humans areomnivores, religion and social constructs such as morality often affect which foods they willconsume. Food safety is also a concern withfoodborne illnessclaiming many lives eachyear. In many languages, food is often usedmetaphorically or figuratively, as in "food for thought".

Food sources

Almost all foods are of plant or animal origin, although there are some exceptions. Foods not coming from animal or plant sources include various ediblefungi, such mushrooms. Fungiand ambient bacteriaare used in the preparation of fermentedand pickled foods such as leavened bread, alcoholic drinks, cheese, pickles,and yogurt. Many cultures eat seaweed, a protist, or blue-green algae (cyanobacteria)such asSpirulina.

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Additionally,saltis often eaten as a flavoring or preservative, and baking sodais used in food preparation. Both of these areinorganicsubstances, as iswater , an important part of human diet.

Plants

A variety of foods from plant sourcesMany plantsor plant parts are eaten as food. There are around 2,000 plant species whichare cultivated for food, and many have several distinctcultivars.

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Seeds of plants are a good source of food for animals, including humans because theycontain nutrients necessary for the plant's initial growth. In fact, the majority of foodconsumed by human beings are seed-based foods. Edible seeds includecereals(such asmaize,wheat,andrice),legumes(such as beans, peas,and lentils), andnuts. Oilseedsare often pressed to produce rich oils, such as sunflower , rapeseed(includingcanola oil

), andsesame.

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One of the earliest foodrecipesmade from ground chickpeas is calledhummus, which can be traced back to Ancient Egypt times. Fruitsare the ripened ovaries of plants, including the seeds within. Many plants haveevolved fruits that are attractive as a food source to animals, so that animals will eat thefruits and excrete the seeds some distance away. Fruits, therefore, make up a significant part of the diets of most cultures. Some botanical fruits, such astomatoes, pumpkinsand eggplants, are eaten as vegetables.

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(For more information, seelist of fruits.)

Vegetablesare a second type of plant matter that is commonly eaten as food. Theseincluderoot vegetables (such as potatoes and carrots

),leaf vegetables(such asspinach and lettuce),stem vegetables(such as bamboo shoots andasparagus), andinflorescence vegetables(such asglobe artichokesand broccoli

). Manyherbs and spices are highly- flavorful vegetables.

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Animals

Various raw meats

Main article: Animal source foods

Animals can be used as food either directly, or indirectly by the products they produce.Meatis an example of a direct product taken from an animal,which comes from either musclesystems or from organs.Food products produced by animals include milk produced bymammals,which in many cultures is drunk or processed into dairy products such ascheeseor butter . In addition birds and other animals layeggs,which are often eaten, and beesproduce honey, a popular sweetener in many cultures. Some cultures consume blood, some in the form of blood sausage,as a thickener for sauces, acured salted form for times of food scarcity, and others use bloodin stews such ascivet.

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Production

Tractor andChaser Bin

Main article: Agriculture

Food is traditionally obtained throughfarming,ranching, and fishing, withhunting, foragingand other methods of subsistencelocally important. More recently, there has been a growing trend towards moresustainable agriculturalpractices. This approach,which is partly fueled byconsumer demand, encourages biodiversity,local self-reliance and organic farmingmethods.

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Major influences on food production are international