Kratak pregled povijesti hrane treba nas podsjetiti kako se hrana mijenjala kroz povijest, od sasvim prirodnih namirnica, preko početaka kuhanja hrane, do početaka njezine proizvodnje. Početak proizvodnje hrane – agrarna revolucija – smatra se najvažnijim iskorakom u razvoju čovječanstva i temelj je suvremene civilizacije. No kuda nas sve to vodi? Pesimisti bi rekli stvaranju sve težih uvjeta za opstanak čovjeka na našem planetu, a optimisti da još uvijek ima nade za održivi razvoj i stvaranje boljih uvjeta, uz promjenu energetske politike i stvaranje novih tehnologija. Utjecaj fenotipa na genotip kroz našu evoluciju upućuje na to da vjerojatno najbolje toleriramo onu hranu koju smo kroz milijune godina najduže i najviše konzumirali. To se odnosi i na »samo« 150 000 godina razvoja Homo sapiensa. Prema onome što danas znamo, najdulje smo konzumirali potpuno prirodnu hranu, bez kuhanja i pripreme, a nakon početka kuhanja hrane, prije 300 000 godina, i dalje smo konzumirali uglavnom voće i povrće, gljive te meso manjih životinja, riba i školjki. Stoga bi takva prehrana trebala biti temelj današnje prehrane. To ne znači da ne treba konzumirati sve ono što danas imamo, već da to možemo konzumirati povremeno, kao nadogradnju temeljnih namirnica. U članku je opisano dvanaest ključnih točaka, koje su mijenjale vrste, količine i kvalitetu hrane, što je sve djelovalo na broj stanovništva, kao i na njegov izgled i zdravlje. Redom su opisane prirodne namirnice, početci kuhanja hrane, zatim i početci proizvodnje hrane, što je u prehranu na velika vrata uvelo razne vrste žitarica i nova pića, primjerice pivo i vino, uz otkriće začina, promjene hrane u novom vijeku nakon otkrića Amerike (1492) i plovnoga puta za Indiju. To je značilo veliku razmjenu namirnica po cijelom svijetu, izrazito povećanu proizvodnju šećera i bijeloga brašna, pojavu duhana, žestokih pića, kave i čaja te nove načine konzerviranja hrane. Kasnije, nakon industrijske revolucije, dolazi do razvoja mehanizacije u poljoprivredi, otkrića umjetnih gnojiva (Haber-Boschov proces), razvoja pesticida, brojnih novih sorti križanih žitarica, uvođenje hormona i antibiotika u poljoprivrednu proizvodnju i pojavu genetski modificirane hrane. Predviđamo i da će iduća važna stepenica biti proizvodnja mesa kao kulture tkiva jer današnjim tehnologijama možemo proizvesti sva tkiva pa i tkiva životinja kojih više nema, čime bi se postupno smanjivalo ubijanje domaćih i divljih životinja za potrebe prehrane. Cilj je ovakva kratka pregleda povijesti hrane podsjetiti na to kako se naša hrana brzo i temeljito mijenja, kao i njezina količina, kvaliteta i okusi. A brief overview of the history of food is intended to remind us of how food has changed throughout history, from entirely natural ingredients to the beginnings of food production. The beginning of food production, known as the agricultural revolution, is considered the most significant development in human history and the foundation of modern civilisation. But where does all of this lead us? Pessimists might say it leads to increasingly challenging conditions for human survival on our planet, while optimists believe there is still hope for sustainable development and better conditions, through changes in energy policies and the development of new technologies. The influence of phenotype on genotype throughout our evolution suggests that we probably tolerate best the foods we have consumed the longest and most throughout millions of years. This also applies to the ‘mere’ 150,000 years of Homo sapiens’ development. According to what we know today, we have consumed entirely natural food for the longest time, without cooking and preparation, and we began cooking food 300,000 years ago, we continued to consume primarily fruits and vegetables, mushrooms, and the meat of smaller animals, fish, and shellfish. Therefore, such a diet should be the basis of nutrition today. This does not mean that we should not consume all the foods available today, but that we can consume them occasionally as supplements to basic foods. The article describes twelve key points that have changed the types, quantities, and quality of food, all of which have had an impact on the population as well as its appearance and health. It sequentially describes natural foods, the beginnings of cooking food, and the beginnings of food production, which introduced various types of grains and new beverages, such as beer and wine, along with the discovery of spices, and changes in food in the modern era after the discovery of America (1492) and the sea route to India. This meant a significant exchange of food around the world, a substantial increase in sugar and white flour production, the emergence of tobacco, strong spirits, coffee, and tea as well as new methods of food preservation. Later, after the industrial revolution, there was mechanisation in agriculture, the discovery of artificial fertilisers (Haber-Bosch process), the development of pesticides, numerous new varieties of hybrid grains, the introduction of hormones and antibiotics into agricultural production, and the emergence of genetically modified foods. We also anticipate that the next important step will be the production of cultured tissue meat, as today’s technologies allow us to produce all tissues, even those of animals that no longer exist, gradually reducing the need to slaughter domestic and wild animals for food. The goal of this short history of food is to remind us of how our food changes rapidly and thoroughly, as do its quantity, quality, and flavours.