Today’s digital solutions for the hospitality industry have changed the way of understanding the restaurant sector, but many years ago innovation also created a new way of understanding the world of food and gastronomy
The technology inside the table has changed us a lot. In the last five centuries, our table habits have changed so much that if we brought someone from the XNUMXth century, they wouldn’t know why we want so much stuff.
Today we want to show you how we have changed, telling you the origin of certain gadgets and habits that we take for granted today, but which took a long time to sink in and become habits.
1. The napkin
It’s funny, but the napkin that practically everyone uses, whether in a restaurant or at home, is an invention of Leonardo Da Vinci.
In the 1491th century, Ludovico, lord of Milan, tied rabbits by the table, and cleaned his hands with their fur. Da Vinci indicated that each diner should have a folded piece of cloth next to each plate to clean their mouth and hands. It was in the year XNUMX.
He was not satisfied with that, he wrote to Ludovico a series of indications for its use and behavior at the table, including possible murders.
2. The scourer
In 1917, Edwin W. Cox was selling pans house to house in the United States. To ask housewives for a moment to talk about their saucepans, he invented a scouring pad made of metal shavings with a soapy substance, and gave it away in exchange for a few minutes to sell the saucepans.
Soon he saw that the ladies wanted the gift more than the saucepan, and he patented his invention: the SOS scrubber. Everyone at home has one today.
3. The tea bags
Nowadays practically all of us prepare infusions with small tea bags, it does not matter if it is green, black or red. But it was not always like this.
At the beginning of the last century Thomas Sullivan began to sell tea, and to get customers, he would send samples of his tea, wrapping it in tissue paper, thinking that people would open them, and prepare his infusion as usual. Months later he learned that people were introducing it to the water with paper included, just as we still do today.
4. Food cans and preserves
Cans are very important in the kitchen: they store and keep food in good condition for a long time.
At the beginning of the 1749th century, France had conflicts in very distant places, and it held a contest for those who invented a way to bring food to the troops in good condition. Nicolás Appert, in XNUMX, stored food under vacuum in champagne bottles, with hot water.
An Englishman named Peter Durand exchanged the bottle for sealed metal cans, patented the idea and achieved great success. Fifty years later the can opener was invented.
5. The fork
The fork has only been with us for a thousand years, at least in the West. It was introduced to Venice by Theodora, daughter of Byzantium Constantine X, in the year 1077. But it did not catch on, in fact some considered it an instrument of the devil.
It was Catherine de Medici who successfully introduced it in the XNUMXth century, and who popularized its use in the West.
6. Pasteurization
It is considered one of the most important innovations for gastronomy. It consists of eliminating bacteria from food through a thermal action, the most typical case is that of milk.
Although we award it to Pasteur, there is a long history of pasteurization prior to him.
7. Molecular gastronomy
Molecular gastronomy is a branch of gastronomy that generates a lot of controversy. It consists of applying chemistry and physics to transform the texture and flavors of food. Its greatest exponent, or at least best known, is Ferrán Adriá.
The father of this is Hervé This, a French chef with a passion for physics and chemistry since childhood. It all started when he wanted to make ice cream with liquid nitrogen. This was in the late 80’s. The rest is history.
The list of inventions or gadgets that have changed the way we eat is enormous: the knife, the oven, the barrel, and more recently the microwave, and the internet of things, continue to transform our food and the way we eat.