How Cooked Meat Helped Humans Thrive For Thousands of Years

How Cooked Meat Helped Humans Thrive For Thousands of Years

It might not seem like it, but cooked meat was one of the most important advancements in human history. Without cooked meat, we wouldn’t have much agriculture, and humans would never have been able to become dominant in the animal kingdom. This fascinating history of cooked meat reveals how and why it became such an important part of our diet as well as how scientists are now using cooking methods to improve our health even further!

Reasons humans began cooking
One popular theory is that early humans began cooking meat to make it easier to digest. Another is that cooking made meat taste better and more appealing, thus providing a much-needed boost of calories and nutrients. Whatever the reason, it's clear that cooked meat played an important role in human evolution.

How the process was different for early humans
The process of cooking meat was different for early humans than it is today. They didn't have access to stoves or ovens, so they had to cook their meat over an open fire. This required a lot of time and effort, and the results were often less than ideal. But early humans persevered, because cooked meat was an important source of nutrition.

When did we start eating raw meat?
The first recorded instances of cooked meat date back to the early days of human history. Around 2.3 million years ago, our ancestors started using fire to cook their food. This gave them a major advantage over other animals, who were still eating raw meat.

Why do we continue to cook meat today?
We cook meat for a variety of reasons. First, it helps to break down the tough connective tissues, making the meat more tender and easier to chew. Second, cooking kills harmful bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Third, it helps to preserve meat, preventing it from spoiling. Fourth, cooking gives meat a more palatable flavor. Finally, cooking helps to make the nutrients in meat more bioavailable, meaning our bodies can better absorb them.

Raw vs. cooked meats - nutritional value comparison
When it comes to nutritional value, raw meat and cooked meat are not all that different. Both are excellent sources of protein, essential amino acids, and iron. However, there are a few key ways in which cooked meat outperforms its raw counterpart.