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Cultural Tapestry of Food

 Food, clothing and shelter are needed for man's survival, among which food takes the first place. Food comes from the late Old English word 'fōda' of Germanic origin, relating to the word fodder.

Apart from filling us up, food plays a major role in the culture of a country, society, etc. The ingredients of a country's national dish tell us more about the country than the dish itself. 

Each dish holds a story, the heritage of the place it's from. The ingredients of a dish tell us, what the place it's from is best known for. For example, India has a extremely diverse cuisine. However most of it's dishes have a flavour explosion and lots of spices related to them, thus showing India's excellency in spice  production. 

 In literature food can indicate status or milieu; we see references to eating tend to be symbolic; even in fiction and fantasy. The author involves scenes where the main character, enters into the fantasy world, gets to try let's say for instance the fair folk's food, and see how different they are from mortals and so on.

 Food can not only be symbolic but also hold emotional value to people. There are many food items that were born in the direst of situations. An example for this is the Korean army stew, 'budae jjigae', a stew that was created by adding whatever provisions were at hand, due to the poverty of the people at that time.

Food, sometimes can be a reflection of culture, history and emotions, weaving tales that connect many. As Jonathan Safran For says, "Food is not rational. Food is culture..."

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