{"id":27755,"date":"2026-03-25T14:23:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T12:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/?p=27755"},"modified":"2026-03-25T14:35:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T12:35:34","slug":"how-food-made-us-human-the-evolution-of-sharing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/en\/how-food-made-us-human-the-evolution-of-sharing\/","title":{"rendered":"How food made us human. The evolution of sharing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The book<\/em> “In Lucy’s Footsteps. An Evolutionary Journey. How Food Made Us Human. The Virtues and Value of Animal Protein” will be presented in its English edition on April 8 at the European Parliament in Brussels.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did food make us human?<\/strong> The question posed in the subtitle of the book “In Lucy’s Footsteps<\/em>“, which will be presented in its English version on April 8 at the European Parliament in Brussels<\/a>, is only apparently a play on words. In reality, it opens a new perspective on evolutionary convergence in the human species, between the primordial, natural act of feeding ourselves and the sophisticated ability to communicate through symbolic language<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many animals possess forms of communication, but only Homo sapiens<\/em> has been able to differentiate vocal modulation into an increasingly diverse number of languages, reaching today’s 7,159<\/strong><\/a>(excluding dialects)<\/strong>. In parallel, there exists an enormous variety of dishes closely tied to tradition: in Italy alone, as many as 5,047 traditional food specialities have been officially recorded<\/a>. Let us explore the reasons behind this remarkable variability that characterises humanity, both in food and in language<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Language, long intertwined with nutrition<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language<\/strong>, in its evolution into different tongues, has been intertwined with nutrition since the very origin of our species<\/strong>. Both arise from a dual legacy: a cognitive one, which we share with the great apes, and a cooperative one, which distinguishes us from them. As shown by Judith Burkart<\/a>, it was the combination of intelligence and the motivation to share, first food, then information<\/strong>, that laid the foundations for the evolution of human language. The primordial language and its derivatives emerged in a context in which the cooperative care of children made it natural to share not only nourishment but also experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This motivation to share evolved alongside the ability to transmit knowledge. Over time, geographically isolated human groups developed distinct genetic traits<\/strong>, as demonstrated by Luigi Cavalli-Sforza<\/a>, as well as different languages and, consequently, diverse culinary traditions<\/strong>. The “genetic clusters<\/strong>” that form through genetic drift or natural selection often overlap with “linguistic clusters<\/strong>” and with distinct cultural patterns<\/strong>. In other words, “genes, languages, and diets travel together.<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n


A cultural habit can modify our DNA in just a few thousand years<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But biology alone, without history, is not enough to explain what we put on our plates<\/strong>. As John R. Krebs points out<\/a>, food preferences result from coevolution among genes, culture, and ecology. The example of lactase persistence<\/strong> (the ability to digest milk in adulthood) shows how a cultural habit<\/strong>, milk consumption among populations that first domesticated ruminants, can modify our DNA within just a few thousand years<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only what we eat, but also how and with whom we eat, are defining traits of Homo sapiens<\/em> culture<\/strong>. As Massimo Montanari reminds us, food is never purely natural: it is always transformed, selected, and narrated<\/a>. Preparing a dish is like constructing a sentence; it requires grammar, syntax, and meaning<\/strong>. For this reason, every cuisine has its own lexicon, its metaphors, and its rules, so that each meal becomes a discourse made of words and dishes, of silences and rituals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


How food and linguistic codes became intertwined<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, first around the fire and later around the table, food and linguistic codes became intertwined<\/strong>. Montanari also explains how food<\/strong> has, over time, become a tool of belonging, resistance, and identity<\/strong>, because it reveals who we are, where we come from, and with whom we choose to share bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of our journey with Lucy, we discover that speaking and eating are the two great tools through which we have built our humanity<\/strong>: both serve to connect us with others, to pass on knowledge, and to recognise ourselves as part of a group. The Mediterranean Diet<\/strong>, with its harmony of flavours and landscapes, is perhaps the most successful chapter of this long history, one shaped by alliances between nature and culture<\/strong>, between body<\/em>, “thoughts and words<\/em><\/a>“, echoing the famous Italian song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n