“Of Ice and Men” – how the cold stuff has shaped our culinary history

The evolutionary success of humankind has relied on a handful of fundamental but often unsung food and drink developments.

Featuring on that shortlist are salt, the domestication of plant species, the flint, the invention of irrigation, the potato, fermentation, the domestication of animals, and Jethro Tull’s seed drill.

The list goes on, but they are some of the fundamentals.

One development that is rarely discussed, which is strange because it is so important, is the domestication of ice.

When you take a closer look at it, ice is fascinating and has been crucial to so much of our culinary history.

So, sit back and chill out because in this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, we take you through a short history of ice with the brilliant writer Fred Hogge.

Fred’s book “Of Ice and Men” is all about how we have used cold to transform humanity.

Fred Hogge, Author

Fred Hogge is an historian and film-maker who has long been in the business of storytelling.

As a ghost-writer he has collaborated on books ranging from the history of cocktails to how the ancient Chinese art of Wing Tsun can be applied to modern businesses such as Penguin Random House and Hachette.

Fred is British by birth and lives in Thailand.