The Fertile Crescent

Man and the history of agriculture stretches back into the misty past to what is known as the Fertile Crescent. The Fertile Crescent was a great swath of land reaching from ancient Egypt up and around what is now the countries of Israel, Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

Like the Native Americans and all the new foods that their discovery brought to the Old World, the Fertile Crescent also gave us many of the foods that we take for granted today. Wheat, dates, sesame, grapes, olives, almonds and many other products were first cultivated in this vast fertile land. Along the Mediterranean Sea is where man and the history of food begins. Man has been living here since the dawn of time.

Ancient mills, olive presses and wine presses have all been found multiple times in these ancient lands. Many agriculture tools were first made here. The plow was first built and used as well as the scythe. Agricultural and food practices also come from these ancient lands like the making of sourdough and fermenting dairy. Even several animals such as oxen, cows, goats and sheep were first domesticated and used by humans in this breadbasket of the ancient world. In fact, this is where many of our “ancient” grains come from!

If you are interested in learning more about the timeline and food of the biblical and ancient cultures, this book is an excellent and in-depth resource!