Given the amount of time needed to raise food, store it properly, and then cook it, is it any wonder that the thousands of years of human endeavor have created such a wealth of culinary output worldwide. Such creativity is truly inspirational of what mankind can do. A new book last year, "Catching Fire," by anthropologist, Richard Wrangham, may provide the academic argument for the earthy sensual and intellectual moorings of homo sapiens (after h. erectus, of course). In other words, do not underestimate our core biological foundations in cooking (and raising etc.) food! Wrangham argues that as animals we are unique as the 'cooking' ape. In fact our whole anatomy and physiology is based on our ability to cook food to fuel our bodies.
See NY Times review: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/books/27garn.html
Slate review: http://www.slate.com/id/2219162/
Washington Post review: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/10/AR2009071001680.html
Powell's books: http://www.powells.com/biblio/9780465013623
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