Hello my name is Luigi Ballerini. I think I'm qualified enough to answer this question. Professor of modern Italian lit and historian of gastronomy here. Man discovered relatively early on through the process of trial and error what serves his needs best. For example did you know that almost all civilizations capable of making pasta have made it from day one as far as history is concerned. It wasn't until the 12th century that Arabs in Sicily invented dry pasta. By trial and error certain progress was made in all disciplines of cooking, and when the spice routes of Europe fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 man invented battuto, sauteed onion, carrot, and celery to forgo spice. As if my magic or the divine hand of a gluttonous god, we are constantly searching for better, taster, and more nutritious foods that fill not only our stomaches but engage our minds and cure our ills. To cook is to live and to eat is to breathe.