How does climate affect what we eat?

Question

I'm just wondering how does climate affect what we eat, like why do asian people eat more vegetables than europeans, why do europeans eat more meat?

Answer 1

Well, me, I just shop at the store where everything comes from all around the world and costs a tonne of money while all the locally grown food gets exported elsewhere.... that's called globalization and how rich become richer.

Europeans and N. Americans eat more meat because they are rich and feed themselves off of the backs of slave labour in countries such as Africa and S. America.  In Asia, the cattle culture never caught on for some reason... probably because it very simply is not sustainable and they never got around to concurring other nations to set up slave labour just to produce cattle.  There are other easier ways to make money than cattle...  Raising cattle for food is just plain stupid.

Answer 2

Climate does have a role in what we eat. Usually it is due to cost and climate. For example less tropical fruits in Europe, because they are not generally suited to the climate and more costly to import. But I think tradition and culture also has an effect on what we eat. I'm not sure why some cultures eat more meat than others. Perhaps it's tradition rather than climate.

Answer 3

I suppose it all stems from what we were able to sustain on the land we have before the age of importing and supermarkets came to be. Also in very warm climates the need for meat would be less as water filled fruits and veggies would be more satisfying.

Answer 4

climate greatly affects what we eat.  tropical areas eat diets consisting largely of fruits, vegetables, and grains because they can be grown there year round.  areas that have changing seasons, especially those that have frost/snow will be limited in what is available during the winter months.  likewise, areas that receive little precipitation will have a smaller range of plants that can be grown for food.  

climate also affects the ability for sustainable farming because it is necessary to have continuous irrigation onto farmland being used to grow plants for food.  

if you take two extremes, for example....northern canada and thailand, you will see that the native people in each location base their diet off of the ability (or inability) to have sustainable agriculture.  the inuit people in northern canada survive mostly off of fish and land animals because growing plants that can be used for food is difficult with the temperature and soil in their area.  thai people eat a large amount of nuts, grains, and vegetables because their land is easily irrigated, recieves significant rainfall, and maintains a steady temperature year round.