Nowadays, vegetarianism is a consolidated movement all over the world , which has conditioned the lives, nutrition and habits of millions of people. The exponential and global growth of the vegetarian population, or those who follow a predominantly meatless and fishless diet , has influenced today's society as well as various industries, from catering to tourism and, of course, to that of the food industry. Yet what may seem like a recent trend is in fact a food phenomenon and practice that has very ancient origins .
The ancient origins of vegetarianism
Most anthropologists, as well as recent studies, have shown that our ancestors, although devoted to hunting, ate mainly plant-based diets and that a wide variety of plants formed the basis of their nutrition. Considering how dangerous and risky it was to obtain meat, it is not surprising to find that primitive man, already 4000 years ago, tended to vegetarianism.
According to recent findings, the ancient Egyptians depended mostly on cultivated plant products, all wheat and barley , and ate very little meat and fish, despite the presence of the Nile. In fact, it seems that animals such as cows, rams and pigs were considered sacred at the time and therefore sacrificed only for holidays and special occasions.
Over time, around the 6th century BC, more and more religious movements conditioned and limited the consumption of meat in the sign of spiritual well-being, for example, let's think of many oriental disciplines and philosophies such as Buddhism or Taoism or the current of Orphism in the world. ancient Greece.
It is precisely in Greece that we can find the father of vegetarianism; the philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras . As recounted by the verses of Ovid's Metamorphosis , Pythagoras was the first to take a strong ideological stance against the consumption of meat and the sacrifice of animals. His belief was strongly conditioned by the doctrine of reincarnation (metempsychosis), as he was among the first in the West to believe that all living things, including animals, had a soul .
Pythagorean vegetarianism was adopted by the ancient Greeks and Romans who called themselves "Pythagoreans" and over the following decades its tenets influenced generations of scholars, philosophers, and religious thinkers.
Vegetarianism was also normal in the early days of Greek Orthodox Christianity . In Russia, Greece, Serbia, Cyprus, and other Orthodox countries, people who belonged to the church were on a meatless (and even alcohol-free) diet. More recently, this diet has been transposed only to Orthodox fasting, at least for the laity: in fact, the monks still do not consume meat and fish to this day.
Note that we Orthodox fast primarily to remember and imitate Adam and Eve in their original state before the Fall. At the time, according to the Scriptures, they did not consume any animal product of any kind and certainly did not kill animals to eat their meat. Source> Moscow Patriarchate, Orthodox Parish of Turin
Birth and evolution of the modern vegetarian movement
The turning point in the history of vegetarianism came in the mid-1800s in England, with the founding of the Vegetarian Society (September 29, 1847) and the birth of the term “vegetarian” , a combination of the words vegetarian and agrarian. An interesting curiosity: this old organization, still active today, split in two in 1944, when part of the movement decided to found the first Vegan Society .
Barely three years after the birth of the first vegetarian association, the American Vegetarian Society has also sprung up in New York. All of these groups pursued vegetarian ideals and praised the virtues of temperance, abstinence, and self-control, typical of those who reduce or eliminate meat consumption.
Centuries later, another historical event consolidated vegetarian belief, turning it into a real movement, namely the release in the 1970s of the book Diet for a Small Planet by Francis Moore Lappe , then a university student, who became a renowned American writer and researcher. . This text had the merit of being the first to proclaim the vegetarian diet as a fundamental environmental practice, and not just an ethical and moral choice, because plant- based foods have a much smaller impact on the environment than food. meat .
A few years later, in 1975, the Animal Liberation Singer followed, which is the first work that combines the vegetarian diet to the importance of supporting and fighting for animal rights. It was therefore from the 1970s that vegetarianism was adopted as a diet and way of life by an increasingly large and varied type of person.
It is possible to take this approach and this philosophy a step further with veganism.
“Veganism is a philosophy and a way of life that seeks to exclude - as far as possible - all forms of exploitation and cruelty to animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and, by extension, promote the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms, it refers to the practice of doing without all products derived entirely or partially from animals .
There are many ways to embrace the vegan lifestyle. Yet one thing all vegans have in common is a plant-based diet that avoids all foods of animal origin such as meat (including fish, shellfish, and insects), dairy products, and eggs. and honey - as well as avoiding animal materials, products tested on animals and places that use animals for entertainment.
A little history...
Although the vegan diet was defined very early in the early days of the Vegan Society in 1944, it wasn't until 1949 before Leslie J Cross pointed out that the society lacked a definition of veganism. He suggested "[t] he principle of the emancipation of animals from human exploitation". This is later clarified as "to seek to end the use of animals by humans for food, commodities, labor, hunting, vivisection and all other uses involving the exploitation of life. animal by man ”.
The company was first registered as a charity in August 1964, but its assets were later transferred to a new charity when it also became a limited liability company in December 1979. The definition of veganism and societal charities has been modified and refined over the years. By the winter of 1988, the current definition was in use - although the wording has changed slightly over the years.
It's not just a question of diet
Vegans avoid exploiting animals for any purpose, with compassion being one of the main reasons many choose a vegan lifestyle. From accessories and clothing to makeup and bathroom items, animal products and animal tested products are in more places than expected.
Sources:
- Tumn
- The Vegan Society
Posted on 2021-11-03 19:48
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