The top definition of food on Google is “Any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth.” But while food is mostly defined as this physical substance (nutrition) in a general context, its function and identity is not limited to this. In 2011, the Philosophy Department at the University of North Texas in the US started a programme called the Philosophy of Food Project in order to establish it as a serious subject within the field of philosophy. Using David Kaplan’s Philosophy of Food as its main text, their website echoes Kaplan’s claims that there is a long but scattered history of the analysis of food by philosophers—whether it be Plato’s detailing of an appropriate diet or Marx’s discussions on food production and consumption—where the philosophers mostly refer to their work as food ethics. However, Kaplan argues that the philosophical examination of food goes beyond that to examine other fundamental areas of philosophical enquiry: metaphysics, aesthetics, political theory, and so on. This is the reason that he believes food should feature more prominently in the field of philosophy.

One of the things that make food interesting is its multitude of identities, meanings or functions. The nutrition definition aside, food assumes functions other than acting as fuel for our bodies. Anthropologists have long observed and discussed the function of food as a means to develop and maintain social relations. Historically, an example of this would be of societies or small groups ‘gifting’ food to others. However, relations would sour if they did not receive the same back. Today, we can see people treating guests to chiya, daal bhaat, or even a glass of water—failure to do so would constitute a social faux pas.

Food is also relevant in contexts of the morality of individuals. What you should eat and should not eat can be determined by your moral value system. Religion can play a significant role: an angry mob of Hindus—who consider cows to be holy—recently killed a Muslim man suspected to have eaten beef in a town near New Delhi and sparked outrage among many. There are various other worldviews outside of religion that also determine what is food and what is not for some people—the rejection of meat (vegetarians) or animal products (vegans), for example.         

One of the areas in which the identity of food is still evolving and is making a big impact is in our modern globalised mainstream culture. Food is not just food—it is much more. This holds particularly true in the West, where most of the Michelin-starred restaurants are. The presentation, the texture, the colour, and so on have all contributed to this industry where food is revered as art. This has had a massive impact on the media. There is a vast array of food shows aired on television; bookshops have sections dedicated to hardback recipe books from famous celebrity chefs (celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s cookbook is ranked third on Amazon UK’s best seller list); and the internet is filled with blogs and websites dedicated to the perfect version of dishes. It is not uncommon for people to identify themselves as a ‘foodie’—aficionados of food—on social media and post statuses such as “Pizza is bae”. This growing presence of food in culture has influenced the lifestyle values of people. There seem to be some people with an almost unhealthy obsession with the ‘healthiest’ diet, causing them to fear and refuse food with carbohydrate and fat content. Food is also considered to be spiritual and expressive, as one’s identity can be shown through their food. There are values such as acknowledging the ingredients and respecting your food. Steven Poole wrote a scathing account of the status of food in mainstream Western culture in the Guardian—one of his observations was: “Food festivals (or, if you will, ‘Feastivals’) are the new rock festivals, featuring thrilling live stage performances of, er, cooking. As one dumbfounded witness of a stage appearance by Jamie Oliver observed: “The girls at the front—it’s an overwhelmingly female crowd—are already holding up their iPhones […] A group in front of me are saying, ‘Ohmigodohmigodohmigod’ on a loop […] ‘I love you, Jamie,’ yells a girl on the brink of fainting.”

Of course, this food industry caters to a market of people where food is less of a necessity and more of a passion. I must admit that I belong to this privileged group and indulge this culture. I have watched the popular cooking competition show Masterchef many times, where amateur home-cooks compete to make the best dishes. But I am also acutely aware of the fact that there are many people who do not have food security at all. I can only imagine how an earthquake victim lacking in food supplies would react to the judges on Masterchef dismissing food because it was slightly overcooked or lacked the flavour.

This brings me to the identity of food in a social justice context, where it would be defined as a basic right. While again dealing with ethics (people should have access to food), it goes to show how food takes on another meaning (that of a basic right) in a different context.

In Philosophy of Food, Kaplan brings up numerous possibilities as to why food is not analysed more by philosophers: its physical and transient nature prevents serious consideration, or that the predominantly male profession of philosophy rejects food production because it is traditionally considered to be women’s work. But what he feels is perhaps the real reason is that analysing food is too difficult. The identity of food is difficult to place when it takes on so many different meanings in various contexts, and the variable associated with it are too many. “The subject quickly becomes tied up in countless empirical and practical matters that frustrate attempts to think about its essential properties.  It is very difficult to disentangle food from its web of production, distribution, and consumption.” This is what inspired him to write a book dedicated to the subject, and it is only a matter of time before other academic institutions create programmes for it as well.