The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism

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Though the word 'vegetarianism' was not coined until the mid-nineteenth century, the vegetarian diet has been around for as long as man has; even longer, perhaps, if the primates and hominids are considered. Why should omnivorous man have ever voluntarily chosen not to eat meat? Vegetarianism, where it is not forced on humans by poverty, has often been embraced within a presiding ideology. And that ideology, for reasons which Colin Spencer explores in this masterly study, has required certain conditions of a society: in particular, an inclination to pacifism and a willingness to look beyond the prevailing orthodoxy of the day. Not surprisingly, vegetarians have often been discriminated against - sometimes tortured, even killed - for their beliefs. The history of vegetarianism is also a history of dissidence and revolt.

Vegetarians have included amongst their number: heretics, humanists, Hindus, Christian fundamentalists, radicals, agnostics, philosophers, founders of religion and even an Emperor. The early Christians practised a sort of vegetarianism, but more often than not it was expressed as asceticism - the impulse was spiritual rather than ethical. Why vegetarianism should so often have been equated with restraint, spirituality and dissent (and meat eating with wealth, strength and social position) is a recurrent theme of this book. Even in the late nineteenth century, vegetarianism was a form of asceticism. Not only was meat rejected but all so- called stimulants, including alcohol, tea, coffee, and spices. Only in the twentieth century. with the rise of nutritional research, has the actual preparation of vegetarian food become an important Issue.

In the Renaissance, with the rediscovery of the ancient world and the prescratic view that Spirit inhabited all matter, a new respect developed for all living creatures. The embodiment of the Renaissance,

Leonardo da Vinci - the first great humanitarian - was a vegetarian, and his love for all animals was an expression of his mystical love for all life. In the twentieth century with the increased interest in animal welfare and animal rights we are perhaps at last trying to find a way to live in harmony with the rest of the animal kingdom. In any case, as current farming techniques become more and more untenable and the future of the planet uncertain, vegetarianism may become not just a desire but a necessity.