how did the food and food supplies in the past differ from what you eat today?

Answer 1

There are many more convenience foods than in the past. The food was much less processed in the past with fewer additives also. Cooking "from scratch" was the way of life in homes. You couldn't just pop open a can of biscuits or take them out of the freezer. You had to start with flour, shortening, leavening and milk to make the dough. Then the biscuits had to be rolled and cut. There are a multitude of differences. More choices in produce are available today due to better transportation from other localities. There is more choice in ethnic foods also. Most grocery stores have ethnic food aisles, years ago only a few items would have been stocked. Microwave ovens brought in a whole new world of fast foods. Popcorn was one of the first packaged microwavable products. I can remember having to warm food on top of the range in boilers rather than heating it in seconds on a disposable plate in the microwave.

Answer 2

That's an extremely vague question. In the past, food was less laden with preservatives and therefor more perishable in general, or preserved in traditional ways (pickling, salt curing, jarring, etc). A pantry, in the past, would contain grain and the like which would be made into breads, pasta, etc, rather than pre-made meals, prepackaged pastas, etc... The food was prepared more simply and made of local ingredients, except for spices, which were the basis of early trade.

Answer 3

when my kids were young I cooked foods from scratch...and I made my own jellies, bread, etc
when I was young we had more home canned goods in the pantry instead of a freezer like I use today
Now I work and we grab from the Schwan's truck for quick throw in the skillet meals and grill out on weekends more plus have freezer stocked instead of having the home canned foods