"How Cheese Saved Kingdoms, and Wine Decided Fates"

 

I took a sip of tea and nodded:

- Okay, so food helped diplomacy. But were there cases when food literally saved entire countries?

The frying pan responded first:

- Oh, of course! For example, let's take Switzerland. The country is surrounded by mountains, resources are limited, and the army is small. What did they do? They developed cheese making. Swiss cheese became a strategic resource. In times of famine, cheese saved people from extinction, and in times of peace, the cheese trade strengthened the economy.

The coffee beans jumped cheerfully.

- And wine? France used it as a diplomatic tool for centuries! English kings were so dependent on French wines that they agreed to political concessions. And the Spanish? Their sherry was supplied to England even during wars. Wine knew no borders!

The tomato rolled thoughtfully across the table.

— But there are also examples to the contrary. Remember the "War of Jenkins' Ear." It was a war between Britain and Spain in the 18th century. It all started with the cut ear of an English sailor, but in fact, the conflict flared up because of the rum and sugar trade in the Caribbean.

I took a bite of the cookie and shook my head:

— So, food is not just a source of energy, but a real weapon?

The frying pan rang proudly.

— Absolutely right! Food saves, unites, and even leads into battle. Now pour some more tea — ahead we have a story about how chocolate saved spies!