Summary of history 24

 In a similar food-related kerfuffle with my (extremely) British husband, he told me that tikka masala was actually a British invention. Confused, I fell into a tikka-masala-conspiracy rabbit hole, in which I discovered a glaring lack of consensus on its origins. Some believe that it is a Punjabi dish adapted as a British curry, while others say it was invented by a Bangladeshi chef in the UK. The most popular theory attributes its creation to Ali Ahmed Aslam from the Glaswegian curry house Shish Mahal. Apparently the masala sauce was created to appeal to British taste buds, which accounts for it being one of the most beloved takeaway dishes in the modern-day UK. This story is great for Shish Mahal (still a cult-favourite among Glaswegians), but it does a huge disservice to the bountiful nature of Indian cuisine by diminishing the British populace's understanding of it to just one dish. Much like the deep-rooted complexity and diversity of Asian food culture, the will to take owner...

 Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC) Main articles: Zhou dynasty and Western Zhou Further information: Iron Age China and Predynastic Zhou The Zhou dynasty (1046 BC to about 256 BC) is the longest-lasting dynasty in Chinese history, though its power declined steadily over the almost eight centuries of its existence. In the late 2nd millennium BC, the Zhou dynasty arose in the Wei River valley of modern western Shaanxi Province, where they were appointed Western Protectors by the Shang. A coalition led by the ruler of the Zhou, King Wu, defeated the Shang at the Battle of Muye. They took over most of the central and lower Yellow River valley and enfeoffed their relatives and allies in semi-independent states across the region.[34] Several of these states eventually became more powerful than the Zhou kings. The kings of Zhou invoked the concept of the Mandate of Heaven to legitimize their rule, a concept that was influential for almost every succeeding dynasty.[35] Like Shangdi, Heaven (tian)...

  Egypt, one of the world's oldest civilizations, was unified around 3150 BC by King Narmer. It later came under Persian, Greek, Roman, and Arab rule before being joined to the Ottoman Empire in 1517. Controlled by Britain in the late 19th century, it became a republic in 1953. After several political transitions, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi currently leads the country. Predynastic Egypt (pre-3150 BC) Main articles: Prehistoric Egypt and Population history of Egypt Artifacts of Egypt from the prehistoric period, from 4400 to 3100 BC. First row from top left: a Badarian ivory figurine, a Naqada II jar, a Bat figurine. Second row: a diorite vase, a flint knife, a cosmetic palette. There is evidence of petroglyphs along the Nile terraces and in desert oases. In the 10th millennium BC, a culture of hunter-gatherers and fishermen was replaced by a grain-grinding culture. Climate changes and/or overgrazing around 6000 BC began to desiccate the pastoral lands of Egypt, forming the Sahara. Early ...