Yet this was probably one of the main reasons why cooking came into use in the first place; and it is still one of the most important reasons for continuing it.

No one would feel attracted by a plate of slabs of raw meat, with a handful of flour, a raw potato or two, and some green apples; but cook these and you immediately have an appetizing and attractive meal.

Any food, to be a thoroughly good food, must "taste good"; otherwise, part of it will fail to be digested, and will sooner or later upset the stomach and clog the appetite.
Cooking Makes Food Easier to Chew and Digest.

The second important use of cooking is that it makes food both easier to masticate and easier to digest.

As we have seen, it bursts the little coverings of the starchy grains, and makes the tough fibres of grains and roots crisp and brittle, as is well illustrated in the soft, mealy texture of a baked potato, and in the crispness of parched wheat or corn.