The first food eaten in space was a pureed beef and vegetables paste, which was eaten by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin during his historicflight in 1961. The paste was squeezed from a toothpaste-like tube and eaten using a straw-like device. This was the first meal consumed in space and paved the way for further development of space food technology. Since then, astronauts have enjoyedVostok 1 mission in April 1961. The paste was packed in a toothpaste-like tube and had been specially designed for consumption in zero gravity. Since then, astronauts and cosmonauts have consumed a wide variety of foods in space, including freeze-dried and dehydrated foods, ready-to-eat meals, and even fresh fruits and vegetables grown on the International Space Station.