This became shockingly clear to me when I once walked into a pride of lions by mistake near Seronera Lodge in the Serengeti. But if you ever see a lion use his full force in your immediate vicinity, you will never again believe that our ancestors walked past them naked to gather roots with their bare hands. Note that chimpanzees hunt regularly and systematically. They also show special behavior when handling meat. For example, a higher ranking animal will beg a lower ranking one for a share, something he will not do for anything else.
Meat is a very attractive, wholesome food when it is scarce.
The other masters of this art, the lions, hyaenas and wild dogs, show social behavior that is very similar to ours, with all their complex calls, personal recognition, rank, greeting ceremonies, actions very similar to kissing and hugging etc. Compare this to gathering berries, a solitary, extremely boring exercise, depriving the individuals of all social interaction. The fact that we were gatherers is trivial, utterly unimportant. We are hunters. This is where our instincts are.