Final answer:
Khufu maintained strict control over Egypt's food supply to ensure the completion of the Great Pyramid, as the control over resources allowed for a well-supported workforce and reflected the centralization of state power for monumental projects.
Step-by-step explanation:
Pharaoh Khufu maintained strict control over Egypt's food supply primarily to ensure the successful completion of the Great Pyramid, which required a massive, well-supported labor force. The control over resources was a crucial aspect of state power during the Old Kingdom, enabling the pharaoh to mobilize and sustain an extensive workforce. This workforce, contrary to popular belief, was not enslaved but was composed of well-cared-for laborers who likely lived better than the average Egyptian due to the efficient distribution of food and supplies. Khufu's pyramid, a testament to Egyptian prosperity and ingenuity, was only possible through the exploitation of agricultural surpluses from the Nile. These surpluses were carefully cataloged and taxed by an efficient royal bureaucracy, which was then 'spent' on remarkable construction projects such as temples and tombs, the pyramids being the most famous among them. This highly centralized control also extended to other aspects of governance, where officials, instead of currency, were compensated with fiefs, deepening their loyalty to the crown. In summary, Khufu's strict control over the food supply was a strategic move that enabled the construction of the pyramids through the maintenance of a large bureaucratic and labor system, reflecting the centralization of state power and resources for monumental building projects that epitomized the period's grandeur.