Cuisine and Empire: Cooking in World History
... Autores como Johnston y Baumann (2015) y Ferguson (2004) proporcionan valiosos marcos teóricos para comprender estas transformaciones. Los estudios etnográficos, como los de Arellano (2021), Solt (2014) Williams-Forson (2006) y Laudan (2013), ofrecen descripciones detalladas de cómo alimentos específicos como los tacos, el ramen, los macarrones con queso y la pizza son resignificados y elevados dentro de diferentes contextos culturales. Estos estudios ponen de relieve la interacción entre tradición e innovación, el papel de las narrativas culturales y las repercusiones de la globalización en la cultura alimentaria, pero también las cuestiones de estatus y gusto asociadas al consumo de alimentos. ...
... ¿Por qué no se ha puesto de moda o no se lo han apropiado los foodies, o por qué su vida gourmet ha durado tan poco? A diferencia de algunos alimentos que de alguna manera forman parte de un imaginario colectivo como platos nacionales o regionales, como el ramen del que habla Solt (2014) o las pizzas trazadas por Laudan (2013), la caballa no forma parte ni encaja en ningún imaginario vinculado a la tradición, la autenticidad o incluso la nostalgia. ...
This article will try to discuss the inversion of a stereotype associated with a food product - mackerel (Scomber colias) - a fish whose consumption was connoted with popular and poverty contexts, and its revitalization that has taken place especially since 2011, concomitant with the worsening of the economic crisis in Portugal. This process of revitalization and resignification, initially put into practice by renowned Portuguese chefs, also entered the lexicon and practices of nutritionists who try to promote the idea of "healthy eating". Parallel to the economic crisis, another factor contributed to the revitalization of mackerel in Portugal: the imposition of fishing quotas on sardines, a fish recognized as a symbol of national food practices, associated with summer and its festivities. This brief analysis shows us how the process of gourmetisation of mackerel took place in a very specific context - an economic crisis in Portugal - a process that, as we will try to demonstrate, did not last over time.
... Doughnuts, or donuts, originated at the hands of a sea captain in Maine by the name of Hanson Crockett Gregory (see Taylor, 1998) though similar-ish creations go back many centuries (e.g., Laudan, 2013; and were sometimes known as oily 'cakes'; see Taylor, 1998). Though while not a traditional fairground food, one often encounters them on fairgrounds nowadays. ...
... In so doing, the 'All the fun of the fair' dish may also help to start redress in some small way the imbalance that is present in much of the historical consideration/recreation of formerly popular foods. The focus has tended largely to be on high cuisine (e.g., as found in the royal court; see Laudan, 2013, on the distinction between high food ...
This paper looks at brandy snaps, toffee apples, candy floss, boiled sweets, and exotic fruits such as coconuts that have been prominent treats at British and colonial fairgrounds for well over a century. Taking inspiration from the brandy snap, the authors then introduce a new dish, comprising a selection of canapés, called ‘All the fun of the fair,’ which taps into this aspect of British food history.
... A community where multiple cultures meet and mingle into something that speaks both of the origins of ingredients and techniques and the place where they have met is a clear example of such a dynamic dialogue of cultures which aligns with Rogers' definition of "transculturation", intended as a type of cultural appropriation where "cultural elements created from and/or by multiple cultures, such that identification of a single originating culture is problematic" [24]. It is worth mentioning that culinary diversity and hybridization are an age-old phenomenon in communities of all sizes-except for highly isolated ones-as a result of voluntary or forced migration, territorial conquests and colonization, trade, and even religious missions [25]. Thus, analyzing a community's gastronomic diversity offers insight into the local impact of migration and connects the place to a series of crises taking place abroad at different periods-famines, poverty, and even wars [26]. ...
... Such codification appears in line with the notion of cultural homogeneity upon which most nations are built. Even Mahatma Gandhi reportedly referred to the creation of a national diet as instrumental to political unity in India [25]. Hence, this practice can be seen as a manifestation of shared gastronationalism, a practice connecting the foods' social and cultural attributes to politics in order "to demarcate and sustain the emotive power of national attachment, as well as the use of nationalist sentiments to produce and market food" [97]. ...
This paper features as its starting point the observation that unprecedented migration flows have made cultural diversity a common feature of most cities across the world. Among the many components of such diversity, gastronomy will be presented as both a primary employment niche for migrants and a valuable resource for many municipalities’ intercultural turn aimed at enhancing social cohesion, local economic development, international cooperation, and branding. The paper will then discuss the relationship between diaspora cuisines and their countries of origin in the framework of the expanding field of gastrodiplomacy. Thus, the paper will present the increasingly evident distance between most countries’ authenticity discourse on national cuisine and the reality of their food scene. Finally, the approaches of cities and nations to gastronomic diversity will be compared, examining the possibilities for overcoming this dualism as the benefits of intercultural approaches become increasingly apparent.
... Las actividades misionales y económicas que desarrollaron generaron, en muchas ocasiones, cambios alimentarios entre las comunidades indígenas. En el caso de las Filipinas, los misioneros jesuitas fueron uno de los agentes más importantes en la transferencia de semillas y animales (Giraldez, 2015, p. 71;Machuca, 2014, p. 237) y en la difusión de los fundamentos de la cultura alimentaria católica (Laudan, 2013). No obstante, no conocemos en detalle el impacto que tuvieron sus actividades sobre los hábitos alimentarios de la población indígena de las Filipinas. ...
Este artículo examina los factores que propiciaron la aparición de nuevos hábitos alimentarios en las islas Filipinas durante el período colonial español. Con este objetivo, en primer lugar se identificarán las circunstancias específicas que explican que la llegada de los colonos al archipiélago fuese acompañada de un proceso de transferencia culinaria. Aunque la difusión de nuevos alimentos y formas de alimentarse fue una parte indisociable de la expansión de las monarquías ibéricas, en las islas Filipinas este proceso presentó características propias. En segundo lugar se mostrará que los misioneros jesuitas fueron agentes relevantes en la introducción de nuevos ingredientes, prácticas y comportamientos alimentarios. Junto a la extensión del catolicismo, el proyecto evangelizador de la Compañía de Jesús buscó modificar todos aquellos comportamientos de las comunidades indígenas que se consideraban contrarios a una forma de vida «civilizada», incluidos los vinculados a la comida. Las estrategias misionales de los religiosos propiciaron la aparición de instituciones y espacios —como las reducciones, las haciendas, los colegios y los seminarios— que actuaron como centros de difusión de los principios de la cultura y la cocina católicas, y probablemente impulsaron cambios en los hábitos alimentarios de la población indígena.
... Moreover, the influence of renowned chefs and thought leaders is recognized as a powerful factor in shaping public perceptions and promoting insect consumption (66,67). Cultural identity and traditions are acknowledged as strong arguments for food choices (77)(78)(79), emphasizing the need for a nuanced approach that considers the dynamic nature of traditions and the evolving perceptions of food over time (65). ...
... The term 'Cuisine' has been very frequently used in food or culinary related research (Laeis et al., 2020). Cuisine refers to the style of cooking (Laudan, 2015;Cambridge Dictionary, 2023). It is a set of culinary customs and practices that are frequently linked to a certain historical era or cultural group (Kocevski and Risteski, 2020). ...
Temple cuisine refers to the style of cooking followed in temples. The ingredients vary across the religions but in all the temples these ingredients are locally sourced and the same ingredients have been used since ancient times. The ingredients selection is based on principles of coexistence and interconnectedness. Temple cuisine is vegetarian and prohibits the use of meat, poultry, fish etc but allows the use of dairy products. The cooking techniques are based on religious beliefs and customs.
... Historical events, migrations, and cultural exchanges shape culinary traditions and foodways, influencing the ingredients, cooking methods, and flavor profiles of traditional dishes. For instance, in Brazil, the culinary heritage is influenced by indigenous, African, Portuguese, and immigrant cultures, resulting in a rich tapestry of flavors and ingredients in Brazilian cuisine (Laudan, 2013). Geographic location is another factor influencing cultural background, determining access to local resources, climate conditions, and environmental factors (Oakes, 2017). ...
Purpose: This study sought to explore cross- cultural differences in food preferences and consumption patterns. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to cross- cultural differences in food preferences and consumption patterns. Preliminary empirical review revealed that cultural heritage profoundly influenced individuals' food preferences and consumption habits, with distinct culinary traditions and family influences shaping dietary behaviors within specific cultural contexts. Globalization and urbanization were found to impact food preferences, yet traditional dietary practices remained resilient. Additionally, socio-economic factors significantly influenced dietary behaviors, particularly in low-income communities. These findings emphasized the importance of recognizing cultural diversity and socio-economic disparities in promoting healthy eating behaviors and improving public health outcomes. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Cultural Anthropology theory, Social Identity theory and Ecological Systems theory may be used to anchor future studies on cross- cultural differences in food preferences and consumption patterns. The study offered valuable recommendations that contributed to theory, practice, and policy in the field of nutrition and public health. By identifying cultural influences on food preferences and consumption patterns, the study enriched theoretical frameworks such as cultural anthropology, social identity theory, and ecological systems theory. Its findings informed the development of culturally sensitive interventions and educational programs, empowering individuals to make healthier food choices while respecting cultural heritage. Additionally, the study's insights guided the formulation of evidence-based policies aimed at addressing diet-related health disparities and promoting food security and nutrition equity on a global scale.
... While travelling, tourists expect to undertake activities which are different from those constituting everyday responsibilities. Relaxation and the need to experience something out of the ordinary lead to pleasant new experiences [2]. To those who are partial to culinary tourism, consumption of traditional regional dishes may markedly enhance travelling experiences, which makes culinary tourism an interesting new trend. ...
Culinary tourism is one of the most rapidly developing forms of tourism in the world. The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of and tourists’ familiarity with cuisine in the area along the Polish-Lithuanian border. The survey included adult tourists visiting areas on both sides of the border between Poland (Podlaskie Voivodship) and Lithuania (Olicki District). A total of 789 questionnaires were completed, of which 759 were included in the study: 376 from Olicki District in Lithuania and 383 from Podlaskie Voivodship in Poland. The questions in the authorial questionnaire pertained to six dishes representing the most popular regional specialities in the area on both sides of the Polish-Lithuanian border. For all the responses, a five-point Likert scale was used. The results of the work show that tourists want to explore a given region by tasting local cuisine and that they are in search of unique products while paying much attention to the smell and taste of the dishes they consume. The product’s appearance is of less significance while making purchasing or consumption decisions. Flavour-related experiences associated with and preferences for individual dishes representing Polish-Lithuanian cuisine were very similar for both groups of respondents. It indicates there is a possibility of establishing cooperation to promote the products in the study area and thus enhance its tourist appeal.
... Obras hidráulicas como canales, sistemas de riego, diques y acueductos siguen siendo ejemplos ilustres de transformaciones antrópicas sobre el ambiente coordinadas por Estados (Lander, 2021). Del mismo modo, la gestión de stocks de alimentos para repartir entre las poblaciones en tiempos de sequías o la promoción de culinarias de alto rendimiento calórico son testimonios de cómo las élites estatales buscaron adecuar los comportamientos a las restricciones ambientales (Laudan, 2015;Johnson y Earle, 2000). ...
El objetivo de este trabajo es ofrecer a los lectores una interpretación de muy largo plazo de las múltiples dimensiones que vinculan a los seres humanos con el ambiente. Con ese objetivo, resume cuatro transiciones energéticas consideradas como ejemplos paradigmáticos de la capacidad de adaptación humana a restricciones de tipo ambiental: i) el control del fuego (de 1,7 a 2 millones de años atrás); ii) la revolución agrícola y la reproducción regulada de alimentos (9.500 a. C.); iii) la extracción sistemática de excedentes de la producción social como condición energética de los dispositivos de acción colectiva (Estados) a partir de la Edad de Bronce; y iv) la Revolución Industrial (siglos XVIII y XIX). La evidencia histórica indica que las sociedades humanas superan las restricciones ambientales a partir de procesos de evolución cultural que desencadenan cambios en las técnicas, o con nuevas formas de organización para la obtención de energía.
Published in: Margenes - Revista de Economia Politica, UNGS, Argentina, ISSN: 2362-1931.
Link to the article: http://revistas.ungs.edu.ar/index.php/margenes/article/view/199/249
* E. Crespo: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ); ecres@irid.ufrj.br.
N. Guaita: Oregon State University (OSU); guaitan@oregonstate.edu.
A. Lazzarini: Goldsmiths, University of London; a.lazzarini@gold.ac.uk.
... However, on being presented with the dish, the majority of diners were typically completely unaware of the sensory incongruency hidden within. The apparent sensory incongruity 2 According to Laudan (2013), dog liver wrapped in fat was apparently a particular delicacy amongst those living in East Asia several thousand years ago. Note that much has been written on the history of eating dog (e.g., Le Breton, 2017, pp. ...
Some dishes are shocking because of what they contain, such as Korean dog stew to many Western diners, or horsemeat to the British. Others are shocking merely because of what they look like, or resemble: The growing popularity of animate dishes in parts of Asia, for example, or the much-publicized Michelin-starred Hong Kong chef Alvin Leung's ‘Sex on the beach’ dessert, fall into the latter category. There is a growing trend amongst contemporary chefs to develop dishes that their diners will most likely find ‘shocking’. Such a practice appears to represent something of a step change from the ‘search for deliciousness’ that lies behind molecular gastronomy or modernist cuisine. Here, we describe a dish (dessert) that was recently introduced onto the menu at Kitchen Theory, inspired by Barbara Smith’s (1969) edible performance art work entitled ‘Ritual Meal’. Consisting of nothing more than rhubarb and a beetroot juice reduction, the dish is shocking solely because of its visual appearance, both its form and the way in which it is served, cue a human organ that has been removed during surgery. Informal reports suggest that this dish constitutes an especially memorable multisensory component of the diner's experience at Kitchen Theory's Gastrophysics Chef's Table.
... Feeding with grains was the first strategy of the sedentary stage of the humanity for their subsistence. Also, there is historical evidence on the use of different types of grain to provide sufficient energy to stand life and that in the millennium between 500 BC and 400 AD, wheat and barley largely displaced other grains used in the production of foods (Laudan, 2013). ...
Building on the performative aspects of identity expression, this chapter focuses on everyday practices—particularly cooking and eating—as key sites of heritage politics. It examines how the preparation of specific dishes and particular eating habits play a crucial role in constructing and performing Baba Nyonya identity. The ways in which Baba Nyonya consciously use culinary practices to distinguish themselves from other (Chinese) groups in Penang illustrate how food becomes deeply entwined with the historical experiences of port city residents and how ‘recourse to the past’ serves as a tool for identity construction. Baba Nyonya cuisine functions as an identity marker not in spite of but precisely because of the diverse influences that have shaped it—highlighting the ability to adapt as a core element of their emic concept of authenticity and the identity of those who prepare and consume it.
Sri Lanka, an island nation with a rich cultural and culinary heritage, offers a unique gastronomic experience shaped by centuries of trade, colonization, and migration. Despite its extraordinary diversity of flavors, Sri Lankan cuisine has yet to achieve the global recognition of other Asian culinary traditions. This study explores the position of Sri Lankan cuisine in the international food scene, drawing comparisons with globally renowned dishes to highlight similarities and differences. The research aims to identify the key elements that define Sri Lankan food, examine its historical influences, and suggest strategies for increasing its global appeal.
This paper discusses the use of salt, vinegar, honey, and sugar in some Byzantine and Arabic-Islamic recipes in cooking and pastry-making as well as for food preservation and in medical preparations. It draws mostly on information provided by Byzantine sources and Arabic translations for any comparison. The research focuses on some examples of salty/sour and sweet culinary and medicinal recipes, common or similar Arabo-Byzantine products like iṭriya, garos/murrī, zoulapion mishmishiyya, and libysia. The paper starts with Galen’s Syrian mēloplakous, continues with salty and sweet liquid preparations as well as preserves of roses and fruits. It concludes with a discussion of two exemplary Arabic delicacies more widely known in twelfth-century Byzantium, two foods with extreme opposite but equal flavored tastes: a sweet and a salty Arab product, paloudakin or apalodaton (fālūdhaj), which was the most typical sweet the Byzantines borrowed from the Arabs, and libysia, the especially flavorful salted fish from Egypt.
In this open access book, Stephen Wooten offers a holistic historical ethnography of cooking and female agency inWestAfrica, and of the broader cultural and historical significance of women’s culinary agency.
Drawing on archaeological evidence, historical accounts, and extensive ethnographic research, Stephen Wooten documents and theorizes Malian women’s culinary agency. He finds that their cooking not only transforms raw ingredients into cooked fare, providing essential physical nourishment, but also helps foster fundamental values, facilitate elemental family and community dynamics, and reproduce gender identities and relations. These findings shed light on the cultural productivity of cooking within a specific African context and foster a deeper appreciation for the significance of culinary dynamics more broadly. The study makes important contributions to the fields of African studies, anthropology, and “everyday studies”.
The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the Bloomsbury Open Collections Library Collective.
Despite the scarce relevance in the academic world compared to other disciplines, cookbooks and food-related stories represent a valid source to understand more in detail socio-economic and political changes in a country. In this paper I will briefly introduce the increase in importance of cookbooks and the national cuisine in Russia, their contribution and the key role they played during the imperial time in the formation of national identity. The method of my research includes an analysis of the most influential culinary works printed in Russia during the 18th and 19th centuries and their contextualization in a time full of social and political changes. As result, I will explain how politics and social events reflect over the kitchen and cookbooks and how the latter have been used by their authors as medium to spread patriotism and nationalistic ideologies.
Large amounts of money, time and effort are devoted to sensory and consumer research in food and beverage companies in an attempt to maximize the chances of new products succeeding in the marketplace. Many new products fail due to lack of consumer interest. Answers to what causes this and what can be done about it are complex and remain unclear. This wide-ranging reference collates important information about all aspects of this in one volume for the first time. It provides comprehensive, state-of-art coverage of essential concepts, methods and applications related to the study of consumer evaluation, acceptance and adoption of new foods and beverages. Combining knowledge and expertise from multiple disciplines that study food sensory evaluation and consumer behaviour, it covers advanced methods including analytical, instrumental and human characterization of flavour, aspects of food processing and special research applications of knowledge and methods related to consumers’ evaluation of new food products. Researchers and professionals working in food science and chemistry are sure to find this an interesting read.
Pellagra is caused by a diet with little meat or milk and a reliance on maize. Pellagrins suffer from poor cognitive and social skills. Pellagra was cured with nicotinamide (vitamin B3) but before that pellagrins were considered inferior and dangerous degenerates and were known as the “Butterfly Caste” after the characteristic sunburn rash. Quests for meat drove the diaspora “out of Africa” with meat sharing being the social norm. After the domestication of animals “meat elites” across classes, castes, sexes and continents emerged. Nomads migrating to northern Europe created mixed pastoralist-farmer populations whose fermentation cultures and genetic innovations allowed lactose tolerance. Skin lightened as sunlight, needed to synthesise vitamin D. and sunburn was rare. Conquests encouraged their view that they were a superior race rather than that they were blessed with a superior diet. Ruling classes on a high meat diet combined forces with cereal dependant workers (with higher fertility) whilst the “lumpenproletariat” were economic vegetarians. Social contracts broke down with rebellions, but slaves, oppressed sharecroppers and refugees bore and bear the brunt of (subclinical)pellagra often in ex-colonial subjects—to whom dietary reparations could bridge international inequality gaps.
This article considers three South African community cookbooks – including The Overseas Contingent Fund Recipe Book (Turffontein, 1915) and the Paarl Cookery Book in Aid of War Funds (Paarl, 1918) alongside Wartime Cookery (Cape Town, 1915) – as expressions of gendered patriotism. These community-created cookbooks enabled contributors to participate meaningfully in the First World War by drawing together two established gendered practices: philanthropic fundraising and food and household management. This ‘domesticity in action’ enabled participants to contribute to ,and feel connected to, both local and trans-empire causes. These values of philanthropy, economy and patriotism are revealed in the constitutive components of the texts – the titles, aims, prefaces and even the recipes themselves. Apart from supporting specific funds, the call for economy in the cookbooks reflected both experiences and perceptions of wartime material hardship in South Africa. A further consideration of the contributors involved with the books’ compilations highlights the intersection of local and trans-empire networks, and wartime (white) identity politics within urban South Africa. The networks suggest locally-grounded loyalisms, many marked by personal connections to men serving, as well as friend and family networks with overseas reach. Lastly, the article is a reminder of the importance of cookbooks as neglected sources in the writing of history.
This handbook presents a must-read, comprehensive and state of the art overview of sustainable diets, an issue critical to the environment and the health and well-being of society.
Sustainable diets seek to minimise and mitigate the significant negative impact food production has on the environment. Simultaneously they aim to address worrying health trends in food consumption through the promotion of healthy diets that reduce premature disability, disease and death. Within the Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Diets, creative, compassionate, critical, and collaborative solutions are called for across nations, across disciplines and sectors. In order to address these wide-ranging issues the volume is split into sections dealing with environmental strategies, health and well-being, education and public engagement, social policies and food environments, transformations and food movements, economics and trade, design and measurement mechanisms and food sovereignty. Comprising of contributions from up and coming and established academics, the handbook provides a global, multi-disciplinary assessment of sustainable diets, drawing on case studies from regions across the world. The handbook concludes with a call to action, which provides readers with a comprehensive map of strategies that could dramatically increase sustainability and help to reverse global warming, diet related non-communicable diseases, and oppression and racism.
This decisive collection is essential reading for students, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers concerned with promoting sustainable diets and thus establishing a sustainable food system to ensure access to healthy and nutritious food for all.
Inspiring sustainable diets and cultivating diets that are inspiring are the ambitious endeavours of this collection. This introductory chapter lays out a framework for sustainable diets and the complex issues, diversity of stakeholders, and diversity of levels of privilege (or the obvious, and not so obvious, ways injustices intersect with food systems) that are involved. This chapter offers a definition of sustainable diets and touches on strategies for increasing healthy food for all while preserving and rebuilding local, regional, and international food systems inspired by principles of rejuvenation, justice, vitality, and optimising resources for the betterment of all life forms, in current and future generations.
This work reviews aspects of the disappearing Uyghur foodways since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 due to migrations, modernization, and now, cultural genocide. Turkic interconnections of culture, trade, and resettlement through the centuries mesh tightly with the Symposium theme of food and movement. The article holds no pretense to exhaustively catalog Uyghur foods or dishes as they can vary greatly within China and even more so throughout the Uyghur communities abroad. The author spent countless time cooking in kitchens and courtyards along the Silk Road in Central Asia and much of the information in the article is based on personal participation and observation. The purpose of this article is to review the historical reasons why the Uyghur diaspora is unusually subdued in their cultural gatherings abroad. It also proposes a global platform for digitally sharing Uyghur foodways and cooking. Fearing for the safety of relatives in Xinjiang or for personal reprisals against them by the government of China, many Uyghurs are resigned to silent support for cultural projects and focus on keeping traditions alive privately only in their homes and within tight communities.
The article offers a large-scope assessment of archaeological and ethnoarchaeological research on foodways within the core Mediterranean heartlands of the Ottoman Empire. It integrates evidence from a range of historical and archaeological sources, both terrestrial and underwater. After presenting an overview of 30 years of scholarship on the subject, it introduces the Ottoman manner of eating, cooking, and dining with the help of glazed tablewares and unglazed coarse wares from archaeological contexts. Furthermore, it shows the means of transportation and the trade routes for foodstuffs, as well as the ways in which they were cooked and consumed, from the sultan’s court to country folk in rural villages.
National cuisine represents an important part of our identity. Being able to cook or eat familiar foods when living abroad becomes nearly as important as being able to use one’s mother tongue. This article discusses the phenomenon of Odessan cuisine both in Odessa and in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, a Russian-speaking enclave where more than 10,000 ex-Soviet citizens, many of whom were Odessans. The aim of the study is to explore the migration of the Odessan culinary tradition, the gastropoetic aspect of Odessan food narration and the embodiment of the myth of Odessa in food discourse. The study analyses the websites, social media, the menus of two restaurants labelling themselves as Odessan, and the clients’ comments related to said restaurants. The gastropoetic aspect of Odessan culinary tradition is presented through examples from the literary works of Odessan authors.
British tourists played an oversized part in the imaginations of interwar Hungarian tourism promoters. Despite arriving in comparatively low numbers, they fell into a circle of privileged foreigners. When it came to tallying successes in attracting visitors from abroad, Anglophone tourists were “golden pheasants”: rich, glamorous, and willing to part with their precious currency—as long as they were courted in the right way. One of those ways was to manage British expectations when it came to Hungarian cuisine. Paprika was a particular cause for concern. With a reputation for intense spiciness, some tourism promoters worried that it would shock the mild Anglophone palate and attempted to reassure potential guests that Hungary would (literally) be to their taste. Yet their concern was largely unrequited. Why? My article investigates this mystery, and with it, explores the role of paprika both in promoting tourism to Hungary and in the broader management of national “branding” for foreign consumption in the uneasy postimperial cultural atmosphere. Drawing on guidebooks, travelogues, advertisements, periodicals, and films, it argues that the spice served as a symbolic marker of confidence (or lack thereof) in Hungary’s place in global affairs. behrendta@mst.edu
North-South variation in the supply of meat has always been present. Sharing of meat was the rule but in the multi-centric Neolithic revolution when domestication of animals and plants co-evolved class differences became pronounced-aristocrats and inferior proletariats and “lesser breeds and lower orders” started to form. The distribution of natural domesticates was uneven with the near-east and a temperate band across Europe well off compared with Africa and the Americas. The Columbian exchange changed this as meat became abundant in the New World who then exported to Europe. Wars, expropriations and genocides were over the meat supply and acquiring pastureland or water. Colonial plantation profits paid for meat imports from “settler colonies” indigenous or poor peoples on low meat pro-pellagrous diets were considered inferior whatever their colour and had poorer health and life expectancy. Attempts to correct hunger in the resultant ramshackle “Third world” concentrated on calories fuelling population booms and busts and delaying demographic, epidemiological and economic transitions. High meat variances are narrowing in China and Asia but need help elsewhere in the South. Dangers of not developing with a safe and sufficient meat supply include the emergence of zoonoses and mass migration. Reparations, rehabilitation and rejuvenation should concentrate on reconstituting a meat commons giving us a shot at redemption and survival.
This article investigates the role that Italian food companies like Barilla pasta played in creating narratives of East African empire at the apex of the Fascist ventennio . It aims to use the commercial remnants of Fascist empire to provide a more thorough accounting of how colonialism shaped the modern cultural history of Italian pasta. To do so, I analyze the paper ephemera, that is, the pasta advertisements and packaging, that connected occupied East Africa to Italy, demonstrating how regime projects to promote grain evolved into corporate projects in private industry. I argue that these two stories form a single cohesive narrative, one that can unite much of the excellent work that has been done on Fascist agriculture in empire with the transnational history of Italian food companies. East African empire, as depicted by Italian pasta shapes and advertisements, was consumable. At stake in this inquiry lies the shifting question of Italian national identity, framed by food products in global contexts.
Los misioneros jesuitas tuvieron un protagonismo destacado en el proceso de difusión de plantas, animales y modos de alimentarse que siguió a la expansión de los imperios ibéricos durante la época moderna. En este artículo examino la introducción de nuevos alimentos y cultura material culinaria en la región del Pacífico a partir del caso de las islas Marianas, un archipiélago en el que la Compañía de Jesús estableció una misión en 1668. A través de memoriales, informes y cartas elaboradas durante la fase previa a la fundación de la misión (1662-1668), en primer lugar, evalúo si la introducción de nuevos alimentos se consideró una parte fundamental del proceso de colonización y evangelización de las Marianas. En segundo lugar, analizo el tipo de cocina que los jesuitas esperaban reproducir en el archipiélago, prestando atención a los ingredientes (plantas y animales) y a la cultura material vinculada a la preparación y al consumo de alimentos. La documentación consultada muestra que misioneros y contemporáneos consideraron esencial introducir alimentos y cultura material culinaria de origen europeo y americano para garantizar el éxito de la misión, y refleja la importancia que ejerció la experiencia colonial en Filipinas para plantear la transferencia y naturalización de animales y plantas en las Marianas.
It is now more than fifty-five years since the French ruled Algeria, but the former French citizens of Algeria, or Pieds-Noirs, still sustain connections to their homeland through food. At annual gatherings and small reunions, food from “là-bas” (over there) helps the memory of Algeria stay alive. At the annual pilgrimage of Notre Dame de Santa Cruz during Ascension in Nîmes, food stalls pop up where the Pieds-Noirs and their friends and families can enjoy mouna, soubressade, and creponet, just to name a few of the dishes that were commonplace in Algeria but mostly inaccessible in France. Pied-Noir foods have diverse origins that combine traditions of the indigenous Amazigh people as well as Turkish, Arabic, French, and Spanish culinary practices. The recreation of these unique dishes is intended to function like Proust’s madeleine, sinking the exiles back in time to their pasts in colonial Algeria. In Pied-Noir texts, films, and websites, food is used as a touchstone, creating local colour for the uninitiated and rekindling memories for the returnees. Food establishes authenticity and elicits nostalgia. In many cases food is statically depicted for its aesthetic value, but in others it is consumed, maintaining its role as a life force that keeps cultural memory alive. In Pied-Noir recipe books, authors explain how certain dishes may have regional variations and different familial traditions. Still, like most published texts, recipe books usually require one version to be handed down. Websites, on the other hand, allow recipes to be contested and for new versions to emerge. In this chapter, we explore the connection between Pied-Noir cuisine in Algeria and its use in France today to both reconnect the exiles to their homeland and remind themselves of the separation from it in a tangible way. Through an analysis of how Pieds-Noirs represent their culinary traditions, we demonstrate how food sustains the memory of Algeria in both healing and unhealthy ways.
Food and food cultures matter enormously to the settler colonial ‘situation’: a circumstance characterised by the domination of an exogenous collective that is determined to build a permanent home in the country of Indigenous peoples. As a settler colony reproduces in the place of an Indigenous society, food is crucial to its evolution because it is a prerequisite for its propagation. Reflecting on the volume as a whole, this chapter argues for the need to put Indigenous people and their right for food sovereignty at the forefront of any discussions on decolonisation. Decolonisation needs to start from the acknowledgement in a non-tokenistic way of the historical links and rights of Indigenous people to their land. It can only occur when the Indigenous collective is able to self-determine its modes of social reproduction, a passage that must include a full recovery of its food sovereignty.
Israel/Palestine is a site of a bitter struggle over definitions of indigeneity and settlerness. The contested definition of ‘local food’ and the challenge of decolonising gastronomy are the major themes in the heated debate about food politics and culinary appropriation. In this chapter, Ronald Ranta and Daniel Monterescu provide an ethnographic account of these debates by framing the Jewish-Israeli foodscape as a struggle over authenticity, heritage, and legitimacy. The chapter examines whether the field of Israeli food is undergoing a paradigmatic shift with regard to the role and place of Arab and Palestinian people and food cultures. And, what such a shift might mean for Israeli settler colonial identity, society, and attempts at decolonisation more broadly. Based on fieldwork and interviews, the authors identify three particular discourses adopted by Jewish-Israeli chefs and food writers with regard to Arab and Palestinian food: cosmopolitan appropriation, Arab-Jewish revival, and reflexive decolonisation. While some commodify Palestinian food as part of an urban hipster scene of consumption, and others celebrate the return of Arab-Jews to their culinary source in the Middle East, a fledging yet marginal discourse seeks to recognise the prospects of decolonising settler colonial food from a reflexive and binational perspective. These divergent strategies of coping with the entangled culinary histories of Jews and Palestinians will determine what ‘Israeli food’ might one day come to be.
Lamb has long been promoted in Australia as a celebratory food—particularly for the national Australia Day holiday in January each year—that champions and is representative of the country’s inclusive and multicultural society. In this chapter, historian and gastronomer Dr Jacqueline Newling questions whether a native alternative such as kangaroo, which acknowledges Australia’s pre-colonial heritage, would be a more appropriate choice. Through this lens, the chapter considers Australia’s culinary identity in the contexts of the nation’s settler colonial heritage and changing multicultural diversity, and the uncomfortable truths of dispossession of the country’s First Peoples. Drawing on historical references, period cookery texts and current scholarship concerning settler colonial Australia’s relationship with native foods, particularly kangaroo, and recognition of First Nations’ rights and sovereignty, this work argues that presenting lamb as the national celebratory meat supports a broader legacy of self-indigenisation and cultural ‘whitewashing’.
Both the practice and study of subsistence in Alaska are circumscribed by state and federal legislation and management that obscures broad engagement with a diverse foodscape. Through two decades of ethnographic research and three comprehensive subsistence studies carried out in the Aleutians between 2008 and 2021, this article describes a complex “fusion” food culture that needs both acknowledgment and support. The many cross-cultural manifestations of foods inspired by colonization, migrant labor, technology, and the American food system, must be made visible in order to understand and protect them. Conclusions suggest that the predominant research concern over degree of subsistence use and dependency in the face of a growing cash economy or environmental change obscures the realities of an extensive yet fragile foodscape that includes fusions of historical and multicultural influences, foods, and technologies.
At different stages in history, milk has been referred to as both the “elixir of immortality” and “white poison.” This chapter offers a global history of fermented milk products, from early animal domestication in 8500 BCE to the role that yogurt cultures played in one of the greatest discoveries of the twenty-first century: CRISPR DNA sequences. It discusses the history of yogurt’s association with good health, a millennia-old belief among cultures across the world, as well as recent scientific explanations in support of such beliefs. It offers an overview of food safety challenges relating to milk preservation and distribution at the turn of the twentieth century, as well as a variety technologies developed to address these problems. Finally, it describes a number of social and environmental issues in the yogurt industry, from gendered marketing campaigns to acid whey pollution, offering insight into contemporary discourses of fermented milk as a “superfood.”KeywordsFermentationDairy products (Bulgarian yogurt, Greek yogurt, kefir, etc.)CRISPRProbiotics/live culturesCounterculture foodsHealth benefitsLongevityFood safetyFood marketing
This chapter is a much-needed examination of the nineteenth-century transition from the slave trade to legitimate commerce and its impact on coastal Ghanaian foodways. The coastal Fante, the Gã, and the Ewe experienced changes to their economic, political, and social conditions which resulted in people from dissimilar regions coming into greater contact with each other in urban centres and in mission schools. Despite the adoption and adaptation of imported foods, local food retained its importance as a marker of traditional social boundaries and of ethnic difference. Traditional structures and domestic economies contribute to the success, survival, and expansion of local food consumption even as the commercial export trade in palm oil expands.
Ce nouveau numéro d’Archéo.doct retranscrit les échanges qui se sont tenus lors de la 15e Journée Doctorale de l’ED 112 de l’université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Cette journée thématique avait pour intitulé : « À Table ! De l’approvisionnement au dernier repas. Regards croisés sur l’archéologie de l’alimentation. » Au centre du paysage scientifique actuel en sciences humaines, cette thématique a permis des discussions pluridisciplinaires sur des sujets variés, du stockage des aliments à la Protohistoire égéenne aux rapports sociétaux entretenus entre les Hommes et la nourriture imprimée à la période contemporaine à travers le monde. Les méthodologies d’étude de la nourriture présentées ici sont multiples, depuis les études morphométriques jusqu’à l’expérimentation scientifique, en passant par l’analyse de données ethnographiques, textuelles ou iconographiques. Elles permettent d’aborder toutes les questions liées à l’alimentation, depuis l’acquisition des denrées, jusqu’à leur consommation, en passant par leur connotation politique et leur importance symbolique. Il est alors possible de saisir dans toute sa complexité le rôle de l’alimentation qui, à un certain moment, dépasse le simple apport physiologique.
This essay explores the relationships between food and health in Chinese history, from ancient times to the present. It briefly reviews how historians have written about dietary knowledge in China's past, from a midcentury focus on discoveries that prefigured those of modern nutrition science to a more expansive recent understanding of healthy eating. From there, the piece draws on scholarship from the past 2 decades to highlight the complexity of pre-modern Chinese ideas about food and its connection to ritual, social order, moral rectitude, pleasure, and physical and emotional well-being, all of which factored into dietetic prescriptions and prohibitions. Finally, the last section focuses on the modern period. It suggests that while Western foods and nutrition science acquired great prestige in early twentieth-century China, by the early 21st century both had lost some of their luster, and interest in classical and folk understandings of diet—inflected by the postsocialist political and economic order—was again flourishing.
Our research addresses the link between the palatability of food and ethnic acceptance within dominant cultures. Specifically, we explore considerations of fusion Korean food in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Within our exploration, our paper not only reveals how our four Korean chefs construct fusion Korean food, but how that construction has co-created the acceptability of Korean migrants within Aotearoa New Zealand’s socio-culture. In these ways, our paper provides a unique insight into the politics of palatability, recognizing the key role that food plays in constructs of identity and social acceptance. Consequently, our paper’s considerations of fusion Korean food provide a template of understanding for other ethnic groups seeking recognition and acceptance within a dominant socio-culture.
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