In the
past just like today, eating and drinking were basic human needs, but also social
activities and an expression of collective and individual identities. As
dietary rules and festive traditions show, food and drink were charged with
deeply symbolic and often religious meaning. Medical treatments reveal the
connections between nutrition, the body, and the senses. The availability,
production, and consumption of foodstuffs mirror power dynamics and economic
relationships. During the early modern period in particular, increasing global
interaction, colonization, and enslavement affected cooking and eating habits.
This seminar explores early modern foodways from a transcultural perspective.
We will investigate how culinary practices evolved, were shaped by, and in turn
shaped cultural encounters, transfers, and entanglements as well as conflicts
and divisions.
- Course owner: Dr. Sünne Juterczenka