“Foodways” explores how certain foods entered the human experience and came to shape culture, economy, belief, ecology and power. Rather than focusing on recipes or culinary techniques, this discussion-based course examines how foods were cultivated, transported, feared, shared, monetized and fought over. Through six foods – corn, potato, tomato, cod, nutmeg and beer – participants will learn how food choices reflect deeper systems of history and identity.
Course participants will learn:
- The concept of foodways and how it applies across cultures
- How foods move through history, trade and belief systems
- Why new foods are often met with resistance or fear
- How ecological choices such as monoculture, biodiversity and regenerative agriculture affect society
- How to apply historical foodways thinking to modern food systems
Recommended Reading: Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, Mark Kurlansky; Nathaniel's Nutmeg: Or the True and Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History, Giles Milton; The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, Michael Pollan; A History of the World in Six Glasses, Tom Standage; The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World, Larry Zuckerman; Tomato: A Global History, Clarissa Hyman.