The Premodern Food Lab

Hamilton, M. M. (Participant)

Spanish & Portuguese Studies

Activity: Attendance types › Participation in workshop, seminar, course

Description

The goal of the workshop for this year (2018-2019) is to deepen our knowledge of the culture, history, and science of beverages. Rome, the Ancient Middle East, and Asia had well-developed drinking cultures, reflected in their literature and art. This semester, we will explore aspects of this history and culture, as well as recreate some of the characteristic and distinctive beverages of the premodern world, including fermented beverages and sauces, such as vinegar and fish sauce. We will also explore how flavors and tastes, such as those based on flowers, woods/resins, herbs, spices, and roots, were incorporated and reflected in drinks over time.
In Spring 2019, there will also be a graduate class offered on Premodern food studies. This workshop will complement the spring class. In conjunction with both the fall workshop and the spring course, there will be an event on early modern drinking culture in collaboration with MIA and Tattersall distilling.

Period	2017 → 2021
Event type	Workshop
Location	MinneapolisShow on map
Degree of Recognition	Regional

Keywords

food studies
premodern
Iberia

Documents & Links

The University of Minnesota Premodern Food Lab grew out of conversations between Michelle Hamilton (Medieval Studies and Spanish), Emily Beck (History of Science and Technology and the Wangensteen Historical Library), and Marguerite Ragnow (James Ford Bell Library) on historical recipes and foods. In Fall 2017, the Premodern Food Lab launched as a graduate research workshop, with funding provided by the Center for the Study of the Premodern World in a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation. During the 2017-2018 academic year, the Premodern Food Lab met with interested scholars from not only different departments within the University of Minnesota, but also with colleagues from other local institutions. In advance of the Medieval Studies “Food in the Premodern World” conference in Fall 2019, this workshop creates a “dry lab” in which we theorize, experiment with, and work through ideas related to food culture in the premodern world.