What can tiny bits of burned seeds, bones, or even invisible residues on cups and plates tell us about food and cooking in the past? Archaeologists can go beyond the basic information they get from ancient leftovers and rediscover the cuisines of past peoples. The work that food represents, the pleasures that food provides, and the landscapes that produced the food are all elements of reconstructing ancient foodways.
Archaeologists combine paleontology, geochemistry, medicine, art history, and dozens of experiments to connect with fields, kitchens, campfires, and banquet tables of history. Archaeologist Katherine Moore discusses current research in North and South America and the Near East undertaken by the Penn Museum in Philadelphia, where she studies and teaches about ancient food in its Center for Analysis of Ancient Materials.
She unfolds the history of important flavors like chili peppers and chocolate and illustrates how the spread of foods and flavors among cultures and regions tells stories that may have been hidden or forgotten. Moore’s special research passion is uncovering the foodways of ancient hunters and foragers and imagining their favorite foods and flavors.
General Information
