Overview

Learn how the entirety of human civilization—war, trade, politics, art, religion, and more—has been shaped by our interaction with food in this delicious course.

Explores the pivotal role of food throughout history, demonstrating how our diets have influenced cultures, societal structures, and traditions. Award-winning Professor Ken Albala presents 36 captivating lectures that uncover the profound relationship between food and humanity.

Course Outline

1. Hunting, Gathering, and Stone Age Cooking
   • Duration: 35 min
   • Investigate the dietary choices of prehistoric humans and their impact on evolution.

2. What Early Agriculturalists Ate
   • Duration: 32 min
   • Examine how the transition to agriculture revolutionized food and society.

3. Egypt and the Gift of the Nile
   • Duration: 32 min
   • Learn about the sophisticated food traditions of ancient Egypt and their significance.

4. Ancient Judea: From Eden to Kosher Laws
   • Duration: 31 min
   • Explore food prescriptions and rituals in ancient Hebrew culture.

5. Classical Greece: Wine, Olive Oil, and Trade
   • Duration: 31 min
   • Understand how food and trade shaped ancient Greek culture and society.

6. The Alexandrian Exchange and the Four Humors
   • Duration: 28 min
   • Trace the diffusion of food through trade and its philosophical implications.

• Ancient India: Sacred Cows and Ayurveda
  • Duration: 32 min
  • Discover culinary traditions in ancient India and their influence on modern cuisine.

8. Yin and Yang of Classical Chinese Cuisine
   • Duration: 31 min
   • Analyze the complex culinary traditions of ancient China and their cultural significance.

• Dining in Republican and Imperial Rome
  • Duration: 30 min
  • Examine the evolution of Roman dining habits and food customs.

10. Early Christianity: Food Rituals and Asceticism
    • Duration: 31 min
    • Delve into the symbolism of food in early Christianity and its impact on dietary practices.

• Europe’s Dark Ages and Charlemagne
  • Duration: 30 min
  • Explore culinary changes during the Dark Ages and the role of food in society.

12. Islam: A Thousand and One Nights of Cooking
    • Duration: 30 min
    • Learn about the evolution of Islamic cuisine and its cultural implications.

• Carnival in the High Middle Ages
  • Duration: 33 min
  • Investigate food rituals and indulgence during the Carnival season.

14. International Gothic Cuisine
    • Duration: 31 min
    • Discover the innovations in medieval cooking influenced by trade and culture.

15. A Renaissance in the Kitchen
    • Duration: 31 min
    • Evaluate the aesthetic approach to cookery during the Italian Renaissance.

16. Aztecs and the Roots of Mexican Cooking
    • Duration: 30 min
    • Uncover the culinary traditions of the Aztec civilization and their lasting influence.

17. 1492: Globalization and Fusion Cuisines
    • Duration: 31 min
    • Explore the impact of globalization on food habits and culinary practices.

18. 16th-Century Manners and Reformation Diets
    • Duration: 30 min
    • Analyze the dietary shifts during the Reformation and their cultural significance.

19. Papal Rome and the Spanish Golden Age
    • Duration: 29 min
    • Investigate regional cuisines developed during this prolific cultural era.

20. The Birth of French Haute Cuisine
    • Duration: 30 min
    • Understand the rise of French cuisine as a significant culinary art form.

21. Elizabethan England, Puritans, Country Food
    • Duration: 30 min
    • Examine the diverse culinary traditions in Elizabethan and Puritan societies.

22. Dutch Treat: Coffee, Tea, Sugar, Tobacco
    • Duration: 31 min
    • Trace the importation of luxury items and their effects on European cuisine.

23. African and Aboriginal Cuisines
    • Duration: 31 min
    • Explore the culinary practices and philosophies of indigenous cultures.

• Edo, Japan: Samurai Dining and Zen Aesthetics
  • Duration: 33 min
  • Discover the refined Japanese approach to food and its cultural significance.

25. Colonial Cookery in North America
    • Duration: 32 min
    • Investigate the culinary influences of various immigrant communities in early America.

26. Eating in the Early Industrial Revolution
    • Duration: 32 min
    • Learn how industrialization changed food production and consumption patterns.

• Romantics, Vegetarians, Utopians
  • Duration: 30 min
  • Explore dietary ideologies that emerged in reaction to industrialization.

• First Restaurants, Chefs, and Gastronomy
  • Duration: 31 min
  • Understand the development of the restaurant culture and culinary professionalism.

29. Big Business and the Homogenization of Food
    • Duration: 31 min
    • Analyze how industrial food production has influenced diets and eating habits.

30. Food Imperialism around the World
    • Duration: 31 min
    • Discover the global dynamics of food production under colonialism.

31. Immigrant Cuisines and Ethnic Restaurants
    • Duration: 31 min
    • Learn how immigrant communities have shaped American eating habits.

32. War, Nutritionism, and the Great Depression
    • Duration: 31 min
    • Examine the impact of war and economic hardship on food culture.

33. World War II and the Advent of Fast Food
    • Duration: 30 min
    • Trace the origins of fast food and its rise to prominence in American society.

34. Counterculture: From Hippies to Foodies
    • Duration: 32 min
    • Investigate the movements that revived interest in diverse, quality food.

35. Science of New Dishes and New Organisms
    • Duration: 32 min
    • Explore how science influences contemporary cooking techniques and food production.

36. The Past as Prologue?
    • Duration: 31 min
    • Conclude with predictions on the future of food culture based on historical trends.