Overview

Course No. 9180

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. Eating is an indispensable human activity, driving major historical movements from prehistoric times to the present.

Video Lectures

1. Hunting, Gathering, and Stone Age Cooking

• Duration: 35 min

• Explore early food culture and its role in human evolution, highlighting prehistoric diets and their impact on society.

2. What Early Agriculturalists Ate

• Duration: 32 min

• Delve into the rise of agriculture, domestication, and the birth of civilization.

3. Egypt and the Gift of the Nile

• Duration: 32 min

• Examine the sophisticated culinary customs of ancient Egypt and their cultural significance.

4. Ancient Judea—From Eden to Kosher Laws

• Duration: 31 min

• Investigate the integral role of food in the lives and rituals of ancient Hebrews.

5. Classical Greece—Wine, Olive Oil, and Trade

• Duration: 31 min

• Discover how Greek food culture influenced global cuisines and communal rituals.

6. The Alexandrian Exchange and the Four Humors

• Duration: 28 min

• Study the diffusion of cuisine across cultures and early dietary philosophies.

7. Ancient India—Sacred Cows and Ayurveda

• Duration: 32 min

• Learn about the profound culinary traditions from ancient India affecting modern diets.

8. Yin and Yang of Classical Chinese Cuisine

• Duration: 31 min

• Understand the complexities of Chinese food culture and its philosophical ties.

9. Dining in Republican and Imperial Rome

• Duration: 30 min

• Follow the culinary evolution from simple Roman meals to grand imperial feasts.

10. Early Christianity—Food Rituals and Asceticism

• Duration: 31 min

• Explore food’s symbolic role in early Christian practices and beliefs.

[…] (continuing in this format for each lecture) […]

34. Counterculture—From Hippies to Foodies

• Duration: 32 min

• Trace the shifts in food culture from health movements to modern “foodie” trends.

35. Science of New Dishes and New Organisms

• Duration: 32 min

• Examine the fusion of science in modern cuisine, including genetic modification.

36. The Past as Prologue?

• Duration: 31 min

• Contemplate future trends in food supply and culinary practices.