Category Archives: Food and Cuisine History

French Cuisine and Frozen Food

Posted on July 10, 2013 by briansandberg

French haute cuisine restauranteurs are upset by revelations that many other restaurants are using frozen ingredients and even serving entire factory-frozen dishes. The Washington Post reports that “a chunk of tuna cooked Provencal style with an attractive ratatouille on the … Continue reading →

Posted in European Union, Food and Cuisine History, French History, Paris History | Leave a comment

French Presidential Palace Auctions Wines

Posted on June 1, 2013 by briansandberg

The Palais de l’Élysée, official residence of the Président de la République in France, auctioned off approximately 10 percent of its wine cellar this week. This is reportedly the first such sale by the Élysée, intended to raise money to … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, European Union, Food and Cuisine History, French History, Paris History | 1 Comment

Arcimboldo’s Four Seasons in New York

Posted on May 19, 2013 by briansandberg

Renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s Four Seasons paintings have been transformed  into massive sculptures and are on display in New York. Philip Haas, a filmmaker and artist, has created a series of sculptures based on Arcimboldo’s paintings. According to NPR, “this … Continue reading →

Posted in Art History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Food and Cuisine History, History in the Media, Italian History, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment

Italian Salumi in the USA!

Posted on May 16, 2013 by briansandberg

Italian salumi are finally coming to the United States! Americans who have lived in Italy will be salivating, since the USDA is finally lifting its ban on cured meats from some regions of Italy. “Starting May 28, a four-decades-old ban … Continue reading →

Posted in European Union, Food and Cuisine History, Globalization, Italian History | Leave a comment

Halal Meat and French Politics

Posted on March 15, 2012 by briansandberg

Meat often enters French politics, usually through the anti-immigrant rhetoric of the Front National (FN). In almost every recent election cycle, the FN pushes for the adoption of new anti-immigrant laws and regulations, especially targeted at France’s considerable Muslim population. … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and Cuisine History, French History, Human Rights, Mediterranean World, Paris History, Religious Violence | 1 Comment

Coffee in the Early Modern Mediterranean

Posted on January 18, 2012 by briansandberg

We take coffee shops for granted today. From global chain like Starbucks to classic Parisian cafés and local American diners, coffee shops deliver caffeine to people around the world. Coffee consumption became global in the seventeenth century, when a coffee … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Food and Cuisine History, Mediterranean World, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment

Gout Makes a Comeback

Posted on July 30, 2011 by briansandberg

Gout is making a comeback in the United States.  This disease causes serious inflammation, swelling, and pain—especially in the feet. During the medieval and early modern periods, gout was considered a disease of the nobility.  Manuscript correspondence of European nobles … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Food and Cuisine History, History in the Media, History of Medicine, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Mediterraneans Abandon Diet

Posted on July 14, 2011 by briansandberg

For decades, nutritionists have celebrated the concept of the “Mediterranean Diet,” touted for its focus on vegetables, fish, and minimal meat. Historians and anthropologists have long considered the concept problematic, since actual diets vary widely across Mediterranean societies. Whatever the … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and Cuisine History, French History, Italian History, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment

Bread Riots in Mozambique

Posted on June 8, 2011 by briansandberg

Last year, high bread prices led to bread riots across Mozambique.  This summer promises to create similar economic conditions and protests. Early modern historians are very familiar with the dynamics of bread riots in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century societies.  A number … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Early Modern World, Environmental History, Food and Cuisine History, History of Violence | Leave a comment

A Mead Renaissance

Posted on May 6, 2011 by briansandberg

Mead, a fermented honey drink popular in the medieval and renaissance periods, is apparently making a comeback. NPR reports on the mead revival in the United States. Students in HIST 111 Western Civilization, 1500-1815 and in HIST 420 The Renaissance … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Food and Cuisine History, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment