Culinary Heritage : Tracing, shaping and reshaping food culture from the Middle Ages to the present

Abstract

This anthology explores food and cultural heritage from various eras to show how food history helps us understand the past, present, and future. It provides new insight into local food cultures and focuses on the creative use of historical food culture for the future. The chapters cover new research on medieval food culture, starting with the Viking ship excavation at Gjellestad, which sheds light on early Norwegian fishing culture. Others address animal husbandry, cultivation, and food processing on medieval farms, and the dietary practices of monastic orders based on Cistercian rules. The history of beer brewing is also highlighted, along with the transition to traditional Nordic cooking after the Middle Ages, influenced by global food trade. Finally, the book discusses the radical changes in Norwegian food culture over the past hundred years, partly driven by developments in the restaurant industry. Culinary Heritage is illustrated with recent photographs taken by the authors, as well as historical images from various collections.