The Journey

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Greetings! I am creating this blog to document and share a long-term dream of mine to learn about cultures all over the world through their food. As a trained archaeologist/anthropologist, I have had the opportunity to travel and engage with new places and people in many different countries. These experiences have been fundamental for shaping my worldview, bringing a curiosity and appreciation of both the familiar and strange to my everyday. While my dissertation focused on how people respond, cope, and recover from hazards and disasters, I have found my interests gravitating towards foodways (the eating habits and culinary practices of a people, region, or historical period). In some ways, the two are not so different; they are both sensory experiences that are embedded in our cultural traditions. For those of you who know me, my fascination with food and foodways is likely not surprising. Most days you can find me in the kitchen trying new recipes. And while traveling (close to home or far away), I plan trips around meals, researching must-try dishes, and looking for new tastes, textures, and favors.

While understanding ancient foodways is difficult, after all, food rarely preserves in the archaeological record, food is one of the most important parts of the human experience. And while we all eat, there is considerable variation in all aspects of food (from acquiring it to production to cooking to consumption to discard). Even the sensory aspects are not universal (for example, Japan identifies umami as a taste in addition to our typical four-sweet, sour, salty, & bitter). Choices about food go beyond our environment (though pre-globalization, that was certainly a major role), they reflect and are bound by our cultural worlds. If you have ever traveled you have likely experienced the joy (or displeasure) of discovering that people eat different foods in different ways from yourself, such as being served guinea pig In Ecuador. While guinea pigs are a humble pet in North America, in Ecuador they are considered a delicacy (fun fact-they taste like duck).

Thus, if one pays attention, food can offer insights into cultural milieus across space and time. After all, foodways reflect our lives (to quote Twiss 2019; I highly recommend her book if want to read more).

So what will this blog be about? I will be cooking my way around the world, learning new dishes from a region of choice every few weeks. In deciding what to cook, I hope to not only discover new and amazing foods, but also the cultural meaning and history of the traditions and customs which shape foodways all over the world.

Each post will follow the journey of a specific region. I will include the recipes I make as well as thoughts and facts on the history of the dish, going all the way back to the origins of the ingredients. I want to note that I am not an expert on any of the topics I share. I will give credit where credit is due and try my best to provide additional readings for those who want to delve deeper. Think of this blog as a starting point for exploring the world through food.

Enjoy!

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–Rachel Egan, PhD

References

Twiss, Katheryn C. The archaeology of food: identity, politics, and ideology in the prehistoric and historic past. Cambridge University Press, 2019.