Flavours from the Past: Greek and Roman Cuisine

Year
1
Academic year
2019-2020
Code
02025137
Subject Area
History of Culture
Language of Instruction
Portuguese
Mode of Delivery
Face-to-face
Duration
SEMESTRIAL
ECTS Credits
10.0
Type
Compulsory
Level
2nd Cycle Studies - Mestrado

Recommended Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Teaching Methods

Presentation of subjects by the professor and discussion with the students.

Frequent resort to reading and commentary of ancient written sources, as well as to the viewing of iconographic sources.

Learning Outcomes

To develop the students' ability to critically analyze sources on the Greek and Roman cuisines.

To promote an informed reflection on food habits of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Historical-cultural overview of Ancient Greece and Rome.

2. Introduction to the study of the Ancient Greek and Roman cuisine:

3. Sources for the study of ancient Greek and Roman food:

3.1. Written sources:

a) Cookbooks: Archestratus’ The Life of Luxury and Apicius’ Cookbook.

b) Farming handbooks

c) Texts on medicine and dietetics

d) Scientific literature: botany and zoology

e) Encyclopedic writings

3.2. Non-written sources

3.2.1. Iconography;

3.2.2. Archaeological remains.

4. Meals and foodstuffs:

4. 1. Basic foodstuffs of the typical Greek and Roman meal:

4. .1. Mediterranean foodstuffs: grains, wine and  olive oil

4.1.2. Other foodstuffs.

4. 2. The Symposium: the Graeco-Roman tradition of private feasting

5. Eating and drinking establishments

5. 1. Roman Tabernae.

6. Food professions: sacrificer; cook; breadmaker and pastrycook.

7. Food and health:

7.1. Philosophy, medicine, botanics and zoology literature.

Head Lecturer(s)

Carmen Isabel Leal Soares

Assessment Methods

Assessment
In-class participation: 10.0%
Report of a seminar or field trip: 10.0%
Project: 40.0%
Frequency: 40.0%

Bibliography

– André, J., L’ alimentation et la cuisine à Rome (Paris 1961).

– Chantal, L., À la table des anciens. Guide de cuisine antique (Paris 2007).

– Dalby, A., Food in the Ancient world. From A to Z (London 2003).

– Faas, P., Around the Roman table. Food and feasting in Ancient Rome (Chicago and London 2005).

- Gowers, E. The loaded table: representations of food in Roman literature (Oxford 1996).

– Pérez Jiménez, A. y Cruz Andreotti, G., Dieta mediterránea. Comidas y habitos alimenticios en las culturas mediterráneas (Madrid 2000).

– Soares, C., “As Tabernas Romanas: saberes e sabores intemporais”, in Rota das Tabernas de Coimbra, Coimbra (2009)119-139.

– idem, “História da alimentação na Antiguidade Clássica: os primeiros Livros de Culinária”, BEC 54 (2010) 43-52.

– idem, “Transgressões gastronómicas: Sobre o Consumo de carne  em Plutarco”, in Norma & Transgressão II (Coimbra 2011) 99-110.

– Wilkins, J. M. and Hill, S., Food in the ancient world. Oxford, Carlton 2008, 2nd ed.