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Food: A Cultural Culinary History

Season 1
The drive to obtain food has been a major catalyst across all of history, from prehistoric times to the present. Take an enthralling journey into the human relationship to food as you travel the world discovering fascinating food lore and culture of all regions and eras--as an eye-opening lesson in history as well as a unique window on what we eat today.
201336 episodes7+
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Episodes

  1. S1 E1 - Hunting, Gathering, and Stone Age Cooking
    May 2, 2013
    35min
    TV-PG
    Consider food as a major catalyst in human history, and what food choices reveal about our values and ambitions. Then study food culture in prehistoric times - our ancestors' wide-ranging diet of everything from mammoths and seafood to acorns, insects, seeds, and grasses - and the ways in which how they ate directly drove evolution.#Better Living
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  2. S1 E2 - What Early Agriculturalists Ate
    May 3, 2013
    32min
    TV-PG
    The transition to agriculture was perhaps humanity's single greatest social revolution, with mixed results. Explore the factors surrounding the rise of agriculture, how plants and animals were domesticated, and why agriculture directly led to civilization as we know it. Learn how the menu of foods favored by agricultural societies came about.
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  3. S1 E3 - Egypt and the Gift of the Nile
    February 16, 2015
    32min
    TV-PG
    Ancient Egypt's prosperity, court culture, and isolation from conflict led to a sophisticated food tradition and the first "elite" cuisine. Study the archaeological evidence of their food customs, the religious significance of foodstuffs and animals, and the components of their cuisine, encompassing grains, wine, bread, numerous vegetables, and wild game.
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  4. S1 E4 - Ancient Judea?From Eden to Kosher Laws
    May 3, 2013
    31min
    TV-PG
    Practices regarding food were deeply integral to the lives of the ancient Hebrews. Explore prescriptions regarding food in Genesis, and consider that the Fall itself was an act of eating. Then learn about the Hebrew rituals and meaning of sacrifice, and note the Hebrews' complex food prohibitions, rooted in what was considered clean and unclean.
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  5. S1 E5 - Classical Greece?Wine, Olive Oil, and Trade
    May 3, 2013
    31min
    TV-PG
    Grasp how the ancient Greeks' need for arable land led to their imperial and mercantile system, and consider what we learn about their food culture from Homer, Hesiod, Pythagoras, and Plato. Observe the role of food in the rituals of festivals, religious cults, and symposia, and study simple components of the classical Greek diet that later influenced the rest of the world.
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  6. S1 E6 - The Alexandrian Exchange and the Four Humors
    May 3, 2013
    28min
    TV-PG
    Alexander's conquests heralded an era where previously unconnected cultures mixed on a large scale. Trace the diffusion of foodstuffs over vast trade networks in the Hellenistic period. Study early dietary regimens based in Galen's famous theory of the body's "humors," and the influence on food culture of philosophical schools such as the Stoics and Epicureans.
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  7. S1 E7 - Ancient India?Sacred Cows and Ayurveda
    May 3, 2013
    32min
    TV-PG
    Ancient India gave birth to culinary traditions that still carry wide influence. Learn about the culture of the Aryans, whose religion prefigured Hinduism; food customs relating to caste; and the traditions of vegetarianism in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Also study the dietetic system of Ayurvedic medicine and the components of Indian cuisine.
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  8. S1 E8 - Yin and Yang of Classical Chinese Cuisine
    May 3, 2013
    31min
    TV-PG
    Chinese culture produced what is arguably the most complex, sophisticated, and varied culinary tradition on earth. Trace the rise of civilization in China from the Hsia to the Han dynasty, the social and technological factors underlying China's elaborate food traditions, and the role of Taoist thought and Chinese medicine in diet.
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  9. S1 E9 - Dining in Republican and Imperial Rome
    May 3, 2013
    30min
    TV-PG
    Here, delve into intriguing contrasts in the dining habits of the ancient Romans. From the simple food customs of republican Rome, follow the expanding empire and how exotic food became a status symbol. Examine a cookbook aimed at those eager to flaunt their wealth, see how the satirist Juvenal responded, and witness the bizarre gastronomic decadence of the late empire.
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  10. S1 E10 - Early Christianity-Food Rituals and Asceticism
    May 3, 2013
    31min
    TV-PG
    Food and its symbolism played a distinct role in the development of Christianity. Observe the role of food in Jesus's parables and miracles, as well as in the ritual of the Eucharist. Learn about early Christian and monastic dietary prescriptions, practices regarding ritual fasting, and the significance of purification through self-denial.
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  11. S1 E11 - Europe's Dark Ages and Charlemagne
    May 3, 2013
    30min
    TV-PG
    The fall of Rome and the rise of Germanic tribal kingdoms brought marked culinary changes to Europe. Study the "barbarian" diet and the culture of "fast and feast" rooted in the opposing ideals of Christian asceticism, meat-eating virility, and classical moderation. Trace Charlemagne's dynamic rule and his impact on food culture.
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  12. S1 E12 - Islam-A Thousand and One Nights of Cooking
    May 3, 2013
    30min
    TV-PG
    The rise of Islam brought a new way of thinking about food. Contemplate the Muslim cultural values that permitted pleasure, the cultivation of the senses, and the creation of an exquisite cuisine. Study Islamic eating rituals and Persian-influenced culinary techniques, such as perfuming food and cooking meat with sweets.
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  13. S1 E13 - Carnival in the High Middle Ages
    May 3, 2013
    33min
    TV-PG
    In the wake of the Crusades, learn about the great innovations in medieval cooking spurred by contact with Islamic civilization, based in the sophisticated use of exotic spices and herbs. Trace the food rituals and exuberant indulgence of Carnival, and grasp the symbolism of outlandish folktales relating to food.
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  14. S1 E14 - International Gothic Cuisine
    May 3, 2013
    31min
    TV-PG
    Ironically, the plague in 14th-century Europe produced societal shifts that led to a resplendent era in food. Assess the influence of three seminal cookbooks and the craze for spices and sugar in the flourishing of "Gothic" cuisine. Study specific recipes, cooking techniques, and the culture of medieval court banquets.
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  15. S1 E15 - A Renaissance in the Kitchen
    May 3, 2013
    31min
    TV-PG
    The Italian Renaissance brought a new aesthetic approach to cookery, featuring great complexity of presentation. Uncover some of the era's extremes in books by food writers Platina, Ficino, and Messisbugo, and note connections with the self-conscious sophistication of Mannerist painting. Study menus and recipes from the staggeringly elaborate banquets of the court of Ferrara.
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  16. S1 E16 - Aztecs and the Roots of Mexican Cooking
    May 3, 2013
    30min
    TV-PG
    Contemporary with the European Renaissance, Aztec culture produced a unique food tradition that survives today in Mexican cuisine. Learn first about Aztec society, its indigenous foods, and distinctive diet. Also study descriptions of lavish Aztec banquets; "signature" foods, from avocados, beans, and chilies to chocolate and maize; and the Aztec philosophy of balance and moderation in eating.
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  17. S1 E17 - 1492-Globalization and Fusion Cuisines
    May 3, 2013
    31min
    TV-PG
    Humanity's desire for spices and other luxury items eventually connected the entire globe. Track the powerful trading empires of the Venetians and Portuguese, the Spanish conquest of the New World, and the "Columbian exchange"--where plants and animals from five continents were globally transplanted, changing eating habits around the world.
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  18. S1 E18 - 16th-Century Manners and Reformation Diets
    May 3, 2013
    30min
    TV-PG
    Across Europe in the 1500s, witness new dynamics in culture that brought the use of cutlery, elaborate tableware, ritualized behavior at table, and food ideologies distinct from courtly fashions. Also observe the effects of the religious Reformations on eating habits, seen in new dietary freedoms, fasting practices, and moralistic thinking about food.
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  19. S1 E19 - Papal Rome and the Spanish Golden Age
    May 3, 2013
    29min
    TV-PG
    Here, explore the rise of distinct regional and national cuisines, focusing on Italy and Spain. Review the monumental culinary writings of Bartolomeo Scappi, bringing together specialty dishes from all of Italy. Then study excerpts from two classic books of Spanish cookery as they vividly evoke Spain's rich food culture.
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  20. S1 E20 - The Birth of French Haute Cuisine
    May 3, 2013
    30min
    TV-PG
    In the mid-17th century, France assumed a preeminent position in the art of cooking. Here, grasp the aesthetics of the new French cuisine, based in subtlety, refinement, and pureness of flavors. Discuss four French cookbooks that revolutionized culinary history and set the context for a variety of cuisines that follow.
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  21. S1 E21 - Elizabethan England, Puritans, Country Food
    May 3, 2013
    30min
    TV-PG
    English cookery's unflattering reputation conceals a rich and varied culinary past. Consider the religious and political factors that produced a "schizophrenic" gastronomy, contrasting native and foreign influences, courtly and country cooking. Learn about the wide range of British foods, and compare recipes using odd, baroque embellishments with ideologies promoting simple, traditional fare.
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  22. S1 E22 - Dutch Treat-Coffee, Tea, Sugar, Tobacco
    May 3, 2013
    31min
    TV-PG
    The 17th and 18th centuries saw the rise of European colonial empires, where trade in exotic foods abetted slavery and forced labor. Follow the conquests of the Dutch, British, and French, and grasp how the trade in a group of entirely superfluous luxury items changed the focus of the global economy.
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  23. S1 E23 - African and Aboriginal Cuisines
    May 3, 2013
    31min
    TV-PG
    In this lecture, learn first about distinctive African foodways that predated extensive outside contact, encompassing traditions such as rich stews and "fufu" (starch-based porridges), regional eating rituals, and important indigenous foodstuffs. Then review the surprising variety of Australian plant and animal species used in aboriginal cookery but never adopted by European settlers.
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  24. S1 E24 - Edo, Japan-Samurai Dining and Zen Aesthetics
    May 3, 2013
    33min
    TV-PG
    Contemplate the traditional Japanese reverence for nature as reflected in their respect for the natural flavors of all foods. Study the elements of Japan's refined and elegant cuisine, the origins of sushi, and the aesthetics of ritualized manners, decoration, and presentation in the world's first restaurant-based food culture.
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  25. S1 E25 - Colonial Cookery in North America
    May 3, 2013
    32min
    TV-PG
    Eating habits in the American colonies incorporated a wide variety of cultural influences. Contrast the culinary fashions of Virginia, modeled on the English gentry, with the mercantile, Puritan ethic of New England; the varied foodways of the Dutch settlers, Germans, Quakers, and Quebecois; and the unique cuisine of Louisiana.
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Subtitles
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Producers
The Great Courses
Cast
Ken Albala
Studio
The Great Courses
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