Abstract
As people consider climate change, food scarcity, and international conflict, the question of what people eat and why is merely lurking in the background. Regularly, humans celebrate, but yet are ignorant, of food traditions and a cultural identity of food that defines their nation and even themselves. People have become distant from food production lacking even basic knowledge of cultivation, horticulture, animal husbandry, etc., and many people cook and eat cuisine using ingredients purchased from a supermarket with little regard for the source. They concern themselves with the price per weight and what is on or off sale, and do not consider the human price on food availability. Questions one seldom asks are how much human labour, processes, methods of transport, and tonnes of fossil fuel were spent in order for them to purchase that banana for their breakfast smoothie. Food is both necessity and luxury, but for some the dividing line between the two has more to do with cultural identity than scarcity or nutrition. This research examines food traditions in Ireland before and after the potato famine in 1845. It focuses on the socioeconomic and political climate of Ireland in relation to other nations and its own people. However, the work took a slightly different approach to traditional research and involved historical study, archival methods, and the cooking of cuisine from 19th century Irish kitchens of both the wealthy elite and working-class families. Furthermore, the research culminated with the recreation of a historic meal on its 200th anniversary.
Presenters
Gerard LangeDirector of the Whitehurst Family Honors Program, Honors, Barton College, North Carolina, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Cultural Identity, Ireland, Famine, Archival Research
