Panel 13 — Flavours of Antiquity and Beyond
P. nigrum and its cousins were predominant spices in ancient Rome, appearing regularly in the Apician recipe collection as well as in literature, where it was often condemned as superfluous…
Panel 14 — Literary Spices
Literature gives subtle freedom to express cultural values. These papers explore the use of highly spiced gingerbread to communicate notions of unbridled sexuality, while spices in diasporic Indian fiction problematize…
Panel 15 — Herbs (and Other) Biographies
A single herb can trigger a modest culinary revolution: Myrtle Allen’s quest for tarragon for a simple roast chicken helped usher in a new style of Irish cooking. On a…
Panel 16 — Spice Biographies
Focusing on a single plant (Cinnamomum zeylanicum and yuzu), these papers explore the history and cultivation of these single species in their places of origin.
Panel 17 — Perceptions of Heat
How do we perceive heat and flavour intensity? Does our ability to perceive flavours change over time? Depend on the culture in which we live? Are our perceptions manipulated by…
Keynote from Harold McGee: A Nose Dive Into Plant Aromas
Harold McGee started his professional life as literature and writing instructor at Yale University, focusing on Romantic poetry: his dissertation was entitled “Keats and the Progress of Taste.” But he…
Concluding Keynote by Krishnendu Ray: Summing up the Journey
Professor Krishnendu Ray is Chairman of the Department of Food Studies at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. A sociologist by training, Ray’s interests focus…
Margaret Atwood on Fictional Foodies in conversation with Mark McWilliams
We’re over the moon (appropriately for this year’s subject) that Margaret Atwood has agreed to address us in our fortieth anniversary year on Fictional Foodies. As one of Canada’s best…
Riesling calling from the Rhine!
The Rheingau region, a short drive west of Frankfurt, is the cradle of Riesling, that fruit-driven white grape variety full of energy. Charlemagne is said to have ordered the planting…
Chef Skye Gyngell: Fresh From the Farm Today
Skye Gyngell says: “When I think of creating a meal, I always find myself starting from the same place. I cast my mind back to memories, very often of my…
Nilesh Patel: A Love Supreme
We are honoured to welcome back Nilesh Patel and his beautiful short film, A Love Supreme. He shared it with Symposiasts in a screening back in 2003, at St Antony's.…
Panel 1 – Hunger & Memory
War, poor governmental planning, and the shock of Covid-19 have all created food shortages and hunger amongst wide swaths of humanity. This panel explores imagination, a mental act of creating…
