Learning objectives
The student must be able to:
Understand, analyse and comment written and oral texts on the Geography of food and World gastronomic cultures;
Describe the elements characterising the different cuisines on the world scenario;
Link traditions and gastronomic specialities with their geographical contexts of origin, production and consumption;
Identify the the international leaders of today’s culinary market and describe their work, contributions and value;
Place specific products and dishes from foreign countries in the geo-socio-political context;
To make comparisons between different culinary realities;
To illustrate the changes that have taken place in the gastronomic sector following the transnational and transcontinental migration of products;
Report on significant events in the socio-economic history of food
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of Gastronomy, Geography and English language
Course unit content
Geography of Food. World gastronomic cultures.
Characteristics, processing and consumption of agri-food products and foreign gastronomic specialities. Wines and drinks in foreign cultural identities. Tastes and flavours in' other' cuisines.
Full programme
World food and cuisines.
Introduction to the great extra-national culinary cultures.
Their geo-political, historical and economic relevance.
Food and its travels.
Geography of food.
Origin of the main agri-food products and their diffusion.
Spices: history, production and properties; millennial flows and transcontinental trades.
World gastronomic cultures.
The tastes of the ‘other’ cuisines.
Cooking, storage and food consumption systems.
Food habits outside Italy.
Comparative analysis of continental cuisines and their historical evolution.
Main players, dishes and places of contemporary Gastronomy.
Americas - 1492: Before and after.
Amerindian products, their origin, evolution and use till present days.
Trip to the roots of the Mediterranean cuisine key products.
Development of agricultural crops and their worldwide diffusion.
The regional North American cuisines, inheritance of the natives and founders, re-elaborated and enriched in a contemporary way by American chefs.
Gastronomy at Harvard University and consumer trends in the USA.
BBQ - origins.
Argentina and Chile extraordinary wines.
Americas F&B leaders, today.
Africa - Mediterranean basin
The Arabic legacy.
Cous-cous: the colonist. French people favourite food
Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mali and Mauritania cuisines.
Sub-Saharan Africa and Island areas
Agricultural production and livelihoods and pastoralism systems.
Roots, misery and extreme eating.
The kitchen of Asmara- case studies.
South Africa: food melting-pot, Cape-Malay cuisine and Stellenbosch wines.
Namibia’s Kalahari Bushmen food habits.
Between the Maasai of Tanzania and Kenya.
Asia
Middle East
Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, Iran, Iraq, India extraordinary cuisines.
Persia, the world oldest cuisine?
Caviar, an Iranian history.
Bagdad, yesterday city capital of Arab taste.
Jewish Cuisine
Turkey, travel through the low cost food Mecca.
Far East
Far East cuisines. The triumph of taste and aesthetics.
Soybeans, algae and sushi revolution. History, dishes and foods from the millennial tradition cuisines of India, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Thai and Viet cuisines, the future of oriental cuisine in restaurant business.
The master of Sushi and top restaurants.
India at the table - culinary kaleidoscope
Oceania
Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania, Pacific Islands
The most recent gastronomic colonization.
The Eldorado of ethnic cuisines.
The grapevine in New Zealand and Australia. Production and excellent wines.
The Australian Aboriginal food habits.
Starred restaurants and pop chefs.
Europe
The old continent great cuisines.
Nordic cuisine: the rise of Scandinavians in the kitchen.
Is France the mother of European gastronomy? The French classics.
Central-European culinary heritage in Austria.
Budapest: gastronomic capital of Eastern Europe.
The epic of codfish: from Europe to the world.
Crete, cradle and success of the Mediterranean diet and its aromatic herbs.
Food specialities made in Europe.
International gastronomic glossary
Bibliography
Students will refer to notes taken during lessons, Power-Point presentations and digital booklets. They will use the following book:
Boudan, C., 2005, Le cucine del mondo, Geopolitica del gusto, Donzelli Ed.
Recommended bibliography to refer for further information and consultation
Case, F., 2008, 1001 Foods You must try before you die, Cassel - Octopusbooks UK
Davidson, A., 2002, The Penguin companion to Food, Penguin Ed.
Guarnaschelli Gotti, M., 2007, Grande enciclopedia della Gastronomia, Mondadori
Teaching methods
Frontal lessons, cooperative learning activities, audio-video contributions, gastronomic workshop, educational outputs; presentation of
case studies, debates. Seminar' Insects at table'. ETNICA 2018 - Educational dinner at the end of the course.
Assessment methods and criteria
Intermediate written test and final written test
Other information
Starting on OCTOBER 2018
Location: at CAMPUS-AULE DELLE SCIENZE EX Q02.
The course material is being updated and will be published on ELLY. SAF. UNIPR. IT at the end of each class.
Possible variations caused by extraordinary situations will be promptly communicated.
Student reception: to be agreed.
e-mail: pietro.dalessio@unipr.it
2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
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