Episode 8: Chris Woolgar on Food in Medieval England

ChrisWoolgar.jpg_SIA_JPG_fit_to_width_INLINEIt’s nearly time for exams here at Southampton. Lecturers are marking essays, our students are revising, and to ensure that everyone gets a wee bit of relaxation in, we’re releasing a new episode of Southampton History Speaks. Today you can listen to Chris Woolgar speak with Rachel Herrmann about his new book on food in medieval England.

We begin where all food podcasts should begin: with bacon. You’ll learn which medieval sayings about bacon reveal domestic bliss, and which ones point to conflict, before we move on to big picture stuff. Chris discusses how deaths and accident reports reveal patterns in food production and eating, and he describes the relationship between the Black Death and changes in food, cookery, butchery, and eating. You’ll hear about cookery’s development from 1200-1500, the intricate rules of fast days, and some historical examples of medieval day drinking. Finally, you’ll listen to Chris reflect on historians’ struggles with structuring our books, and his thoughts about how he approached this problem.

You can right-click on this episode link to open it in a new window and stream the podcast without having to download it, or you can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes U. If you want to learn more about History at the University of Southampton, you can visit our website, follow us on Twitter, or like us on Facebook. We continue to welcome feedback about things we can do to improve, or about topics you’d like to see covered in future. A list of suggested reading is also included below. Thanks for stopping by!

Suggested Reading

Chris Woolgar, The Culture of Food in Medieval England, 1200-1500 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016)

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