Shennong and the Five Seeds: The History of Chinese Food (Online)
Taught by Andrew Coletti
Andrew Coletti is a food writer and educator whose work has appeared in Popular Science and Atlas Obscura. He holds degrees in Classics and Museum Education, and has cooked recipes from around the world and throughout time for social media at @PassTheFlamingo (because the Romans ate flamingos).
$10
Thursday, December 11, 6:30-8:00pm Eastern Time via Zoom
Location: Online Class
This is a live, online class via Zoom. It will be recorded and viewable for one week.
"Chinese food" is not just one cuisine; in fact, with dozens of regional cuisines in China, and dozens more in Chinese communities across the world, It's hard to think of a broader topic. Our global culinary landscape would be drastically different without the numberless innovations of Chinese chefs, and the widespread popularity of tea, dumplings, noodles, and other iconic staples.
But to fully understand just how vast and important Chinese food is, we have to look at how it has developed over time: from the ancient origins of agriculture along the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, to the rise of Imperial haute cuisine, to the world-spanning trade networks that introduced a pattern of exchange and influence that continues today.
In this class, we will use archaeology, literature, and art to follow the historical development of food in China, from prehistory to the early modern era, when the Chinese food we know and love began to take shape. No prior knowledge required!
