Whether it's in the field or in my own kitchen, I really do enjoy a home cooked meal. I also really enjoy sharing what I make with others. You might feel the same way, or you might just really enjoy when someone makes you food. A sandwich really does taste better if someone else makes it for you.
Food and cooking are central to all cultures - because it has to be! We humans can't sustain ourselves on raw or unprocessed foods alone. Processing just means heating, pickling, fermenting, grinding, blending, or pounding. We're not necessarily talking about the ultra-processed things you find in the tempting middle of the grocery store, but pretty much any meal you enjoy. Even salads usually have processed foods on them - that's what makes them tasty and filling. Just because all humans who live today and who have ever lived in the past processed their food, it doesn't mean we've always done it the same way. In fact, there's pretty good evidence that food processing or cooking traditions vary just as much as any other aspect of culture. That's why it's really surprising to me how little we know about cooking, as I described last week in a talk that I was invited to give to the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre: |
AuthorBree is an Alaskan Archaeologist originally from Fairbanks. Today, she's an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wyoming. Archives
February 2024
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