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SUMMARY:Culinary Archaeologies of Chocolate: Holistic Approaches to Food H
 istories of Mesoamerica - Katie Sampeck\, University of Reading
DTSTART:20251030T160000Z
DTEND:20251030T173000Z
UID:TALK237586@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Akshyeta Suryanarayan
DESCRIPTION:People make chocolate from the seed of different varieties and
  species of a tropical tree\, cacao (genus Theobroma). Cacao has long been
  an important part of Indigenous life in Central and South America and tod
 ay is a major modern industry\, amounting to around 5 million tons of annu
 al production\, valued at £36.2 billion in 2021 and projected to hit £53
 .9 billion by 2030. Archaeological studies in western El Salvador help d
 econstruct popular stories of chocolate’s origins and subsequent transfo
 rmation during the Early Modern period into an everyday pleasure for a wid
 e world of consumers. Archaeological evidence helps place the birth of cho
 colate within the complex history of culinary practices in Mesoamerica and
  cacao’s unusual role in social\, political\, and economic dynamics. Thi
 s talk will present the latest results of biochemical studies being conduc
 ted at the British Museum\, recent experimental archaeology studies\, and 
 collaborations with Indigenous communities that address critical questions
  of biodiversity and resilience.
LOCATION:McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Seminar Room
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