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History and Sociology of Food and Drink in Poland

General data

Course ID: MISH-IPHSS-HSF
Erasmus code / ISCED: 08.0 Kod klasyfikacyjny przedmiotu składa się z trzech do pięciu cyfr, przy czym trzy pierwsze oznaczają klasyfikację dziedziny wg. Listy kodów dziedzin obowiązującej w programie Socrates/Erasmus, czwarta (dotąd na ogół 0) – ewentualne uszczegółowienie informacji o dyscyplinie, piąta – stopień zaawansowania przedmiotu ustalony na podstawie roku studiów, dla którego przedmiot jest przeznaczony. / (unknown)
Course title: History and Sociology of Food and Drink in Poland
Name in Polish: History and Sociology of Food and Drink in Poland
Organizational unit: Centre for Interdisiciplinary Individual Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Course groups: Elective courses for Study Abroad API
ECTS credit allocation (and other scores): 6.00 Basic information on ECTS credits allocation principles:
  • the annual hourly workload of the student’s work required to achieve the expected learning outcomes for a given stage is 1500-1800h, corresponding to 60 ECTS;
  • the student’s weekly hourly workload is 45 h;
  • 1 ECTS point corresponds to 25-30 hours of student work needed to achieve the assumed learning outcomes;
  • weekly student workload necessary to achieve the assumed learning outcomes allows to obtain 1.5 ECTS;
  • work required to pass the course, which has been assigned 3 ECTS, constitutes 10% of the semester student load.

view allocation of credits
Language: English

Classes in period "2023/2024 summer semester" (in progress)

Time span: 2024-02-26 - 2024-06-16
Selected timetable range:
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Type of class:
Lecture with elements of a discussion class, 45 hours, 20 places more information
Coordinators: Scott Simpson
Group instructors: Scott Simpson
Students list: (inaccessible to you)
Examination: Course - Examination
Goals of education:

Registration for this course is via USOSweb (open online registration),.

Requirements:

Students must have a B2 or higher level of English. Students will need to read University-level text in English every week, as well as write a short paper and sit a written exam.


Please note that because the course has required attendance, any students who are registered in USOSweb but fail to attend any of the first three scheduled meetings will be removed from the list at that time.

Assessment methods and criteria for this course:

In the course of the semester, every student must prepare and deliver an oral presentation (approximately 7 to 10 minutes) about a recipe found in our course materials. Audio-visual support (for PowerPoint presentations, etc) containing photographs of the process of cooking is recommended. The student may choose to serve small samples to the class, but these are not required.

Discussion of the presentation should lead towards the preparation of a short report (approximately 6 standard pages which is roughly 10,800 characters including spaces) concerning the recipe. It should cover such topics as the context of the food (holidays, regular meals, seasonal ingredients, etc), historical aspects (early descriptions of the food, arrival of specific ingredients in Poland, etc), and socio-economic aspects (price of ingredients, regional or ethnic associations, etc).

Active participation of the student at every meeting is expected, including reading all assigned literature and participation in group-discussions. Assigned reading will be roughly 40 pages per week. Lecture notes will be posted by the instructor after each lecture.

There will be a written exam at the end of the semester, lasting approximate 1.5 hours, including multiple-choice, short answer and essay questions.


Short description:

The aim of this course is to introduce international undergraduate students to food and drink in Poland from an academic point of view. This academic reflection will parallel and complement their discovery of Polish cuisine outside of the classroom. In addition to traditional teaching methods involving lectures and classroom discussion, students will be asked to select a recipe described in a local cookbook (Zasmakuj w tradycji) which they will translate, cook for themselves, and then describe the food, its social context, history, place in the calendar, etc to the rest of the class. The class will also be supplemented by short study trips to local food-related events.

Full description:

1. Overview of course - 29 February 2024

2. The Agricultural calendar: What did ancient and medieval inhabitants of Poland eat (and when)? - 7 March 2024

Seasonal production and consumption. Gathering and agriculture. Goosefoot, ramsons, skirrets, alexanders, kale.

Łuczaj, Łukasz; Szymański, Wojciech M. (2007). ‘Wild vascular plants gathered for consumption in the Polish countryside: a review’ pp.17-22

Selections from Woys-Weaver, William (1999). Food and Drink in Medieval Poland: Rediscovering a Cuisine of the Past.

3. Grains: Kasza, bread, kwas, and beer - 14 March 2024

Important grains of the early Polish diet: millet, buckwheat, spelt wheat, rye, barley. Development of grain trade and the ‘second serfdom’ in Poland. Groats. Beer and kwas as staple drinks.

Selections from Woys-Weaver, William (1999). Food and Drink in Medieval Poland: (Beer, Grains, Breads)

Davies, N. (2005) “Handel – The Polish Grain Trade” in God’s Playground, Revised Edition, Vol.1, pp.197-224

4. The religious calendar: Fast & feast - 21 March 2024

Meatless abstinence, fish. Pattern of fasts and vigils. Feasts and holiday foods. Wigilia and Wielkanoc: the Christmas carp and the Easter egg. Hunting, game, meat (and snails). Bigos. Kiełbasa.

Czerniecki, S. (1682) Compendium Ferculorum (Eng. Trans. Czuchra, A & Czuchra, M., 2014)

Selections from Woys-Weaver, William (1999). Food and Drink in Medieval Poland: Rediscovering a Cuisine of the Past.

Kowecka (2002) - A Polish Lord's Table

Easter break 28 March to 2 April 2024

31 March 2024 - Easter Sunday

2 April 2024 - Rękawka festival (optional medieval cooking)

5. Soup and ethnic cuisine - 4 April 2024

Ethnic diversity within Poland. Ethnic and regional cuisines. The ubiquity of soup. Barszcz and żurek.

Applebaum, Anne & Crittenden, Danielle (2012). From a Polish House Kitchen, especially “soups” pp.58-93

Jochnowitz, E. (2014) “Flavors of Memory: Jewish Food as Culinary Tourism in Poland” in Long, L. (ed.) Culinary Tourism, pp. 97-113

6. Salt, spices and herbs - 11 April 2024

Salt production and trade. Krakow as a trade centre. The medieval reputation of Polish food as ‘spicy’. Lovage, savoury, nigella, garlic.

Charkot, J., Dudek, K, Gonera, M. & Wiewiórka J. “Historic salt mines in Wieliczka and Bochnia” in Geoturystyka nr 3, pp.61-70

Selections from Carter, F. (2006). Trade and Urban Development in Poland: An Economic Geography of Cracow, from Its Origins to 1795. “Salt” and “Spices” 118-126 & 196-214

7. Vegetables, manners, and the food revolution of the 16th century - 18 April 2024

Internationalisation of food. Imports from the New World: Jerusalem artichoke, potatoes, tomatoes, beans. The Italian influence of Queen Bona. The Civilising Process and changes to food-related manners.

Zarzecka (2009) "Potato as a Global Plant – Nutritional, Dietary and Medicinal Values"

Elias, N. (2000). “The Problem of the Change in Behaviour in the Renaissance” and “On Behaviour at Table” in The Civilizing Process, pp.60-109

8. Coffee, Tea and Cafés - 25 April 2024

The Ottoman Empire, Poland and Central European coffee. The Russian Empire and tea. The rise of café culture.

Chudy, S. (2014). “Development Of Coffee Market And Changes In Coffee Consumption Among Poles” Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development, 4(34), pp.41-51

Selection (literary description) from Mickiewicz, Pan Tadeusz

1 May 2020 - Labour Day

2 May - free from classes

3 May 2020 - Constitution Day

9. Distillation and vodka - 9 May 2024

The arrival of distillation as part of medicine and alchemy. The shift to distilled beverages. Changes to technology. The importance of branding and distribution. Vodka as a symbol of Poland and Polishness. International markets.

Simpson, Scott (2010). "History and Mythology of Polish Vodka: 1270-2007." Food and History vol. 8 no. 1, pp.121-148

Moskalewicz, Jacek & Zielinski, Antoni ‘Poland’ in Dwight B. Heath, International Handbook on Alcohol and Culture pp.225-236

10. Food and drink under Communism - 16 May 2024

Rural-to-urban shifts under communism. Mass production. Milk Bars and canteens. Rationing, scarcity and black-market food.

Burrell, K. (2003). “The Political and Social Life of Food in Socialist Poland” Anthropology of East Europe Review, 21, pp.189-194

Dzięgiel (1998) "A Culture of Shortage" in Paradise in a concrete cage : daily life in communist Poland : an ethnologist's view.

“Milk Bars – A Taste of Poland” & “10 Surprising Eating Habits of Communist Poland” from culture.pl

11. Globalisation, McDonaldisation, Sushi, & Kebab - 23 May 2024

Globalisation and McDonaldisation. Convergence in eating and drinking patterns. Liquid modernity and choice. Sushi. Kebab.

Nowaczek-Walczak, M. (2011). “The world of kebab. Arabs and gastronomy in Warsaw” in Górak-Sosnowska, K. (ed.) Muslims in Poland and Eastern Europe Widening the European Discourse on Islam pp.108-125

Czarniecka-Skubina,E. & Nowak, D. (2013). “Japanese cuisine in Poland: attitudes and behaviour among Polish consumers” in International Journal of Consumer Studies, Volume 38, Issue 1, pp,62–68

30 May - No classes

12. Slow Food, Agrotourism, and the reflexive defence of ‘tradition’ - 6 June 2024

The Slow Food movement. Protected regional designations. The invention of tradition. Ocypek – Polish mountain cheese.

Cieślik, E. (2013). “Regional Food – A New Outlook On the Mountain Areas” in Geomatics, Land-management and Landscape. No. 4, pp.7–19

Tyran. E. (2007). “Regional And Traditional Products As an Important Part of Rural Tourism Offer” in Oeconomia 6 (3), pp. 121–128

14. Study trip - 8 June 2024

The Jagiellonian University Vineyard

and Okocim Brewery

13. Polish food, identity and emigration - 13 June 2024

The role of food in maintaining migrant identities. Polish food in the UK. Polish food in the US. “Polonia” versus Polish immigrants. Books and clubs maintaining ‘traditional Polish food’ abroad.

Rabikowska, Marta (2010). ‘The ritualisation of food, home and national identity among Polish migrants in London’ pp. 377-398

Zand, Helen Stankiewicz (1957) “Polish Foodways in America.”

15. Sweets: Honey, mead and gingerbread - TBA

In-class meeting with a local traditional bee-keeper. Sweet root vegetables, honey, sugar. Fruit at the table. The history of gingerbread. Pączki.

Selections from: Lemnis, Maria (1981). Old Polish Traditions in the Kitchen and at the Table

Paper due: 13 June 2024

Exam - 20 June 2024 at 12:30 (TBC)

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