Original version

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

The Food Chain

Factual: Food & Drink

Examining what it takes to put food on your plate

The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

The Food Chain: Aristocrats and Archaeo-Food Nerds

Magazines & Reviews

Aristocrats and Archeo-Food Nerds

18/10/2018 GMT

Aristocrats and Archaeo-Food Nerds

BBC World Service - The Food Chain, Aristocrats and Archaeo-Food Nerds

Have you ever felt the urge to share exactly the same culinary experience as your ancestors? Do you care what ancient Roman bread tasted like? Or what a 16th Century courtier smelt as he lifted a slice of roast beef to his mouth? Would you understand yourself, or today’s food system, better if you did?

And if the closest you come to experiencing the past is watching period dramas on television, are you bothered by whether the pigeon is actually chicken - or the fish, cream cheese? How real do we want the imaginary to be?

Emily Thomas asks what we can learn about the past and present from the painstaking reconstruction of old recipes. Four people who dedicate their lives to recreating historical dishes make their case: An archaeologist tirelessly trying to uncover the secrets of the bread of Pompeii in Italy; The food stylist on the film set of the globally popular period drama Downton Abbey; An historian earnestly roasting beef at a Tudor palace; and a Polish chef desperately trying to preserve traditions he fears are becoming lost.

(Photo: Woman in a baroque wig, Credit: Getty Images)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Food Chain

Aristocrats and Archaeo-Food Nerds

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

About BBC World Service