Food in History

Course Description

From the maize fields of the Aztec empire to the sugar plantations of the Americas, food has always been at the center of history’s most defining moments. Students will discover that many of the foods we associate with particular cultures have far more complex and surprising origins. Did you know that pizza and spaghetti are not Italian, meatballs are not Swedish, and Hummus is not Israeli?

Through this lens, the course explores the role of food, its production, trade, and consumption, in the rise and fall of the shaping of cultures, civilizations, and political and religious identities across time using historical and contemporary examples. Along the way, students will have the chance to taste some of the very foods they study, bringing history off the page and onto the plate.

Faculty Spotlight

Samer Traboulsi, Ph.D. – Professor, History

Academic background

Dr. Samer Traboulsi is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. He earned his PhD in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University in 2005. His research focuses on the development of religious communities in the Muslim world, particularly the Ṭayyibī Ismāʿīlīs in Yemen and India, as well as the Druzes and Nuṣayrīs. He also studies the history of Arabia, the rise of the Wahhābī movement, and the founding of the Saudi state. He has authored two books: Burhanpuri’s History of the Tayyibi da’wa in Yemen (Beirut, 1999) and The Epistles of the Brethren of Purity: On Companionship and Belief (Oxford, 2016), as well as numerous scholarly articles. Dr. Traboulsi teaches classes on a range of topics, including the modern Middle East, the Crusades, Middle Eastern Cinema, Medieval Hollywood, and Norse Mythology.

What makes this course meaningful for students?

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Favorite spot in Asheville

Dr. Traboulsi’s favorite spots in Asheville are Fahrenheit Pizza & Brew (South AVL), which he describes as having the best pizza south of New York City, and Regal Biltmore Grande, where he enjoys the unmatched big-screen movie experience.