Introduction

Like other items and activities central to human existance, food and eating have become intimately tied up with European folklore. Food often features in some way in legends, folk and fairy tales; particular foods are eaten at certain times of the year or associated with festivals and holidays; and 'traditional foods' form part of local, regional and national identities. In this seminar we will look some of the stories, rituals and beliefs associated with food in European folk traditions and the ways in which food is depicted in European folklore.

Seminar Questions

• What role(s) does food play in European folk and fairy tales?
• Why does food play such a big role in traditional stories and festivities?
• How does food (and the traditions and practices associated with its production, preparation and consumption) continue to shape European identities and social relations?

Required Reading

• Michael Owen Jones, 'Food Choice, Symbolism and Identity: Bread-and-Butter Issues for Folkloristics and Nutrition Studies', Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 120, No. 476 (2007), pp. 129-177Link opens in a new window (Most of the examples are from the US, but the thesis about the symbolic nature of food and food culture, and its role in identity formation, are applicable to European folklore).
• Della Costa, Francesco, 'The Sacred Pig: Ritual Food-Sharing on the Feast of Saint Anthony in Celano, Italy', Journal of Modern Italian Studies, Vol. 25, No. 5 (2020), pp. 57Link opens in a new window0-591
• Listen to at least one of the episodes from the Folklore, Food and Fairytales PodcastLink opens in a new window and read the accompanying blog postLink opens in a new window

Further Reading

'A Gothic Cookbook', The Folklore PodcastLink opens in a new window

Folklore, Food and Fairytales PodcastLink opens in a new window

Andrievskikh, Natalia, 'Food Symbolism, Sexulaity and Gender Identity in Fairy Tales and modern Women's Best Sellers', Studies in Popular Culture, Vol. 37, No. 1 (2014), pp. 137-153Link opens in a new window 

Byrne, Stephanie and Farrell, Katherine, 'An Investigation into the Food Related Traditions associated with the Christmas Period in Rural Ireland', Folk Life, Vol. 59, No. 2 (2021), pp. 123-140Link opens in a new window

Campbell, Jodi, At the First Table: Food and Social identity in Early Modern Spain (Lincoln, NE, 2017)

Camporesi, Pietro and Hall, Joan Krakover, The Magic Harvest: Food, Folklore and Society (Cambridge, 1993)

Camporesi, Pietro, Bread of Dreams: Food and Fantasy in Early Modern Europe (Cambridge, 1989)

Canolli, Arsim, '"All they do is drink coffee": Notes on Cafe Culture in Prishtina, Kosovo', Folk Life, Vol. 60, No. 1 (2022), pp. 4-18 Link opens in a new window

Dalby, Andrew and Dalby, Rachel, Gifts from the Gods: A History of Food in Greece (London, 2017)

Grasseni, Cristina, 'Of Cheese and Ecomuseums: Food as Cultural Heritage in the Northern Italian Alps' in Ronda L. Brulotte, Michael A. Di Giovine, and Professor Brian Graham (eds.), Edible Identities: Food as Cultural Heritage (Ashgate: Farnham, 2014)Link opens in a new window

Heinzelmann, Ursula, Beyond Bratwurst: A History of Food in Germany (London, 2014)

Honeyman, Susan, 'Gingerbread Wishes and Candy(land) Dreams: The Lure of Food in Cautionary Tales of Consumption', Marvels & Tales, Vol. 21, No. 2 (2007), pp. 195-215Link opens in a new window

Lucy M. Long (ed.), The Food and Folklore Reader (London, 2015)

Kozorog, Miha, 'Hallucinating the Slovinian Way: The Myth of Salamander Brandy, An Indiginous Slovenian Psychedelic Drug' in Ronda L. Brulotte, Michael A. Di Giovine, and Professor Brian Graham (eds.), Edible Identities: Food as Cultural Heritage (Ashgate: Farnham, 2014)Link opens in a new window

S. P. Menefee, 'A Cake in the Furrow', Folklore, Vol. 91, No. 2 (1980), pp. 173-192Link opens in a new window (see also S. P. Menefee and Lotte Motz, 'A Further Note on A Cake in the Furrow', Folklore, Vol. 93, no. 2 (1983), pp. 220-3Link opens in a new window)

Philibin, Caitriona Nic and Mac Con Iomarie, Mairtin, 'An Exploratory Study of Food Traditions Associated with Imbolg (St. Bridgid's Day) from the Irish Schools Folklore Collection', Folk Life, Vol. 59, No. 2 (2021), pp. 141-160Link opens in a new window

Parascoli, Fabio, Al Dente: A History of Food in Italy (London, 2014)

Putzi-Ortiz, Sibylla, A-Z World Superstitions & Folklore (Petaluma, California, 2009)Link opens in a new window - See entries for individual countries

Scalise Sugiyama, Michelle, 'Food, Foragers, and Folklore: the Role of Narrative in Human Subsistence', Evolution and Human Behaviour, Vol. 22, No. 4 (2001), pp. 221-240Link opens in a new window

Sevilla, Maria Jose, Delicioso: A History of Food in Spain (London, 2019)

Smith, Alison K., Cabbage and Caviar: A History of Food in Russia (London, 2021)Link opens in a new window

Tebben, Maryann, Savoir-Faire: A History of Food in France (London, 2020)

Electronic Resources