Food History Exhibits

Fire in the Belly: Cultural Moments around the Hearth and the Table
December 16, 2016 - April 4, 2017

Food History class (Fall 2016)
Dr. Beth Forrest

"Fire in the Belly" explores the intimate relationship among humans, food, and fire. In fact, anthropologists argue that it is fire that made us human, while historians look to fire as a part in forging culture. This exhibit looks at moments in history when flames, in part, created dishes and meanings.  Themes include religion, agriculture, cooking methods, gendered spaces, and a myriad of ways smoke and fire are harnessed in the dining room and for producing artifacts for cooking and eating.

Examples of menus used in the exhibit:

Mohonk Mountain House, 1932 (Mohonk Lake, N.Y.)

Sudan Pavillion, New York World's Fair, 1964-65

Cafe Bonaparte (Chicago, IL)

Stork Club (New York, N.Y.)

The Savarins (New York, N.Y.)

Macy's, 1939

Flame and Sword, Hotel Victoria (New York, N.Y.)