HUM 241 Cooking Up France: Land, Food and Nation
“How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty-six different kinds of cheese?” This famous President de Gaulle quotation encapsulates the connection between national discourse and food in a country where gastronomy is considered a discipline of national pride. But, when did food become part of the French political agenda? What is the connection between farming, food and nation-building? Is French cuisine really French? This course will explore the origin and development of French cuisine in a theoretical, literary and practical manner.