147: What Canada Ate - The Role of Cookbooks in Culinary History with Dr. Rebecca Beausaert
AnthroDish18 Mar 2025

147: What Canada Ate - The Role of Cookbooks in Culinary History with Dr. Rebecca Beausaert

As most historians will tell you, the past can help make sense of a lot of the present, but maybe in unexpected or novel ways—like through cookbooks! We're living in an intense period (I probably always say this, but it feels particularly challenging right now). With the new Trump presidency, shifts to Canada's economic stability and food security are top of mind for many—how are we going to afford eating, how can we support Canadian-focused food systems, and who is at the centre of these domestic pursuits? My guest today is Dr. Rebecca Beausaert, here to explore how historical food cookbooks can provide valuable insights into how we make sense of food as a country.

Rebecca is an adjunct professor in the history department at the University of Guelph. She is also the co-founder and co-director of the increased What Canada Atewebsite, which is an online repository of digitized historical cookbooks. She is also the author of Pursuing Play: Women's Leisure in Small-Town Ontario, 1870-1914.

In today's conversation, we explore the history of Canadian cookbooks from the first Canadian cookbook published in 1825 to today. She looks at how different agricultural, technological, social, and economic shifts impacted what recipes and ingredients appeared on cookbook pages, the untold stories of domestic handbooks and the women that fed farmers, and how cookbooks can paint the story of the ever-complex question around defining Canadian cuisine.

Learn More from Rebecca:

Episoder(185)

162: Behind the Rise of Non-Alcoholic Drinks with Ren Navarro

162: Behind the Rise of Non-Alcoholic Drinks with Ren Navarro

Why are we seeing such a boom in non-alcoholic drink options, and how do they stand out from wellness beverages as their own specific category?  I invited my dear friend Ren Navarro back to AnthroDish...

2 Des 202542min

161: Are Our Fridges Designed for Food Waste? with Emma Atkins

161: Are Our Fridges Designed for Food Waste? with Emma Atkins

My guest this week, Emma Atkins, is here to explore the role that refrigeration has played in our food waste. Emma is a PhD researcher at the University of Bristol in the UK. Her research looks at how...

25 Nov 202531min

160: Exploring Nigerian Culinary Histories through Recipes with Ozoz Sokoh

160: Exploring Nigerian Culinary Histories through Recipes with Ozoz Sokoh

In Nigeria, the word chop is used for food and feasting, and to say "come chop" is an invitation into sharing and community. This is precisely how Ozoz Sokoh's debut cookbook, Chop Chop: Cooking the F...

18 Nov 202542min

159: What Could a Just Food System Really Look Like? with Dr. Bryan Dale

159: What Could a Just Food System Really Look Like? with Dr. Bryan Dale

My guest today, Dr. Bryan Dale, is here to explore these nuances. Bryan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environment, Agriculture, and Geography at Bishop's University. His research inte...

11 Nov 202531min

158: Honouring Asian Ingredients in Cookie Baking with Kat Lieu

158: Honouring Asian Ingredients in Cookie Baking with Kat Lieu

My guest today, Kat Lieu, is a Vietnamese-Chinese cookbook author, and here to share more about how she's challenging this through her new cookbook, 108 Asian Cookies: Not-too-Sweet Treats from a Thir...

4 Nov 202526min

157: Preserving Palestinian Cuisine During Genocide with Lama Obeid

157: Preserving Palestinian Cuisine During Genocide with Lama Obeid

As this episode airs, it has been just over two years of Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinian people have been killed, and entire cities have been reduced to rubble. And...

28 Okt 202544min

156: Cooking through the Silk Roads with Anna Ansari

156: Cooking through the Silk Roads with Anna Ansari

If you grew up in the Western world, it's entirely possible you've heard of a singular Silk Road used for trade between two major entities, Europe and China. And maaaybe Marco Polo. But the reality is...

21 Okt 202542min

155: Queers at the Table with Dr. Alex Ketchum and Dr. Megan Elias

155: Queers at the Table with Dr. Alex Ketchum and Dr. Megan Elias

What makes food queer? Is it possible to name and list it out as simple, clearcut elements? In their new co-edited volume, Queers at the Table, Drs. Alex Ketchum and Megan Elias explore this question ...

14 Okt 202532min

Populært innen Samfunn

rss-spartsklubben
giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
konspirasjonspodden
popradet
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
min-barneoppdragelse
rss-henlagt-andy-larsgaard
grenselos
wolfgang-wee-uncut
rss-espen-lee-usensurert
synnve-og-vanessa
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
fladseth
frokostshowet-pa-p5
alt-fortalt
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem