Now we turn to fermenting - a pretty fundamental process all things considered, although it doesn't really amount to a lot of calories. We'll have four days, one on alcohol consumption generally, as well as some readings about ancient alcohol production. A second day will be on the gruit/beer transition in the middle ages...one of the final two days will be about the idea of fermentation itself outside of alcohol or food or whatever. The other day is somewhat up for grabs, so if you have thoughts, shout them out.
Tuesday, 28 Feb. - Alcohol in the Ancient World
McGovern, Uncorking the Past, chapter one (1-27) and look over a second chapter. EBRARY (but downloadable as an adobe book).
Dietler, "Alcohol: Anthropological/Archeological Perspectives," in Annu. Rev. Anthropol. 2006.35:229-249. MOODLE
Thursday, 1 March - Medieval Brewing: Beer versus Gruit
Richard Unger, A History of Brewing in Holland 900-1900, pgs. 11-68. EBRARY
Judith Bennett, Ale, Beer and Brewsters in England, pgs. 3-13.
And choose either pgs. 14-36, 77-97, or 122-144. EBRARY
Also recommended, though not required: Martin Lynn, Alcohol, Sex, and Gender in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe. EBRARY.
Tuesday, 6 March - Alchemy and Ferment
Choose a section of one of the following two books:
Ulf Lagerkvist, Enigma of Ferment : From the Philosopher's Stone to the First Biochemical Nobel Prize. EBRARY. Here I recommend 27-76 or 93-128.
Joseph Fruton, Fermentation: Vital or Chemical Process. EBRARY
Here I recommend 1-15 + 16-72 or 73-End.
Thursday, 8 March - Fermenting of Foods - Garum and Cheese
Mary Beard, Pompei: The Life of a Town, chapter 5, 152-187.
Massimo Montanari, Cheese, Pears, and History in a Proverb, chaps. 1-6 (pgs. 1-36)