Food History as an Ingredient in Teaching Early Modern Mobility

Early modern mobility is an important topic to teach, both because mobility is a significant theme in the field of early modern history and because historical perspectives help us better understand contemporary questions. The teaching of early modern mobility presents challenges, however, especially at the introductory level. This paper offers theoretical support and practical advice for using food history to engage students meaningfully in historical questions about early modern mobility. It suggests ways to historicise everyday experiences with food, bring students more deeply into working with sources about foods and foodways, ease students’ entry into difficult histories, and open discussions of seemingly small matters into bigger spaces.