FOOD HISTORY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG

The first food history course at the University of Winnipeg was offered in 2012-2013. It was a traditional combined honours-graduate seminar, in which a small group of students discussed readings and conducted original research. On the final evening of the class, students presented their final projects to a large audience that met for dinner in Convocation Hall.

A second food history course was offered in 2014-15 at UW’s North End campus on Selkirk Avenue. Half a dozen students participated in a third-year course that included guided tours of the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute and Half Pints Brewing, and field trips to Modern Taco Company and Taco Bell for comparative tastings.

A third food history course is offered this year (2017-18) – and, thanks to an Experiential Learning Fund grant from the University of Winnipeg, students are cooking in the classroom! Though the visual is often privileged by academics (particularly through reading), knowledge is gained through ALL our senses. Thus students are cooking a variety of foods related to their research and reading. Together, we have made pico de gallo, madeleines, kana’tarokhónwe (cornbread), peach melba, gloms vereniki, Coronation chicken, beaver tails, and poutine.

A student in the University of Winnipeg's "Manitoba Food History" honours history class prepares gloms vereniki. Photo by Kimberley Moore.

Building on these past experiences, we are planning a new 3-credit hour, 2-week course in food history, to be taught not only in the classroom… but on our Food History Truck! We hope to offer this new and exciting opportunity to students in Spring Term 2019.

Photo by Kimberley Moore.