Greco-Roman diet and cuisine have recently received considerable
attention, resulting in a wide array of studies on food production and
consumption, cooking techniques, purchasing power and idealised diets.
The current volume brings together a collection of papers investigating
the nexus between food and identity in cross-cultural settings from
Classical Greece until the rise of Christianity. Whenever different
cultures engage in a process of exchange, food and cuisine are among the
first aspects of identity to meet, clash and enrich each other. The
authors analyse the various channels of mutual influence between
different cultures and the deliberate choices made by producers and
consumers. Because choice always carries information on people's
standing in society, their willingness (or refusal) to adapt and their
view on the 'other', this volume contributes to the study of cultural
interaction and integration in Antiquity through the lens of one of the
most accessible items of exchange, viz. food.