Food Culture in Medieval Scandinavia

Food Culture in Medieval Scandinavia

The making, eating, and sharing of food throughout society represents an important and exciting area of study with the potential to advance the field of scholarship, particularly in the context of Scandinavian Studies. This book analyses the historical, legal, and literary sources of the region during the medieval period to explore different aspects of Scandinavian culture relating to food and drink: production, consumption (including feasts), trading (distribution), and the associated social rituals. Using new and innovative approaches, this collection of studies offers broad insights into a great variety of social practices and includes fresh information on not only social history but also traditional topics such as trade, commercial exchange, legal regulation, and political organisation. The book unites contributors from a variety of backgrounds, further enriching the content of a collection that promises to make a significant contribution to the state of current research.
  • Cover
  • Table of Contents
  • Spelling, Dates, and Other Conventions
  • List of Common Abbreviations
  • Introduction: A New History of Medieval Scandinavia
    • Andrea Maraschi, Viktória Gyönki
  • Part I: Food Production: Natural and Supernatural Strategies.
    • 1. Magic, Miracles, and Rituals to Fight Famine in Old Norse Literature
      • Andrea Maraschi
    • 2. Divine Intervention in the Preparation of Food and Drink in Old Norse Culture
      • Karoline Kjesrud
    • 3. The Rise and Extent of Commercial Stockfish Production and Trade in Medieval North-Norwegian Coastal Society
      • Stefan Figenschow
  • Part II: Food Trade, Distribution, and Commercial Activities
    • 4. Food and Exclusion: Beer, Chicken, and Social Mobility in the Saga World
      • Marion Poilvez
    • 5. What Did the Norwegians Drink?
      • Erik Opsahl
    • 6. Stockfish Distribution: Getting Stockfish to the Consumer
      • Magne Njåstad
    • 7. The Theft of Food in Thirteenth-Century Norway and Iceland
      • Helen F. Leslie-Jacobsen
  • Part III: Food Spaces, Consumption, and Feasting
    • 8. The Semiotics of Hanging Around in the Kitchen in Late Sagas and Rímur
      • Philip Lavender
    • 9. Consumption and Intoxication in an Old Norse Legendary Saga
      • Andrew McGillivray
    • 10. Conflicts Regarding Hospitality in Old Norse Sources
      • Viktória Gyönki
    • 11. The Practice of Feasting in Medieval Iceland
      • Martina Ceolin
  • Index of names and texts
  • Index of places

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