Fodder & Drincan: Culinary Anglo-Saxon History

An entertaining and historical account of Anglo-Saxon cooking and eating, covering several centuries, circa. 400 to 1066 CE. Emma Kay believes that the modern world has a huge amount to learn from ancient times. As we discover more fascinating pieces of information about our earliest ancestors, resulting from recent historical digs, we are increasingly interested in which species and plants nourished early human beings. Emma Kay’s book gives us evidence based information from historical artefacts and plants, showing us what our ancestors had at their disposal for survival. However, they were more likely to catch shell fish with their quick fingers, and use rudimentary traps to secure small birds and creatures. They also would have had grasses and early wheat to make simple bread. Her book discusses the nature of culinary transitions in terms of Roman and Scandinavian influences, as well as illuminating us with her knowledge of social and political Anglo Saxon communities.

Emma is a post-graduate historian and former senior museum worker, and now she is a food historian, author and collector of Kitchenalia. She lives in the Cotswolds with her husband and young son. Emma’s articles have appeared in publications including BBC History Magazine. She has contributed historic food research for a number of television production companies and featured several times on Talk Radio Europe. Her first book was Dining with the Georgians, followed by Dining with the Victorians in 2015 (Amberley Publishing). In 2017 Emma’s third book Cooking up History: Chefs of the Past (Prospect Books) was released, shortly before book number four - Vintage Kitchenalia (Amberley Publishing). Her latest book The Dark History of Chocolate (Pen and Sword) was released in 2021. Emma is a member of the Guild of Food Writers.