D’Apicius à la table des rois « barbares »

Abstract

From Apicius to the table of the barbarian kings. Interest in the history of diet and of feeding practices, in the field of social and cultural history, is to be found also in studies on late Antiquity, which is not a simple transition period between Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Several orientations can be drawn out of a review of works from the last twenty, if not thirty years. The traditional social approach (culinary taste as a sign of distinction) is completed by the study of political rituals, and also by a more economical point of view. Finally, in a cultural perspective, affirmation of identity through cooking practices is considered, without neglecting the contribution of anthropology, which takes a diachronic interest in human experience. Therefore, Alimentary practices and rituals are a promising field of research.