Provincializing histories of missions through food : friars and the consumption of kumiss in the Mongol empire

Abstract

The article focuses on the question of the consumption of kumiss, a drink made from fermented mare's milk, among the various religious groups coexisting in the medieval Mongol empire. Inspired by Actor-Network Theory (B. Latour) and the project of provincializing Europe (D. Chakrabarthy), the article provides a comparative contextual analysis of medieval sources, including accounts of the Franciscan friars John of Plano Carpini and William of Rubruck, and other relevant sources relating to the history of the principalities of Rus', communities of Syriac and Armenian Christians, and the Mongols. It sheds light on the role of kumiss as a natural, cultural, and religious agent, which provoked diverse attitudes among the different religious groups and revealed their interdenominational and interreligious dynamics. Comparing the various, often contrasting attitudes towards kumiss consumption enables us to better understand the missionary situation of the Franciscan friars and also reveal the practical challenges and problems facing medieval Christian missions in the Mongol empire.