Seventeenth-century English travel literature and the significance of foreign foodways1

Abstract

Early modern English travel writers describing Europe often included detailed descriptions of foreign foodways in their narratives. These descriptions served not only to satisfy readers’ curiosity about the details of foreign life, but as a means of marking cultural differences. In particular, the role of such descriptions was to emphasize and reinforce attitudes about foreign countries that were not specifically related to food. Instead, the underlying theme was international power relations. This tendency is most clearly revealed by comparing representations of the foodways of the Irish and the Ottoman Turks. These regions were superficially described as having similar traits, such as simple foods, lack of social distinctions in the serving of food, and a lack of proper accoutrements of food serving. However, similar practices were interpreted differently according to the needs of the authors. While the Irish were regarded as bestial and unskilled, the Turks were seen as deliberately austere, much as the English viewed themselves. Both the English and the Turks were also able to manufacture refined edibles if they wished. The typical austerity of Turkish foodways was believed to contribute to their military discipline, a valuable lesson for the English.