Trail Blazers

Recent Event Recap

Professor of History, Dr. Davide Tanasi, Explores Ancient Sicilian Food, Drink, and Econom

In this final virtual Trail Blazers event of the academic year, Associate Professor of History Dr. Davide Tanasi discussed “We Are What We Eat - Diet, Cuisine, Materiality: Archaeology of Food and Drink in Sicily”, a lecture based on over 20 years of research in the Mediterranean.

Dr. Tanasi is an expert of application of innovative technologies for the study of ancient material culture and a specialist of archaeology of ancient Sicily and Malta, where he has conducted field work for over two decades. His primary research focus is the biomolecular archaeology of Mediterranean diet and the study of dietary and culinary habits of ancient community of Sicily and Malta from Prehistory to Late Antiquity and the impact of those habits in their health-related lifestyle, a field in which he has published groundbreaking works.

We are so thrilled we have the opportunity to bring the research of our esteemed faculty to the Tampa Bay community by hosting these events!

During the talk, Dr. Tanasi shared his expertise in several of his focus areas, from Sicily’s economic impact on empires to the analysis of pottery, which is helping to determine the source of sustenance of ancient peoples and communities in the area. Dr. Tanasi also shared with the audience that the earliest cookbooks can be traced back to Sicily, noting:

“Sicily is not just a food mecca now, but it was even in the past, starting in Greek times. Sicily must be considered the cradle of Western culinary traditions, as it gave birth to three master chefs, which were authors of the earliest cookbooks in world history. Mithaecus and Heracleides of Syracuse and Archestratus of Gelas were food connoisseurs, they were also possibly restaurant owners. Together, they founded what is known as the Sicilian School of Cuisine, which had an enormous impact on the cuisine of Greece. In particular, the work of Archestratus “The Life of Luxury” cookbook, was the first work in Western culture that celebrated the pleasure of food, free from previous constraints imposed by philosophy and religion, paving the way for future gourmets and food connoisseurs.”

After the talk concluded, the online audience was provided the unique opportunity to interact and engage with Dr. Tanasi during a stimulating Q&A session led by Dean Eisenberg. Some of the most intriguing questions dealt with access to skeletal catacombs in the field, artifacts recovered that deal with food exploration, varying types of vegetarian diets depending on class or status, and how soon Dr. Tanasi plans to return to field work following the pandemic.

We were glad to have had Dr. Tanasi provide insight on this interesting topic as one of our Trail Blazers featured speakers. We look forward to seeing his research advance in this field and hope to see more of his discoveries in the future! If you would like to learn more about Dr. Tanasi’s work and ways to help advance his research, please contact Senior Director of Development Kelly Addington.

A very special thank you to our Frontiers of Knowledge supporters! Without you, community events showcasing the research of USF faculty would not be possible. Your dedication to supporting these experiences, even in these uncertain times, has afforded USF and the surrounding community countless opportunities to learn and grow in their knowledge on a variety of topics.

As this was our final Trail Blazers talk of the academic year, we want to thank each and every one of you that joined these events to hear the latest research from thought-leaders in their fields. It is our hope that you learned as much as we did, and find new and exciting ways to view the world, armed with new perspectives and information from our top-notch faculty.

We look forward to continuing to bring you premiere programming and highlighting our distinguished faculty that are making local and global impacts with their research. New speakers will be selected soon, so please continue checking the College of Arts and Sciences webpage, as new speakers will be added in the near future.

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THANK YOU AND GO BULLS!