The impact of food culture in Medieval towns (FOODIMPACT)

Matkultur i middelalderbyene (FOODIMPACT) Dette prosjektet var den første store studien av urban matkultur i middelalderens Norge. Vi stilte spørsmålet: Hvilken betydning hadde matkulturen for fremveksten av en urban identitet? Vi har tatt utgangspunkt i arkeologisk materiale for å identifisere lokal urban matkultur gjennom tre tverrfaglige forskningsfokus: 1) Sosial differensiering i matkultur i middelalderens Oslo; 2) Forholdet mellom matkulturen i middelalderbyen, internasjonal handel og innlandet; og 3) Hvordan urban matkultur definerte og formet lokale identiteter. Middelaldersamlingene i Kulturhistorisk museum rommer mer enn 30.000 matrelaterte gjenstander, dyrebein og planterester fra middelalderens Oslo. Vi har brukt denne skatten som en viktig kilde i vårt prosjekt. Matkulturen i byene utviklet seg ikke isolert fra omlandet. Gjennom to utgravninger, en i Cistercienserklosteret på Hovedøya utenfor Oslo og en langs en av hovedferdselsårene mellom øst- og vest-Norge, har vi også undersøkt matrester som forteller om matkulturen på disse stedene. Byen er en del av en større helhet, og sammenhengen mellom lokal matkultur i byen og distriktene er viktig. Hvordan former og definerer matkultur lokale identiteter? Hvordan kan fortidens mat-arv gi grobunn for lokal matkultur i fremtiden? Gjennom en rekke møter og gjennom antologien Culinary Heritage - Tracing, shaping and reshaping food culture from the Middle Ages to the present, har vi samlet eksperter fra arkeologi, historie og kulturvitenskap, i tillegg til representanter for verdikjeden i moderne matproduksjon. FOODIMPACT har vært ledet av professor Marianne Vedeler ved Kulturhistorisk museum ved Universitetet i Oslo, og har vært utført i samarbeid med Naturhistorisk Museum og CEES ved Universitetet i Oslo, Universitetsmuseet i Bergen og Universitetet i Cambridge. Det biokjemiske laboratoriet Nicolas Garnier Laboratoire i Vic-le-Comte er ansvarlig for analyser av matrester som er bevart på arkeologiske gjenstander. Prosjektet var finansiert av Forskningsrådet og Universitetet i Oslo.

Sustainability, local anchoring, trade, and food security are important concepts in the public discussion about food culture. Through the research project FOODIMPACT, we have experienced that knowledge about past food culture can contribute to the public debate. New knowledge of early urban food culture is highly relevant for understanding urban identity. A heightened awareness of the cultural exchange that took place between Norway and Europe in early history will contribute to awareness of historical lines in today's multicultural society. The project has had a broad and visible dissemination profile, in the form of a food blog, a medieval garden, a cookbook, food events, and visible participation in the media. This has contributed to making the medieval kitchen more well-known, but also to ensuring that knowledge about past food culture is more present in the public discourse about development of future food culture.

This project is the first major study of urban food culture in medieval Norway. Our main research question is: how did the urban food culture facilitate the emergence of an urban identity? In this study, new archaeological material will for the first time be utilized to identify localised urban food culture via three strands of multidisciplinary research, focusing on 1) Social differentiation in food culture within medieval Oslo; 2) The food relationship between the medieval town, international trading and the hinterland; and 3) How urban food culture define and shape local identities. Localised food demands a localised study. Medieval Oslo is an ideal laboratory for this, being a small town with identifiable dwelling areas for clergy, craftsmen and royalty leaving behind a large amount of well-preserved archaeological material (Strand 1). Oslo gradually became a part of an international trading network from the 13th century, and for the first time began to feed beyond the bounds of natural local ecosystems (strand 2). Finally, FOODIMPACT will make an ideal platform for discussing the wider context of European urban food culture (strand 3). Food is a key to understanding urban culture. There is today an immense interest for food production and food preparation, ranging from concerns for self-sufficient eco-living and sustainable consumption, to fusion cuisine in a globalised world. Issues of food security, long-distant distribution and cultural blending have strong parallels to urban development in the Middle Ages. By bringing together for the first time paleobotanical, paleozoological and the rich available archaeological material as complementary sources, a venue opens for a new approach to the investigation of urban food culture over a long-time span. Our communication plan is varied, involving courses for children, a medieval garden, public experiments, lectures, food-blog and film in addition to an ambitious academic publication plan.