Inca Haute Cuisine: Dining Splendidly in 15th-Century Peru

What did it mean to dine splendidly in the late pre-Columbian Andes? What distinguished an elite repast from an ordinary one? What does the archaeological record tell us about cooking, cuisine, and power relations during the time of the Inca? Dr. Tamara L. Bray, Professor of Anthropology at Wayne State University, looks at the different foodstuffs, methods of preparation, and forms of consumption found within the Inca Empire, and the important role of food and feasting in the negotiation of power and state politics during the late pre-Columbian era.

November 5, 2015
Horchow Auditorium