Around the Table is a podcast from The Recipes Project (https://recipes.hypotheses.org/), a blog dedicated to the study of recipes. Hosted by Sarah Kernan, Around the Table episodes feature interviews with experts in recipes-related studies to talk about the latest projects, programs, and scholarship of interest to the Recipes Project community.
Sarah Kernan speaks with Sara Charles [https://www.history.ac.uk/people/sara-charles], a medieval book historian at the University of London. Sara recently published The Medieval Scriptorium: Making Books in the Middle Ages [https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/M/bo239347878.html] (Reaktion Books, 2024). She incorporates "historical remaking" into her research practices and she shares her knowledge with broader audiences through workshops, social media, and her website, teachingmanuscripts.com [http://www.teachingmanuscripts.com/]. Follow Sara on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/saracharles.bsky.social] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sarajc/?hl=en] for updates.
Show notes, links, and transcript available on The Recipes Project [https://recipes.hypotheses.org/].
10 Sept 2025
Marissa Nicosia and Cooking in the Archives
Sarah Kernan has a conversation with Marissa Nicosia [https://www.abington.psu.edu/person/marissa-nicosia], an Associate Professor of Renaissance Literature at Penn State Abington. She teaches, researches, and writes about early modern English literature, food studies, book history, and political theory. Marissa speaks about her work making and updating early modern English culinary recipes, especially for her public food history website, Cooking in the Archives: Updating Early Modern Recipes (1600-1800) in a Modern Kitchen [https://rarecooking.com/]. Follow Marissa on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/rare_cooking/?hl=en], Threads [https://www.threads.com/@rare_cooking], Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/nicosiamarissa.bsky.social], and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/rarecooking/] for updates.
Show notes, links, and transcript available on The Recipes Project [https://recipes.hypotheses.org/].
3 Sept 2025
Alex Makin and Early Medieval Embroidery
Sarah Kernan talks to Alexandra Makin [https://alexandramakin.com/], a textile archaeologist specializing in early medieval embroidery. She is a professional embroiderer, trained at the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace and also holds a PhD in Anglo-Saxon Studies. Alex is a Third Century Fellow [https://www.mmu.ac.uk/staff/profile/dr-alexandra-makin] at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her publications include Textiles of the Viking North Atlantic: Analysis, Interpretation, Re-creation [https://boydellandbrewer.com/book/textiles-of-the-viking-north-atlantic-9781837653850/] (2024) and The Lost Art of the Anglo-Saxon World: The Sacred and Secular Power of Embroidery [https://www.oxbowbooks.com/9781789251449/the-lost-art-of-the-anglo-saxon-world/] (2019). In addition, Alex also runs a YouTube channel, Early Medieval Embroidery [https://www.youtube.com/EarlyMedievalEmbroidery]. Follow Alex on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/alexandramakin2/?hl=en] for updates.
Show notes, links, and transcript available on The Recipes Project [https://recipes.hypotheses.org/].
27 Aug 2025
Neil Buttery and British Food History
A content warning. Please note that this episode contains a detailed description of the death of eels in preparation for a meal.
In this episode, Sarah Kernan speaks with Neil Buttery, a historian of British food. He is an award-winning author of several books, including A Dark History of Sugar; Before Mrs. Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England's Most Influential Housekeeper; The Philosophy of Puddings; and Knead to Know: A History of Baking. Neil blogs at British Food: A History [https://britishfoodhistory.com/], is the host of The British Food History Podcast [https://feeds.captivate.fm/the-british-food-histor/], and collaborates on another podcast, A is for Apple: An Encyclopaedia of Food & Drink [https://feeds.captivate.fm/a-is-for-apple/]. Follow Neil Buttery on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/neilbuttery.bsky.social]and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr_neil_buttery/?hl=en]for updates.
Show notes, links, and transcript available on The Recipes Project [https://recipes.hypotheses.org/].
20 Aug 2025
Crystal Dozier and the Archaeology of Food
In this episode, Sarah Kernan speaks with Crystal Dozier [https://www.wichita.edu/profiles/academics/fairmount_college_of_liberal_arts_and_sciences/Anthropology/Dozier-Crystal.php], Associate Professor and anthropological archaeologist at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. She is Chair for the Department of Anthropology, Director of Wichita State's Archaeology of Food Laboratory [https://www.wichita.edu/academics/fairmount_las/anthropology/archaeology/food-lab.php], and City Archaeologist for the city of Wichita. Crystal describes researching food and foodways using archaeological approaches, including experimental archaeology. Follow the Archaeology of Food Laboratory on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodarchaeology/]and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/foodarchaeology/].
Show notes, links, and transcript available on The Recipes Project [https://recipes.hypotheses.org/].
12 Aug 2025
Edible History with Victoria Flexner
In this episode, Sarah Kernan talks to Victoria Flexner [https://www.victoriaflexner.com/], food historian and founder of the historical dining collective, Edible History [https://www.ediblehistorynyc.com/]. She is the author of A History of the World in 10 Dinners: 2,000 Years, 100 Recipes [https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9780847873456/], published by Rizzoli in 2023. Through these projects and her Substack newsletter, Victoria expertly communicates history through food. Follow Victoria Flexner on Substack [https://victoriaflexner.substack.com/]and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/vflex/]for updates.
Show notes, links, and transcript available on The Recipes Project [https://recipes.hypotheses.org/].
13 Mar 2024
Odeuropa with William Tullett
In this episode, Sarah Kernan talks to William Tullett (https://www.york.ac.uk/history/people/tullett/), Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of York and a Lead in the Horizon 2020 funded project Odeuropa (https://odeuropa.eu/). This European research project was designed to show that the sense of smell and scent, or olfactory, heritage is an important way to connect, promote, and protect Europe’s cultural heritage. This episode was recorded just before the project’s funding period concluded at the end of 2023. Follow William Tullett (https://twitter.com/WillTullett) and Odeuropa (https://twitter.com/odeuropa)on X (formerly Twitter) for updates.
Show notes, links, and transcript available on The Recipes Project (https://recipes.hypotheses.org/).
8 Aug 2023
Staging the Table with Deborah Krohn
In this episode, Sarah Kernan talks to Deborah Krohn (https://www.bgc.bard.edu/people/41/deborah-l-krohn), Associate Professor and Chair of Academic Programs at Bard Graduate Center, about the recent exhibition Staging the Table in Europe 1500-1800 (https://www.bgc.bard.edu/exhibitions/exhibitions/109/n-a) at Bard Graduate Center Gallery. Staging the Table explores early modern dining practices through illustrated manuals featuring instruction and carving and napkin folding. The books are considered alongside early modern material artifacts such as table linens and carving knives, as well as modern napkin folds based on period designs.
Show notes, links, and transcript available on The Recipes Project (https://recipes.hypotheses.org/).
21 Jun 2023
Historical Recipes in the Digital Age with Elaine Harrington
In this episode, Sarah Kernan speaks to Elaine Harrington, Special Collections Librarian at University College Cork (https://libguides.ucc.ie/library) about Historical Recipes in the Digital Age (https://scalar.usc.edu/works/historical-recipes-in-the-digital-age/index). This project was created by a partnership between UCC Special Collections and Digital Learning and relied on the contributions of staff and students to shape and analyze the project. Show notes, links, and transcript available on The Recipes Project (https://recipes.hypotheses.org/).
10 Feb 2023
Talking Curious Cures with James Freeman
In this episode, I spoke to the principal investigator of Curious Cures in Cambridge Libraries (https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/curious-medieval-medicine), Dr. James Freeman. Curious Cures (https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/research/research-development/research-projects/curious-cures) is an impressive project to digitize, catalogue, and conserve over 180 medieval manuscripts that contain unedited medical recipes in the University of Cambridge Libraries. (https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/)
Show notes, links, and transcript available on The Recipes Project (https://recipes.hypotheses.org/).
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