Food seeps into our consciousness at a very early age—through folktales, parables, fables, rhymes, and bedtime stories. People have been inventing myths about food for about as long as they’ve been preparing meals. Common culinary folklore can range from relatively sensible cautionary tales to far more inventive notions—and some can even be silly.

It’s not uncommon for popular foods to have dark and twisted pasts. Every taste has a tale; every ingredient a story.

Some of these foods were created based on motives and beliefs that would make the average modern-day person cringe with horror and confusion. In other cases, seemingly ordinary products stem from a complicated history laced with xenophobic fears and racial oppression. These particular stories are prime examples of how prejudiced beliefs can impact every aspect of history, right down to the food that we know and love today. In this class we will explore some of these stories through colorful, engaging PowerPoints and class discussions.