Food in Medieval Rome w. Dr Caroline Goodson

The way food was sourced in the City of Rome changed in the Middle Ages. Dr Caroline Goodson, University of Cambridge, joins the show to explain.

Dr Caroline Goodson is University Senior Lecturer in Early Medieval History, University of Cambridge, and Fellow of King’s College.

Some topics explored

• What foods and its supply were popular in Late Antiquity
• The Cura Annonae (grain being provided to Rome)
• Popular foods in the City of Rome in the Medieval period
• Geopolitical and resource investment changes in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages
• Wheat, grain, and bread being produced more locally
• Food gardens and the growing of food
• The churches’ responsibility in feeding people in the Middle Ages
• Pope Gregory I’s (c.540-604) letters
• The economy and coinage in the Italian peninsula in this period
• The level of urban famines that may have occurred in this period
• How food and supply changes by the eleventh century

Listen to the episode

The episode is available on major podcast apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

Show Notes

• Dr Goodson is author of the monograph Cultivating the City in Early Medieval Italy (Cambridge University Press)