Eat My Globe

It’s Party Time: The History of Festivals, Banquets, and Feasts

Simon Majumdar (“SM”):

Hey, April.

April Simpson (“AS”): 

Yeah, Simon.

SM: 

What should I serve my gym friends at the beginning of my upcoming banquet?

AS: 

I don’t know Simon. What should you serve your gym friends at your upcoming banquet?

SM: 

Mussels.

[Laughter]

AS:

Oh.

SM:

As if anyone could believe I have got muscles.

[Laughter]

AS:

[Laughter]

SM:

Anyway.

INTRO MUSIC

Hi everybody.

And, welcome to a brand-new episode of Eat My Globe, a podcast about things you didn’t know you didn’t know about food.

And on today’s episode, we’re going to be looking at the history of festivals, banquets and feasts. They go back to the beginning of time and which Alan Davidson, in his meister work, “The Oxford Companion to Food,” describes as “obviously uncountable,” which is true. However, we will try to give you some of the most, erm, countable of the ones we have through history as well as giving some of our favorite feasts and banquets of the modern day. It’s going to be a feast for the intellect that will have you wanting a feast for your body.

First, however, we always like to define the words we are going to use, so that we are all on the same page.

The festival is, as Merrian-Webster describes it,

Quote

“a time of celebration marked by special observances.”

End quote.

And let’s talk first about the word “banquet.”

Again, our old pal Merrian-Webster describes this as

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“a sumptuous feast: especially: an elaborate and often ceremonious meal for numerous people often in honor of a person.”

End quote.

And the Cambridge Dictionary describes it as

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“a large formal meal for many people, often followed by speeches in honor of someone.”

End quote.

These are all good starting points.

Merriam-Webster describes “feasts” as being

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“an elaborate and usually abundant meal often accompanied by a ceremony or entertainment.”

End quote.

Alan Davidson, in his aforementioned book, “The Oxford Companion to Food,” says feasts

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“apply[] to a company of say, 10 to 1,000.”

End quote.

Which again gives us a good starting point.

Alan Davidson also states that feasts are

Quote

“a feature of human foodways which is found in virtually all cultures.”

End quote.

Indeed, around 2010, archaeologists discovered a 12,000-year-old feast from the Paleolithic era in Hilazon Tachtit in modern day Israel where they found remains of butchered three aurochs – or giant cattle – and over 70 cooked tortoises. Hmmm.

And in 2017, archaeologists in the Shandong Province in China revealed pottery and vessels used in banquets from the Neolithic era.

During the Shang Dynasty in ancient China, which lasted from around 16^th century BCE to the 11^th century BCE, banquets and feasts were commonplace in the Imperial Palace. And those parties were apparently wild. Hmmm. China Daily states,

Quote

“With a pool of wine and a forest of hanging meats, men and women chased each other naked, drinking all night.”

End quote.

Yikes.

And by the time of the Zhou Dynasty, which lasted from the 11^th century BCE to 476 BCE, banquets and feasts continued. The Book of Rites of the Zhou Dynasty, contains history of Chinese governments, cultures, society and rituals. The Book of Rites, however, were burned in 213 BCE and recreated by students of Confucius. According to China Daily, the Book of Rites says,

Quote

“When the emperor gives a banquet, there must be six cereals and six animals for food, the six clears for drink, 120 delicacies, eight dainties, and 120 urns of sauce.”

End quote.

Cereals included rice and wheat; animals included cow, sheep, pig, chicken and horse; drinks included water and wine.

Meanwhile, in the “Cradle of Civilization” also known as the “Fertile Cresent” – which encompasses land bound by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the Mediterranean Sea – banquets and feasts were also occurring. This would be the area of the world that now includes countries such as Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria, and where ancient communities within those lands formed around the 9^th millennium BCE or 9000 BCE.

While the word, “banquet,” was first used around 1753, one of the early surviving written descriptions about what happens in a banquet was the “Banquet Stele of Ashurnasirpal II.” British archaeologists discovered this stele or slab in 1951 while excavating Nimrud in modern day Iraq. The king, Ashurnasirpal II – who ruled from 884 BCE to 859 BCE – threw a huge celebration in 879 BCE on the completion of his capital, “Kalhu” or “Calah,” now known as Nimrud.  The king invited 69,754 people to attend the party, which lasted 10 days.

The stele describes what the king served at this banquet, which included a lot of food. I’m not going to mention all of them because. . . again, it was a lot. But some of them included,

Quote

“1,000 fattened head of cattle, 1,000 calves, 10,000 stable sheep, 15, 000 lambs . . . 200 head of cattle and 1,000 sihhu-sheep – 1,000 spring lambs, 500 stags, 500 gazelles, 1,000 ducks, 500 geese, 5000 kurku-geese, 1,000 mesuku-birds, 1,000 qaribu-birds, 10,000 doves, 10,000 sukanunu-doves, 10,000 other, assorted, small birds, 10,000 assorted fish, . . . 10,000 assorted eggs, 10,000 loaves of bread, 10,000 jars of beer, 10,000 skins with wine, . . .”

End quote.

Sounds like my kind of party.

And that’s just some of them. Like I said, the king served a lot more food like pomegranates, grapes, fruits, and the list just goes on and on.

I bet it was a BERRY fun feast, get it?

This extraordinary banquet was not just a huge party. It was to celebrate the creation of what would be King Ashurnasirpal II’s legacy –  his new city of Kalhu with residents devoted to him.

In ancient Egypt, there was not an exact match to the word, “banquet.” As Professor of Egyptology, Salima Ikram, notes,

Quote

“the closest word in Egyptian is heby, to be festal or to make a festival, with heb being translated as feast or banquet.”

End quote.

And ancient Egyptians typically drew these banquets on tombs. That’s because, as explained by Egyptologist Salima Ikram,

Quote

“inanimate objects—particularly images created for tombs or temples—were believed to contain latent magical powers. What was drawn or etched on stone could later come into being in another cosmos. That is why so many pharaonic works of art show tables piled high with food. Nobody wanted to go hungry in the afterlife. On the contrary, the ancient Egyptians hoped they would enjoy the greatest feast of all in that other realm.”

End quote.

For example, we have the tomb of Nebamun, who was a

Quote

“scribe and grain accountant,”

End quote.

The paintings adorning Nebamun’s tomb showed guests seated on chairs – the mark of a VIP – and seated on mats – the mark of the not so VIP – being tended with perfumes to wash their hands. The paintings also showed the food at the banquet, which included fruits, beef joints, grapes, bread, figs, duck, wine and much more.  

Often depictions of these “heb” or feasts were dedicated to one or more of the gods. For example, ancient pharaoh, Senwosret I, had made a stela for his steward, Mentuwoser, to show his appreciation. The pharaoh had the stela placed in the town of Abydos where the Egyptian god Osiris had a temple.

Mentuwoser’s stela included a calf’s head, calf’s leg, onions, squash, bread, beer, and more. As Professor Ikram notes,

Quote

“The goal was for each tomb to be a beautiful recreation of a person’s world in this life. Food—plenty of food—was a key part of that.”

End quote.

Some ancient Egyptians also mummified these feasts – like meat jerky or salted poultry – to bring with them in the afterlife. Apparently, King Tutankhamun’s tomb included at least 30 boxes of food provisions.

It was probably a meat WRAP.

The ancient Greeks also had many other occasions when feasting took place. During the time Homer wrote “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” in the 9^th or 8^th century BCE, writer Livia Gershon argues that the feasts were intertwined with politics. Yes, food was involved, but by sharing meat and other food, the gift giver established their power. People who attended these feasts were leaders who established policy, engaged in military strategy discussions with other leaders, and, of course, allies who celebrated military victories.  

By the 7^th century BCE, aristocrats in ancient Greek also engaged in feasts described as “Symposium,” which Encyclopedia Britannica says is

Quote

“an aristocratic banquet at which men met to discuss philosophical and political issues and recite poetry.”

End quote.

However, according to our chum, Merriam-Webster, the term “symposium” is based on the ancient Greek word, “symposion,” which means

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“a drinking party that follows a banquet.”

End quote.

Whatever the order of the eating and drinking, the symposium was held in a private home, and slave boys served attendees, who were restricted to aristocratic men and high class female courtesans.  

Guests would talk about politics – some things don’t change – philosophy and read poems.

As World History Encyclopedia points out

Quote

“some were formal philosophical discussions whilst other symposia seem to have been nothing more than drinking-bouts.”

End quote.

Perhaps the most famous of these “Symposiums” was one described by Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher who lived from around 438 BCE to 347 BCE and who studied under Socrates.

In his work, “The Symposium,” Plato tells the story of a fictional conversation at a symposium between his teacher, Socrates, and others about the god of love.

It’s a book that everyone should read.

So far, we’ve been talking mostly of banquets and feasts in the ancient world. But the ancient Greeks also had festivals. The Great Dionysia was an ancient Greek festival in the honor of the god of wine, Dionysius. During this festival, poets competed and put on plays that were tragedies or comedies. Audiences watched all day, but luckily for them, there were many vendors from whom they could buy food and drink. Apparently, audiences ate sweets during the performances when they thought the acting was not good. That is better than WINE-ing about acting in honor of the god of wine.

The ancient Greeks also had the Panathenaea festival in honor of Athena, the goddess of war. This religious festival included animal sacrifices to the goddess, processions, musical contests, and athletic competitions.

Now, moving on to the ancient Romans.

If the ancient Greeks had a symposium, the ancient Romans had a convivium. Convivium means

Quote

“living together [or] banquet.”

End quote.

For private banquets, respectable female Roman citizens were allowed to attend. These convivia were held in a dedicated dining room known as a triclinium or a “three couch room” and then food would be brought to the guests. This would include appetizers, known as “Gustatio,” main courses known as “Mensae Primae” and desserts known as “Mensae Secundae.” Each of these courses was intended not only to feed the guests but to display the wealth of the people who are throwing the dinner party.

According to The Met Museum

Quote

“Popular but costly fare included pheasant, thrush (or other songbirds), raw oysters, lobster, shellfish, venison, wild boar, and peacock. Foods that were forbidden by sumptuary laws, such as fattened fowl and sow’s udders, were flagrantly consumed at the most exclusive feasts.”

End quote.

And, of course, wine flowed freely at these banquets.

As Nina Martyris writes in NPR,

Quote

“gastronomy was fetishized and raised to the level of a fine art by the Romans, and its apogee was the banquet.”

End quote.

Now, if you want to read more about the Eat My Globe podcast episode on dining in ancient Rome, it’s a fantastic one. Do go and listen to it.

Ancient Romans enjoyed celebrating the festival of Saturnalia. As the name suggests, it is dedicated to the god, Saturn. According to Livy, an historian who lived from 59 BCE to 17 CE, it was first brought in around 500 BCE. Although some people suggest it had a longer history.

Saturnalia was a week-long period of festivities that involved choosing a king known as the “Lord of Misrule.” Role reversal occurred when masters might become servants or slaves and wear the slave’s felt hats. And, of course, feasting.

Meanwhile, in Mesoamerica, the ancient Maya have also been engaging in a lot of festivals, feasts and banquets. The Maya civilization dates back to 1500 BCE but probably reached its peak around 250 CE and 900 CE, and its civilization declined thereafter until the Spanish colonizers arrived in the 1500s. The Maya Empire included modern day southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. Today, there are still many people of Maya descent living in those countries.

The ancient Maya had a festival for bee keepers, which included much consumption of honey wine. A festival of cacao involved much drinking of wine too.

But it wasn’t all just wine. Archaeologists have unearthed in a palace in Palenque, Mexico an important dish consumed at ancient Maya banquets – freshwater crabs. Archaeologists found 1,300 freshwater crab shells in one site alone. That’s a lot of crabs. Carlos Varela Scherrer, a researcher with Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History explains in a quote to Newsweek,

Quote

“For the ancient Maya, it was important to hold ritual banquets where food was shared between the participants and the deities.”

End quote.

So that’s probably why there were a lot of crab remains – so they could SHELL-ebrate.

And, apparently, attendees of banquets are expected to host their own banquet in the future and invite the host. And this obligation to return the favor and host a banquet passes on to their heirs. So, the banquet cycle just keeps going. Mind you, because these crabs were found in a palace, the jury is still out on whether the common people also consumed crabs. But whatever the ancient Maya served at their banquets – rich or poor – it’s a lovely way to keep the party going.

Ancient Indians also observed and celebrated many festivals and feasts. Many of these are still taking place now, and I love being in India when they are happening. Let’s talk about the one that I absolutely love.

Holi is a Hindu festival that is also known as the festival of colors. People in India, Nepal and around the world observe it but it is enthusiastically observed in northern India. Festivities can stretch out to a whole week, although the main celebrations start with a bonfire the night before the day of Holi. Then, on the day of Holi, people throw powders of different colors at each other, smear people with a red powder called “gulal,” as well as throw water balloons or soak each other with water guns. Traditionally, the powders were turmeric or pastes from plants, but these days, they come from dyes.

The origins of Holi is thought to date back to the 4^th century. And a 7^th century play, Ratnavali, also memorializes this festival.

Legend goes that a male demon thought he was more powerful than the god Vishnu but the demon’s son favored Vishnu. So, the male demon and his demon sister named Holika, plotted to kill the son by having Holika throw the son into the fire. But Vishnu saved the son and Holika died in the fire – hence, the bonfire the night before Holi.

The legend of the day of Holi itself is based on a love story between the god Krishna, who had blue skin, and a milkmaid named Radha, who did not. So, Krishna’s mother suggested that he smear Radha with “gulal,” the red powder. And the rest is history.

The food at this festival is one of my favorites. Traditional Holi food include gujiya, which is an empanada-like deep fried sweet dough stuffed with dried fruits; malpua, which is a sweet pancake soaked in sugar syrup; and thandai, a sweet milk drink with spices like cardamom or fennel, herbs like saffron, and fruits.

Now I really wish I was back in India during Holi.

Fast forward to the 16^th and 17^th century England, and apparently, back then, the word “banquet” referred to the sweet courses of the meal, while “feast” referred to the whole meal. Moreover, people ate the “banquet” or the sweet course in a completely different room, which could even be in the garden or on the rooftops. Queen Elizabeth I, for example, created a short-term banqueting space in Greenwich for the emissary from France and his staff which was made out of, according to Alan Davidson,

Quote

“Boughs and blossoms.”

End quote.

While that does sound lovely, I am just thinking that I feel bad for people who have allergies.

And in the mid to late 1800s, banquets would have been served in the “Service á la Russe” style. This is to say that the courses would have been served in order rather that all put on the table on one go. Before that, dishes were served “Service á la Francaise,” which was family style. Service á la Russe was considered more cosmopolitan, according to an article in 1876 in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine.

According to Tasting Table, Russian Prince Alexander Kurakin brought “Service á la Russe” to France in 1810. The Prince couldn’t stretch his arms to get choice items from the food served family style because his arms were burned in a fire. He decided to have his wait staff serve each of the dishes on an individual-sized plate one at a time. I am unsure of the proof of this story, but again, according to Tasting Table, by1864 Chef Urbain Bubois – what a fantastic name – who was a chef to Prince Orloff of Russia, wrote a book on the advantages of this type of service, and it then became popular in France. From France, it then moved into Great Britain.

The order of service for Service á la Russe went from oysters or small crabs, to soup, to fish, to one or two entrées, which according to “Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,” are “de rigueur” or “proper” at this time of the meal.

As an aside, I have always wondered why my American chums call the main dishes “entrées” as we, in England, call them main dishes. And as I’ve researched this episode, now I know why. Good to know.

Back to the order of dishes for Service á la Russe. The first entrée is followed by a roast with vegetables, and the second entrée is followed by a dish of game. Olives may be palate cleansers by passing them between dishes. Then, the table is cleared for the cheese course with bread or crackers.  Finally, we come on to the desserts. Hot desserts are served first followed by

Quote

“Ices, jellies and meringues . . . follow[ed by] fruit and nuts.”

End quote.

Then, men would stay at the table drinking brandy and liqueurs, while women retired to the drawing room drinking coffee.

Which seems like a vast amount of food even for me.

And finally, let’s move on to the United States. Now, there are many feasts, festivals or banquets that I could mention in the US. However, there is one that is close to the heart of all Americans – Independence Day. July the 4^th is the day in which America celebrates its separation from the British empire.

PBS says that

Quote

“The Fourth of July is Americana at its core: parades and cookouts and cold beer and, of course, fireworks.”

End quote.

Which I think just about sums it up.

July the 4^th1776 was when the Second Continental Congress adopted the thirteen colonies’ Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. And, according to PBS,

Quote

“One year later, according to the Library of Congress, a spontaneous celebration in Philadelphia marked the anniversary of American independence.”

End quote.

So, the first Fourth of July festivities occurred in 1777.

More than a century later, in 1870, the US Congress decreed that the 4^th of July would be an unpaid holiday for its employees, but it wasn’t until 1938 that it became a paid holiday.

As I have found out since I have been living here and as an American Citizen, this holiday, probably along with Thanksgiving, is something that all Americans hold special. And a lot of that is down to the food, which is not grand but is certainly America at heart.

At various Fourth of July parties, I’ve seen hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, corn on the cob, and so much more. And, of course, barbecue.

Now, barbecue at parties go back much farther than one thinks. According to the Houston Chronicle, on May 27^th, 1769, even before the soon-to-be United States would declare her independence, George Washington was writing in his journal that he

Quote

“Went into Alexandria (Virginia) to a Barbecue and stayed all Night.”

End quote.

And barbecues are still going on to this day whether at Fourth of July or any other festivities.

So, next time you are at a festival, or invited to a banquet or a feast, remember you are now a part of culture and practices that date back to the Paleolithic era. It’s what makes us human.

See you next week folks.

OUTRO MUSIC

SM:

Make sure to check out the website associated with this podcast at www.EatMyGlobe.com where we will be posting the transcripts from each episode, along with all the references and resources we used putting the episodes together, in case you want to delve deeper into each subject. There is also a contact button, so please do let us know if there are any subjects that you would like us to cover.

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Thank you and goodbye from me, Simon Majumdar, we’ll speak to you soon on the next episode of EAT MY GLOBE: Things You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know About Food.

CREDITS

The EAT MY GLOBE Podcast is a production of “It’s Not Much But It’s Ours” and “Producer Girl Productions.”

We would also like to thank Sybil Villanueva for all of her help both with the editing of the transcripts and her essential help with the research.