Maritime and Riverside Food Cultures: Cuisine, Community and the Geopolitics of Water

The relationship between people and water reaches the table. Fish, shellfish, aquatic plants and other foods connect meals with the places where they are obtained, the knowledge required to prepare them and the communities that share them. A maritime dish is therefore more than a recipe. It may bring together the work of fishers, boat builders, traders, cooks and market sellers. Its ingredients can reveal relationships with a coast, river or estuary, while its preparation may preserve skills learned within families and communities. Food also travels. Maritime routes have carried ingredients, techniques and tastes between regions. These movements have occurred through trade and migration, but also through colonialism and the forced displacement of people. The resulting cuisines cannot be understood solely by listing ingredients; they must also be considered through the histories of the people who prepared and shared them.