EATING EMPIRE 1 | Spicing and the taste for the exotic in the Regency with Jacqui Newling

English hegemony in trade and colonisation saw a great expansion of empire, and tastes were changing in consequence. Using texts and recipes from the period, this talk will focus on the spices used in the late 18th and early 19th century Britain.

JACQUI NEWLING is the Sydney Living Museums (formerly Historic Houses Trust of NSW) resident gastronomer, ‘I explore the world of food with an inquiring mind and a deep curiosity – not simply about the food itself, but about why it is a food. How did that item become acceptable as a food and how did it arrive at our tables? In fact, to me, gastronomy is about people – what people do to and with food to make it a part of their lives.’

artist unknown, Patna style or Calcutta style, India ‘A khansama’ artist unknown, Patna style or Calcutta style, India ‘A khansama’ (detail from ‘Eight Servants’, from a series of eight company paintings), after 1830, The Johnston Collection (A0955.4-1989