The Indian Ocean world has emerged as a major area of research in recent decades, although connections across the Indian Ocean go back to antiquity: the spice trade; the circulation of stimulants like betel leaf and areca nut, qat, coffee, and tea; the dispersal of staples like rice and millet; and the supply of specialty comestibles, such as sea cucumber and swallow’s nests. Through readings, essays and class discussion, students explore the period before European hegemony to study the connected histories of food in the Indian Ocean world.
