This research tries to examine if, and how, the Byzantine and Sasanian culinary traditions and diet were influenced by one another. The Byzantine and Sasanian empires had a complicated relationship...Show moreThis research tries to examine if, and how, the Byzantine and Sasanian culinary traditions and diet were influenced by one another. The Byzantine and Sasanian empires had a complicated relationship, with continuing wars on one end, and dependence on trade on the other. The silk road was situated on Sasanian land, and Byzantium was forced to use the Sasanian empire as a middle man. The respective agricultures produced basic produce for the whole empires, but for exotic spices and herbs, the empires were dependent on the silk road. There is not much written on the Sasanian diet, but a few products are known to have been cultivated. Some sources give information on the extravagant diet of the nobility, which includes different vegetables, grains, fruits, spices, meats and sweets. In the last decades there has been more research on the Byzantine empire, which also included diet. Most information about the Byzantine diet comes from dietary handbooks and descriptions, most of which are written about Constantinople. It is possible that these sources are more about an ideal diet, than based on reality. The sources describe many different fruits, vegetables, spices, meats, fish and grains. This conveys the image of an extravagant and varied diet, but the results bone isotope analysis in Greece show dietary deficiencies. It seems that at least between the capitol and the province, there is a difference of availability of food. Comparing the two diets, there are some similarities, mostly when it comes to spices. Because there is not as much data on the Sasanian diet, there are more products that are known to have been present in Byzantium and not the Sasanian empire, than the other way around. When comparing both diets to the current Iranian diet, there seems to be a continuation of some of the Sasanian traditions. There also seem to be some similarities between the Byzantine diet and the current Iranian diet. To get a clear picture of the diet of the average citizen of the empires, not only the elite, more research is needed. For example, isotope analyses of different regions of the empire.Show less
