Few things define human beings better than the way they feed themselves. In fact, what was once a primary need (to eat was to live) has become an activity that has transformed a large part of the planet’s landscapes, has selected and promoted animal and plant species, has created an immense diversity and cultural, technological and economic wealth around it..
What’s more, eating gives us pleasure just by imagining it… and it can also contribute to or damage our health, depending on our choice. Eating brings us together around a table. It nourishes our bodies and, at the same time, our society.
From the Neanderthal to the supermarket is a series of conferences whose aim is to show what we ate from prehistoric times to what we eat today. A tasty journey that runs parallel to our history and civilisation.

The first edition of this Congress dedicated specifically to the history and culture of the world of food has the slogan “Spices, sailors and civilisation”, focusing on the theme of the V Centenary of the first round-the-world voyage, although not exclusively, as other aspects such as food in ancient Egypt and Rome will also be included.

The conference is part of the project “600 quintals: the historical weight of a voyage around the world” *, which aims to disseminate the historical context, and other aspects such as music, literature and food of an era coinciding with the voyage of exploration and discovery that Magellan and Elcano undertook. A voyage that changed the world forever and that, in a way, was the beginning of what we now call “globalisation”. Thus, the commemoration of the V Centenary is the recognition of a feat that facilitated the circulation and exchange of different foods, ideas and arts around the planet.

* 600 quintals” was the cargo of spices that the ship Victoria, the vessel that completed the first round-the-world voyage, transported to Seville at the end of its voyage (1522).