Archaeologies of Food in Australia

Madeline Shanahan

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English

Sydney University Press
01 November 2025

History; Food & society

Series: Tom Austen Brown Studies in Australasian Archaeology

Twenty-first century Australia is a nation somewhat obsessed with food. From cookbooks to television screens, we are surrounded by conversations about what and how we eat. This fixation highlights the fact that food is, and always has been, a central component of human culture – especially in a diverse nation like Australia.

In recent years, this contemporary food focus has increasingly looked to the past for answers relating to health and sustainable practices. While historians in Australia have contributed extensively to these discussions, there has been surprisingly little input from archaeologists. This is even more surprising when we consider that so much of what archaeologists excavate – such as faunal remains, ceramics and cesspits – can collectively tell the story of food culture when drawn together and considered as a whole.

To open up this dialogue, Archaeologies of Food in Australia addresses the archaeology of food from deep time to the recent past. It showcases the many varied approaches to the study of food in Australia, from the archaeological sciences (such as zooarchaeology and archaeobotanical analysis) through to discussions of historic kitchens and cookery.

Archaeologies of Food in Australia spans diverse cultural groups, including First Nations peoples, European migrants and Chinese diaspora communities, and examines evidence across millennia. Contributors demonstrate the breadth and richness of archaeological food research currently undertaken in Australia, and in doing so, they address critical questions about diet, cookery, dining and food culture.

In this collection, eight food stories from Australia’s past have been selected to help open the door to many more readers, and to many more questions. The great depth of time and diversity in Australian archaeology, when coupled with the broad range of skills in the discipline, presents enormous potential for further research.

Edited by: Madeline Shanahan
Imprint: Sydney University Press
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 254mm, Width: 178mm,
ISBN: 9781761540493
ISBN 10: 1761540491
Series: Tom Austen Brown Studies in Australasian Archaeology
Publication Date: 01 November 2025
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Dr Madeline Shanahan is a historical archaeologist with twenty years’ professional experience across research and heritage consulting. She completed her PhD at University College Dublin and is the author of two books and a range of peer-reviewed papers addressing food and colonisation, recipe writing, and ritual.