Dr Anna Charalambidou is a co-investigator in the Consuming Authenticities project, which is sponsored by the AHRC – Care for the Future: Thinking Forward through the Past. The project draws on academic expertise from several disciplines, including history, post-colonial literature, linguistics and anthropology, and a key partner, the People's Collection Wales.
This project aims to identify and discuss how different temporal (and spatial) concepts, like timelessness, tradition, and homeland are involved in the creation of ideas about authenticity. The study concentrates on foods and drinks, as they are relatively everyday things that can take on special significance due to their connection to certain traditions, origins, places, or histories. The project focuses on pulque (an alcoholic drink from Central Mexico), acarajé (a street snack from Brazil), flaounes (celebration Easter pies from Cyprus) and Welsh craft cider.
The project aims to gather the perspectives and experiences of those with a personal connection to these products, during special events, to inform our production of a recipe-style book that discusses the role of history in making ideas about the authenticity of pulque, acarajé, flaounes and craft cider.
