hat influences the meals we enjoy today? Meal historian and cultural researcher Richard Tellström from Stockholm University suggests that the surrounding natural environments and ecosystems only play a minimal role. Instead, he argues that our choices are primarily shaped by cultural, political and economic forces. This episode dives into the dramatic shifts in Swedish diets over the past century, highlighting how changes such as new food preservation methods in the 1970s, Sweden's entry into the European Union in the 1990s, and shifting cultural trends throughout have redefined what's fashionable, and therefore possible, to eat.

This is the second installment of a two-part series, following our first episode with archaeological chemist Amy Styring who investigates what our ancestors ate during periods of significant societal transitions. Listen to Part 1.

For more info and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode60

Guests

• Richard Tellström, Associate Professor at Stockholm University

Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.

Around 6000 years ago in Northwest Europe, our ancestors transitioned from hunter-gatherer societies to sedentary farming. How did their diets change during this time? The field of archaeological sciences and chemistry teamed up to shed new light on this question.

In this episode, we ask Amy Styring, archaeological chemist at the University of Oxford, what's her take on a natural diet, whether we overestimate the role of meat in our past diets, and what lessons can we learn today if we have a better understanding of how people produced and ate food in the past?

This is the first of a two-part series. Next week we hear from a meal historian on the role culture plays in informing what we eat.

For more info and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode59

Guests

• Amy Styring, Associate Professor at the University of Oxford

Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.

Is it possible to eat enough white-tailed deer to keep their populations low enough to restore ecosystems? We posed this question to Bernd Blossey, professor at Cornell University who specializes in the management of invasive species and the restoration of disrupted ecological relationships.

In this episode, we look at the history of white-tailed deer in the eastern forests of the United States, how many we would need to harvest to keep the population in check, and whether the concept of ecosystem balance is scientific or a fantasy.

This is the third and final part of our series exploring whether we can eat our way out of the problems we’ve created. Let us know what you think by sending us an email or a voice memo to podcast@tablededebates.org.

For more info and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode58

Guests

• Bernd Blossey, Professor at Cornell University

Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.