Culinary heritage and the formation of the New World: An analysis of early colonial pottery using organic residue analysis 

Project summary

This project will investigate the origins of Caribbean culinary heritage by analysing organic residues preserved in criolla pottery from four early colonial sites in Haiti, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Using advanced biomolecular and isotopic techniques, the research will identify the foods prepared in locally made pottery, revealing how Indigenous American, African and European food traditions combined during the sixteenth century. By examining cooking practices across multiple sites, the project will provide the first direct scientific evidence for the role of criolla pottery in shaping early colonial foodways.

The findings will offer new perspectives on the cultural exchanges that transformed diets and cuisines in the colonial Caribbean, addressing histories that are often absent from written European sources. The project will strengthen heritage science research and training while supporting public engagement through partnerships with community organisations in Leicester and cultural institutions across the Caribbean, helping diverse audiences explore the origins and enduring legacy of Caribbean culinary traditions.