Salt cod and study abroad: teaching and tasting food across the globe

This pedagogical reflection explores the use of taste as a teaching tool in short-term, interdisciplinary study abroad courses combining food studies and contemporary art. Drawing on two iterations of the course, All things are delicately interconnected: Global food and art, one in Venice, Italy, and another in São Paulo, Brazil, it examines how structured culinary experiences can connect students to complex histories of globalization, cultural exchange, and identity. Salt cod, present in multiple global cuisines, serves as a thread linking disparate geographies through centuries of trade, migration, and adaptation. Course design integrated theoretical frameworks from globalization studies with experiential assignments that required students to research, prepare, and share iconic dishes before travel. Student reflections revealed that these activities fostered curiosity, collaboration, and deeper engagement with the social and historical contexts of food, while also presenting various challenges. Post-trip evaluations highlighted how tasting and cooking transformed abstract concepts into tangible, memorable experiences. Experiences from the course suggest that incorporating intentional, taste-centered components into study abroad curricula can enhance intercultural understanding and make global processes more immediate and personally resonant for students.