Pots, Pans and the Past

Pots, Pans and the Past Web based lectures, talks and workshops about culinary practices, tastes and ideas in the past. Our m

Who we are:
Daniel Serra: Culinary Archaeologist and cookbook author specializing in food from the Scandinavian Viking Age to the renaissance, but with experience and interests ranging from the Stone Age to the late 17th century. An experimental archaeologist at heart he is very keen on trying out ancient tastes and cooking methods in a reconstructed setting. Kari Marie Helland: Iron Age Museum W

orker with a long standing passion for historical food, cooking, everyday life, food production and conservation practices. She has heaps of experience cooking for large, hungry crowds while keeping the food authentic. Lectures, workshops, cooking courses and food demonstrations for museums, at historical events and faires are just some of the the combined food experiences we share. Now we are joining forces; Combining Daniel's academic research and wast knowledge of cookbooks, recipes and food culture with Kari's interest in how the food was produced and treated before it actually got to the table and how ingredients and dishes can be traced back through time. Planning to do all kinds of food related stuff, including lectures and courses and so on, but also testing new ideas, trying out techniques and equipment, experimenting, fiddling and toying with food in general. Hoping the outcome will prove as exiting, interesting, educational and FUN not just for us but for you as well. What we do:

Web based lectures, talks and workshops about culinary practices, tastes and ideas in the past. Our main aim is to explore food and drink, meals and cooking in Iron Age and Medieval Scandinavia, but with occasional forays into other times and areas.

Testing things at Tingvatn fornminnepark Using ingredients and methods available in the Migration era.… Se mer
23/05/2026

Testing things at Tingvatn fornminnepark
Using ingredients and methods available in the Migration era.… Se mer

More playing around with literally piping hot rocks, some had tar no them that I wanted to get rid off before using them...
17/03/2026

More playing around with literally piping hot rocks, some had tar no them that I wanted to get rid off before using them for cooking experiments......
I think this is a good illustration of our linear thinking....I chucked all of my carefully selected rocks in the middle of my rather big fire.. causing them to go literally gloving lava like red...and for a lot of my pretty little rocks that meant dismemberment and demolition 😑
I think that when this was part of everyday life and integral to how a lot of things where done, you would heat your rocks according to what you needed them for instead of just killing them off like I did

23/02/2026

tok me twenty years to realise I could have had all the dishwashing water I could ever have wished for almost instantly, throughout all my years as a reenactor and historical cook, cooking at historical events, festivals and such, virtually just by snapping my fingers ! 🫠

While I have long been aware of cooking stones, or brewing stones, I never really tok in just how versatile piping hot rocks can be!

There will be more on this!

Daniel did a workshop on Medieval food last week. https://www.instagram.com/p/DQRhXP2DRYH/The workshop was done at the e...
26/10/2025

Daniel did a workshop on Medieval food last week. https://www.instagram.com/p/DQRhXP2DRYH/
The workshop was done at the exhibition of Gribshunden a Danish ship that sunk 1495 and among other things carried loads of saffron.

Pots and Pan's Kari will be attending Tønsberg Middelalderfestival during the weekend, doing talks about medieval herbs ...
06/06/2025

Pots and Pan's Kari will be attending Tønsberg Middelalderfestival during the weekend, doing talks about medieval herbs and spices, medicine and how medieval food differs from Viking age food, And there will be some illustrative tasters to go with each topics.
Come see me and have a snack and a food chat if you too are attending this festival

If you are in Ireland, you have a chance to join Daniel for a workshop or a lecture at this festival
13/05/2025

If you are in Ireland, you have a chance to join Daniel for a workshop or a lecture at this festival

Daniel has been interviewed about Viking Age food.
02/04/2025

Daniel has been interviewed about Viking Age food.

Exploring the Viking Age · Episode

The Museum of Cultural History in Oslo has a new and exiting exhibition focusing on the medieval kitchen coming upPots, ...
24/02/2025

The Museum of Cultural History in Oslo has a new and exiting exhibition focusing on the medieval kitchen coming up

Pots, Pans and the Past's Kari will be participating in and providing tasters for the exhibition opening Thursday evening.
The event is sold out but there is a waiting list ;-)

I am soo looking forward to this event, I think it will be a lot of fun, but also very busy. The next days will be spent packing what I will need for presenting the food, shopping for ingredients and of course making the food and planning how to serve and present tasters an mass going out in a rush

More posts on this to follow

Embark on a tasteful journey back to the medieval kitchen in our new exhibition room in NOREGR – Medieval Stories. Here, you will discover how new ingredients and cooking techniques transformed the culinary culture in the town through ingredients from distant lands.

A 17th century Danish porridge.
04/02/2025

A 17th century Danish porridge.

I made a 17th century kale-porridge the other night. Though the recipe does not mention how to serve it, I find that it marries well with smoked herring.

"Kaal at koge.
Der om megit at skriffue/giøris icke i behoff/det veed huer Bondequinde/Oc offte skal mand hoss en Bonde smage en bedre Søbekaal/end vndertiden vdi et HerreKøcken. Dog kogis en Søbekaal i saa maade: Sæt Vand oc Haffregryn paa Ilden/met en Rødløg eller to smaa hacket/lad det siude indtil det bliffuer smuck jeffnt/hack Kaalen vel smaa/jo smære den hackis/jo bedre den bliffuer. Naar Saadet er jeffnt/saa giff Kaalen i/oc lad siude den til den er blød/giff saa Smør i: men vilt du haffue den met Ister/saa gnid Istren smaa tilforn/oc lad det siude met Haffregryn."
Kogebog 1616

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0164

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