March 12 conference on “Ripe Communism – An ode to the Bulgarian tomato and pepper”: with Mary Neuburger

“RIPE” COMMUNISM AN ODE TO THE BULGARIAN TOMATO AND PEPPER
with Mary Neuburger, chair: Simone Cinotto
12.3.26 I h. 17 I Aula Magna

Contemporary Bulgarian cuisine looks and tastes decidedly red. This is thanks to the ubiquitous presence of tomato and red peppers, which thread through and tie together so many Bulgarian dishes in every conceivable fresh and cooked combination. And yet, it was only relatively recently in history that the highly nutritious and flavorful pepper and tomato, both New World foods, conquered the Bulgarian (and European) palate and diet. This talk traces the path of introduction and diffusion of these plants and products in (and beyond) Bulgaria, culminating in the dramatic “reddening” of the Bulgarian diet under communism (1945-1989). It explores how the Bulgarian postwar regime engineered massive increases in production, consumption, preservation, and export of tomatoes and peppers, driven by the complementary imperatives of nutrition and providing the “good life” under “ripe” communism.

The conference will be held in  English in Aula magna at 5 p.m.

***

Mary Neuburger is a Professor of history, the Director of the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREEES), and the Chair of Slavic and Eurasian Studies at the University of Texas (UT) of Austin.
She is the author of three books on Bulgarian history: The Orient Within: Muslim Minorities and the Negotiation of Nationhood in Modern Bulgaria (Cornell 2004); Balkan Smoke: Tobacco and the Making of Modern Bulgaria (Cornell, 2012); and Ingredients of Change: The History and Culture of Food in Bulgaria (Cornell, 2022).
Dr. Neuburger is also the co-editor with Paulina Bren of Communism Unwrapped: Consumption in Cold War Eastern Europe (Oxford, 2012). She is also the co-editor of the Journal of Contemporary History.