Photo: American Museum of Natural History.

Traveling the Silk Road, an intriguing  exhibit that opened Nov. 14 at the Museum of Natural History, ushers visitors into a recreation of the web of ancient trading routes—the legendary Silk Road—that for centuries stretched from East Asia to the Mediterranean. When you first enter the exhibit, two enormous life-like camels loom. There’s also a silk making demonstration, an outdoor market, and beautiful woven as well as silver and gold artifacts on display.

What’s puzzling, though, is the way the show skirts over the Silk Road’s outsized role in introducing Westerners to an array of once-exotic foods. Many of these foods that have become such an integral part of our day-today lives that we tend to take them for granted.

For instance, saffron, pepper  pistachios, almonds, wine, and tea all came from or were traded along the 4,600 miles of routes traders trekked across as they carried goods from Xian to Bagdahd. But the outdoor market display is one of the few areas to highlight this vital period of food history. In fact, most of the exhibit’s food

Photo: American Museum of Natural History.

programming will take place outside the show itself with a series of special events scheduled throughout the winter.  On tap is an ancient Persian tasting menu served at the museum, a tasting and lecture on ancient wines, and a program on spices.

For the West Side Independent’s review of the Silk Road exhibit, click here. A list of related food programs follows:

Global Kitchen: The Silk Road through Spices

Tuesday, December 8, 6:30 pm

Linder Theater, first floor

Enter at 77th Street

$20

Nirmala Narine, owner and founder of Nirmala’s Kitchen, has traveled extensively to collect spices, recipes, and stories from around the world.  You can join her to experience the cultures of the Silk Road through the spices once traded along the route and to learn about their traditional uses, what they taste and smell like, and how to bring these flavors into cooking.  Tastings included.

Curry Economics: Food as a Driving Force of Economic Development

Thursday, January 14, 6:30pm

Kaufmann Theater, first floor

Enter at 77th Street

$15 Adults, $13.50 Members, Students, Senior Citizens

Tom Standage, business affairs editor of The Economist and author of An Edible History of Humanity; Eric Tagliacozzo, associate professor of history, Cornell University and author of Secret Trades, Porous Borders: Smuggling and States Along a Southeast Asian Frontier; and award-winning culinary expert Julie Sahni, author of the seminal Classic Indian Cooking, will discuss food as a driving force behind economic expansion, industrial development, and geopolitical competition. The discussion will be moderated by journalist Sasha Issenberg, author of The Sushi Economy.

Global Kitchen: Aromatics Along the Silk Road
Wednesday, January 20, 6:30pm
Linder Theater, first floor

Enter at 77th Street

$20

Frankincense, myrrh, patchouli, jasmine—aromatics were valuable commodities traded along the ancient Silk Road , and they are still prized today.  Renowned perfumer Mandy Aftel, the nose behind Aftelier perfumes, will awaken your senses to the amazing world of aromatics and discuss their fascinating history.

Caravanserai: A Perfumed Tasting Menu

Thursday, January 21, 7 pm

Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, first floor

Enter at 81st Street

$150 per person (Limited to 30)

In this recreation of a Persian caravanserai, an ancient roadside inn, you’ll get to sample an original tasting menu created by perfumer Mandy Aftel and special guests including Johnny Iuzzini, executive pastry chef of Michelin-starred restaurant Jean Georges; Sam Mason, chef and host of the popular Independent Film channel cooking series Dinner With the Band; and mixologist Audrey Saunders, the owner of award-winning Pegu Club in New York City.

Global Kitchen: Wines With Ancient Lineage
February 17, 6:30pm
Linder Theater, first floor

Enter at 77th Street
$20

Is there a great modern wine that can trace its lineage back to ancient Turfan, a desert oasis along  the Silk Road ?  Mollie Battenhouse, sommelier and wine director of Maslow 6, and grape geneticist Peter Cousins of Cornell University will the explore early history of viticulture. Tasting included.

Related posts:

1. Upper West Side: Natural History Museum Does Pickles Program
2. Upper West Side: Halloween Events On Tap at Natural History Museum Saturday
3. Upper West Side: Telepan’s New Wine Bar in Doubt