In this book readers will find stories about medieval heresies and "magic" from an unusual perspective: that of food studies. The time span ranges from late antiquity to the late Middle Ages, while the geographical scope includes regions as diverse as North Africa, Spain, Ireland, continental Europe, the Holy Land, and Central Asia, Food, Heresies, and Magical Boundaries in the Middle Ages explores the power of food in creating and breaking down boundaries between different groups, or in establishing contact with other worlds, be they the occult sides of nature, or the supernatural. The authors emphasize the role of food in crafting and carrying identity, and in transferring the virtues and powers of natural elements into the eater's body. What foods and drinks made someone a heretic? Could such foods be purified? What food offerings forged a connection with the otherworld? What recipes allowed a person to gain access to the hidden powers within nature?.