Everyone knows the stereotype of historians…they’re dusty old men with patches on the elbows of their jackets who smell faintly of book mold and always squint at something tiny scribbled in the margin of an old book. Let’s be honest; historian is not one of the most attractive career options in the world. Whichever type of story you choose, whether it’s military history, government history, or that popular “world history,” there’s just not much glamour. The story of the food, however, is an entirely different cauldron of (poached) fish.

The most common title given to a food history practitioner is culinary anthropologist. This is a fascinating field, in which world cuisines are researched and related across a broad spectrum. One of the most famous faces in this field is Deb Duchon, whose face will be familiar to viewers of the hit Food Network series “Good Eats” with Alton Brown. Deb is the go-to woman for all things food story for the show, and she is seen on camera frequently.

Culinary anthropology will also take you around the world. Consider the humble flatbread, a food found in almost every culture in the world. In South America, it is the tortilla. In Europe it is the crepe, and in America it most often takes the form of a pancake, although our culture is so homogenized that all the others take the same role.

Basically, it’s a plain, unleavened or lightly leavened bread that can be used as food alone or wrapped around other foods to make them portable. In the process of researching the history of this food, a culinary anthropologist from a Texas university traveled the world, appearing on cooking shows and local interest shows from Bangkok to Dublin.

However, the history of food is more than just culinary anthropology. Any major history project needs someone who can serve as the voice of authority on what the people or culture involved ate, and you’ll always find work there. The possibilities for a food historian are truly limitless.