Organic residue analysis (ORA) of lipids (fats, oils, and waxes), preserved either in surface residues or in the ceramic matrix, is a powerful tool in providing direct chemical evidence of the contents of archaeological ceramics. Not only does ORA enable insight into the products that were being utilised in the past but allows us to understand how these products were combined prepared and consumed also. As ubiquitous cultural identifiers, our understanding of pottery use in the past yields a unique perspective into the culinary habits of populations that utilised these vessels. This presentation aims to highlight the success of ORA in helping to understand past culinary habits from contrasting geographical and chronological contexts. Here, ORA studies on ceramics from Early Medieval Sicily, Prehistoric Japan and Early farmers in NE Europe will be presented to show the dynamic application of this method in archaeology.