Tastes Of History
A Brief History of Food: Fish ‘n’ Chips
Recently the BBC broadcast an episode of “Rick Stein’s Food Stories” that stated the origin of fish and chips lay with the Portuguese who...
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Tastes Of History
Feb 21
A Brief History of Food: Hares
For some time we, at Tastes Of History, believed the hare was a native species in Britain belonging to the genus Lepus [1]. A recent post...
Tastes Of History
Apr 12, 2023
The Recipes: Ostrich Eggs
At just under 2 kg, a single Ostrich egg weighs about the same as a whole chicken and remarkably is the equivalent of 24 normal-sized...
Tastes Of History
Sep 15, 2022
A Brief History of Food: Sugar
Sugar is one of the world’s oldest documented commodities, and at one time it was so valuable that people kept it safe under lock and key...
Tastes Of History
Jul 24, 2022
A Brief History of Food: Oranges
Origins The name 'orange' derives from the Sanskrit word for 'orange tree' (नारङ्ग nāraṅga). The Sanskrit word reached European...
Tastes Of History
Apr 19, 2022
A Brief History of Food: Pineapple
The pineapple (Latin: Ananas comosus) [1] is a tropical plant with an edible fruit indigenous to South America, where it has been...
Tastes Of History
Apr 6, 2022
A Brief History of Food: Leeks
According to a BBC News tweet (see right), the ‘Welsh leek’ could be set for protected status [1], alongside foods including Cheddar...
Tastes Of History
Dec 17, 2021
A Brief History of Food: Coffee
Origins Exactly how and when coffee was discovered is uncertain. A legend of its stimulating effects being identified in Ethiopia is...
Tastes Of History
Oct 26, 2021
A Brief History of Food: Sausages
The humble sausage The humble sausage is popular the world over with many nations and individual regions having their own characteristic...
Tastes Of History
Sep 17, 2021
A Brief History of Food: Lemons
The Lemon (Citrus limon) is a species of small evergreen tree in the flowering plant family Rutaceae. Believed to be native to South...
Tastes Of History
Aug 26, 2021
What did the Romans ever do for us? Roman Food
In Britain, many of the foods we eat today, and perhaps take for granted, were actually introduced from further afield during the Roman...
Tastes Of History
Feb 18, 2021
A Brief History of Food: The Mysterious Silphium
Silphium may have looked unimpressive, with stout roots, stumpy leaves and bunches of small yellow flowers, but it was much prized in the...
Tastes Of History
Oct 27, 2020
A Brief History of Food: Sweet Chestnut
Some friends of ours made some sweet chestnut flour and, knowing that our first passion is for Roman history, asked us for some Roman...
Tastes Of History
Aug 16, 2020
A Brief History of Food: Cheese
As mammals, humans are all supposed to be lactose intolerant and yet more than 70% of western Europeans have no problem drinking milk and...
Tastes Of History
Aug 1, 2020
A Brief History of Food: Chickens in Britain
The history of the humble chicken's arrival in Britain remains a bit of a puzzle. Found everywhere today, just where did these birds...
Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020
A Brief History of Food: Roman Pasta?
We keep hearing mention of pasta's ancient Roman roots, but as far as we can ascertain pasta in the form familiar to us today simply did...
Tastes Of History
Jun 20, 2020
A Brief History of Food: Blood Sausage
Introduction As the name implies, blood sausages [1] are sausages filled with blood that is cooked or dried and mixed with a filler...
Tastes Of History
Jun 20, 2020
A Brief History of Food: Spice
The spice trade has a long and lucrative ancestry.As early as 2,000 BC cinnamon and cassia (or Chinese cinnamon) were being imported into...
Tastes Of History
Jun 20, 2020
A Brief History of Food: Chilli Peppers
The chilli pepper (from Nahuatl chīlli/ˈt͡ʃiːli/) is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family,...
Tastes Of History
Jun 20, 2020
A Brief History of Food: Turkey at Christmas
There was great excitement during Easter 2019 with the announcement of the first secure dating of a rabbit bone, found in Britain, to the...
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