The Delicious Legacy

How old is a Greek salad? And how 'Greek' for that matter? Who introduced the potato to the Greeks? What other dark misunderstandings the introduction of the tomato and potato in Europe has?( and what's got to do with werewolves?) And finally some delightful tomato recipes from the Greek Cycladic Islands for your gastronomic enjoyment! Just to kick start your summer! Enjoy! The Delicious Legacy Su...

Hello! Nikolaos Tselementes. His name is what every Greek says when talking about cookbook. "Did you look at the Tselementes for your recipe"? Indeed when I was growing up i thought that a guide to cooking, or a book with recipes was called "Tselementes"! :-) On his death in 1958, the impression one is most likely to get from the statements of such well-known men of letters and esteemed journalist...

Hello! Welcome to part two of our exploration of the foods of Aztecs. Corn, food of the Gods and humans. The ceremonial drink cacao and the alcoholic drink pulque All here. Plus the importance of the Florentine Codex, a document with descriptions of many native plants and animals and customs of the Aztecs. Here is the Florentine Codex, digital edition with English translation too: https://florenti...

Hello! Season 5, has landed! Episode one, part one is out and it's all about the amazing, delicious and perhaps unique foods and farming methods of the Aztecs, and the other indigenous people of Mesoamerica, the area that roughly today covers the country of Mexico, itself a massive area with many unique ecological niches and diverse nature. The food and diet of Aztecs therefore can't be anything e...

Hello! Very excited about Part Two of our Irish Food History! The Irish palette, is coarse like an oat cake. Fatty from butter and meat, and salty from preservation of food. What animal shaped the culture of Ireland more than any other? I'll give you a clue with this amazing myth and story. Táin Bó Cúailnge, the story of the cattle raid of Cooley! What's the relationship with fish and seafood? Wha...

Pomponius Mela, a Roman geographer, who hailed from the Roman province of Baetica (now Andalusia) in southern Spain writing in 43AD, he described the Ireland and Irish people as “a people wanting in every virtue, and totally destitute of piety”. And yet this country was so “luxuriant in grasses” that if cattle were “allowed to feed too long, they would burst”. Hello! The ancient Greek geographer a...

... Ninkasi, you are the one who pours out the filtered beer of the collector vat, It is (like) the onrush of the Tigris and the Euphrates. Hello! The lines above are from a brilliant Assyrian hymn to the Goddess of the brewing process: Ninkasi. Also a good set of instructions on how to make beer! Aside from beer, there are many other inventions that Sumerians are credited with. But there is not e...

Deep in a mountain in the Pontic Alps, North-East Turkey, there's a monastery reminiscent of Tolkien's Minas Tirith; the seven-walled fortress city built on the spur of a mountain. Nestled in a steep cliff at an altitude of about 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) and facing a beautiful wooded mountain valley is Panayia Soumela Greek Orthodox monastery, dedicated to Virgin Mary. This is the heartland of the...

Hello....! Who hasn't heard of feta cheese among us? Now I'm not saying that you necessary need to like it, but most of us know about this white, tangy & salty Greek cheese served with your Greek salad on your favourite holiday destination. But is the feta cheese we eat a "fait accompli"? (or feta accompli?) What is Sfella or "Feta of the Fire"? On today's episode we look at the facts currentl...

Helloooooo...! Easter in UK and Western Europe (Catholic or otherwise) is nearly upon us! Traditionally the most important celebration of Christianity. On this episode from the archives, from April 2020, I'm re-publishing the episode about Eastern Orthodox Easter where I describe in some general terms what is happening during the Lent and Easter Sunday. As is the most important date of the religio...

Hello! What is Greek Cuisine today? How do we define the food of the modern Greek nation? Clear and in many ways transparent cuisine. can it be defined from the simplicity and freshness of the ingredients, and her frugal, austere or thrifty nature? Is it just this though? And how Greek is mousaka, a dish that is considered so Greek throughout the world? These and much more, I explore on today's ep...

Hello! Today I have the pleasure to interview historian Dr Eleanor Barnett about her new book, "Leftovers". The interview was conducted in January, in anticipation of her new book which is coming out on Thursday 14th of March, as a hardback from Head of Zeus . Preservation of food, and waste management isn't a new problem for our globalized societies. It's part of humankind's story from very...

Hello! Welcome back to another archaeogastronomical adventure! I think you'll enjoy this one! Sweet and complex and full of myths, legends and symbolism! Honey is a revered food the world over and bees a sacred and important insect. Let's find out about the first ever apiary, the ancient egyptian practises, mesopotamian myths and ancient greek myths of honeybees. Plus why the Romans hated Sardinia...

Hello! I have a genuinely exciting episode from the archives of The Delicious Legacy! Even though this is a re-run I have added some extra bits on the intro and outro with bonus ancient recipes! And it's massive! Labyrinth, Minotaur, Talos, and many other myths and legends, Gods and kings and pirates and poets! This is the sun-kissed, sea-guarded Crete everybody! I had the great honour to talk wit...

Hello! Self-Exploding nuts! Now this is fact for the ages! Sadly they haven't been used as a weapon in the ancient past so I can't claim it's known for millennia.. But...Pistachios! Evidence so far points to farmers having domesticated the pistachio during the first millennium BCE “somewhere within its wild range,” which spanned southern Central Asia, including Tajikistan, Uzbekistan as well as no...

A huge volcanic explosion... An city buried under tonnes of pumice and ash... No, we are not talking about Pompeii or Herculaneum, but another place and volcano, at least one thousand five hundred years before... An island civilization destroyed by a cataclysmic eruption around 1600 BCE, roughly 3600 years ago! Akrotiri, a town on the Greek island of Thera, (what we call now Santorini) was buried...

Hello! According to some definitions, "Globalisation is a term used to describe how trade and technology have made the world into a more connected and interdependent place." But this is not a new phenomenon. For many centuries, this process was happening driven partly or mostly because of the lust for spices. Rare, highly prized and expensive. Today we will explore the history of three of these sp...

Hello!!! This week we are going back roughly 4000 years ago, in Anatolia, in what is today Turkey. A plateau, created by the forces of the tectonic plates pushing each other, bordering Syria, Iran, Iraq, Armenia or encompassing some of the current countries, the Hittites were an ancient civilization a powerhouse controlling much of the fertile land and trade. Avid collectors of foreign literature,...

25th of January is the birthday of Scotland's National Poet: Robert Burns. What was served on the first ever commemorative dinner in honour of Burns? What are the origins of the delicious pudding Haggis, and how is related to an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes? How are the Arabs responsible for Whiskey? And what is on offer on a traditional Burns night? What delicious fare is available for al...

Why Pythagoras was afraid of a field of beans? Did really an angel decent from Heaven to cook up the most tasty bean soup in a Byzantine Monastery? Do the British love beans or is it just the canned beans? What's pease pudding and what Santorini Fava gotta do with it? And have you heard of this Lancashire delicacy called "parched peas"? This is the episode you've been waiting for! A universal hist...

Hello! In January 2024 we have reached 4 years of the podcast! Plus in early December we completed 100 episodes of the podcast and for this I wanted to share with you a special episode. What better way that to ask some of my favourite historical food people and friends of The Delicious Legacy, for their opinion on what is their beloved dish from the past, or historical cookbook, or something ancie...

A man, a legend, a myth. So much is a mystery about Marcus Gavius Apicius the gourmet, and Apicius De Re Coquinaria, the oldest surviving cookbook from the Classical World. Before the word Epicurean was in use, there was "Apician" 'of or pertaining to Apicius the notorious Roman gourmand.' My guest today, Andrew Kenrick is a tutor at University of East Anglia who wrote Eating the Empire: The Life...

Merry Christmas to all! Happy holidays and a delicious New Year! So I have a festive episode for you! Out now, and the last one for the year! Christmas in the Emperor's Palace in Byzantine Constantinople... How did the Emperor entertained his guests in Christmas time? What food was advised to be eaten for the celebrations? Also, what is some traditional modern Greek dishes for Christmas from my ho...

It's another The Delicious Legacy Podcast Vs The British Food History Podcast! The Lives & Works of Four Incredible 18th Century Cooks: Four women. Four household cooks. In the course of a century they reshaped the rules of authorship, cookbooks and home cooking. You might have heard their names. Especially, if you're into your culinary history. But what was that made these four remarkable wom...

Hello! Everyone's different, but we all love sausages! Isn't true? Greeks eat it, Italians eat, Germans, Spanish, Polish British, Portuguese ... There is, even, a sausage party in Taiwan Taipei... Listen for some recipes for sausages from Apicius as well as recipe for traditional Greek sausages today! Enjoy! Join me on Patreon for exclusive bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/thedeliciouslegacy...