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 and forgotten till the 20th century.

This unfortunate event for the Minoans, was great luck for us, as archaeologists unearthed an almost intact city. Amongst the many discoveries were many frescoes.

And on some of them were depicted women picking saffron from crocus flowers! Which for the purposes of our episode today, is perhaps the oldest

depiction of saffron picking ever!

You see the spice of our discussion today, saffron from the flower crocus sativus it always had a magnetic attraction to humans!

With it's vibrant golden colour, saffron was considered important as a medicine, dye and food. And it still is the most expensive spice in world! Worth almost $10,000 per kilo, it still holds it's importance in our cuisine!

So to enlighten us and explore it's history I invited the food historian and author Sam Bilton who's book "Fool's Gold - A History of British Saffron" explores the fascinating story behind saffron in the British Isles!

Let's find out more about the most valuable spice in the world, Saffron!

Sam has recently released another book for The British Library series "The Philosophy of..." about Chocolate.

You can find out more about her and her books and podcast here:

https://www.sambilton.com/

Enjoy!

Thom & The Delicious Legacy

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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 spices which are so important to the story of our globalised world.

But most importantly this story is also a story of the Spice Islands; Deep in Indonesia, there where the amazing local sailors and merchants of Banda Islands. The Bandanese became the undisputed leaders of the inter island trade of spices, travelling in fleets of kora-kora canoes, propelled by rowers on platforms of bamboo lashed five feet away on either side of the canoe proper...

Our spices:

-"Karyophyllon" in Ancient Greek was our Cloves.

The Roman writer Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE) was the first to describe cloves in the West in his Natural History (70 CE) where he recorded that “there is also in India a grain resembling that of pepper but larger and more fragile, called caryophyllom, which is reported to grow on the Indian lotus tree; it is imported here for the sake of its scent”

-Nutmeg and mace are frequently mentioned in the oldest scriptures of Hinduism in India, the Vedas, composed between 1500 and 1000 BCE.

-Madagascar is synonymous with vanilla. But what we know and think and eat as vanilla, is not native to Madagascar; it originated some 10,000 miles away...

Let's find out!

Music by Pavlos Kapralos

Love,

The Delicious Legacy

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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, they saved for our eyes, thousands of clay tablets with myths, legends, incantations and spells of cultures surrounding them, as well as their own history. Peace treaties with Egyptians and trade with the semi-mythical kingdom of the Achaeans or otherwise as we know them Mycenaean Greeks. and their disputre with Wilusa, or as we know it Troy.

Join me to find out more about the people were myth and history collides with some fascinating insights!

Thom & The Delicious Legacy

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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 all party goers?

Join me to find out more about this absolute classic Scottish party!

Enjoy!

The Delicious Legacy

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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 history of beans!

Yep. A global phenomenon! Beans have been eater in many forms and guises all over the world. A fantastic resource for humans, and the environment.

When we say "beans" we generally mean all pulses, all legumes, not just the tinned variety from a very well known brand...in tomato sauce...

This covers lentils, chickpeas, black eyed peas, broad (fava) beans, lupins, peas and other "Old World" beans.

From Mesoamerica and the "New World" we got our many varieties of white, black, red, kidney, butter, runner beans and some crazy number of 3000 different varieties of beans!

Beans were important in all cultures, and a staple food, a sustenance for thousands of years.

From Ancient Egypt, to Greece and Rome, and Medieval Europe via the Arab world.

What's the older recipe we've got? And how is cassoulet made? 

Links:

Academy of Cassoulet:

https://www.academie-du-cassoulet.com/la-recette-du-cassoulet/ 

Lentils of Eglouvi in The National Index of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Greece under the aegis of UNESCO

https://www.greekgastronomyguide.gr/en/item/faki-egklouvis-lefkada/ 

Theophrastus the father of botany:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophrastus 

Giant beans from Prespes:

https://www.poupadou.com/blog/en/area-prespes/ 

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/jul/26/how-to-make-the-perfect-gigantes-plaki-recipe-felicity-cloake 

Fava from Santorini;

https://www.aglaiakremezi.com/fava-and-the-history-of-the-humble-lathyrus-pea/ 

Enjoy

The Delicious Legacy

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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 ancient they like to cook?

Here, I've collected the favourite ones from Dr Neil Buttery, Dr Christopher Monk, Ned Palmer, Victoria Flexner and Jay Reifel, Dr Andrew Kenrick, Lewis Bassett from the Full English Podcast,Tudor expert and author Briggite Webster, friend of the podcast and baker Kristin Carrigg, and fellow podcaster and friend of the podcast Kyle Glover from History Rage podcast.

On the audio, you'll also find some quick details about each guest and on which episode they were on the podcast, talking about their speciality subject.

Enjoy!

The Delicious Legacy

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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 and Dines of a Roman Foodie

Eating the Empire is a book about the life and food of the world’s first celebrity chef and author of the oldest surviving cookbook, Marcus Gavius Apicius where he attempts to uncover the real Apicius, buried amidst the scandal and myth that surrounded his life.

Enjoy!

The Delicious Legacy

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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 home town of Veria?

I have some exclusive and delicious recipes for your ears and only!

Enjoy!

The following talented human beings wrote the music for this episode:

Music by Argyris Ottas,

https://soundcloud.com/argymusic

Pavlos Kapralos

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzgAonk4-uVhXXjKSF-Nz1A

and Miltos Boumis.

https://boumisfilms.com/

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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 women to stand out -nearly 300 years ago- in a field crowded with men and rife with plagiarism? Cookery books before were fairly useless as a workable text for the inexperienced new middle classes trying to get economical meals on the table.

How did these persistent and talented cooks and cookbook authors shaped our modern genre of culinary writing? And what was the evolution of cooking since the 18th century to today? Suddenly women’s voices were being heard, at least in the gendered realms of romantic fiction, cookery, self-help manuals and other works of betterment…

What do we own to these superbly talented women?

Join Neil Buttery writer and food historian and me in an exploration of the lives of Eliza Smith, Hannah Glasse, Ann Cook, and Elizabeth Raffald!

Enjoy!

Thom & The Delicious Legacy

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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

The Delicious Legacy

Music by Pavlos Kapralos

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