Episodes

  • Hello my lovely archaeogastronomers!


    The Delicious Legacy has gone a bit drunk with the most snobby of drinks, champagne!


    On this weeks interview I've invited the author Becky Sue Epstein to tell me all about the fascinating history of Champagne. This fancy, fizzy wine from the north east of France, which became the staple of kings, queens royalty and the rich and famous all across the world! How and why?


    Let's find out here!


    The book "Champagne- A Global History" is out now by Reaktion Books and you can but it straight from their website here or Becky's website

    https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/champagne-2


    https://www.beckysueepstein.com/books/champagne-global-history/


    Enjoy!

    The Delicious Legacy


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  • Hello!

    Menus.

    These little pieces of paper, seem to be so obvious and ubiquitous today, not worth thinking about, no further certainly aside from the restaurant.

    The new book from Nathalie Cooke, disproves this notion wholeheartedly. It provides glimpses into the meals enjoyed by royalty and the rogues, food prepared for the great and the good, adults and children, and how they reflect changing notions of health and institutions should feed for nourishment or punishment.

    With lavish illustrations, this is an exquisite book, which will make you think deeply.


    Nathalie writes "Menus whet our appetites. They tell us stories. They open windows on our past. They are designed both to pique and satisfy our curiosity. But even more so Nathalie argues that are strategic documents. They shape the diners' choices and enhance their dining experience.

    Ultimately, the endeavour is to emphasize the persistence of key elements over time and across contexts despite the myriad variations in menu design."

    Tastes and Traditions asks not just what is on the menu, but what the menu is doing. One takeaway is that menus “do not always present their wares in a straightforward way; some go off the beaten path, becoming almost as important as the food itself.”

    Cooke argues that we, as modern readers of historical menus, experience these documents as artifacts, with hindsight, curiosity and often surprise...


    Enjoy our conversation!


    Find out more on how to win a copy of Tastes and Traditions here:

    https://www.patreon.com/posts/do-you-want-copy-129031460


    Thom & The Delicious Legacy

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  • Hello!


    What is a craft ale? Who’s C.A.M.R.A? And what is a cask conditioned ale? What is the difference between a lager, a Pilsner, a bitter, a mild, and so on! The world of beer can be very confusing! All i want is to enjoy my beer with my friends in a cosy pub!


    The above are some important questions that you might have never thought about, but thanks to the guest of today’s episode Jonny Garrett we have a lot of in-depth analysis and information clearing things a little. 


    Beer is never far away in my thoughts nor physically: a pub is relatively close to wherever I am in UK. These are two of the quintessential elements of British life. But my reason for inviting Jonny on the podcast is that he has a new and award winning book out now, with an even more profound and important history regarding beer! The book is called The Meaning of Beer: An Alternative History of the World and explores how -as it was called in many occasions, liquid bread- it gave us nutrition, calories, social bonding, but inventions that went past the food world into medicine and literally saved the lives of millions of humans subsequently! Our understanding of germs started under the microscope of a man trying to work out why beer turned sour! 


    How would our history be shaped if there wasn’t beer in our lives for the past 13 thousand years?


    To find out, let’s dive into today’s episode!


    Buy a copy of the Fortnum & Mason award winning book here:

    https://www.davids-bookshops.co.uk/products/the-meaning-of-beer-an-alternative-history-of-the-world-by-jonny-garrett-pre-order


    Jonny's Beer YouTube Channel:

    https://www.youtube.com/@TheCraftBeerChannel


    Oh and some lovely news: AUDIO WINNER at Fortnum and Mason Food and Drinks awards was the Comfortably Hungry podcast for the episode "The Culinary Creativity of the Enslaved"

    won my friend, colleague, Presenter & Producer: Sam Bilton! This is a podcast that I'm working on in a sound mixing capacity and I'm really happy for Sam I thoroughly enjoyed this season!

    https://www.fortnumandmason.com/food-and-drink-awards-winners


    Much love,

    Thom & The Delicious Legacy

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

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  • Hello!


    Wine was always central in the life of Ancient Greeks. Both on day to day basis, but also as foundational myths part of the story of being Greeks, their ancient and mythical past and the sacred lores of Gods.

    For instance take this line from the mythical battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs.

    "For when Pirithous wooed Hippodamia he feasted the centaurs because they were her kinsmen. But being unaccustomed to wine, they made themselves drunk by swilling it greedily, and when the bride was brought in, the attempted to violate her. But Pirithous, fully armed with Theseus, joined the battle with them, and Theseus killed many of them"

    -Zenobious, Centauromachy, V33


    Please enjoy this wine-soaked archaeogastronomical and mythical adventure in the wine history of Ancient Greece!


    Thanks to Pavlos Kapralos for his music.


    The A is For Apple Podcast episode that I've appeared is here:

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/6pQrdCPC32VCgsSgunH7jk?si=4001fb78b92646bd


    The Europeans podcast I made a guest appearance is here:

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/2DqFL6863dmytM3oxYg5x9?si=666ec898ce7e4d5b


    Support the podcast with one off donations on Ko-Fi here:

    https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcast

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  • Hello!

    New episode for you my lovelies!


    My interview with the lovely Jenny Linford, all about her new book, which is out on the 24th of April, Repast The Story of Food by the British Museum and Thames & Hudson.


    Get the book here:

    https://www.waterstones.com/book/repast-british-museum/jenny-linford/9780500481158

    x

    Much love,

    Thom & The Delicious Legacy

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

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  • Hello!


    Italian food: What comes to mind first when you hear this? A Neapolitan pizza, warm with bubbly tomato sauce and mozarella? A cotoletta alla Milanese, or a Roman cacio e pepe pasta? A lovely bottle of chianti wine or a pasta pesto?


    But for all our knowledge -or lack of - how did the food of the Italian peninsula came to be? And why it become so popular?


    In his new book, "Al Dente - A History of Food in Italy" Fabio Parasecoli writes "Foodies are enraptured by its endless diversity and its capacity to intrigue and to always offer something new and ‘hot’. Tourists and travellers, often pleasantly surprised by their meals and the warm manners that surround them, end up projecting healthy amounts of romanticism on to dishes and ingredients, enriching Italian food with their own desires and longings. Writers also do their bit to perpetuate the myth..."


    So who's better to explain the food history of Italy and what it means other than Fabio Paresecoli himself?


    Let's listen to him, today!


    The paperback edition of the book is out on 1st of May and you can pre-order here:

    https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/al-dente


    Find more about Fabio on his website here:

    https://fabioparasecoli.com/about/


    Enjoy

    Thom & The Delicious Legacy

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

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  • Hello and welcome back to another culinary adventure my curious and hungry archaeogastronomers!


    How, when and why the first potatoes were domesticated? Who were the people who did it?


    The tough, inhospitable terrain, the extreme climate and the improbably high altitude plateau of the Andean altiplano is the home of the potato. A tuber that was a staple of the diet of the Andean people for thousands of years; then went not only to conquer the world, but be the friend of peasants, farmers, poor people too and save millions from starvation around the world! How did that come about? And what was the genius systems of the Incas that helped grow this amazingly tasty and nutritious food?

    Let's find out on today's epic adventure!


    Recommendations for the week:

    The Puratos Sourdough Library

    https://www.questforsourdough.com/puratos-library


    People | Planet | Food, a Scigest podcast series exploring the intersection of sustainability, agriculture, and our global food system.

    https://www.plantandfood.com/en-nz/people-planet-food


    Cradle of Gold:

    The Story of Hiram Bingham, a Real-Life Indiana Jones, and the Search for Machu Picchu

    https://www.christopherheaney.net/cradle-of-gold/description


    Enjoy!

    The Delicious Legacy

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

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  • Hello!


    The island of Corfu was legendary since the homeric times for it's agreeable climate and the lush green forests. Food was abundant and the inhabidants wealthy.

    So what's the traditional food of Corfu and the influnces in the island?

    And how come and it has over five million olive trees and almost a million of them centuries and centuries old?


    Let's find on todays episode!


    With music from Pavlos Kapralos


    The Delicious Legacy


    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

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  • Hello!

    In today's episode we have an Interview with Dr Christina Wade, author of the newly released book "Filthy Queens - A History of Beer in Ireland."


    Irish stories, myths and legends are full of spirits and ghosts. The history of beer in Ireland is no different; many of these shadowy echoes are still reverberating in the modern brewing history. Beer and ale can bring us together, and importantly understand the past, our past, better, as well as bring us closer to our ancestors, who also drunk beer. And they did so to celebrate, commiserate and of course to socialise with friends and family just as we do.


    But beer has a secret. For centuries, women brewers remained key participants in the beer trade, up to the Industrial Revolution when increased mechanisation, alongside Victorian societal constraints, conspired to push a lot of them out. This was true in England, and many other places and it is no different for Ireland. Saints, nuns, wives, queens; the stories of Irish women and ale are countless.


    Join me today as I talk with Dr Christina Wade about her latest book Filthy Queens A History of Beer in Ireland, to find out more of the amazing history of women brewers of the Emerald Isle!


    You can buy the book here:

    https://ninebeanrowsbooks.com/en-gb/products/filthy-queens


    and Dr Wades substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-151378197


    This week's recommendations:

    Musician and poet of ancient music Bettina Joy De Guzman:

    https://www.bettinajoydeguzman.com/

    https://www.youtube.com/@bettinajoydeguzman1981


    The Ancient Crops We've Forgotten How to Grow:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjFT4PC8YIQ&t=3s


    Jonny Garrett:

    https://www.goodbeerhunting.com/authors/jonny-garrett

    https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-meaning-of-beer/jonny-garrett/9781838959944


    Enjoy!

    Much love,

    Thom & The Delicious Legacy

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

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  • "The monks say the divine flavour befits quiet seclusion.

    The abundant fluttering leaves become a welcome guest.

    They would send a package to my prefectural office,

    But the brick well and copper stove would ruin its

    character.

    Worse yet, the spring teas from Meng Mountain and

    Guzhu

    Sealed in white clay, stamped in red, they travel dusty

    roads.

    If you want to know the pure cooling taste of milky buds,

    You must be one who sleeps in clouds and squats on rocks."


    These are the words of the early ninth-century poet Liu Yuxi. After drinking tea with Buddhist monks on a mountain, Liu contemplates the tragedy of taking a parcel of tea home with him...


    Hello! Welcome back to another episode of The Delicious Legacy, my hungry and curious archaeogastronomers!


    I'm Thom Ntinas and this is a short history of Tea. The world's most thirst-quenching liquid after water!


    Enjoy!

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  • Lenten fasting became law at the Council of Aix in 837AD.

    Charlemagne was determined to see that it was observed, by force if necessary. Any baptised Lombard or Saxon chieftain who failed to do proper penance had his head cut off, an uninviting prospect for any budding Christian!


    Hello,


    Enjoy this updated version of an older episode about feasting and fasting in the desert nearly 2000 years ago from the first Christian fathers, the monks who made the religion of Christianity what it is.

    How did they live, survive and thrive? What did they eat? And how this strict lifestyle evolved to monasticism as we know it in Europe medieval period?

    All the above and much more, with recipes from the past in this updated marathon episode!

    Enjoy!

    Music by Pavlos Kapralos

    The Delicious Legacy

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

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  • Hello!

    How did the ancient Greeks and Romans ate turnip? And what was the position of this vegetable at the dinner table? How important was it?

    And what the heck is a skirret, how do you cook it and why did we stop cultivating it on a large scale?


    All this and more on this weeks episode!


    This week's recommendations are


    A is For Apple Podcast:

    https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s2e2-b-is-for-buttery-bistro-bournville/id1743840806?i=1000691341726


    Kentwell medieval gardens

    https://www.kentwell.co.uk/


    Charlie Taverner Street Food

    https://charlietaverner.com/street-food/


    Chiara Vigo: The last woman who makes sea silk:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33691781


    Music on this episode by Pavlos Kapralos and Miltos Boumis


    Enjoy!

    Much love,

    Thom


    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

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  • Hello my lovely archaeogastronomers!


    A new episode is out!


    "Aedepsus in Euboea, where the baths are, is a place by nature every way fitted for free and gentle pleasures, and withal so beautified with stately edifices and dining rooms, that one would take it for no other than the common place of repast for all Greece. Here, though the 'earth and air yield plenty of creatures for the service of men, the sea no less furnisheth the table with variety of dishes, nourishing a store of delicious fish in its deep and clear waters."


    So Plutarch tells us in his book, Moralia.


    How much fish did the ancient Greeks eat? Was it popular? Expensive? What are the surviving recipes?

    Let's explore on this episode the story of fish eating in the ancient Greek World!


    Music by Pavlos Kapralos


    Love,

    Thom & The Delicious Legacy podcast

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

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  • Hello!

    A brand new episode for your delight!


    How does one deconstruct a meal to it's historical components? What is the truth behind the myths of a dish, the stories we tell about its origins, and how interconnected is the world's history with the cuisines, the spices, the ingredients we use on each country of ours?


    On this episode I interviewed Andreas Viestad, about his book "Dinner in Rome- A History of The World in One Meal".

    A meal in a restaurant in Rome, can provide all the inspiration that one needs to travel though millennia of human history and across the oceans in search for the ingredients that constitute the meal.


    Andreas Viestad's book is out now from Reaktion books and you can get it here:

    https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/dinner-in-rome


    If you want access to the bonus bits of this episode, please join me on Patreon!

    www.patreon.com/thedeliciouslegacy


    Much love,

    The Delicious Legacy

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

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  • Hello!


    New week, new episode for you!


    We are soon approaching the period that is in Greek Orthodox (and not only) Church the Big Lent! Forty days of fasting before the Holy Week (more and severe fasting here!) and Easter Sunday.


    The abstinence of meat and dairy products it's something that the first monks practised; some of them for many years. Slowly, gradually these solemn personal "traditions" of how to step closer to God, Jesus, or saintliness, passed down to the canon of the Church and many monasteries all over the Christian world followed some sort of fasting rules throughout the year. Some with more rigour and fanatical devotion to meagre portions of food than others. So the question I had all this time in my mind was "what did the monks eat throughout the year and where they've found their produce?"


    Let's explore all this and more on today's episode!


    Also, this week's recommendations:

    "Localizing 4000 Years of Cultural History. Texts and Scripts from Elephantine Island in Egypt":

    https://elephantine.smb.museum/?lang=en


    Why 5 Of The World's Priciest Salts And Spices Are So Expensive

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60Myw4fYyBM


    Abundance London:

    https://abundancelondon.com/


    Enjoy!

    The Delicious Legacy

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Hello my lovely archaeogastronomers!


    For this bonus episode I've interviewed the author and food historian Priscilla Mary Işın about her delightful book "Bountiful Empire - A History of Ottoman Cuisine" which is out now!


    I hope you'll enjoy our chat, trying to untangle the different strands of the origins of the Ottoman Cuisine through the centuries, and explore the myriad dishes, with vegetables, cheeses, sweets, and savoury.


    You should buy the book is so so good!

    https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/bountiful-empire


    For bonus chat please go to my Patreon page.

    https://www.patreon.com/thedeliciouslegacy


    Much love,

    Thom & The Delicious Legacy

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Hello and welcome to another episode of The Delicious Legacy!


    I’m your greedy archaeogastronomer Thomas Ntinas and I welcome you to my smoky and heavily perfumed with spices kitchen! Another adventure beckons!

    On today's episode we are travelling to South America and explore the connection between food and revolution! Food always of course played a part in the prosperity of the common people and the nation as a whole. The balance in South America was and still is more precarious in what it means for the people to have control of the means and distribution of their sustenance. What is the national food that needs to be seen to be abundant to all strata of the society?

    For that reason I enlisted the ever knowledgable Dr Alessandra Pino to explain this to me while eating some arepas, the national dish of her homeland of Venezuela!


    Dr. Alessandra Pino is an expert in the intersections of the Gothic, food, and cultural memory. Born in Hampstead, London, to an Italian mother and a Venezuelan father, she grew up across several countries. She spent nearly a decade working with a Michelin-starred chef. Her research and publications cover topics such as food, cultural memory, the supernatural and the Gothic. She regularly contributes to Haunted Magazine and is the co-author of A Gothic Cookbook, which explores food themes and motifs in classic and contemporary Gothic novels from the 19th century to the present day. She is the writer, producer, and co-host of A is for Apple Podcast, which investigates the history of food, and Fear Feasts, a podcast that analyses the horror genre through the lens of food. She lectures at RomancingtheGothic.com and is a member of the Guild of Food Writers. For more information, visit Alessandra's website: www.alessandrapino.com

     

    A Gothic Cookbook is out now!

     

    UK order: Unbound website

    US order: Andrews Mcmeel Publishing

     

    Podcasts

    Listen to Fear Feasts here

    Listen to A is for Apple here

     

    Upcoming publications

     

    Palgrave Handbook of Literary Memory Studies


    Enjoy!

    The Delicious Legacy

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

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  • Hello!


    New episode is out for you to enjoy!


    Today’s guest is Neil Ridley and will delve into the story of crisps, why we love them and what’s the kernel of truth behind the stories of its origin.


    This week's recommendation is the Guardian article "the weird, secretive world of crisp flavours by Amelia Teit"

    link:

    https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/dec/02/the-weird-secretive-world-of-crisp-flavours


    Love,

    The Delicious Legacy

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

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  • Oh hello!


    The second part of our adventure in Ottoman food culture is here for all to enjoy!


    On today's episode we will talk about coffee, salep and street food in Istanbul. What are imarets, what was the social life for people across the Empire, and what was the culture and table etiquette of raki-drinking and meze-eating?


    My recommendations for this week include Claudia Romeo’s youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@claudia-romeo

    Dr Eleanor Janega's and Matt Lewis's History Hit’s Gone Medieval, their episode Gone Medieval Goes Wassailing! https://open.spotify.com/episode/7DdRLwR5CqlyS5mmdrykKw?si=3714e6ee9db1495b

    And finally the book by Moudhy Al-Rahid titled Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History scheduled for release in February 20th: https://www.waterstones.com/book/between-two-rivers/moudhy-al-rashid/9781529392128


    Enjoy,

    The Delicious Legacy

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

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  • Hello my lovely archaeogastronomers!


    What were the origins of the Ottoman Cuisine? What were the influences behind?

    And how the Roman and Greek history influence the Sultan and the Palace alongside the cuisine of the upper classes?


    If you went to Istanbul in the late 15th or 16th century what would be the "go-to" food?


    Join me on Part One, for an epic adventure through the centuries exploring the foods, the drinks, the dishes and the ingredients of the rich and tasty Ottoman cuisine!

    Friday will be the release of Part Two so stay tuned!


    This week's recommendations include Sam Bilton's podcast Comfortably Hungry new episode Soy,

    The book by author Rachel Laudan Cuisine and Empire: Cooking in World History:

    https://www.amazon.com/Cuisine-Empire-Cooking-History-California/dp/0520286316


    And Jenny Linford's news that she has three books about food out this Spring! Hurray!

    More here: https://jennylinford.co.uk/


    For an updated reading listing, selected bibliography and source for this episodes, join me on Patreon:

    www.patreon.com/thedeliciouslegacy


    Love,

    The Delicious Legacy

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

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