Bon Appetit Wednesday! Enjoy Another Ancient Grain With Einkorn Flour Pancakes

EinkornToday we’re bringing you yet another healthy and delicious ancient grain. We’ve already covered quinoa and amaranth, and now it’s time for the lesser known, but no less fantastic, einkorn. “What in the world is einkorn?” you wonder. Well, leave it to AN to bring you the history and a tasty recipe so you can learn to love another recipe with a past.

Einkorn is actually a type of wheat that was one of the first plants to be domesticated and cultivated. The earliest of evidence of its domestication dates all the way back to between 8,650 BCE and 7,950 BCE and was found at two archaeological sites in Turkey.[1] The ancients really knew what they were doing when they began eating and then growing the grain. It has a lower gluten content than modern wheat and is dense with nutrition. Continue reading

It’s Hot, Hot, Hot! Ancient Methods of Keeping It Cool

summer sunIt’s August, and that means the summer days are dwindling. Yet the soaring temperatures, hazy skies and dripping clothing tell another story. Summer still has us in its grip. Yes, it’s really sweltering out there. And if there’s one thing we modern folks love during these dog days of summer, it’s our air conditioning. Continue reading

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Celebrate AntiquityNOW’s Third Anniversary With Recipes From Mexico’s Ancient Past (And Discover the Tale of the Talking Enchiladas)

antiquitynowglowwithtagThree years ago this summer on a sweltering Saturday afternoon, an idea was born. Maybe it was the deliciously stuffed enchiladas, the tangy coolness of the marguerites or the festive Old World charm of the Burrito Loco restaurant in New York’s West Village that got our thoughts dancing. In the midst of our repast, one of our group of antiquarian devotees suggested we start an organization. Now, we are a motley crew of various perspectives and copious talents. How should we harness that creative energy to make a unique contribution? Suddenly, as if by divine Maya intervention, our enchiladas seemed to speak to us. Why not an organization that looks at the contemporary world against its ancient roots? So it’s not just an enchilada colorfully presented on the table. It is the collective history of corn, of the ancient pancake, of every ingredient that bulges inside this history-laden dish. That enchilada lying innocently under a mole sauce (chocolate-based, gift of the Maya gods) was a concoction redolent of humankind’s thousands of years of evolution from nuts and berries to salsa and nachos. In this moment of culinary transfixion, AntiquityNOW was born. Continue reading

Fact or Fiction? Ancient Hurricanes

Fact or Fiction curly and roundThis hurricane season in the Atlantic has been unusually quiet so far. In fact, Florida is currently experiencing the longest stretch ever without a hurricane making landfall along its coast. It has been nine and a half years since one of these massive storms pummeled the Florida coast. Meanwhile, the Pacific Hurricane Season has been blowing strong.

Weather patterns change over time, but sometimes what we think of as a modern weather catastrophe is not so unique after all. In fact, Native Americans living along the Atlantic coast during the Middle Ages may even have experienced a historic storm like Hurricane Katrina.

Fact or Fiction?

HOVER YOUR CURSOR HERE TO SEE THE ANSWER

Click here to read more about ancient storms and the history of weather prediction. And click here to read our Kids’ Blog version!

Strata: Portraits of Humanity, Episode 9, “Hunting Mountain Picassos” and “Sub Rosa: Tyntesfield”

StrataImage-web“Hunting Mountain Picassos” and “Sub Rosa: Tyntesfield” are the next episodes in the video news-magazine series Strata:  Portraits of Humanity, produced by AntiquityNOW’s partner, Archaeological Legacy Institute.

People have been chronicling their existence in pictorial designs for millennia. “Hunting the Mountain Picassos” captures the unique art of Basque shepherds over the last century who have created arborglyphs—pictures carved into the barks of aspen trees in Nevada. For more than half-a-century, Jean and Phillip Earl of Reno, Nevada, have used clues from old maps, letters and books to hunt for and document these remarkable pictures. In “Sub Rosa: Tyntesfield,” UK archaeology student Rebecca Kellawan journeys to uncover the use of a crumbling, abandoned US World War II base located on the grounds of a beautiful Victorian estate.  What is uncovered leads to even more intriguing questions of racial and national tensions in the era and recasts the look of patriotism. Continue reading

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Celebrate National Lasagna Day With Eggplant Lasagna Rollups

Lasagna Classico

Lasagna Classico

Today is National Lasagna Day and it is a holiday that begs to be celebrated in a big way. Of course, if you’re vegan or gluten-free, you’re probably running as fast as you can from the festivities. AntiquityNOW to the rescue! We’re bringing you a vegan-friendly, no-gluten-in-sight recipe for Eggplant Lasagna Rollups–and we’re including a healthy dollop of history. Continue reading

The Slavery Project Part 3: In the Eye of the Beholder

La_Rochelle_slave_ship_Le_Saphir_1741As we discussed in Parts 1 and 2 of In the Eye of the Beholder, The Slavery Project (TSP) is an ongoing, interactive series of modules that incorporates lesson plans along select historical plot lines detailing slavery in a particular society during a specific period.  TSP is designed to provide students an immersive experience where a culture is explored according to the social, cultural, political and economic conditions of the time. Continue reading

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Ham ‘n Hay With Beer

ham n hayToday’s recipe is everything we’ve come to love from Bon Appetit Wednesday: unique, ancient, mysterious, healthy and delicious. Hay may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of cooking a ham, but you might want to consider it the next time you have a dinner party. Continue reading

KIDS’ BLOG! The Rose in History: Power, Beauty and the Sweet Smell (and Taste) of Success

17672-red-rose-close-up-pvRoses have an ancient history. Their delicate petals, their beautiful hues, their enticing fragrances and their visual presence has inspired civilizations from time immemorial. Roses have been around for some 35 million years and evidence of their past glories have been found in the far reaches of the ancient world. Let’s explore their history further as we take a walk through the amazing Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, where the ancient and modern find common blooming rights. To make your stroll even more memorable, steep some rose hips tea, sit back and relax to the sumptuous tones of Enya’s China Roses.

*And don’t miss the fantastic activities below the slide show! Continue reading

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Grandma Joyce’s Fishcakes for Your Christmas in July Dinner

800px-Fishcake_on_saladSummer in the northern hemisphere is a great time for long days on the lake or beach and glorious fish fries with friends and family. Today we’re bringing you a great recipe for your family fry. It’s a recipe featured in our 2013 Recipes with a Past E- Cookbook and brought to us by one of our guest bloggers, Russell Fleming. The recipe has been passed down in his family for generations. Now you can share it with your family. Continue reading