Tag Archives: ancient food

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Brazilian Vatapá

Vatapá

Vatapá

The Olympics is in full swing and in the midst of cheering on your favorite athletes and countries, you’re probably also learning a bit about Brazilian culture. Did you know this isn’t Brazil’s first time hosting a major international sporting event? Just two years ago, Brazil was the stage for the biggest futbol/soccer competition, the World Cup. In honor of that event, we brought you a traditional Brazilian dish to celebrate the culture while you’re celebrating the sport. Check out the post below to learn about the dish and the history of Brazil.

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Celebrate the World Cup With Tasty Vatapá

Or skip straight to the recipe and start cooking! Continue reading

Bon Appetit Wednesday! National Cheesecake Day

SavillumThis Saturday marks one of the most scrumptious food holidays: National Cheesecake Day! There are so many ways to enjoy this amazing dessert, it really needs a whole month of celebration. It’s no wonder so many different variations have developed over the years. Cheesecake has had a very long time to evolve. I bet you didn’t know the ancient Greeks ate cheesecake. In fact, they served it at the first Olympic games. Of course, the Romans took that recipe and made it into something closer to what we know as cheesecake today. Click on the post below to learn all about the sweet, crumbly, decadent food we love to celebrate. Or just skip right to the ancient recipe! And if you’re in the mood for something a bit more modern, there’s a Turtle Cheesecake recipe at the bottom of the post as well. Dig in! Continue reading

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Cook the World’s Oldest Curry Recipe

curryThere are so many ancient dishes and ingredients that we eat every day and never consider the long and storied histories behind them. That’s why AntiquityNOW makes an effort to reveal the fascinating pasts of the foods we love. Two of our favorite ancient foods are curry and turmeric. Now you can learn how to cook the world’s oldest curry, which features turmeric in its ingredient list. The curry was discovered in 2010 by two Washington State University archaeologists who “used starch analysis to trace the world’s first-known or ‘oldest’ proto-curry of aubergine, ginger and turmeric from a shard of pottery found in the ancient Harappan civilisation near modern-day Delhi.”[1]

Cooking up this ancient dish is a great activity for the family. Immerse yourself in the food of an ancient culture. But before you fire up the stove, check out our posts on curry and turmeric. Then watch the video below and get cooking!

Oldest Curry

[1] How to cook the world’s oldest curry – BBC News. (n.d.). Retrieved July 04, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36585926

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Enjoy an Ancient Picnic

Thomas Cole's "The Picnic."

Thomas Cole’s “The Picnic.”

July is National Picnic month and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate the beautiful summer (or winter if you’re in the southern hemisphere) weather than heading outside and enjoying a picnic inspired by antiquity. We’ve brought together some of our favorite Recipes With a Past that we think make a perfect picnic feast.

And of course, a picnic isn’t perfect without a beautiful setting in which to experience your delicious meal. Check out our post on Nature, Ecotherapy and a Peek into the Past Through National Parks to learn about the history of gardens, parks and natural public spaces. Maybe you’ll get a few ideas about where to stage your outing!

But first, the food!

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Irish Butter

buttered toastWhat would you do if you were just going about your business, doing your job and suddenly you discovered a piece of history? Recently, a man in Ireland was faced with that very situation. As he was cutting turf from a bog, to be burned for warmth, he happened upon a 22-pound chunk of bog butter that is estimated to be over 2,000 years old! Of course, if he had read our blog post about ancient butter, he would have known that finding ancient “bog butter” really isn’t that unusual. This 22-pounder joins other finds, including 3,000-year-old and even 5,000-year-old samples.[1] Click here to read the entire article. Continue reading

Bon Appetit Wednesday! A Healthy and Ancient Ramadan

Ramadan mealRamadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, a month of prayer and fasting, began last week and ends on July 5th. If you are observing Ramadan, you know that planning the Iftar and Suhur meals is key. While Ramadan has ancient roots, today many households are mixing their modern habits into the month. Health is a top priority for many families. Perhaps this year you’re trying to be a bit healthier in your observance and plan meals that are delicious and nutritious. It is important for these meals to provide all of the nutrition you need for the long days of fasting. For a list of healthy ideas, check out Nestle Family’s Healthy Ramadan Recipes.

And for a history of Ramadan as well as some ancient ingredients and recipes, look no further than our AntiquityNOW Ramadan posts below. Don’t miss the bonus post about the ways in which professional athletes observe Ramadan.

 

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Strange Recipes With a Past

Fish and vegetables hanging up in a cupboard, still-life. Mosaic, Roman artwork, 2nd century CE. From a villa at Tor Marancia, near the Catacombs of Domitilla.

Fish and vegetables hanging up in a cupboard, still-life. Mosaic, Roman artwork, 2nd century CE. From a villa at Tor Marancia, near the Catacombs of Domitilla.

Humans are culinary explorers, gastronomical adventurers, seekers of the perfect palate-pleasing feast. However, throughout our long and storied history, we have occasionally strayed down paths that some may say we never should have reconnoitered. A recent Mental Floss article delves into our more interesting foodie moments, some of which will not necessarily make you want to run straight to the kitchen. But before you check out the less-than-appetizing side of our dietary past, try a few of AntiquityNOWs wackier Recipes With a Past listed below. They are sure to please your sense of taste AND your thirst for adventure! Continue reading

Bon Appetit Wednesday! National Salad Month

salad-164685_640It’s National Salad Month! Time to break out those salad spinners, dicers, choppers, mincers and shredders and fix up a delicious ancient salad. With all of the focus on health and nutrition these days, you might assume that salads are a fairly modern creation, but you would be so wrong. Those wild and crazy ancient Romans were noshing on this chilled dish long ago. And so many of today’s delicious and nutritious salads are built on ancient ingredients. So, check out our compilation of ancient salads below, beginning with the granddaddy of them all, Columella, created in the first century CE!

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Celebrate AntiquityNOW Month with Crepes Suzette

crepes suzetteAh, Paris in spring. What could be more glorious? Strolling the boulevards abloom with horse chestnut trees. Taking a boat ride down the Seine. Climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower or gazing rapturously at the Mona …. Wait a minute. What’s that delectable aroma? What are those people consuming with such gusto? Yes! Regard the street vendor deftly creating that culinary perfection. Lo and behold, it’s the inimitable crepe! Continue reading

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Celebrate National Grilled Cheese Month With Asian Pear and Gouda Grilled Cheese

grilled cheeseApril is a time to fete one of the most popular of dishes, the inimitable grilled cheese sandwich. Last year in our commemoration we explored the very ancient history of cheese and how a mutant gene 7,500 years ago bestowed upon us “lactase persistence,” enabling our species to digest dairy. This year we want to include in our culinary honors the pear, a fruit whose delectability has been enjoyed through the ages and whose pairing with cheese makes this grilled sandwich close to perfection. But first, let’s look at some interesting (or outlandish) anecdotes about the pear. Continue reading