Ah, 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
Tag Archives: Bon Appetit Wednesday
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Celebrate AntiquityNOW Month with Crepes Suzette
Bon Appetit Wednesday! National Garlic Month
This month we’re celebrating a fragrant, flavorful addition to any meal. Garlic may have a bad reputation of ruining a first kiss, but it is not only delicious, it is full of health benefits and has a fascinating and ancient past. Today, we’re reminding you of our post about the mysterious black garlic. Read Bon Appetit Wednesday! The Mysterious Origin of Black Garlic to learn about the history of this interesting little ingredient or scroll down to jump straight to the recipe. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Culinary, Culture
Tagged ancient garlic, ancient recipes, black garlic, Bon Appetit Wednesday
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Peach Almond Cake
Sun-kissed a blushing gold, peaches are a deliciously succulent marvel. Fuzzy or smooth, they tickle the palate and are versatility personified when gracing entrees, salads and desserts.
As much as we enjoy peaches today, you may be surprised to learn that they have quite an ancient—make that very ancient—history.
In 2010 a road crew near the North Terminal Bus Station in Kunming, central Yunnan Province, southwestern China, unearthed a strange find in the strata of a rock outcrop from the late Pliocene Ciying Formation. A team of paleontologists led by Dr. Tao Su of Xishuangbanna Tropical Garden and the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology identified the objects as eight fossilized peach endocarps or pits. They realized the discovery as a new species of the genus Prunus and named the pits P. kunmingensis. The endocarps were dated back 2.5 million years. Continue reading
Bon Appetit Wednesday! National Noodle Month
Did you know that March is National Noodle Month? Neither did we! We almost missed out on celebrating this ancient and fantastic food! In our humble opinion, noodles may be one of the world’s most perfect foods. They are the base for recipes from China to Italy and can be savory, sweet, salty and more. Today you can find noodles to suit every taste and inclination. There are zucchini noodles, gluten free noodles, cellophane noodles, flat noodles, thin noodles, long noodles, short noodles, so many noodles! Read our Ancient Noodle post below to learn about the noodle’s fascinating history and scroll down for a yummy zucchini noodle recipe. Continue reading
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Ancient Roman Eggs for Easter
Easter is this Sunday and if you’ve already had enough of brightly-colored hardboiled eggs, we’ve got you covered. Just in time for Easter breakfast we’re reposting an ancient Roman egg recipe that had the Romans begging for seconds. Click here for all of the scrumptious details about Ancient Roman Eggs in Pine Nut Sauce or jump right to the recipe below! Continue reading
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Celebrate Cherry Blossom Season
The cherry blossoms will be in peak bloom beginning this Friday, so there is no better time to celebrate this beautiful flower and the delicious fruit associated with it. Of course, the cherry blossoms we know so well aren’t actually responsible for the juicy red fruits we love, but you can learn all about that, the ancient roots of the cherry and more tempting facts by clicking on the links below. And of course, we’re bringing you a brand new cherry recipe! Continue reading
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Flan
Have you ever slid your spoon into a smooth, creamy serving of flan and wondered, “What genius came up with this heavenly creation?” Well, we can’t give you a name, but we can give you the ancient history behind the delectable concoction we call flan.
As with so many of our modern recipes, flan has its origins in Rome. Those crafty Romans developed flan originally as a savory dish, but quickly decided to expand its use. And while they did create a sweet honey-flavored flan, they also indulged in the less appetizing eel flan with pepper.[1] Continue reading
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Ancient Stir Fry
Simple, delicious and ancient. It’s not difficult to understand why stir fry has endured the test of time. It’s healthy, easy-to-prepare and there are so many variations! Today we’re bringing you a recipe for traditional Chinese stir fry, but first, let’s take a quick look at its history.
There is evidence that the stir frying technique was first practiced during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 221 AD). Inscriptions of the Chinese character “chao” (炒), which means “stir fry”, on bronze vessels point to stir-frying being used in parching grain, and archaeological evidence of woks, along with thinly cut strips of meat, suggest it was also employed as a cooking method.[1] By the time of the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), stir fry was being used regularly. Remarkably, we have 12 surviving stir fry-related recipes from this time period.[2] Continue reading
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Cabbage Soup for National Cabbage Day
Did you know that today is National Cabbage Day? With its long and rich history, this leafy vegetable certainly deserves its own holiday. So today we’re bringing you a recipe for a cabbage soup that will keep you warm through the end of winter. As well, we’ll explore the healing properties of this ancient and ubiquitous food.
Cabbage is believed to have originated in the eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor, but it is unclear as to how it made its way into Europe. One clue is in its name. It is a member of the Brassica family, which includes other veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower and kale. The Latin “Brassica” was influenced by the Celtic word “bresic,” which means cabbage. It is for this reason some say the Celts were responsible for bringing cabbage to prominence as a food. The Celts began invading the Mediterranean around 600 BC, so it is probable that they picked cabbage up on their journeys and brought it with them throughout Europe.[1] The other theory is that the Romans introduced cabbage to Europe. Continue reading
Bon Appetit Wednesday! National Cherry Month
We’re celebrating cherries! In honor of National Cherry Month take a look back at our fact-filled Bon Appetit Wednesday! Cherry Clafoutis for Cherry Blossom Season, including a mouth-watering recipe for Cherry Clafoutis at the end of the post.
Of course, we’re not just bringing you one delicious cherry recipe today! Enjoy the recipe below for an ancient Cherry Honey Drink from Russia. Not only is it delicious, but it has detoxifying properties to help you fight cold and flu season. This drink was consumed by the nobility in Russia for thousands of years. The best versions were said to be found in monasteries where the monks devoted their time to perfecting the nectar.[1] Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Culinary, Culture
Tagged ancient cherries, ancient food, ancient recipes, AntiquityNOW, Bon Appetit Wednesday, cherries, cherry, Cherry Blossoms, Cherry Clafoutis, honey cherry beverage, honey cherry drink, National Cherry Month, Russian honey drink, Russian recipes
AntiquityNOW 