We hope your holidays were joyous and accompanied by good cheer, good company and good food. We wanted to make sure that in the midst of all the holiday celebration you received your free gifts from AntiquityNOW. Just click on the links below.
2014 Recipes With a Past
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The sweet, succulent grape. It’s a fruit that has found its way into cultures around the world. Its cultivation goes all the way back to the Neolithic era (6,000-6500 BCE). Over the next centuries its production spread from the Caucasians to Asia Minor and to the Nile Delta through the Fertile Crescent. It became an important product for consumption, sale and trade in ancient times, as evidenced by the Code of Hammurabi (c. 1700 BCE), which decreed how wine was to be sold in Mesopotamia.[1] (Interestingly, women were allowed to own property and sell wine, so much of the code refers to female vendors.) The Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans extolled the glories of the grape in action, song and verse throughout the known world. By the fall of the Roman Empire the grape was firmly entrenched and the rise of the Christian church allowed a new stream of wine production through thousands of monasteries. As the centuries unfolded wine became a mainstay for cultural and religious reasons and as well in places and times where potable water was absent. Today wine production is a worldwide industry with oenophiles and simple indulgers offered a vast array of tastes, aromas and textures. Moreover, according to the Mediterranean Diet, the grape, particularly as distilled in wine, provides various health benefits, particularly through resveratrol, which is a compound that provides antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Some, in fact, tout its heart-healthy properties as natural life extenders. Continue reading
Now bring us some figgy pudding
Now bring us some figgy pudding
Now bring us some figgy pudding
And bring some out here.
–We Wish You a Merry Christmas
The carolers of 16th century England knew how important Christmas pudding was during the holiday season (figgy pudding was one variation). Most cherished in England, this pudding still remains the traditional end to the Christmas feast in many households today. However, Christmas pudding has changed quite a bit from its initial incarnation and has origins that might surprise you. Continue reading
AntiquityNOW is pleased to announce the launch of the 2014 Recipes With a Past, a compendium of dishes derived from our weekly Bon Appetit Wednesday! blog posts. Embracing more than 25 countries and cuisines, this e-book has two new designations for this year’s menus: gluten-free and vegan. Meals in Recipes With a Past are taken from historical recipes or are modern repasts that include ingredients with roots in antiquity. Continue reading
In our Bon Appetit Wednesday! post for Rosh Hashanah this year we told you about the ways in which recipes and traditions for the Jewish New Year have been influenced heavily by the cultures in which they are celebrated. A Jewish family celebrating in France may eat an entirely different meal than those celebrating in India. One of the influences we discussed comes from the Sephardic foods enjoyed by Jews residing in North Africa. Today, there are Jews all over the world whose religious feasts, including those at Hanukkah feature the flavors of places like Morocco rather than more typical dishes such as latkes. Many of these families identify with both Sephardic (Spanish and North African Jews) and Ashkenazic (primarily Eastern European Jews) Jewish traditions. Their foods and traditions are a beautiful mix of cultures. Click here to read more about Jewish ethnic diversity. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Culinary, Culture
Tagged ancient history, ancient recipes, AntiquityNOW, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Hanukkah, moroccan doughnuts, Sephardic, sfenj
This time of year there’s nothing better than cozying up in front of the fireplace and enjoying a comforting mug of hot mulled apple cider. You can feel the warmth and cheer spread through your bones as the spices mix to make the perfect holiday drink. Continue reading
In the movie Julie & Julia, Paul Child says to his wife, the soon-to-be world-acclaimed chef Julia Child, “You are the butter to my bread, and the breath to my life.” What more apt way to express the depth of a love than comparing it to the sustenance of life? Continue reading
In the past we’ve discussed several ancient superfoods including quinoa, amaranth, honey and even the adzuki bean. Today, we add one more to the list—seaweed, an ancient food from the sea that packs a punch nutritionally, but is often unappreciated by the uninitiated. Not everyone loves seaweed, but maybe they should! Today’s recipe, Carrots with Arame, is an unexpected pairing that will help you bring seaweed to the Thanksgiving table. But first, let’s make sure you can explain to your guests the history behind your curious contribution to the holiday feast. Continue reading
Happy National Doughnut Day! Today we celebrate those sweet wheels of deliciousness that pop up in every flavor imaginable. We’re bringing you a fall doughnut recipe that you’ll want to drop everything for and try immediately. Nothing says autumn goodness like Apple Cider Doughnuts. First, let’s find out how long we’ve been enjoying these popular pastries. Continue reading
Last week we celebrated ancient amaranth, superfood of the Aztecs. So this week we decided to explore another ancient “grain” that sustained a great civilization. Quinoa was to the Incas what amaranth was to the Aztecs: a source of strength and life. And just like amaranth, quinoa isn’t really a grain at all. It is a seed from a plant in the goosefoot family, and along with amaranth and buckwheat is often called a “pseudocereal” because it is grown for use as a grain.[1] Let’s take a trip through quinoa’s history before indulging in a delectable recipe for easy, gluten-free, dairy-free, No-Bake Quinoa Cookies. Continue reading
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