Tag Archives: Christmas

Bon Appetit Wednesday! A Christmas Feast

Posted on December 22, 2021 | Leave a comment

Posted on December 16, 2015 | Leave a comment | Edit

Christmas is fast approaching, and dinner with family and friends is often the centerpiece of celebrations. AntiquityNOW is pleased to offer a few recipes with a past that will tickle the taste buds and fill your feast with historic meaning. Each of the dishes below has a fascinating history you can share with your family and friends. And the foods are from all over the world, so you’ll be serving a truly international and timeless meal!

Roman Garlic Pesto (Moretum)– Enjoy an ancient Roman appetizer!
Butternut Squash Soup with Maple Roasted Chickpeas– Yummy enough to serve as the main dish, this rich soup can be served in smaller portions as an amuse–bouche.
Roast Chicken with Ancient Grappa– In place of the more traditional holiday ham or Christmas turkey, try this delectable chicken that will whisk you away to Old World Italy.
Roasted Leeks and Apples– These two ancient ingredients pair beautifully to create a dish that will warm the heart and fill the belly.
Amaranth Fritters– These golden brown, fried fritters are delicious! And they feature an ancient and nutritious leafy green.
Christmas Pudding– No Christmas feast is complete without this classic treat. Did you know that the tradition of lighting the pudding on fire before serving it comes from the tradition of the ancient Celtic Druids who lit great bonfires at the winter solstice meant to give power to the dying sun and to hold back the approaching dark?
Christmas Cookies– Don’t forget to leave cookies for Santa!

Happy Christmas in July!

Posted on July 14, 2015 | 2 comments

Christmas is a celebration with ancient roots and shared customs across many cultures. Mythology, religion and politics have through the millennia influenced how Christmas became what it is today. And let’s not forget the role that marketing has played in making this holiday a worldwide phenomenon. (Don’t miss our blog series on the history of marketing). But a newer celebration has taken off in recent years—Christmas in July. Many think it’s a marketing scheme launched to clear out old merchandise and prepare for new products. But Christmas in July has a much older derivation: Continue reading →

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Posted in Blog, Culture, Holidays, Public Life

Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Christmas, Christmas in July, free gifts, history of Christmas, history of Christmas in July, summer holiday

Merry Christmas from AntiquityNOW

Posted on December 25, 2014 | Leave a comment

The image above is one of the oldest mass produced Christmas cards. Published in England in 1843, approximately 1,000 copies were originally made, but only ten have survived in modern times. It was a scandal in Victorian England because it features a child drinking wine.[1]

Here’s hoping your holidays will be devoid of scandal and filled with feasting, family and friends!

Click here to learn more about this card and visit our posts below to discover some ancient connections to the holiday season.

[1] World’s oldest mass-produced Christmas card in SMU collection. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from http://www.smu.edu/News/NewsIssues/OldestChristmasCard

In Case You Missed It…2013 Recipes With a Past!

Posted on January 13, 2014 | 1 comment

*Don’t miss our 2013 recipe book filled with delicious food from main courses to drinks and desserts.

Mario Batali, Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray, Julia Child…giants in culinary arts known for their expertise, personal franchises and larger than life personalities. But they aren’t the only chefs known for their style.

How about those Babylonian epicures whose haute cuisine recipes date to c. 1750 BCE during the reign of Hammurabi?[1]

Ever see the culinary page-turner Hedypatheia (Pleasant Living or Life of Luxury), written around 350 BCE by Archestratus, a Sicilian Greek? [2] Continue reading →

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Posted in Blog, Culinary, Culture, Education, Holidays, Public Life, Recipes With a Past

Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Chinese food, Christmas, culinary, Hungarian food, Jewish food, Muslim food, New Year, Ramadan, Recipes with a Past, Roman food, Rosh Hashanah

Merry Christmas! The History—and Neuroscience—of Christmas Caroling

Posted on December 24, 2013 | 2 comments

Image courtesy of deltamike on Flickr.

Caroling has been a popular pastime to celebrate Christmas for hundreds of years. Indeed, chanting and song have been a part of rituals and celebrations from some of the earliest of societies. Whether found in the first hollowed bone flute and percussive tree stump or the widely stylized play lists of today, music has been embedded in human culture. And as contemporary studies show, our responses to music are not just attuned to auditory preferences and social context. Music is really a “brain thing.” Continue reading →

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Posted in Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, Blog, Culture, Holidays, Music, Public Life, Science and Technology

Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, canticles, caroling, Christmas, Comas of Jerusalem, neuroscience, Oliver Cromwell, William Boyce

The History of the Holiday Evergreen

Posted on December 17, 2013 | 3 comments

This is the time of year where evergreens are festively decked out in red ribbon and twinkling lights and festooning homes and cities around the globe. But did you know you were following in the footsteps of ancient cultures from all over the world who used green plants in their own winter solstice celebrations? Beginning thousands of years ago and culminating in today’s ubiquitous Christmas tree, greenery has long been a cherished holiday decoration. Continue reading →

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Posted in Blog, Holidays, Public Life, Religion

Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Celtic Druids, Christmas, Christmas tree, date palm, evergreen, holidays, Ra, Saturnalia, winter solstice, Yuletide

Bon Appetit Wednesday! St. Nicholas or Santa Claus? A Cookie Is Still As Sweet….

Posted on December 11, 2013 | 2 comments

Below are two cookie recipes: one in honor of St. Nick and the other Santa Claus. For those of you who have a healthy dose of curiosity as well as a sweet tooth, let’s explore how these two holiday figures came to be.

St. Nicholas was a bishop in southwestern Turkey in the 4^th century. Born to a wealthy family, he gave much of his money away in support of the poor. As the bishop of Myra, he had a number of miracles attributed to him and was eventually declared a saint. His feast day was celebrated on December 6^th. During St. Nicholas’ lifetime, Pope Julius I decided that Jesus should be given a day that could be celebrated in honor of his birth. Because the winter solstice was already being celebrated, the birthday for Jesus was designated to coincide, which eventually proved successful in “Christianizing” the previously pagan holiday. Over time St. Nicholas’ day and Jesus’ birthday became associated, and the Christmas tradition began. Because St. Nicholas was beneficent in his offerings to the poor, stuffed stockings and gifts became synonymous with this day. Continue reading →

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Posted in Blog, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Celebrities, Culinary, Culture, Holidays, Public Life, Religion

Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Christmas, Dutch, holidays, Jesus, Saint Nicholas, Sancte Claus, Santa Claus, Sinter Klaus