The Delicious Legacy

Hello!

Happy weekend.

Here's our recipe of the week;

A Christmas pork stew from the island of Lesvos! I cannot quite shake away the Christmas feeling...!

Enjoy!

The Delicious Legacy

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Hello! New episode for all my hungry archaeogastronomers!

In Act 2, Scene 2 of the Merry Wives of Windsor Frank Ford says:

‘I will rather trust a Fleming with my butter, Parson Hugh the Welshman with my cheese, an Irishman with my aqua-vitae bottle, or a thief to walk my ambling gelding, than my wife with herself.’

Why do certain nationalities have close associations with certain foods? And what does this tell us about early modern English attitudes to foreigners? Was this something common across all strata of society?

One...

Hello!

Your recipe of the week is out!

Recommendations of the week:

Sarcophagus found at Church of St. Nicholas could be the tomb of “Santa Claus”:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2024/12/sarcophagus-found-at-church-of-st-nicholas-could-be-the-tomb-of-santa-claus/154084

Roman occupation of Britain damaged the population’s health:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2508181-roman-occupation-of-britain-damaged-the-populations-health/

On contrarian history:

https://going-medieval.com/2025/11/25/on-contrarian-history/

Enjoy!

Much Love and Happy New Year to all!

The Delicious Legacy Podcast

Support the podcas...

Hello!

Happy Christmas!

Here's your recipe of the week

this time from the beautiful Dodecanese island of Kalymnos!

Enjoy!

With music from Miltos Boumis

Love

Thom & The Delicious Legacy

Support the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes!

https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcast

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Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello my curious archeaogastronomers!

Who were the first beer makers? Why did they even made beer in the first place? Can we even find a Civilization to be the clear winner in this "race"? What's the word for beer in ancient Sumerian?

What role the priests and kings plaid in this? Who even drunk beer in the ancient Mesopotamian world? All this and many more questions were buzzing through my mind.

On today's episode I have as a guest the author of the book In The Land of Ninkasi: A History...

Hello!

Every Saturday in The Delicious Legacy podcast your freshest "stocking filler" recipe of the week is out!

This time I’m travelling to the delightful island of Ikaria in the Western Aegean sea!

With a simple one pot veg recipe!

If you want to know more about Ikaria, read my Patreon post here:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/ikaria-island-of-115744979

Music by Milts Boumis

Love,

The Delicious Legacy

Support the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free ep...

Hello!

New episode is out now!

Why England and by extension all of UK is so allotment "obsessed" ? What does it all mean?

Firstly, what is an allotment? When did it all started?

As someone who moved in UK many years ago, seeing this lovely spaces in cities filled me with a sense of serenity, and an air of quaint old school happiness lets say, they evoked something romantic and from long lost era. Of course over the years I learned a lot about why these exist...

Hello!

This is another episode in Greek, my little parallel series of getting some episodes out for Greek audience

This time I thought I'll release a part of my conversation with my grandmother- my yiayia- my father's mother.

From the mountainous north west Greece, her childhood up in the villages, where bandits and others where making life hard in the 1920's. Only a few years earlier this part of Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire.

A fascinating story of a troubled period for Greece, her story takes us from...

Hello!

Your recipe of the week is here!

Every Saturday in The Delicious Legacy podcast

Enjoy!

Thom

Support the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes!

https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcast

https://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacy

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello!

Christmas is approaching!

Time for some recipes to inspire you in your Christmas cooking! (If you do cook of course! Otherwise, psssss, pass it on to your spouse!)

It's also the time the ‘Kalikanzaroi’ (goblins that live underground all year according to Greek folklore) are coming up to Earth to annoy humans. How do you distract them? What foods do they like?

So I've got a little treat for you, my curious and greedy gastronomers!

On this episode of The Delicious Legacy podcast, we are going...

Hello!

On this classic episode from the archives of The Delicious Legacy I decided to include some ten minute of extra content from my interview with Farrell and I have remastered the audio as it was a bit dodgy the last time round. Hope it's more pleasant and easier to listen now!

I'm very excited about this episode! Farrell Monaco is a culinary & experimental archaeologist, and bread-baking addict! Especially of the ancient Greco-Roman variety...So what better person to chat about the ancient cuisine? And it's a very thought-provoking and thoughtful. Who were the...

Hello! New episode is out and I couldn’t be more excited about it!

I've interviewed cookbook author Emiko Davies about her latest book "The Japanese Pantry" which came out in October this year.

Emiko shares stories of her travels off the beaten track to meet the makers and pay homage to ancient traditions that have been around for centuries. Ingredients, dishes and recipes that are lost in the mists of time, and rare foods that might be lost forever!

How do you make sake and rice vinegar? What are the sak...

Hello!

This episode is in Greek and it's the translation of the episode I recorded a couple of months ago with the food writer Olia Hercules about Ukrainian Food and Culture! The original episode can be found here:

https://shows.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy/episodes/ukrainian-food-culture-with-olia-hercules

Γεια σας! Το σημερινό επεισόδιο είναι μια συνέντευξη με την Ουκρανη συγγραφέα και σεφ Ολια Χερκουλες, που θα μας πει για την παραδοσιακή κουζίνα της Ουκρανίας, και τα φαγητά αλλά και τιε επιρροές από τους γείτονες λαούς μέσα στον χρόνο.

Μιλήσαμε επί της ευκαιρίας του καινούργιου της βιβλίου, με τίτλο Strong Roots: "Μια Ουκρανική Οικογένεια Ιστορία δια μέσου πολέμου, εξορίας και ελπίδας"

Μπορείτε να βρείτε αυτό αλλά και όλα τα βιβλία της εδώ: https://oliahercules.com/books

Ευχαριστώ για την ακρόαση. Μέχρι την επόμενη φορά, ας είμαστε δυνατοί γεροί και γεμάτη κουράγιο και ελπίδα.

Η μουσική είναι του Παύλου Καπράλου

Με εκτίμηση,

The Delicious Legacy

Thom Ntinas

Support the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes!

https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcast

https://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacy

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello!

A newly updated episode about Silphium! Or Asafoeitida? I was inspired by History Hit's newly released documentary with Dan Snow called Ancient Adventures: Libya where the team went to explore extraordinary Greek and Roman sites, centred around one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, Cyrene.

So I thought it is time to talk again with more updates about silphium and with recipes and tasting by me here!

What do we know of the ancient silphium? What do the authors say it tastes? And when was the last...

Hello!

This episode is in Greek language for Greek audience!

It was released on Wednesday in English for the rest of you!

Καλημερα!

Το καινουργιο επεισοδιο, της εκπομπης μας, στα Ελληνικα για το κοινο στην Ελλαδα!

Προβάλλουμε λοιπόν, δίνουμε για λίγο τα φώτα της δημοσιότητας στους Έλληνες Σεφ του εξωτερικού!

Να δουμε την εμπειρια τους και την σχεση τους με το Ελληνικο φαγητο και πως εξελίσσεται εκτος Ελλαδος! Τι επιρροές φερνουν στα πιάτα και ποια η ανταποκριση των κατοικων της καθε χωρας στην Ελληνικη κουζινα?

Ακουστε λοιπον το πρωτο επεισοδιο της σειρας μας στα Ελληνικα!

Θωμάς

The Delicious Legacy

Support the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes!

https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcast

https://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacy

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello!

New episode of the podcast is out. This is part of a little bonus season I'll be occasionally releasing; in between the regular episodes of the podcast!

Here we will be talking with Greek chefs abroad,-that's outside Greece- who cook, work and live in different places, and promote the Greek cuisine in their own way.

What are their dreams? How's Greek food perceived outside Greece in their perspective countries, and do they feel as ambassadors for Greece and her gastronomy?

What are the most embarrassing aspects of...

Hello my curious archaeogastronomers!

This week's subject is a little bit darker than normal.

My reason for doing an episode is that this time of the year, specifically near 28th of October, is that is when traditionally in Greece the commemoration and celebration of liberation from Nazis occupation is celebrated. I wanted to examine the role of the famine in the modern Greek psyche a little.

World War 2 was brutal for the Greek people; Greece as country suffered under the triple occupation of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Bulgaria.

...

Hello!

New episode is out for your delectable delight!

Thessaloniki is located in Northern Greece in the region of Macedonia, and has a long, long history, being established in 315 BCE by king Cassander to honour his wife, the half-sister of Alexander the Great, Thessalonike. Today is the second largest and most important city in Greece.

As a major port, with access to the Mediterranean, and half way to Constantinople it thrived for centuries, being an important hub for trade and culture from all over the Balkan peninsula, and beyond.

It...

Hello, and welcome to part two of my discussion about Balkan Food with the incredible Irina Janakievska!

On this second part of our discussion -we pick up from where we left- we talk about the top five must try dishes of the region, that anyone who loves food should try. Foods from the heart of the Balkans.

Such as cevapi, ajvar, dolma/ sarma, bourek, and tres leches revani! Yes....Lets find out why....

I'm interviewing the award winning (James Beard awards on the International Category) and writer and recipe developer Irina...

Hello!

New episode is out for all of you my darling archaeogastronomers!

This time, I'm going back to my troubled neighbourhood of the Balkans! I'm interviewing the award winning (James Beard awards on the International Category) writer and recipe developer Irina Janakievska, author of the book "The Balkan Kitchen, Recipes and Stories from the Heart of the Balkans". The book was shortlisted for the Jane Grigson Trust Award (2023) and the Fortnum & Mason Debut Cookery Book Award (2025), a British Library Food Season Narrative Cookery Book Award (2025) and a Special Award at the Gourmand World...

What is it to lose a paradise? How do you square the feeling of deep loss for a place?

Welcome to the newest episode of The Delicious Legacy!

Strong Roots, is the memoir of Olia Hercules, food writer, cook, activist amongst many other things.

The book is an ode to the land, to ideas of home and belonging, and to family stories and recipes passed down the generations.

Here we talk about the land, the produce, the culinary treasures of Ukrainian people and their unique foods, a mixture...

* * * Reminder: The first ever FOOD HISTORY FESTIVAL is happening on the 18th of October and it's all online! Get your tickets here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/serve-it-forth-food-history-festival-2025-tickets-1490885802569?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdss

It's going to be a fantastic day with many excellent food historian guests, and of course my fellow Serve It Forth members, food historians, Dr Neil Buttery, Dr Alessandra Pino and Sam Bilton!

Join us for a day of historical dishes, cocktails and recipes! * * *

Famously, Diodorus Siculus the Greek...

Hello!

Part two of a catalogue of ingredients that ancient Greeks around the Med ate, how they ate it and what can we learn from it today?

Recommendations for this week include:

Ruby Tandoh, in the New Yorker: Inside the World of “The Great British Bake Off”

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/09/01/inside-the-world-of-the-great-british-bake-off?utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_FoodScene_090625&bxid=64ff2d52fff4462db5008e05&cndid=&hasha=a497a3041ea22b49ac020aa705c07fe1&hashb=9070ee59934b5363ceb4666efcad5b0eff3581b1&hashc=fb91fd7a11300ca6d1ccf6...

Hello,

Here’s a quick special bonus episode for you – the lowdown on the Serve it Forth Food History Festival 2025 sponsored by the excellent Netherton Foundry.

My fellow festival coordinators Sam Bilton, Thomas Ntinas and Alessandra Pino and I are here to tell you more about it: how the day will work, what the sessions will be like, the topics and the guests – including guest Tom Parker Bowles.

We have a brief discussion about our own interests and how we all got into food history. We also talk about our biggest/most embarrassing disast...

Hellooooo!!!!

Today's episode is an elegy for fava beans!

Soup, pottage, gruel, mash...Under many guises, pulses, and especially the ones from the genus Lathyrus, such as Pisum sativum have been eaten in the ancient Greek World since time immemorial...

From Neolithic remains to modern Greek table, fava beans and peas, all these delicious pods of the genus Lathyrus have been cultivated and eaten in the Hellenic lands for thousands upon thousands of years!

What did the ancient Greeks thought of the peas / yellow split peas? Where was...

Hello!

New episode is out!

Firstly, remember my news? Our first and possibly only food history festival is happening this year! October 18th , Saturday all day, and of course online! So you can all attend virtually! Get your tickets at eventbrite at serve it forth food history festival. It’s going to be an amazing day, with some fantastic guests, and of course my three fellow food historians, Alessandra Pino, Sam Bilton and Neil Buttery!

Tickets here, with 25% discount!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/serve-it-forth-food-history-festival-2025-tickets-1490885802569?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&ut...

Hello!

Welcome to Season 7 of The Delicious Legacy!

A New episode for you my dear archaeogastronomers!

I had a fab time discussing with Christopher Beckman all things anchovies, in the West -well, the Western Europe and US- but also how far back our relationship with this small fish goes, how it has changed over the millennia and what does it tell about us?

Seneca, the Stoic philosopher, found them repulsive. Horace was pithier: “They stink.”

My Greek friends, and my family, all enjoy them in various forms, fres...

Hello!

Excited to announce the inaugural Serve it Forth Food History Festival! Serve It Forth is a new festival devoted to food & drink history curated by Sam Bilton, Neil Buttery, Thom Ntinas & Alessandra Pino.

Join us for Serve it Forth Food History Festival 2025 for a fantastic day of discussion, chat and learning about food history and traditions by getting your tickets here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/serve-it-forth-food-history-festival-2025-tickets-1490885802569?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Find out more:

***** Tickets for the Serve It Forth Food History Festival now available to buy with a 25% discount here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/serve-it-forth-food-history-festival-2025-tickets-1490885802569?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl *****

Hello my hungry archaeogastronomers!

Hope your summer is going well!

Here's another fantastic episode from the archives of The Delicious Legacy, 'Recipe Books Buried Under the Sand' where I unfold the exciting discovery of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri in the late 19th century by Grenfell and Hunt.

No one thought that these...

*** Exciting news announcement! ***

The first Serve it Forth Food History Festival will take place on Saturday 18th of October 2025.

Together with my food historians friends Dr Neil Buttery, Dr Alessandra Pino and Sam Bilton we have planned an exciting virtual day for you with talks inspired from past dinners, tables and places.

Join us by purchasing your tickets with 25% discount here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/serve-it-forth-food-history-festival-2025-tickets-1490885802569?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

More info on our website here:

...

Hello!

I'm excited to tell you that I am part of the Serve It Forth Food History Festival together with food historians Dr Neil Buttery, Sam Bilton and Alessandra Pino!

Together we will be live and online only, on Saturday 18th of October 2025 for our very first food history festival! Stay tuned with news about the subjects we will cover, our fantastic guests and ticket info! Subscribe to our mailing list here: https://mailchi.mp/625319c96f80/serve-it-forth-food-history-festival

You can also find us on Instagram and Bluesky

https://www.instagram.com...

*********** Sponsor The Delicious Legacy Podcast on KO-FI by visiting https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcast ******************

She is a giant of the Spanish Food and Wine movement.... She probably single-handedly brought Basque Cuisine in the limelight of the English Speaking world...

María José Sevilla has worked for many years in the field of Food and Wine. She is a cook, a writer and a broadcaster who has been at the centre of the discovery of Spanish cuisine by chefs and food writers throughout the world. 

Who best then, to tell me all about...

******* TW ****** THIS EPISODE DEALS WITH DEATH, VIOLENCE AND THEMES OF WAR THAT SOME PEOPLE MIGHT FIND UPSETTING!!! ****

Hello,

New episode is out.

I hope you have a listen to a rather longer episode than normal, and please let me know your thoughts!

Some Palestinian Dishes: Maqluba, Musakhan, Ka’ak, Maamoul, Knafeh

Cookbooks by Palestinian authors or about Palestinian food that Angela Zaher Recommends.

Bethlehem by Fadi Kattan

https://www.waterstones.com/book/bethlehem/fadi-kattan/9781958417287

Falastin by Sami Tamimi (and al...

Hello!

It's heating up this summer!

And what better way to cool down other than learning about the history of ice cream and sorbets?!

Resources and further reading:

"Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat" by Bee Wilson

ISBN: 9780141049083

How Ice Cream Got Its Cone

https://www.seriouseats.com/2019/06/ice-cream-cone-history.html 

The Delicious History of Ice Cream:

https://medium.com/@andersoncuellar/the-delicious-history-of-ice-cream-6a75938630f0 

Martini Fisher Ancient History of Ic...

Hello!

New episode for your archaeogastronomical delights , is out now!

Today I have author, chef and food historian Jay Reifel in this episode as my guest, and we muse about all things "Baghdadical"!

10th century Baghdad the capital of the Islamic world in a sense it was a sensuous place.

And it produced perhaps a cookbook, more than mere recipes something extremely modern in some senses, and something that didn't exist in the West (if we want to put labels on things) for another 400 years or so!

...

Hello!

On this exclusive episode for you, I'm discussing the music of the podcast, the themes written by my friend and musician Pavlos Kapralos. Over the past five years of the podcast I used a few of Pavlos's compositions, for my ancient Greek food themed episodes and for the Byzantium ones.

Here we talk about his approach in creating the songs, his inspiration and what do we know of ancient Greek music: how it sounded, what instruments the ancients had and how do we recreate it today!

Plus what is the Byzantine...

Hello my curious & hungry archaeogastronomers!

What is "oinos tethalassomenos" ? Where does one find the best eels?

What was a highly regarded game meat?

Let's discover a few of the many unknown delicacies of the ancient Greek world. What was in vogue? What was considered tasty, healthy and accessible to eat for the average citizen of the wider Greek world, two and a half thousand years ago?

Ancient Greeks were quite the foodies.

They recognised local specialities, and local food excellence appears to be an ancient...

Hello my hungry archaeogastronomers!

Humans always wondered why food spoils, what makes it go off, and how to preserve it for longer, and keep it nutritious and healthy. Along the millenia we devised many ingenious ways to make fresh food last, and taste good but also provide us with calories and nutrients.

Nicolas Appert was not a scientist, but a former brewer who became steward to the duke Christian IV of Zweibrücken, then to the Duchess of Forbach, and thereafter became a confectioner. As he made the sweets that were preserved with sugar, h...

Hello my lovely archaeogastronomers!

The Delicious Legacy has gone a bit drunk with the most snobby of drinks, champagne!

On this weeks interview I've invited the author Becky Sue Epstein to tell me all about the fascinating history of Champagne. This fancy, fizzy wine from the north east of France, which became the staple of kings, queens royalty and the rich and famous all across the world! How and why?

Let's find out here!

The book "Champagne- A Global History" is out now by Reaktion Books and...

Hello!

Menus.

These little pieces of paper, seem to be so obvious and ubiquitous today, not worth thinking about, no further certainly aside from the restaurant.

The new book from Nathalie Cooke, disproves this notion wholeheartedly. It provides glimpses into the meals enjoyed by royalty and the rogues, food prepared for the great and the good, adults and children, and how they reflect changing notions of health and institutions should feed for nourishment or punishment.

With lavish illustrations, this is an exquisite book, which will make you think deeply.

Hello!

What is a craft ale? Who’s C.A.M.R.A? And what is a cask conditioned ale? What is the difference between a lager, a Pilsner, a bitter, a mild, and so on! The world of beer can be very confusing! All i want is to enjoy my beer with my friends in a cosy pub!

The above are some important questions that you might have never thought about, but thanks to the guest of today’s episode Jonny Garrett we have a lot of in-depth analysis and information clearing thin...

Hello!

Wine was always central in the life of Ancient Greeks. Both on day to day basis, but also as foundational myths part of the story of being Greeks, their ancient and mythical past and the sacred lores of Gods.

For instance take this line from the mythical battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs.

"For when Pirithous wooed Hippodamia he feasted the centaurs because they were her kinsmen. But being unaccustomed to wine, they made themselves drunk by swilling it greedily, and when the bride was brought in, the attempted to...

Hello!

New episode for you my lovelies!

My interview with the lovely Jenny Linford, all about her new book, which is out on the 24th of April, Repast The Story of Food by the British Museum and Thames & Hudson.

Get the book here:

https://www.waterstones.com/book/repast-british-museum/jenny-linford/9780500481158

x

Much love,

Thom & The Delicious Legacy

Support the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes!

https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcast

https://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacy<...

Hello!

Italian food: What comes to mind first when you hear this? A Neapolitan pizza, warm with bubbly tomato sauce and mozarella? A cotoletta alla Milanese, or a Roman cacio e pepe pasta? A lovely bottle of chianti wine or a pasta pesto?

But for all our knowledge -or lack of - how did the food of the Italian peninsula came to be? And why it become so popular?

In his new book, "Al Dente - A History of Food in Italy" Fabio Parasecoli writes "Foodies are enraptured by its...

Hello and welcome back to another culinary adventure my curious and hungry archaeogastronomers!

How, when and why the first potatoes were domesticated? Who were the people who did it?

The tough, inhospitable terrain, the extreme climate and the improbably high altitude plateau of the Andean altiplano is the home of the potato. A tuber that was a staple of the diet of the Andean people for thousands of years; then went not only to conquer the world, but be the friend of peasants, farmers, poor people too and save millions from starvation around...

Hello!

The island of Corfu was legendary since the homeric times for it's agreeable climate and the lush green forests. Food was abundant and the inhabidants wealthy.

So what's the traditional food of Corfu and the influnces in the island?

And how come and it has over five million olive trees and almost a million of them centuries and centuries old?

Let's find on todays episode!

With music from Pavlos Kapralos

The Delicious Legacy

Support the podcast on Ko-Fi and...

Hello!

In today's episode we have an Interview with Dr Christina Wade, author of the newly released book "Filthy Queens - A History of Beer in Ireland."

Irish stories, myths and legends are full of spirits and ghosts. The history of beer in Ireland is no different; many of these shadowy echoes are still reverberating in the modern brewing history. Beer and ale can bring us together, and importantly understand the past, our past, better, as well as bring us closer to our ancestors, who also drunk beer. And they did so to celebrate...

"The monks say the divine flavour befits quiet seclusion.

The abundant fluttering leaves become a welcome guest.

They would send a package to my prefectural office,

But the brick well and copper stove would ruin its

character.

Worse yet, the spring teas from Meng Mountain and

Guzhu

Sealed in white clay, stamped in red, they travel dusty

roads.

If you want to know the pure cooling taste of milky buds,

You must be one who sleeps in clouds and...

Lenten fasting became law at the Council of Aix in 837AD.

Charlemagne was determined to see that it was observed, by force if necessary. Any baptised Lombard or Saxon chieftain who failed to do proper penance had his head cut off, an uninviting prospect for any budding Christian!

Hello,

Enjoy this updated version of an older episode about feasting and fasting in the desert nearly 2000 years ago from the first Christian fathers, the monks who made the religion of Christianity what it is.

How did they live, survive and...

Hello!

How did the ancient Greeks and Romans ate turnip? And what was the position of this vegetable at the dinner table? How important was it?

And what the heck is a skirret, how do you cook it and why did we stop cultivating it on a large scale?

All this and more on this weeks episode!

This week's recommendations are

A is For Apple Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s2e2-b-is-for-buttery-bistro-bournville/id1743840806?i=1000691341726

Kentwell medieval gardens

Hello my lovely archaeogastronomers!

A new episode is out!

"Aedepsus in Euboea, where the baths are, is a place by nature every way fitted for free and gentle pleasures, and withal so beautified with stately edifices and dining rooms, that one would take it for no other than the common place of repast for all Greece. Here, though the 'earth and air yield plenty of creatures for the service of men, the sea no less furnisheth the table with variety of dishes, nourishing a store of delicious fish in its deep and clear...

Hello!

A brand new episode for your delight!

How does one deconstruct a meal to it's historical components? What is the truth behind the myths of a dish, the stories we tell about its origins, and how interconnected is the world's history with the cuisines, the spices, the ingredients we use on each country of ours?

On this episode I interviewed Andreas Viestad, about his book "Dinner in Rome- A History of The World in One Meal".

A meal in a restaurant in Rome, can provide all the inspiration...

Hello!

New week, new episode for you!

We are soon approaching the period that is in Greek Orthodox (and not only) Church the Big Lent! Forty days of fasting before the Holy Week (more and severe fasting here!) and Easter Sunday.

The abstinence of meat and dairy products it's something that the first monks practised; some of them for many years. Slowly, gradually these solemn personal "traditions" of how to step closer to God, Jesus, or saintliness, passed down to the canon of the Church and many monasteries all over...

Hello my lovely archaeogastronomers!

For this bonus episode I've interviewed the author and food historian Priscilla Mary Işın about her delightful book "Bountiful Empire - A History of Ottoman Cuisine" which is out now!

I hope you'll enjoy our chat, trying to untangle the different strands of the origins of the Ottoman Cuisine through the centuries, and explore the myriad dishes, with vegetables, cheeses, sweets, and savoury.

You should buy the book is so so good!

https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/bountiful-empire

For bonus chat...

Hello and welcome to another episode of The Delicious Legacy!

I’m your greedy archaeogastronomer Thomas Ntinas and I welcome you to my smoky and heavily perfumed with spices kitchen! Another adventure beckons!

On today's episode we are travelling to South America and explore the connection between food and revolution! Food always of course played a part in the prosperity of the common people and the nation as a whole. The balance in South America was and still is more precarious in what it means for the people to have control of the means an...

Hello!

New episode is out for you to enjoy!

Today’s guest is Neil Ridley and will delve into the story of crisps, why we love them and what’s the kernel of truth behind the stories of its origin.

This week's recommendation is the Guardian article "the weird, secretive world of crisp flavours by Amelia Teit"

link:

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/dec/02/the-weird-secretive-world-of-crisp-flavours

Love,

The Delicious Legacy

Support the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for...

Oh hello!

The second part of our adventure in Ottoman food culture is here for all to enjoy!

On today's episode we will talk about coffee, salep and street food in Istanbul. What are imarets, what was the social life for people across the Empire, and what was the culture and table etiquette of raki-drinking and meze-eating?

My recommendations for this week include Claudia Romeo’s youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@claudia-romeo

Dr Eleanor Janega's and Matt Lewis's History Hit’s Gone Medieval, their epis...

Hello my lovely archaeogastronomers!

What were the origins of the Ottoman Cuisine? What were the influences behind?

And how the Roman and Greek history influence the Sultan and the Palace alongside the cuisine of the upper classes?

If you went to Istanbul in the late 15th or 16th century what would be the "go-to" food?

Join me on Part One, for an epic adventure through the centuries exploring the foods, the drinks, the dishes and the ingredients of the rich and tasty Ottoman cuisine!

Friday will...

Hello my lovely archaeogastronomers!

On this bonus episode today, I'm sharing with you my personal details of food, cooking and journey through food I had as a young child, teenager, young adult and beyond with the food, the cooking adventures and all that happened to me that shaped me and brought me here with you, passionate about food, history and curious about global gastronomy!

It a lot more intimate than I thought it would be although it doesn't feel like it should be! A strange sensation not sure how to describing exactly.

...

Hello!

This is one from the archives, updated and with added bonus content from the year 2022!

My interview with author and beer historian Pete Brown

Enjoy!

The Delicious Legacy

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello!

Happy New Year and a Happy New Season of The Delicious Legacy Podcast!

Pubs. I love them! Who doesn't?

Culturally and socially important spaces throughout the centuries, more so the past two hundred years.

We mourn when one has closed down. We regularly hear about their supposed demise now or in the near future. But pubs, inns, taverns, alehouses, have been part of the fabric of life in these Isles since early medieval times.

They are everywhere and ever evolving in nature.

...

Merry Christmas my lovely archaeogastronomers!

The second bonus episode of this Christmas season is out!

Just less than a week now till Christmas day, this is a special one, with friends of the podcast -and fellow podcasters- plus food historians, Neil Buttery, Sam Bilton, Brigitte Webster and Ali Pino

talking to me about their favourite historic Christmas recipe!

What do they like preparing, eating and sharing with friends and family and why?

Let's find out here!

Plus, I'm in the kitchen, preparing a bunch...

"Capons, hens, beside turkeys, geese, and ducks, beside beef and mutton must all die for the great feast; for in twelve days a multitude of people will not be fed with a little! Now plums, and spice, sugar and honey, square it among pies and broth...Youth must dance and sing and the aged sit...and if the cook do not lack wit, he will sweetly lick his fingers..."

Hello and welcome back to another archaeogastronomical adventure!

Christmas time in nearly upon us!

And what better way to start the celebrations...

Hello!

Have you heard of Avgotaraho and Trahana?

Two very different, interesting ingredients and dishes from Greece's vast menu.

Let me take you into a journey with the nomadic transhumanism shepherds of the Balkans and down to the labyrinthine lagoons and wetland of West Greece in Messolonghi where Lord Byron made a heroic last stance giving his life for Greece's independence and freedom.

There a part of what used to be called Roumeli region, from around November through April, it is the season for lavraki (sea bass), the rockfish govios (goby...

London.

Mid eighteenth century.

A busy, raucous city, capital of a growing economic power.

Wars abroad. Art, theatre, music. Plotting.

What better symbol of English manliness, in the face of all the difficulties, winning against all enemies, than beef?

And what better meal than a steak? And where do you get your steak with your mates and your cigars and your politics and plotting?

Welcome to the Sublime Society of Beef Steaks, on of the most prestigious private members clubs in the history of private...

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Welcome back to another episode! An exclusive interview with author, food writer and all around brilliant human Sejal Sukhadwala, where we talk about Indian food, Indian history, the word curry, and the spread of said food but also Indian cuisine around the world and especially UK. We've met at the British Library Member's Area -hence the background chatter- and talking for nearly two hours about the long story of Indian food.

Since starting this podcast over two years now, I’ve covered many many topics from the ancient world. But I’ve n...

Hello my lovely archaeogastronomers!

Today we'll explore the traditional Greek charcuterie, how is it made, what meat is used, and what continuation and connection has with the Byzantine and the ancient past.

I grew up eating bacon, ham, salami (danish style, milano style) and not much in the more traditional local Greek charcuterie. We were never famed for it in our modern cuisine as one knows Greek salad, feta cheese, pastitsio, souvlaki, moussaka etc...

I was curious: We don't do at all our unique preserved meats? And if so, why? And if...

Volcanoes...

Ancient sacred rituals...

Cheese matured at the bottom of wine barrels. Cheese steeped in olive oil for months. Today's adventure in the eastern Aegean islands of Greece, is an unusual one.

The islands have their own unique, unusual and tasty cheeses that defy specific categorizations.

Greece. Cheese.

What can possibly else be said?

Enjoy today's adventure!

This weeks recommendations include:

"Fermentation in Ancient Mesopotamia, Beer, Bread and More Beer":

...

Hellenistic Egypt: A land of opportunity. A rich, ancient, fertile land where anything is possible.

Hello! Welcome back to another episode of The Delicious Legacy

Bustling and busy cities with their markets and food stalls, and sellers hollering theirs goods isn't a new phenomenon exclusive to our metropolis of New York or London. These markets and people existed as long as cities existed!

But how these markets were organised in the ancient Mediterranean? What did they sell? How did they smell, who could trade and where in the city were they?<...

From Neolithic hunter-gatherers, to ordering food via an app on our phone and getting delivered with our groceries the English Table went through an extraordinary travel.

For access on the extra content subscribe on my Patreon page...

Food writer legend. Award winning author. Editor at Penguin Publishing. The lady is extraordinary!

Elizabeth David and Jane Grigson. Two names that might not resonate as much with today’s audience as they should, but significantly their food writing in the 60’s & 70’s created the genre that led to everyone from Delia Smith to Nigell...

Hello!

Fermented food is literally everywhere.

Why do we love fermented foods so much? When did we start making them intentionally and crucially are they good for us?

Today's special guest on the podcast is James Read, author of the book "Of Cabbages & Kimchi"

James Read is on a mission to smuggle bacteria into our kitchens. In Of Cabbages & Kimchi, he takes the ten greatest ‘living’ ferments – fermented foods that are neither cooked nor pasteurized – and places them under the microscope, before cooking with them in all their delicious...

Hello!

Sushi and sashimi are now global sensations. But how sushi begun? The book Oishii reveal the deep history of sushi which began perhaps in China and mostly as a sour fermented food.

On this episode i have the honour to have as a guest Professor Eric C Rath of the University of Kansas to explain to us the history of sushi in Japan and how it conquered the world!

Our discussion is based of course on his 2021 book "Oishii: The History of Sushi" which is rather lovely and detailed and is out...

Hello!

In any discussion of French cheese, it is impossible to avoid that exasperated question from President De Gaulle "how can you govern a country that has more than 246 varieties of cheese?"

I'm Thom Ntinas and this is The Delicious Legacy Podcast!

This week, continuing our adventure with Ned, we taste and explore through the cheeses some forgotten corners of France and French history for that matter.

Mons cheesemonger for the best French cheese: https://mons-cheese.co.uk/

Salers cheese from Auvergne: https://www.cheese...

Cheese: A story of place and people. How is that cheese is so universal, yet so unique from one little place to the next few miles down the road?

Ned went for an adventure all over France to find an answer on "what is French Cheese?" and "why do we love it so much?" while looking for the most representative cheeses that tell this story.

Along the way, he discovered many more extraordinary and surprising details about the history of the villages, cheesemakers and cheesemongers of France.

How do some of...

Hello!

Autumn! The weather's finally turning and it's time to prepare the pickles, preserves and chutneys with the abundance of summer harvest!

But what did our ancestors do to prepare for the long cold, dark northern winter months ahead? How did they survive the scarce food resources of Europe's dormant nature?

What traditions and superstitions persisted through the ages?

What food was eaten in Michaelmas and Martinmas important celebrations of the autumn season?

Let's find out on this week's episode!

This weeks recommendations...

Hello!

Welcome back to another archaeogastronomical adventure!

Today's episode is all about ancient vegetarianism.

And the philosopher Pythagoras is the central figure on all the stuff we talk today.

Pythagoras, the father of mathematics, was born and raised in Samos. around 580BCE. Even though Pythagoras spent more than forty years in his birthplace, he eventually decided to set sail for new seas; his thirst for knowledge led him to travel throughout most of the then known world, most notably Egypt and Babylon, centres of wisdom knowledge and secret mystical...

Hello!

When did the word 'Barbecue' appeared in our language?

As a technique it has been used under various guises from all humans, throughout the planet...

This early appearance from 1709:

 I have been often in their Hunting-Quarters, where a roasted or barbakued Turkey, eaten with Bears Fat, is held a good Dish;

Or this from 1707 "The Three Pigs of Peckham, Broiled Under an Apple Tree"

...the white folks of Peckham, Jamaica, had “their English appetites so deprav’d and vitiated” by rum that th...

Have you ever wondered how common or rare the ovens once were? What was the original mince pie? And what was the first EVER bread humankind invented?

Hello!

Welcome back to another archaeogastronomical adventure!

Today I have as a guest an old friend of the podcast; Dr Neil Buttery and we have a good long chat about his new book, all about baking!

The book will be released on 12th of September and our interview today will give you a taste of the subjects covered in the book...

What is with vinegar? Why it is so popular as an ingredient in our cooking?

Why do we love the sour taste so much when mixed in our dishes?

In the ancient Mediterranean vinegar was practically always made from wine, hence the epic epithet oininon oxos 'winy vinegar' employed by Archestratus.

Vinegar is most often used as a culinary ingredient and as a preservative. Numerous medicinal uses are listed by ancient physicians. A vinegar and water mixture, known in Greek as oxykraton, was also used medicinally. A very similar mixture, flavoured with...

Hello!

Pickled food through the ages and continents!

We will go to the ancient lands of China, India, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome, and through them to Persia, the Arab world, Spain and Latin America!

I think a history of civilization is a history of pickles, and fermentation!

Without fermentation we wouldn't have beer, wine, cheese, miso, kimchi. sauerkraut and pickled herrings!

Where would we be then huh? Or how the lactobacillales domesticated humankind...

We will also be seeing a medieval chutney from Richard...

Hello!

With the arrival of the Olympic Games in Paris, we have a reached a peak of reminders of the ancient Greek Olympic games and with them, a tonne of misinformation and misconceptions about the ancient Olympians!

Well, the most important thing, was left out however from most of these articles; The food and the drink and the partying in Ancient Olympia! What was it like?

How did an ancient Olympian athlete and a winner ate, what was their diet and how they've used food and wine as ways to cheat their...

Hello!

Part two of our archaeogastronomical adventure is out!

How the myth of Marco Polo bringing "pasta" back to Italy started? What's the truth behind it?

What are the origins of tea and tea drinking ceremonies?

How important are dairy products, milk and cheese in Chinese culinary history and what's the impact today?

All this and a lot more on our episode today!

Excited to have as a guest Professor Thomas DuBois introducing us to his new book, an adventure through China's culinary history "China...

Hello!

Excited to have as a guest Professor Thomas DuBois introducing us to his new book, an adventure through China's culinary history "China in Seven Banquets, A Flavourful History" , published by Reaktion Books: https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/china-in-seven-banquets

You can purchase Professor Thomas DuBois book from many online shops like here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/china-in-seven-banquets/thomas-david-dubois/9781789148619

Enjoy part one, and I'll see you next week for part two!

The Delicious Legacy

Support the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes!

...

Enjoy a nearly three thousand year exploration of Persian food, culture and inventions that made our culinary pleasures, even more pleasurable!

Info if you want to find out about yakhtchal, the ancient Persian refrigerators check here;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakhch%C4%81l

The Shahnameh (“Book of Kings”) By Ferdowsi -the Persian epic poem

https://sdbiblestudy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/The-Shahnameh.pdf

Medieval Persian Cookbook

"A Baghdad Cookery Book"

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baghdad-Cookery-Book-Al-oTabaikh-Culinaires/dp/1903018420/ref=pd_bxgy_d_sccl_1/258-4486056-993...

An early fourteenth-century Baghdadi cookbook begins thus: “The pleasures of this world are six: food, drink, clothing, sex, scent, and sound. The most eminent and perfect of these is food, for food is the foundation of the body and the material of life.”

What is a "rhyton"? What's a yakhtchal? And how is that Persian walled gardens are connected to Christian paradise?

I am Darius, the great king, the king of kings, the king in Persia, the king of countries, the son of Hystaspes, the grandson of Arsames, the Achaemenide.

Join...

Hello!

Burmese food writer turned activist MiMi Aye has been raising awareness about the crisis in Myanmar since the coup in February 2021.

MiMi’s award-winning book ‘MANDALAY: Recipes & Tales from a Burmese Kitchen’ is loved by Nigella Lawson and was chosen by The Observer, The FT, and The Mail on Sunday as one of their Best Books of 2019. MiMi also co-hosts the food and culture podcast The MSG Pod and is on social media as @meemalee

Thanks for listening,

The Delicious Legacy

Support the podcast on Ko...

'Many other improprieties a good servant will avoid.’ ...

Rules for health, hygiene and manners in Middle Ages...

Yes! They existed. People were worried about manners, and food poisoning and etiquette.

Yes people washed their hands before they sat on the table.

And much, much more! Listen to todays fascinating episode!

Voiceover on "The babees book" by Lucy Davidson.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-davidson-a31682136/

Enjoy!

x

The Delicious Legacy

Books on med...

Hello!

Rice is a very ancient food…People ate rice perhaps from 12000 BCE gathered with other seeds and nuts. Today every third person on earth eats rice every day in one form or another. Rice is grown on about 250 million farms in 112 countries.

But one dish more than any other, defines the global reach of rice and how it is claimed by many nations and has a deep, complex history: Biryani!

From Persian "birinj biriyan" - literally, fried rice, to the Mughal Empire and an old Mughlai recipe from Shah Jahan's kitchen, to...

How old is a Greek salad? And how 'Greek' for that matter?

Who introduced the potato to the Greeks?

What other dark misunderstandings the introduction of the tomato and potato in Europe has?( and what's got to do with werewolves?)

And finally some delightful tomato recipes from the Greek Cycladic Islands for your gastronomic enjoyment!

Just to kick start your summer!

Enjoy!

The Delicious Legacy

Support the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes!

https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcast

Hello!

Nikolaos Tselementes. His name is what every Greek says when talking about cookbook. "Did you look at the Tselementes for your recipe"? Indeed when I was growing up i thought that a guide to cooking, or a book with recipes was called "Tselementes"! :-)

On his death in 1958, the impression one is most likely to get from the statements of such well-known men of letters and esteemed journalists writing about him, is that before Tselementes there was chaos in the Greek kitchen. Idle, ignorant women who very little about cooking forced their poor husbands...

Hello!

Welcome to part two of our exploration of the foods of Aztecs.

Corn, food of the Gods and humans.

The ceremonial drink cacao and the alcoholic drink pulque

All here.

Plus the importance of the Florentine Codex, a document with descriptions of many native plants and animals and customs of the Aztecs.

Here is the Florentine Codex, digital edition with English translation too:

https://florentinecodex.getty.edu/book/11/folio/1v?spTexts=&nhTexts=

Enjoy!

The Delicious...

Hello!

Season 5, has landed!

Episode one, part one is out and it's all about the amazing, delicious and perhaps unique foods and farming methods of the Aztecs, and the other indigenous people of Mesoamerica, the area that roughly today covers the country of Mexico, itself a massive area with many unique ecological niches and diverse nature.

The food and diet of Aztecs therefore can't be anything else but diverse, unique and adapted to the different climatic conditions of the area of modern Mexico City.

So what do we...

Hello!

Very excited about Part Two of our Irish Food History!

The Irish palette, is coarse like an oat cake. Fatty from butter and meat, and salty from preservation of food.

What animal shaped the culture of Ireland more than any other? I'll give you a clue with this amazing myth and story. Táin Bó Cúailnge, the story of the cattle raid of Cooley!

What's the relationship with fish and seafood? What if an alien came down to Ireland and saw this island, surrounded by sea, and thought the...

Pomponius Mela, a Roman geographer, who hailed from the Roman province of Baetica (now Andalusia) in southern Spain writing in 43AD, he described the Ireland and Irish people as “a people wanting in every virtue, and totally destitute of piety”. And yet this country was so “luxuriant in grasses” that if cattle were “allowed to feed too long, they would burst”.

Hello! The ancient Greek geographer and explorer Pytheas of Massalia while exploring north west Europe named the land of Ireland "Ierni" and from there Claudius Ptolemaeus ("Ptolemy") called the island Iouerníā . The Roman historian Tacitus, in his book Ag...

...Ninkasi, you are the one who pours out the filtered beer of the collector vat,

It is (like) the onrush of the Tigris and the Euphrates.

Hello! The lines above are from a brilliant Assyrian hymn to the Goddess of the brewing process: Ninkasi. Also a good set of instructions on how to make beer!

Aside from beer, there are many other inventions that Sumerians are credited with. But there is not enough time in my lifetime to write everything about Mesopotamian food!

From Sumerians, to Akkadians to Assyrians and...

Deep in a mountain in the Pontic Alps, North-East Turkey, there's a monastery reminiscent of Tolkien's Minas Tirith; the seven-walled fortress city built on the spur of a mountain. Nestled in a steep cliff at an altitude of about 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) and facing a beautiful wooded mountain valley is Panayia Soumela Greek Orthodox monastery, dedicated to Virgin Mary. This is the heartland of the Pontic Greeks. And my journey today begun from a church with the same name, near my home town of Veria, in Northern Greece, 1800 Km away from Trabzon, deep in a forested mountain on a similar...

Hello....!

Who hasn't heard of feta cheese among us?

Now I'm not saying that you necessary need to like it, but most of us know about this white, tangy & salty Greek cheese served with your Greek salad on your favourite holiday destination.

But is the feta cheese we eat a "fait accompli"? (or feta accompli?)

What is Sfella or "Feta of the Fire"?

On today's episode we look at the facts currently and finds out that this is by far not the truth.

A lot of...

Helloooooo...!

Easter in UK and Western Europe (Catholic or otherwise) is nearly upon us!

Traditionally the most important celebration of Christianity.

On this episode from the archives, from April 2020, I'm re-publishing the episode about Eastern Orthodox Easter where I describe in some general terms what is happening during the Lent and Easter Sunday.

As is the most important date of the religious calendar and as such, is celebrated in style!

The Lent lasts 40 days and then follows the Holy Week (another lent period) and the the Easter Sunday...

Bonus episode!

Eastern Orthodox Easter is the most important date of the religious calendar.

And as such is celebrated in style!

The Lent lasts 40 days and then follows the Holy Week (another lent period) and the the Easter Sunday celebrations!

What is tsoureki? what do the Greek eat on Palm Sunday?

Do they really paint red the hens eggs? Why?

and what is "mageiritsa" that's eaten after the midnight mass on Saturday to Sunday morning?

And then a whole spit roast lamb on charcoal, or...

Hello!

What is Greek Cuisine today?

How do we define the food of the modern Greek nation? Clear and in many ways transparent cuisine.

can it be defined from the simplicity and freshness of the ingredients, and her frugal, austere or thrifty nature?

Is it just this though?

And how Greek is mousaka, a dish that is considered so Greek throughout the world?

These and much more, I explore on today's episode on the origins of creation of the modern Greek Cuisine and how this is...