The Delicious Legacy

Hello!Brand new episode is out!I’m talking with food historian Karima Moyer Nocchi. Earlier this year she published a brand new fascinating book titled THE EPIC HISTORY OF MACARONI AND CHEESE: FROM ANCIENT ROME TO MODERN AMERICA by Columbia University Press, which I devoured from start to finish. I was made aware late last year and I could not wait for its publication. So the honour talking with her and the excitement is even bigger than normally guys and girls!Before we go to the interview with my excellent and erudite guest, let me make an exciting announcement …!The online Serve it Forth Food History Festival will be returning on Saturday 17th of October 2026. Curated by the guild of food writers members and podcasters, historians, writers and all around hyper talented humans, Sam Bilton, Neil Buttery, Alessandra Pino alongside with me, Thom Ntinas. The festival will explore many different aspects of historical food featuring fascinating discussions and historical cookery demos. Details on the full line up will be coming soon but you can view the summary of the day’s “menu” on our website. https://serveitforthfest.wixsite.com/info/bill-of-fareLet me just tell you that for our amuse bouche introduction course we have none other than the amazing food historian Eleanor Barnett! I’ll be exploring the diet and lifestyle of ancient olympians and gladiators in the Greek and Roman world with historian Alexandra Sills.Tickets are available on eventbrite and I’ll put a link below:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/serve-it-forth-food-history-festival-2026-tickets-1992224789976?aff=ebdsoporgprofile My recommendations for the week:Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon – classical tragedy as a Celtic caperhttps://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/jan/06/glorious-exploits-by-ferdia-lennon-review-classical-tragedy-as-a-celtic-caperAmerican farmers slid solar panels over 62,000 acres of farmland, and the biggest payoff had almost nothing to do with electricity.https://energiesmedia.com/solar-panels-farmland-crops-agrivoltaics/The English Olive Co, the original english olive oil:https://www.englisholive.co.uk/. You can get Karima's book here:https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-epic-history-of-macaroni-and-cheese/9780231215312/More about Karima:https://www.theeternaltable.com/. Love,Thom & The Delicious Legacy

Hello!Here's part two of my delightful conversation with James Chatto where we delve into the main characters of his fabulous book!Enjoy!Thom

James Chatto. Actor, puppet maker, author, food writer and journalist. A truly multi-talented, one would say even a renaissance man! He is my honoured guest on The Delicious Legacy today, to tell us all about his latest book “Acquired Tastes” a food history book, which explores the extraordinary journeys of specific recipes as they moved from one culture to another—carried and transmitted by eight remarkable individuals...Hello! Welcome back to another episode of the Delicious Legacy!You can get James' book here:https://utppublishing.com/doi/book/10.3138/9781487566609Enjoy!LoveThom

Hello!Welcome back to another archaeogastronomical adventure!I couldn't help myself but having Odyssey as my inspiration for this week's episode!As you probably have heard Christopher Nolan has his epic film Odyssey in official release this Friday 17th of July 2026 so I thought what better way to dive into the ancient Homeric epic poem than exploring their foods, cooking, dishes and the meaning of xenia, hospitality, kindness to strangers and welcoming others into ones house?We will also dive into the real Bronze Age Greece and the archaeological discoveries there. What do these tell about feasting, communal eating and the food of the people in the Helladic world, three thousand years ago?Enjoy!The recommendations for this week are:Did Roman Britain Ever End?Nicholas J. Higham writes about the long death of Roman Britainhttps://www.unseenhistories.com/did-roman-britain-ever-end-nicholas-j-higham/Alexandra Sills:https://www.waterstones.com/book/gladiators-in-the-greek-world/alexandra-sills//9781036130480Welsh Smokery and shop:https://welshsmokery.co.uk/about-us/our-story/Love and wineThom & The Delicious Legacy

Hello!Ugly stuff? Broken Bones? The earliest archaeologists a century ago ignored these. But not my guest today! Flint Dibble is an ancient historian and archaeological scientist who studies people, animals, and the environment in the ancient Greek world. According to his words, his goal is to make real archaeological research accessible to everyone.With the publication of "The agropastoral debate in context: the relationship between the consumption and management of animals at Azoria on Crete" I wanted to share this conversation I had with Flint about the food in Ancient Greece. What do we know? What does the archaeological evidence tells us that is the same, similar or diverges, from the literary sources that survived the passage of time?What animals were eaten in ancient Greece? How did the ancient Greeks prepared them? And what was the difference between home cooking and sacrificial, professional butchering and cooking for public feasts? How were the poor and the elite different in their eating habits, and how was the food cooked at home and in mobile situations? What does the isotope analysis of teeth and bones tells us about the climate through a millennia of ancient greek history, and how that affected the agropastoralism and transhumanism? When were the first chickens eaten in the Greek context? All the above and a lot more are discussed in our conversation with the fantastic Flint Dibble!The write up about Flint's article can be found here:A goat’s tooth may have solved a 100‑year debate about ancient Greek farminghttps://theconversation.com/a-goats-tooth-may-have-solved-a-100-year-debate-about-ancient-greek-farming-285839The article:https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12520-026-02512-7Flint's YouTube channel:www.youtube.com/@flintdibbleMusic by Pavlos KapralosEnjoy!Thom & The Delicious Legacy Podcast

Hello!Welcome to the Recipe of the Week on a Saturday by The Delicious Legacy!Today we're going to Mani peninsula in Southern Peloponnese to try a unique hearty dish from the mountainous villages of Barthounohoria.Chicken smothered with onions and feta cheese!Enjoy!ThomDon't forget:The Serve It Forth Food History Festival is back on the 17th of October!Early bird tickets on discount all July, for just £10 (plus booking fee) here:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/serve-it-forth-food-history-festival-2026-tickets-1992224789976?aff=oddtdtcreator

Hello! Brand new episode is out for all to enjoy!Firstly, some exciting news!The Serve It Forth Food History Festival is back on the 17th of October!Early bird tickets on discount for just £10 (plus booking fee) here:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/serve-it-forth-food-history-festival-2026-tickets-1992224789976?aff=oddtdtcreatorEgyptians, Romans, Babylonians, and early Germans all are recorded as using minerals and/or manure to enhance the productivity of their farms. The use of wood ash as a field treatment became widespread. But the secret to a fertile soil was always human waste. In Japan "night soil" was a precious commodity.How did we ended up today being disgusted by our own waste and wasting it far, far away from us, polluting our oceans? And why are the Minoans to blame?A recent article made headlines around the internet and it was mentioned in many good news stories around the internet. It went like this: “Scientists are aiming to grow 4,500 trees at a national park with the help of fertiliser made from urine collected from festivalgoers.Links about today's episode subject:Minoan plumbing: https://toilet-guru.com/minoan/Can’t see the wood for the wees: Urine from festivalgoers turned into fertiliserhttps://www.standard.co.uk/news/science/scientists-trees-hampshire-bristol-welsh-b1277509.htmlThe Other Dark Matterhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Other-Dark-Matter-Science-Business/dp/022661557Xhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20240116-the-dark-earth-revealing-the-amazons-secretsMusic by Pavlos KapralosMuch love,Thom

Hello!Brand new episode is out for all of you lovely subscribers!This time we are going to the hard and unforgiving landscape of Mani Peninsula in Southern Greece. Peloponnesos!Vendettas lasting decades... Towering villages in inhospitable mountains...Rocky and barren peninsulas with crystal clear azure waters. The landscape of Mani is unique, and so are it's people!We are looking for the traditional foods, recipes and ways of cooking as well as ingredients, the simple, hearty things that these unconquerable people ate the past few centuries! What is the role of olives and olive oil in their life, economy and cuisine? What is 'Syglino'? what is 'Sfela'?What was the role of quails in people's diets? How do you bake a whole quail in bread and how to preserve it in olive oi?Why so many writers and artists fell in love with the landscape of Mani? From Patrick Leigh Fermor and Nikos Kazantzakis to many others!On top of all this I will be going through some fantastic recipes from the region, some vegetarian, some vegan, some meat dishes and some local desserts! All of course feature copious amounts of the regions fantastic extra virgin olive oil!Links, books and further reading about Mani:https://archive.org/details/deepintomanijour0000gree/page/n5/mode/2uphttps://archive.org/details/journeytomorea00kaza/page/n7/mode/2upMore about Patrick Leigh Fermorhttps://thelondonmagazine.org/article/remembering-patrick-leigh-fermor/https://patrickleighfermor.org/video/https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2011/jun/10/patrick-leigh-fermor-obituaryAll this and more on today's episode!Enjoy!Thom

Hello!Welcome to your recipe of the week on a Saturday!What is "Tanomenon Tsourvas"? and what role the yoghurt and butter plays to the cuisine of the Black Sea Greeks?Let's find out here!Enjoy!Thom & The Delicious Legacy