The Delicious Legacy

Hello!*This episode was first released on April 10th 2024*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 altitude...The Pontic Greeks lived in the region of northern Turkey roughly in the areas of Trabzon, Samsun and Gerishun, Sinop for about 2 millennia before their forced expulsion and genocide.But their food and culture remains still alive luckily for us, and even their unique Greek language which traces its lineage to ancient Greek!So what did they eat? How they cooked their foods? And how does their cuisine differ from other Greeks, and the similarities with other Black Sea nations around...Some spectacular videos of Panagia Soumela Monastery and countryside in Trabzon region mountains:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQb3UJVvbmMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynLcqCxCh0sFor traditional Pontic produce in Greece today go to Thessaloniki and find this guy:http://ragian.gr/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=4Google map link for the Thessaloniki shop:https://maps.app.goo.gl/QJGjFiEBW4YN7W369The farm were they age cheeses in caves, smoke their own meats and produce their pasta:https://maps.app.goo.gl/yVQHg9HVdGDcEyWdAMore information about history and culture of Pontic Greeks:https://pontosworld.com/index.phpAnd the Guardian article that inspired me to do this episode today:https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/apr/03/endangered-greek-dialect-living-bridge-ancient-world-romeykaWith music from Pavlos KapralosEnjoy!

* Enjoy some great olive oil discounts if you buy your oil from here:https://www.citizensofsoil.com/OLIVE10TDLand use the code OLIVE10TDL *Hello!Today's interview is with the master of German Historic Food, Volker Bach! And I'm so exciting to share it with you!What was medieval Germany? When and where do we find the first ever recipes in the German language?What would you eat as a peasant or as an elite? And what are the influences to modern German cuisine?Find out all the about and a lot a lot more, in today's episode!More about VolkerVolker Bach website: The history of German food in Europe and the worldhttps://www.culina-vetus.de/Kuchenmaistrey: A 15th-Century German Cookbookhttps://a.co/d/043L6kZOLandsknecht-Cookbookhttps://www.zinnfigur.com/en/Books-Media/Books/Middle-Ages/Bach-Volker-Landsknecht-Cookbook.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqOLTUT7AsJsNF--bOsu7OdP4AfA1eL9h-fUiaoTAQzQOT5UZDHMy online food recommendations for this week:Oyster farmer quits after pressure from royal landowner:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2k7n2jv29oThe Silk Road Gourmethttps://silkroadgourmet.com/Fare issue 19: Athenshttps://faremag.com/collections/single-print-issues/products/issue-19-athensImportantly, enjoy some great olive oil discounts if you buy your oil from here:https://www.citizensofsoil.com/OLIVE10TDLand use the code OLIVE10TDLEnjoy!xThom

Hello your recipe of the week on a Saturday is here!Enjoy!Importantly, enjoy some great olive oil discounts if you buy your oil from here:https://www.citizensofsoil.com/OLIVE10TDLand use the code OLIVE10TDLYou can buy the books of the authors I have invited on the podcast here:https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/thedeliciouslegacypodcastLove,Thom

Hello!The ancient Spartan society still has a grip in our culture. We use the words laconic, and Spartan to describe austere, frugal things, and people who don't use many words, just the right ones and the exact ones. The ancient Sparta was a very weird place and certainly a lot more cruel rather than heroic.It is time to see what their society truly was, how it functioned and what the warrior class do to survive.Of course we can't forget their infamous black broth soup, the dish that only -supposedly- Spartans loved! How was it made? What it consisted of, and was it really tasty?Join me to find the origin myths of Sparta, and dispel any myths that are still pervasive to this day.Read Plutarch's Live of Lycurgus here:https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Lycurgus*.htmlYou can buy the books discussed on the podcast here:https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/thedeliciouslegacypodcastMy recommendations for this week include:Eat Like an Ancient Greek PhilosopherBefore attending third-century dinner parties, readers consulted this “marvelous feast of words.”https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/eat-like-a-greek-philosopher-oldest-fish-recipeYucatán Peninsula Xunankab Bee Honeyhttps://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/slow-food-presidia/yucatan-peninsula-xunankab-bee-honey/north by sud- ouest charcuterie Northern curing, schooled in South-West France:https://www.northbysudouest.com/aboutMusic by Pavlos Kapralos.Love & GarumThom

Hello!Happy Wednesday and hope all is well my curious archaeogastronomers!I've been talking, thinking, cooking ancient Greek food and culture for years now but it struck me that I haven't had the chance to speak with many experts from Greece (and Greek experts for that matter) in the subject! Or at least bring them on the podcast as guests. I am more than curious to know had they think and what have they discovered. One person I was always interested to talk to, and I know of is Mariana Kavroulaki who's work I've been following online for over a decade.So here's my interview with the amazing Greek archaeologist and food historian Mariana Kavroulaki!I've include some extra links of the topics covered in our conversation today:Beer in ancient Greece:https://beer-studies.com/en/world-history/Birth-of-brewing/Archaic-beers/Crete-GreeceFranchthi Cave:https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/uploads/media/hesperia/147874.pdfhttps://www.travel.gr/en/experiences-ee/unknown-greece/franchthi-cave-and-the-dolines-of-didyma-in-the-peloponnese/Garos episode of The Delicious Legacy and other links about the topic:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-delicious-legacy/id1494707127?i=1000535608061https://www.costatropical.net/almunecar/almunecar-monuments-fish-factory.phphttps://costieraamalfitana.com/colatura-di-alici-di-cetara/https://www.eyeonspain.com/blogs/luislopezcortijo/19372/a-sauce-with-a-lot-of-history-in-southern-spain.aspxhttps://fuegoysal.com/en/producto/flor-de-garum-of-cadiz-andalusia/Mariana's website:https://historyofgreekfood.eu/about-2/The menu from the Hellenic Centre Dinner in London in 2024:https://helleniccentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Feast-Menu-4.pdfLove,The Delicious LegacyThom

*If you want to listen to the whole conversation with Jenny Linford, with the extra bits, please go to my Patreon page and subscribe from $3 dollars a month: https://www.patreon.com/thedeliciouslegacy?l=en-GB *Hello! Brand new episode is out for your delightful ears!It is obvious given that I often explore historical food themes, that I usually talk about food in time. But what about time IN food?In the 60s the average US house-wife would spend 112 minutes per day in the kitchen. In 2008 this figure was down to 66 minutes per day. A survey in 2022 in the UK found that “the most time consuming chore is cooking. The average Brit spends 253 minutes per week in the kitchen cooking meals. That’s the equivalent of 219 hours per year” and also went on “On top of this, we spend an average of 98 minutes a week washing up, which equates to 85 hours a year and 170 days in our lifetime. That’s a lot of time spent in the kitchen.” Feelings of time scarcity are increasingly widespread in industrialised societies. People are fulfilling a multitude of roles, possess an array of material goods, and want to get the most out of their leisure time, all of which influence feelings of not having enough time to get everything done. Time scarcity, or lack of time, is one of the major drivers of ultra-processed food consumption. This time crunch forces people to rely on ultra-processed foods that are ready to heat or ready to eat to buy back time. Overall, this time scarcity is an issue faced by the primary food shoppers, preparers and givers, who are disproportionately women across the globe.My guest today Jenny Linford is a food writer, author and passionate advocate of many many artisanal food producers, cooks, farmers and so on. People who put all their time to create some amazing food for us, to feed us and keep us alive but also for something more important I think. Because food, eating together and eating well is part of what we are. So today, we are discussing these themes from Jenny's past book, "The Missing Ingredient -The Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavour" which is of course -as the title suggests!- about the role of time in food. And time is crucial, not just in the home kitchen…but throughout the whole process of growing, maturing, fermenting, distributing the food. She explores through a series of essays the interconnected and important nature of this underappreciated ingredient from seconds to years. Together we will try and bring a much needed appreciation of the patience that is required and perhaps have a pause and bring time to cooking and eating. We had a fascinating discussion which I hope you’ll enjoy!You can buy Jenny's book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/17049/9780141982816"Everything that we eat is part of a cultural legacy that we've inherited" - Sandor Katz, Fermentation revivalistLove,ThomProducers, cooks and artisans mentioned on this episode:England Preserves: https://englandpreserves.co.uk/pages/about-usThe Wasabi Company: https://www.thewasabicompany.co.uk/Claire Clark: https://claire-clark.com/about/Mrs. Kirkham's Lancashire Cheese: https://www.mrskirkhamscheese.co.uk/CJ Jackson: https://www.kentseafood.com/https://www.waterstones.com/book/great-british-seafood-revival/cj-jackson/steve-lee/9781913159856Friis Holm: https://friisholmchokolade.dk/?srsltid=AfmBOoqomjPiETgdr3pM0wV93pZnJQb5y_byfo-IG04kMinDxfD9RToOBest woodfire socca: https://www.chezpipo.fr/enMusic by Pavlos Kapralos

Hello!Brand new episode is out and it's all about philosophy this time...!The menu is a little different today...Suki Finn is the author of a brand new book which will be released by Icon Books in two days time, Thursday 7th of May 2026, called "What's in A Doughnut Hole? And other philosophical food for thought" where she takes us into a journey of the mind talking, and making us thing about philosophical questions in a fun and foody way! The book explores many philosophical issues from various traditions broadly falling within the themes of metaphysics (on the nature of being and reality), epistemology (on truth and knowledge acquisition), value theory (on ethical and aesthetic judgements), and logic (on formal reasoning and mathematical concepts).Find out more on today's episode!Also you can get the book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/17049/9781526679734On this weeks recommendations I have three things for you; An article, a cookbook, and a video.World Crust — Pork Scratchings and Making Meat of the Scrapshttps://www.pelliclemag.com/home/2026/4/14/world-crust-pork-scratchings-and-making-meat-of-the-scrapsA Taste of Madagascar: Culinary Riches of the Red IslandBy Emmanuel Larochehttps://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/A-Taste-of-Madagascar/Emmanuel-Laroche/9798895650141How Tudor Sailors Survived a 7 Month Journey | Salt Pork Experiment:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tWQpJ8kR5UMusic by Pavlos Kapralos.love,Thom

Have you ever eaten Stargazy Pie, or Bath Chaps? Do you like Dorset Blue? Do you know what Brawn is?Hello!A couple of weeks ago I embarked into a journey looking into Yorkshire food. So i thought for the sake of balance i will find some interesting food, mainly hams cheeses and pies from down south and as much specifically to west england and some unusual ingredients from the past.so enjoy some delicious and strange recipes from the south west corner of England!Thom

Hello!Every Spring in Veria Imathia Greece, there is a little tradition; People walk, have picnics or cycle among the million pink blossoming peach trees.The spectacle of the fertile plains full of orchards in bloom from the city in the foothills of Mt Vermion and from air is magical.Peaches have a very strong connection with my local hometown where I grew up.But where is the peach from? What is the history of it in Greece?And most importantly how can you cook with it?Let's find out on this bonus episode plus three recipes with peaches!Enjoy!ThomCheck the blossoming peaches here:https://www.travel.gr/experiences/paramythenio-skiniko-monadiko-stin-el/ Spicy Peach Chutney from Veria:https://www.instagram.com/agkathas_farm?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==