The Delicious Legacy

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, he became obsessed with an idea: research into the keeping of foods that until now were considered highly perishable, such as milk, meat and green vegetables.A native of Chalons-Sur-Marne 1749 -1841 Appert is considered to have discovered the process of preservation by sterilization. No man is a prophet in his own country as the saying goes and so it was the Americans who were the first to call the process ‘appertizing’. He was at least officially declared a benefactor of humanity in 1822 by the Société d’Encouragement pour l’Industrie Nationale, but nonetheless died in poverty and was buried in a communal grave, like Molière before him. He made his methods common knowledge so that everyone could preserve food at home, and never bothered to take out a patent (which the Americans and English did not scruple to do on their own accounts). Preserving was basically a very simple business, once you had the idea. All you had to do, said Appert, wasFirst, enclose the substances you wish to preserve in bottles or jars; second, close the openings of your vessels with the greatest care, for success depends principally on the seal; third, submit the substances, thus enclosed, to the action of boiling water in a bain-marie for a period of longer or shorter duration, depending on their nature and the manner I shall indicate for each kind of foodstuff; fourth, remove the bottles from the bain-marie at the appropriate time. This method was to be the basis for all the preserved food produced on the planet, from industrial conveyor-belt lines to housewives bottling jars of garden produce in a home sterilizer. The drawback to glass was its fragility, and it was soon replaced by cans of welded tin-plate, used first by the Dutch for fish and then by the British for fruits preserved in syrup.Without him the history of canning and tinned food, would be perhaps a lot different, and the subject of today’s episode not possible...So on today’s episode I have a very special guest to tell me all about the history of one very specific, iconic and somewhat perhaps misunderstood tinned food: SPAM! Yes Spam! Dr Kelly Spring is the author of a brand new book that it is coming out this June in UK and July in the US about Spam, called “Spam - A global history”Kelly is a food historian and consultant and you can find more about her work and her services at theforkfront.com where they bring the past to life through food. She also has a food history podcast called Hungry Historians which you can find on Spotify. I’ll put a link in the show notes with the podcast as well as her new book. Enjoy!!!Get a copy of the book here:https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/spamListen to Kelly's podcast here:https://open.spotify.com/show/2dd70WM8rXd2rMKepkbjwu?si=708838ac72d549c6Love and cheeseThom & The Delicious Legacy

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 you can but it straight from their website here or Becky's websitehttps://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/champagne-2https://www.beckysueepstein.com/books/champagne-global-history/Enjoy!The Delicious Legacy

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.Nathalie writes "Menus whet our appetites. They tell us stories. They open windows on our past. They are designed both to pique and satisfy our curiosity. But even more so Nathalie argues that are strategic documents. They shape the diners' choices and enhance their dining experience.Ultimately, the endeavour is to emphasize the persistence of key elements over time and across contexts despite the myriad variations in menu design."Tastes and Traditions asks not just what is on the menu, but what the menu is doing. One takeaway is that menus “do not always present their wares in a straightforward way; some go off the beaten path, becoming almost as important as the food itself.”Cooke argues that we, as modern readers of historical menus, experience these documents as artifacts, with hindsight, curiosity and often surprise...Enjoy our conversation!Find out more on how to win a copy of Tastes and Traditions here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/do-you-want-copy-129031460Thom & The Delicious Legacy

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 things a little. Beer is never far away in my thoughts nor physically: a pub is relatively close to wherever I am in UK. These are two of the quintessential elements of British life. But my reason for inviting Jonny on the podcast is that he has a new and award winning book out now, with an even more profound and important history regarding beer! The book is called The Meaning of Beer: An Alternative History of the World and explores how -as it was called in many occasions, liquid bread- it gave us nutrition, calories, social bonding, but inventions that went past the food world into medicine and literally saved the lives of millions of humans subsequently! Our understanding of germs started under the microscope of a man trying to work out why beer turned sour! How would our history be shaped if there wasn’t beer in our lives for the past 13 thousand years?To find out, let’s dive into today’s episode!Buy a copy of the Fortnum & Mason award winning book here:https://www.davids-bookshops.co.uk/products/the-meaning-of-beer-an-alternative-history-of-the-world-by-jonny-garrett-pre-orderJonny's Beer YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@TheCraftBeerChannelOh and some lovely news: AUDIO WINNER at Fortnum and Mason Food and Drinks awards was the Comfortably Hungry podcast for the episode "The Culinary Creativity of the Enslaved"won my friend, colleague, Presenter & Producer: Sam Bilton! This is a podcast that I'm working on in a sound mixing capacity and I'm really happy for Sam I thoroughly enjoyed this season!https://www.fortnumandmason.com/food-and-drink-awards-winnersMuch love,Thom & The Delicious Legacy

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 violate her. But Pirithous, fully armed with Theseus, joined the battle with them, and Theseus killed many of them" -Zenobious, Centauromachy, V33Please enjoy this wine-soaked archaeogastronomical and mythical adventure in the wine history of Ancient Greece!Thanks to Pavlos Kapralos for his music.The A is For Apple Podcast episode that I've appeared is here:https://open.spotify.com/episode/6pQrdCPC32VCgsSgunH7jk?si=4001fb78b92646bdThe Europeans podcast I made a guest appearance is here:https://open.spotify.com/episode/2DqFL6863dmytM3oxYg5x9?si=666ec898ce7e4d5bSupport the podcast with one off donations on Ko-Fi here:https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcast

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/9780500481158xMuch love,Thom & The Delicious Legacy

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 endless diversity and its capacity to intrigue and to always offer something new and ‘hot’. Tourists and travellers, often pleasantly surprised by their meals and the warm manners that surround them, end up projecting healthy amounts of romanticism on to dishes and ingredients, enriching Italian food with their own desires and longings. Writers also do their bit to perpetuate the myth..."So who's better to explain the food history of Italy and what it means other than Fabio Paresecoli himself?Let's listen to him, today!The paperback edition of the book is out on 1st of May and you can pre-order here:https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/al-denteFind more about Fabio on his website here:https://fabioparasecoli.com/about/EnjoyThom & The Delicious Legacy

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 the world! How did that come about? And what was the genius systems of the Incas that helped grow this amazingly tasty and nutritious food?Let's find out on today's epic adventure!Recommendations for the week:The Puratos Sourdough Libraryhttps://www.questforsourdough.com/puratos-libraryPeople | Planet | Food, a Scigest podcast series exploring the intersection of sustainability, agriculture, and our global food system.https://www.plantandfood.com/en-nz/people-planet-foodCradle of Gold:The Story of Hiram Bingham, a Real-Life Indiana Jones, and the Search for Machu Picchuhttps://www.christopherheaney.net/cradle-of-gold/descriptionEnjoy!The Delicious Legacy

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 KapralosThe Delicious Legacy