The Delicious Legacy

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 people (and the animals!) who did the hard work?Currently in California -where she was when we spoke online- but mostly researching in Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ostia about ancient Greco-Roman breadways.More info on bread from Pompeii by Farrell Monaco:https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230629-adoreum-the-newly-discovered-flatbread-fresco-of-pompeiihttps://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230406-arculata-the-bread-that-survived-pompeiiApuleius and The Golden Ass:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_AssEtruscan Tarquinian Tombs:https://tarquiniaturismo.com/tomb-of-the-triclinium/?lang=en Farrell's website and blog:https://tavolamediterranea.com/Music by Pavlos KapralosEnjoy!Thom & The Delicious Legacy

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 sake lees and how do we use it? What is the rare delicacy of Yubeshi?We will explore the key ingredients of Japanese cuisine and on top of this, we will take a deep dive some unknown ingredients and dishes from all over the Japanese archipelago.You can follow the pensioner, mountain tea farmers who farmed at 1000 feet above sea level deep inside a forest, on Instagram at @nakaichamuraiEnjoy!Thom & The Delicious Legacy

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-herculesΓεια 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/booksΕυχαριστώ για την ακρόαση. Μέχρι την επόμενη φορά, ας είμαστε δυνατοί γεροί και γεμάτη κουράγιο και ελπίδα.Η μουσική είναι του Παύλου ΚαπράλουΜε εκτίμηση,The Delicious LegacyThom Ntinas

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 time that it was mentioned in texts?Plus the relationship with it's eastern cousin asafoetida and its use in Indian cuisine!Enjoy!With the voice over by Mark Knightand music by Pavlos KapralosLove,Thom & The Delicious Legacy

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!ΘωμάςThe Delicious Legacy

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.Roughly 10% of the pre war population perished. A civil war that lasted 4 years ensued after liberation in 1944. Greece lay in ruins. Whoever could, in the 50's immigrated in USA, Australia and Germany to find a better luck.The after effects of the devastation and the great famine of WW2 were felt till recently. The grandmas talk about it, it has passed in the language and in the way people saw food in the subsequent decades.Listen to BBC's Witness History short episode:https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct3c59Recommended reading:Famine and death in occupied Greece, 1941-1944: By Violetta Hionidou · 2006The German Occupation Recipes:https://metabook.gr/books/oi-sintaghes-tis-katokhis-natalia-samara-gkaitlikh-20132Much Love,Thom & The Delicious Legacy

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 was also home to a thriving Jewish community for roughly 500 years; the Sephardic Jews.In the beginning of the 20th century they accounted for more than half of the total population of the city.As a result, Thessalonica’s food culture is a heady mix of influences from all across Greece, Balkans, and Turkey with amazing food, and rightly is considered by many the food capital of Greece.On today's episode, I have the honour to have as my guest Meni Valle, Greek-Australian cook and author, all about the best gastronomic destination in Greece, the city of Thessaloniki!!!In Valle’s new book, Thessaloniki: And the Many Kitchens of Northern Greece, published by Hardie Grant, she turns her focus to the diverse and historically rich cuisine of Greece’s second-largest city.Well, enjoy our discussion!https://www.menivalle.com.au/Her new book Thessaloniki is released soon in UK.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thessaloniki-Many-Kitchens-Northern-Greece/dp/1761450980My food cultural / historical recommendations for the week include:Dr Roderick Bailey: The British Experience of the Great Fire of Thessaloniki of 1917https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUMh1RoqKiwCulina vetusFreezing and Salting Pork:https://www.culina-vetus.de/2025/09/30/freezing-and-salting-pork/PopChop - Future Food Culturehttps://popchop.at/Building Blocks: Greek Whole Grain Tahini, and the Artisans Behind Ithttps://culinarybackstreets.com/stories/athens/building-blocks-37Music on this episode -as ever- by Pavlos KapralosEnjoy!Love,Thom & The Delicious Legacy

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 Janakievska, author of the book "The Balkan Kitchen, Recipes and Stories from the Heart of the Balkans". She has also won the British Library Food Season Narrative Cookery Book Award (2025) and a Special Award at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards (2024).The book was shortlisted for the Jane Grigson Trust Award (2023) and the Fortnum & Mason Debut Cookery Book Award (2025). She has featured on BBC Woman's Hour, BBC Radio London and Times Radio discussing Balkan cuisine.  She lives in south London with her husband and young son, cooking, researching and writing about Balkan history, food culture and culinary traditions, and where I went to chat about all things Balkan. plus tasting some delicious traditional home made specialities!Photo Credit is The Balkan Kitchen (Quadrille, 2024), Copyright for photos Liz Seabrook.Enjoy!Thom & The Delicious Legacy