Did people in the Middle Ages really eat moldy bread? It’s a common belief that our ancestors had iron stomachs capable of handling food that would send a modern person straight to the ER. While it is true that medieval Europeans frequently consumed stale, hard bread that was beginning to turn, the reality of their … Read more
If you look at a modern head of cabbage, you are seeing the result of centuries of selective breeding. Our modern cabbage and the plants we derived from it bear little resemblance to their loose-leaved ancestors. And, our common name for this ubiquitous source of plant foods could have been very different! Just as cabbage … Read more
While we use the phrase today to describe a low-priority task, the idiom’s origins are rooted in the literal design of early 20th-century stoves and the critical need for heat management in a busy kitchen. The False Etymology of Heat Zones on Wood-Burning Stoves Before the advent of modern gas and electric ranges with precise … Read more
If you grew up in a house where the Red Dot bottle was a permanent fixture on the table, you know the heartbreak of walking into a modern grocery store and finding a wall of ‘Louisiana Style’ sauces that just aren’t it. Like me, you’re greeted by Crystal Hot Sauce, a New Orleans staple that, … Read more
If you’ve ever been corrected for calling everyone’s favorite beef-based meat pie “Shepherd’s Pie,” you’ve likely been told that true Shepherd’s Pie must be made with lamb. It’s a common refrain among internet foodies: if it’s beef, it’s Cottage Pie. But while this distinction is treated as an absolute rule today, the actual history of … Read more
If you’ve ever seen “headcheese” on a deli menu or at a traditional butcher shop, your first reaction was likely, “That doesn’t look like cheese.” Despite the name, this historical delicacy contains no dairy at all; rather, it is a savory meat jelly or aspic that has been a staple of European kitchens since the … Read more