The treat called Turkish Delight that Edmund ate in The Chronicles of Narnia is a type of confection is a type of confection known as a starch jelly. Examples of starch jellies familiar to Americans are orange slice candies, spearmint leaf, gumdrops, or even Swedish fish. You would never be able to make any of … Read more
When people ask who invented ketchup, they are often surprised to learn it wasn’t a modern company like Heinz. The true origin of ketchup isn’t American at all; it traces back centuries to ancient Asian fish brines. I scoured the history books for ketchup etymology, and found that our favorite tomato condiment actually began as … Read more
Although the word dram was originally used colloquially to mean a small quantity of anything, it eventually came to be used primarily to describe an amount of liquid of a drink, specifically the amount of liquid drunk all at once. For instance, you might have heard, “I’m dying of thirst, can you give me a … Read more
Allspice is the dried unripened fruit of an evergreen plant in the Myrtle family called Pimienta dioca. It is commonly called the pimento tree. The tree is indigenous to Central America and grows from Southern Mexico to Panama and throughout the Caribbean. Other names for the spice is Jamaican pepper, clove pepper, pimento, and English spice. Although dried allspice … Read more
Understanding the coleslaw origin requires a quick trip back to the late 1600s. Originally known as koolsla by Dutch settlers in New York, the dish literally translates to “cabbage salad.” While it’s now a staple of modern comfort food, the journey from Dutch “koolsla” to American “coleslaw” is full of fascinating etymological twists. Coleslaw Origin: … Read more
Most people who like to cook and eat mussels believe that they are done cooking when the shells open. Furthermore, any mussels that don’t open cannot be eaten because the mussels were dead. You should always throw away unopened mussels! Is this true? Are closed mussels bad? Can you eat dead mussels? The truth is, … Read more