A Brief History of Food and how skilled cooks have been faking recipes for centuries.

An inside look at food and cooking in a ancient Roman kitchen.

An exploration of Roman gladiator diets to tie in with the Royal Armouries Museum's Roman Festival 2025.

The hidden history behind the meanings of food related words, terms and phrases.

What follows was inspired by the video “ Vegetables don’t exist ” on the “Words Unravelled!” YouTube channel hosted by Rob Watts from “ RobWords ” and Jess Zafarris author of the etymology books “Words from Hell” and “Once Upon a Word”. Meal Times As Tastes Of History is based in the UK our focus on food history and recipes is unashamedly British and Euro-centric. Clearly, however, cuisine and dining in the “Old World” has been heavily influenced by pretty much all areas

I wonder how many of us take the humble tin can for granted? Have you ever stopped to think of the origins of this omnipresent object as you toss another one into the recycling? As the name might imply, Tastes Of History spends a lot of time teaching history in primary schools across Great Britain. Our workshops from the Stone Age to World War 2 are also mirrored by our practical cooking demonstrations at historical events around the country. While talking with children and a

Recently the BBC broadcast an episode of “ Rick Stein’s Food Stories ” that stated the origin of fish and chips lay with the Portuguese who first fried fish in the 15th-century. While the fried fish claim might have a historical basis, as we will see, the connection with chips is more problematic as potatoes did not appear in Britain until the late 16th-century or early 17th-century. So, was Mr Stein correct? We set out to find out and it seems that, while now a quintessentia

For some time we, at Tastes Of History , believed the hare was a native species in Britain belonging to the genus Lepus [1] . A recent post on social media, however, advocated the Brown Hare was introduced during Roman times and that the Mountain Hare was the only native subgenus. We were surprised so had to investigate further. The Brown Hare, more correctly called the European Hare ( Lepus europaeus ), is native to much of continental Europe and part of Asia, ranging from

While working in one of our favourite schools, the book “ Roman Adventure ” (pictured right ) was discovered and was instantly intriguing given that Tastes O f History was founded on a passion for Roman history. Written by Roderick Hunt and Alex Brychta, it is a slim volume aimed at developing the reading and comprehension skills of primary school children [1] . What drew our attention was the “ Caesar-like ” character on the front cover who is apparently eating a pizza s

We will be “ Sailing the Pirate Round ” once again and as before we will be visiting several English Heritage sites across Britain and introducing visitors to some of the food and drink popular in AD 1700 during the reign of Queen Anne and at the height of the Golden Age of Piracy. Those visitors who sample the prepared dishes nearly all agree that our lobscouse is delicious. It being a mixture of fried potatoes, fried onions, corned beef hash, smoked ham and spices – the re

The diet of a Roman soldier consisted of wheat, rations of smoked bacon or fresh meat (when available, usually pork), vegetables, legumes, cheese, vinegar, olive oil, and wine. These rations were issued several times per week so that every soldier would have carried food for around three days. The cost of the ration, around 60 Denarii per year, was deducted from each soldier’s pay. Food Just like for Roman civilians the bulk of the diet of a Roman soldier consisted of wheat t

Discovering the history behind Chicken à la Marengo, reputedly Napoleon Bonaparte's favourite dish.

The longevity of ancient Egyptian society, some 3,500 years, was largely because they had the good fortune to live in a sunny land, well-watered by the river Nile, which was just right for growing a wide variety of vegetables and cereal crops. Throughout human history, however, your wealth dictated the access to and variety of foods available. Poor Egyptians relied on a diet of bread, beans, onions and green vegetables to stave off hunger. Where do we get our evidence? Food f

Grog is a term used for a variety of alcoholic beverages. In naval parlance, the word originally referred to rum diluted with water to which, on later long sea voyages, was added lemon or lime juice. Origin During the ‘Age of Sail’, a period that lasted from the mid to late-15th to the mid-19th centuries, sailors required significant quantities of fresh water on extended voyages. As desalinating sea water was not a practical option so fresh water had to be carried aboard ship

A brief history of food and their origins. This time, Peacock.

Dispelling a myth that Cheshire cheese has Roman origins.

A brief introduction to the meals served on board the RMS Titanic, which tragically sunk on the night of April 15th, 1912.

Grain and legumes Peas and beans, which made up a very large part of the diet of the Mediæval poor, were still treated as a staple food, but to a lessening extent during the Stuart period being replaced by cereals and the potato. The many varieties of grain remained the most important crop and were the daily staple for most segments of 17th century society. Differentiation was in the varieties, its quality and how it was prepared. The lower classes ate coarse bread of consi

A brief introduction to the sort of foods and drink available to sailors from reign of Queen Anne and the Georgian period, and specifically the Golden Age of Piracy (c. 1650 to c. 1726).

A brief history of food innovation in Victorian Britain.