The history of the humble chicken's arrival in Britain remains a bit of a puzzle. Found everywhere today, just where did these birds originate, and do we have the Romans to thank for their introduction?

We keep hearing mention of pasta's ancient Roman roots, but as far as we can ascertain pasta in the form familiar to us today simply did not exist until the 13th century at the earliest. Here at Tastes Of History we have attempted to work out why this popular misconception persists.

Recipes for sausages filled with blood that are cooked or dried and mixed with a filler are found worldwide. Find out more about Blood Sausages.

A brief history of the long and lucrative worldwide spice trade.

A brief history of the chilli pepper.

The origin of how turkey became the Thanksgiving dish and fashionable at Christmas.

In an earlier post ("Daily Meals in Tudor England") mention was made of "Collop Monday", the day before Shrove Tuesday, in connection with the origins of breakfast. More recently we produced "Scotch Collops" for English Heritage's "Elizabethan Pageant" at Kenilworth Castle, but what is a "collop"?

Given their Mediterranean roots, Roman cuisine was influenced by, and in turn influenced, the ancient Greeks.

A pre-history of lactose intolerance.

The discarded bone of a chicken leg, still etched with teeth marks from a dinner thousands of years ago, provides some of the oldest known physical evidence for the introduction of domesticated chickens to the continent of Africa.

A brief history and description of common ingredients, in this case, the common pheasant.

A brief history and description of common ingredients, in this case, tea.

A brief history and description of common ingredients, in this case, salt.

A brief history and description of common ingredients, in this case, broccoli.

A brief history and description of common ingredients, in this case, strawberries.

A brief history and description of common ingredients, in this case, chocolate.

A brief history and description of common ingredients, in this case, the tomato.

A brief history and description of common ingredients, in this case, the carrot.

A brief history and description of common ingredients, in this case, the humble potato.

Who introduced the rabbit to Britain? Was it the Romans or the Normans?