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An 18th-century Curry
What to do with leftover lamb from Sunday's roast? Obviously, make an 18th-century curry. The version below is a variation of one by Hannah Glasse (1708-1770) for a mild chicken curry. Our recipe uses a delicious curry mix from The Copper Pot, purveyors of fine historic foods.

Tastes Of History
Jul 16, 2020


Aliens & Pyramids
Dispelling the myth that extra-terrestrials ("aliens") built the world's pyramids rather than a combination of human ingenuity and convergent thinking.

Tastes Of History
Jul 15, 2020


Review: History Channel's Warrior's Way
A review of the History Channel’s TV documentary series “Warrior’s Way” and criticism of where history is poorly portrayed in dramatized re-enactments.

Tastes Of History
Jul 9, 2020


Stirrups
A brief history of stirrups, when they first appeared in Europe, and why the Romans never used them.

Tastes Of History
Jun 28, 2020


Dispelling Some Myths: The 300 Spartans
Did just 300 Spartans defeat a million Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae? Or is this simply a heroic myth?

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


Horrible History: Documentary Re-enactments
At Tastes Of History we pride ourselves on trying to be as accurate as possible in what we do, especially when recreating history for the purposes of entertaining and educating the public. In more than two decades we have accrued a wealth of knowledge on the ancient Romans. Imagine then the horror when we saw this screenshot taken from an advertisement for a History Channel television programme.

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


Recipe: The Spring Oven Ciabatta Bread
Tastes Of History recently purchased a new toy: The Spring Oven. With ancient Greco-Roman forebears, and looking very much like a North African tajine, this [slip cast] terracotta creation is designed to steam bake bread at home for 'bakery style results'.

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


Dispelling Some Myths: The Hidden Code in Statues
Do statues of a horse and rider reveal how the named person died. In the United Kingdom, and the United States, this is a popular urban myth.

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


Dispelling Some Myths: “Ring a Ring a Roses” and the Great Plague
For those of us of a certain age, you might remember being told at school that the children’s rhyme "Ring a Ring a Roses" was all about the Great Plague that swept Britain in AD 1665 to 1666. The evidence from studying folklore suggests its all a myth.

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


Dispelling Some Myths: Julius Caesar's Birth
You could be forgiven for thinking the medical procedure known as Caesarean section was named for Roman statesman and general, Gaius Julius Caesar. It is, however, a myth. Find out why.

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


A Brief History of Food: Roman Pasta?
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.

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


Roman Placenta Cake
Placenta cake is not what you might at first think. To the ancient Romans, placenta, like its erstwhile fellow, libum, were cakes made with honey to be used in important religious services. Here's a recipe to recreate this delicious dish.

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


Dispelling Some Myths: Viking Horned Helmets
One of the history workshops that Tastes Of History offers for schools is on the Vikings. In doing so, we try to get our costume as accurate as possible so, just like the Vikings, we don't wear horned helmets. Find out why as we dispel a myth.

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


What’s in a Name: Vikings
Today we use the term “Viking” for anyone from the Scandinavian communities of Denmark, Norway and Sweden during the late 8th to late 11th centuries. In Britain, therefore, the “Viking Age” is commonly understood as the period from the earliest recorded raid in AD 793[1]until the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. To call all of these people 'Vikings' is mistaken as the name doesn't really describe the distinct tribes, groups or communities of the Early Mediæval period. Fi

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


Dispelling Some Myths: Democracy's Roots
Ancient Athens in the 5th-century BC is often held to be the birthplace of democracy. The idea, however, was not unique to Athens. Other city-states (poleis, sing.polis) also adopted the principle of giving their citizens the right to decide on the issues facing them, but none are as well documented as Athens. So, for most western democracies it is to ancient Athens that they look for inspiring modern government. But how much would we recognise of Athenian democracy?

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


Dispelling Some Myths: Thumbs Up
Most people in western culture recognise the "thumbs up" gesture as one that indicates all is well, while conversely "thumbs down" means the exact opposite. Reinforced by movies and the media, nearly everyone accepts that the gestures hail from the days of the Romans. But it's a myth. Find out why.

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


Dispelling Some Myths: "Cleopatra's Needle"
Dispelling the popular myth that Cleopatra's Needle, an ancient Egyptian obelisk in London has any connection with the Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt.

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


Roman “Burgers”
What have the Romans ever done for us? How about they created the earliest known recipe for burgers.

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


Union Flag or Union Jack?
In April 1606 Britain adopted a new national flag, but is it a "Union Flag" or a "Union Jack"? Find out here.

Tastes Of History
Jun 21, 2020


A Brief History of Food: Blood Sausage
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.

Tastes Of History
Jun 20, 2020
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