Tastes Of History
On This Day: The Spanish Armada is sighted
July 29th, 1588: On this day in 1588, the fearsome Spanish Armada is sighted off England’s southern coast.
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Tastes Of History
- Jul 24
About History: Press-ganging
Impressment, colloquially known as ‘the press’ or the ‘press gang’, was a means by which European navies could forcibly compel men into...
Tastes Of History
- May 29
Dispelling Some Myths: Wreckers and smugglers
Wrecking Wrecking is the practice of taking valuables from a shipwreck which has foundered or run aground close to shore. Wrecks were...
Tastes Of History
- May 1
Maasai “Lion” Spear
Pictured below is a spear recovered from an outbuilding at a former family residence, at the time called “Parthia”, in Beckhampton,...
Tastes Of History
- Apr 23
Dispelling Some Myths: Upside down Union Flags
The Union Flag pictured hangs in an upper hall of a London school recently visited by Tastes Of History to deliver a “Knight and Castles”...
Tastes Of History
- Mar 31
Dispelling Some Myths: Crucifixion
Crucifixion?...Good. Out of the door. Line on the left. One cross each. Next... Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which...
Tastes Of History
- Mar 20
A Brief History of Food: Fish ‘n’ Chips
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...
Tastes Of History
- Mar 1
About History: Named after a Battle
In an earlier article we explored the origin of the French dish Chicken à la Marengo which was named, according to a popular myth, after...
Tastes Of History
- Feb 21
A Brief History of Food: Hares
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...
Tastes Of History
- Feb 12
On This Day: The Forgotten Queen
February 12th, 1554: England's forgotten queen, Lady Jane Grey, is executed for treason. In most popular histories, and as taught in...
Tastes Of History
- Feb 7
A Brief History of Food: Pizza
While working in one of our favourite schools, the book ‘Roman Adventure’ (pictured right) was discovered and was instantly intriguing...
Tastes Of History
- Jan 10
About History: Grenade!
In warfare, throwing weapons at your enemies has a very long history indeed. In its simplest form, rocks could be hand-thrown by early...
Tastes Of History
- Nov 3, 2023
A Brief History of Food: Chicken à la Marengo
Chicken à la Marengo is a French dish, similar to chicken à la Provençale, that consists of a chicken sautéed in oil with garlic and...
Tastes Of History
- Oct 26, 2023
Food History: What did ancient Egyptians eat?
The longevity of ancient Egyptian society, some 3,500 years, was largely because they had the good fortune to live in a sunny land,...
Tastes Of History
- Sep 20, 2023
A Brief History of Food: Grog
Grog is a term used for a variety of alcoholic beverages. In naval parlance, the word originally referred to rum diluted with water to...
Tastes Of History
- Aug 30, 2023
Horrible History: Social Status
What follows was inspired by the tweet on May 25th, 2022 by @HistoryFilmClub shown right. Like many who responded naming just one...
Tastes Of History
- Aug 26, 2023
On This Day: Caesar invades Britain
August 26th, 55 BC: Gaius Julius Caesar first ‘invasion’ of Britain takes place. Britain was not unknown to the Classical world. As early...
Tastes Of History
- Jul 26, 2023
Dispelling Some Myths: Tintagel and King Arthur
A recent tweet described Tintagel Castle on the North coast of Cornwall as a ‘medieval fortification’, built in the 13th century, and...
Tastes Of History
- Jul 5, 2023
Dispelling Some Myths: ‘Duelling’ pistols
A beginner's guide to the history of duels and duelling.
Tastes Of History
- Jun 29, 2023
On This Day: The Globe on fire
June 29th, 1613: The Globe Theatre burns to the ground. The first recorded performance of William Shakespeare’s ‘All is True’ took place...
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