A guide to poisons, their history and uses in the ancient world.

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

At just under 2 kg, a single Ostrich egg weighs about the same as a whole chicken and remarkably is the equivalent of 24 normal-sized chicken eggs. If you can obtain one, cook it and open it, then one Ostrich egg can feed up to 10 people. A typical egg is 200 mm tall, with a circumference of c. 450 mm, provides 2,000 calories and 144 g of protein. The latter is three times an adult’s recommended daily protein allowance but Ostrich eggs also contain calcium, iron and vitamin

A brief history of foods and their origins. This time, sugar.

A brief history of the orange inspired by a delicious Georgian era recipe for Orange Cake.

A brief history of the pineapple, a tropical plant with an edible fruit indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuries.

According to a BBC News tweet , the "Welsh leek" could be set for protected status. "A Brief History of Foods", reveals how surprisingly few of our commonly used ingredients are not native to these shores. Such is the case with leeks, whose Welsh heritage is not so clear cut.

A series exploring a Brief History of Foods, in this case Coffee.

A brief introductory history to the humble sausage, popular worldwide.

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

A simple guide for teachers and pupils on food history in Britain and some of the foods introduced by the Romans.

A brief history of the mysterious plant named silphium famed for its flavour in ancient cuisine.

A brief history of the use of sweet chestnuts in cooking.

A brief history of cheese and cheesemaking.

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.