Category "history"

Why are these called "no bake" brownies?

I have this old recipe, that my grandmother's aunt's, someone or other (don't really know any more, no one alive can remember) cut out of a magazine years and y

Why do so many things cook at 180C/350F

It seems that many, if not most recipes, that involve cooking something in an Oven specify a temperature of 180 Celsius or 350 Fahrenheit (if using a Fan oven,

How did people transport food before aluminium foil was invented?

I know this question does not concern cooking, however I wondered how people transported their food before aluminium foil was invented (circa

Why is there no pork on the Indian take-away menu?

The standard Indian takeout menu does not represent the kind of food eaten in India. India is a large country and "Real Indian food" is little more meaningful t

What are mandrakes? Are they edible? How are they prepared?

Mandrakes (mandragora) are mentioned in the Bible as an aid to fertility (cf. Genesis 30:14), but what exactly are mandrakes? I hear they are poisonous, have na

Interpreting a recipe from Mrs Beeton: "carbonate of soda"

Prompted by a discussion at English.se I may be going to make Mrs Beeton's soda biscuits recipe: SODA BISCUITS. INGREDIENTS.—1 lb. of flour, 1/2 lb. of p

Concerning meat of hard digesture

Relating to the history of food and cooking, I have two questions pertaining to this quote by the (rather) late Philip Stubbs: Questions: What would constit

Is sour cream in olde recipes the same as sour cream today? [duplicate]

I have a really old cookbook (about 1890) that calls for soured cream or sour cream in some recipes. Is this the same as the stuff you get in

Is allspice traditional in the Levant?

From the Wikipedia entry for allspice: Allspice is also indispensable in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly in the Levant, where it is used to flavour a

Why did flatbread dominate the Middle East but Europe adopted raised breads?

This may be a history question so please move it if appropriate. Culturally, local ingredients dominate cooking recipes and national dishes (e.g., soy in SE A

How much is "1-2 cents worth" of yeast in an old recipe?

I'm looking through an old cookbook, ''The Art of German Cooking and Baking'' by Lina Meier (2nd Ed., 1922, Milwaukee, file on wikipedia). There is a recipe for

Was honey in ancient times different than now?

I am trying to reproduce a recipe found in the Roman "cookbook" Apicius, Conditum paradoxum: it is a spiced wine that calls for honey as an ingredient, but it u

Has the storage duration of packaged "fresh" dairy products increased in the last 30 yrs?

Has the general shelf life / storage duration / packaging hygiene / of pasteurized milk, cream or yogurt significantly increased in the last 30 years in western

What is the historical origin of the sauté cooking technique?

Although the term sauté is used colloquially in the US to refer to other types of frying, it is a specific cooking technique that involves high heat and

What vinegar was used in 1904?

What kind of vinegar would best replicate that was being used in the USA, upper Midwest in a recipe dated 1904? It is a potato salad recipe. The potatos & e

Is spaghetti and bechamel sauce an authentic Italian dish?

I have seen instances where people mix white sauce / bechamel with spaghetti or macaroni but never seen a reputable chef to do so. This mix is sometimes mistake

What is "White Moist Sugar"?

Looking online at a copy of Mrs Beetons Book of Household management and I came across a recipe that called for "White Moist Sugar". https://en.wikisource.org

Traditionally, why are 'pasta bowls' wide and shallow?

I was curious as to why they're marketed as pasta bowls in the UK, and it's because they're frequently used for pasta (obviously). Buy why are bowls used for pa

Is there a wine traditionally served with beef carpaccio?

Is there a wine traditionally served with beef carpaccio? Like, they would typically serve flammkuchen with federweisser.

What is the history of the white chocolate macadamia nut cookie?

By now in 2019, white chocolate macadamia nut seems a very typical cookie flavor (in the United States), available from lots of different shops and in lots of d