WHAT IS MAROILLES? Created over a thousand years ago in the Abbey of Maroilles, this fromage is another member of France’s orange, washed rind cheese community. Maroilles is a bit bigger and so will last longer from production then Livarot. The cheese has different names depending on its size, small being called a Quart (quarter), […]
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ARCHAEOLOGY OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES – Red Cabbage
WHAT IS A RED CABBAGE? Cabbages in general are leafy, ball-shaped vegetables that are relatives of broccoli. The red version is just a regular cabbage that’s rich in anthocyanins. This compound gives the head its’ unique scarlet or purple coloration. The lower the pH of the soil, the redder will cabbage will become. Long ago the color […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Formaggio di Fossa
WHAT IS FORMAGGIO DI FOSSA? The Italian name of this little known cheese translates as “cheese of the pit.” It is made from either cow or a cow/sheep’s milk. Originally in the 13th century these subterranean silos were used to store grain. But farmers started hiding their precious cheese in their underground granarys every time […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF SEAFOOD – Carp
WHAT IS A CARP? Believe it or not, this giant, oily fish is actually a member of the minnow family! It also has an undeserved reputation as the bad boy of freshwater seafood. Considered by many to be an invasive species, they are a hardy and adaptable, surviving in environments where food or even oxygen […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES – Blackberry
WHAT IS A BLACKBERRY? These dark, delicious fruits are from prickly bushes that are members of the rose family. Similar to raspberries but black in color, the blackberry is often thought to have originated in North America, but it’s a European import. They are both easy to gr0w and perrenial! WHY ARE BLACKBERRIES GOOD […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Brillat-Savarin
WHO WAS BRILLAT-SAVARIN? At the end of the 19th century, Henri Androuet named this cheese after French gastronome and physiologist Brillat-Savarin. Born over 100 years earlier, he was the author of such famous statements as “Dessert without cheese is like a beauty with only one eye”. Think of him as the bachelor gourmet precursor to […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF SEAFOOD – Oyster
WHAT IS AN OYSTER? It’s a salt water bivalve mollusc that is often asymmetrical in shape and delicious. They feed by sucking water through their gills and eating the particles of plankton trapped there. Oysters play a critical role in their local ecosystem with a single mollusc filtering up to 50 gallons of water a […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Caciocavallo
WHAT IS CACIOCAVALLO? Caciocavallo looks like a cheese that was made into a sad pear. Normally you don’t hear the term “strung up” outside of 50 Shades of Grey. But this cheese is hung from the ceiling while drying. With the neck of the cheese hanging from a rope, gravity causes the formaggio to stretch. […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF PASTA – Cannelloni
WHAT IS CANNELLONI? This Italian pasta is a short cut tube which is stuffed and covered in sauce. The name comes from the latin word for “reeds”. This evolved into the Italian word cannello or “tube.” In the States the name “manicotti” is also used for this cut, which means “big sleeve.” For Americans manicotti has […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Myzithra
WHAT IS MYZITHRA? Myzithra is made from a mix of either raw cow, sheep and or goat’s milk and half as much whey. Associated most strongly with Crete, it comes in two types. There is the fresh, less salty fresh version called xinomizythra which looks like a granular cream cheese. It’s fermented to varying degrees […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF MUSHROOMS – Porcini
WHAT IS A PORCINI MUSHROOM? Porcini mushrooms a.k.a. “cèpes” are an edible fungus that originated in the northern hemisphere. But can now be found all over the world. They grow to around 4 inches in height and are characterized by a large, dark brown cap and white stem. Spores form during the summer and autumn […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Durrus
WHAT IS DURRUS? Durrus is a raw cow’s milk, semi-soft cheese created by Ms. Jeffa Gill in her West Cork farmhouse. Ms. Gill was a part of the revival of artisanal Irish cheese making that occurred in the late 1970’s. Aged for about a month, Durrus has a creamy paste and pink yellow rind due […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES – Artichoke
WHAT IS AN ARTICHOKE? This bizarre food is the friendly yet intimidating alien of the gourmet world. Originally from Sicily, wealthy Romans considered it a delicacy when served with vinegar and honey. However it’s actually a thistle and the part that you eat is the flower (pre-bloom)! While this succulent mystery looks like a […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF SEAFOOD – Crawfish
WHAT IS A CRAWFISH? These freshwater crustaceans are known by many names including freshwater lobsters and mudbugs. They are half the size of lobsters and is abundant in some swamps and streams. However these rural delicacies are often misunderstood. Much like tadpoles, crawfish are a great way to see if a local water source is […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Sainte Maure
WHAT IS SAINT MAURE? Named after its’ hometown of Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, this log of semi-soft goat cheese is rolled in ash, giving a blue-grey coloration. A stick runs through its center, making it the French equivalent of a very heavy lolly pop. It uses very little rennet and relies on lactic fermentation of the milk to […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES – Garlic Scapes
WHAT IS A GARLIC SCAPE? So scapes are the green shoots that grow out of the top of a garlic clove that sat too long in your kitchen. They’re also a metaphorical criticism of your cooking ability. Seriously, who doesn’t use garlic when cooking!!!!! Anyway, cut them off to allow your garlic cloves to grow […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Mahon
WHAT IS MAHON? This Spanish cow’s milk cheese (sometimes with sheep) is named after an island port. Its’ texture can range from soft to hard depending on if this queso has been aged 2 or 10 months. When being matured, Mahon is rubbed with a natural fat (oil or butter) infused with paprika. Hence Mahon’s […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF SEAFOOD – Cod
WHAT IS A COD? There are 2 basic types of cod, those from the Atlantic and those from the Pacific ocean. Both are bottom dwelling cold water fish. Popular for their mild flavor and firm yet flaky flesh, this fish can grow to be bigger almost 2 meters (6’5″) long! Early Vikings were able to […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Gloucester
WHAT IS GLOUCESTER? This classic English cow’s milk cheese is either made from skimmed cow’s milk (Single) or full fat (Double Gloucester). The latter is aged longer, is twice as big and the more popular of the two. While the former is also delicious, it is younger, crumblier and not quite as nutty. Some are […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF PASTA – Ravioli
WHAT IS RAVIOLI? Ravioli are Italian dumplings that consist of a filling between two layers of dough. There are many variations as they are great for using up table scraps or leftovers. One theory is that the Italian word riavvolgere or “to wrap” is the origin of this name. That is until the 1920’s when […]