WHAT IS A POT ROAST? This classic New England recipe actually has French roots. Before becoming pot roast it was known in France as Boeuf à la Mode (beef in a modern fashion), A frugal recipe that uses the cheaper cuts of meat which are then slow cooked. This allows the collagen to break down […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF FOOD
ARCHAEOLOGY OF MEAT – hot dog
WHAT IS A HOT DOG? Inside a hot dog almost nothing is off limits. Pigs, chickens, turkeys, organ meats or raw skeletal muscle are all acceptable ingredients. All of these trimmings are ground to a fine paste. They are then stuffed into a casing (either from cellulose or animal intestines) and vacuum sealed to preserve […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES – Cerignola Olive
WHAT IS A CERIGNOLA OLIVE? Named after the region of Italy they’re from, these stone fruits are famous for their large size and buttery flavor. Also known as Bella della Daunia, they’re a member of the Arbequina family! Naturally available in black or green, the red variety is created by adding dye during their 4 […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF BREAD – Yeast
WHAT IS YEAST? Believe it or not, it’s a type of fungus closely related to mushrooms! Their scientific name basically translates as “sugar-eating fungus.” After consuming the sugar, the yeast then excretes carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol back into the dough a.k.a. fermentation. This is crucial to the rising of the bread. The gas that […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF SEAFOOD – Bonito Flake
WHAT IS BONITO FLAKE? Also known as katsuobushi, this ingredient was first made in the late 1600s. The flesh of a bonito fish is dried, smoked, fermented and then grated into flakes. A key ingredient in dashi (powdered fish broth made from bonito and kelp), this is a major source of the umami flavor that […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF SEAFOOD – Flounder
WHAT IS A FLOUNDER? This member of the flatfish family is famous for having a pancake shape and 2 eyes on top. At birth flounders look like all other fish having the same narrow head shape with 1 eye on each side. But after their larval stage as the fish ages, one of their eyes […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF MEAT – porterhouse steak (beef)
WHAT IS A PORTERHOUSE STEAK? A member of the t-bone family of steaks, this area of the backbone is home to some of the most delicious flavors. One side of the bone has meat that is tender and almost creamy. On the other side you have a firmer, more flavorful cut. Served together, you’ve got […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF SEAFOOD – Scallop
WHAT IS A SCALLOP? Scallop is a general term for any one of a number of saltwater bivalves (clams, oysters and mollusks) or the meat harvested from them. The origin of the name comes from the French term “escalope” a term for a piece of boneless meat. In general they tend to be mobile swimming […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF HERBS & SPICES – Culantro
WHAT IS CULANTRO? Also known as Mexican or sawtooth coriander, culantro has a somewhat similar flavor but isn’t related. This Carribean ingredient can be added during cooking. Growing up to a foot in height and with a shape like saw-tooth lettuce, a minority of people who try it, like with cilantro, won’t like it. In […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES – Brussels Sprout
WHAT IS A BRUSSELS SPROUT? These tiny members of the cabbage family are grown for their delicious, edible buds! Cultivated in the 16th century in Belgium, they are named after the city which is why even a single sprout is still called a Brussels sprout (named after the city). They were first introduced to the […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF PULSES, NUTS & GRAINS – Marrowfat Pea
WHAT IS A MARROWFAT PEA? Also known as mushy peas, this is a popular pulse in English cuisine as well as in Asian snacks. The marrowfat peas is thought to have been introduced from Japan in the early 1900s, These peas are a member of the Maro family (thus earning the nickname marrow). The latter […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF PASTA – Alfabeto (a.k.a. Alphabet)
WHAT IS ALFABETO? Also known as alphabet spaghetti, this tiny pasta is made for soups. It is older then you think, with newspaper articles just after the U.S. Civil War mentioning it. The irony to me is that in Italian they use accents over some of their vowels. So even if an Italian kid gets the […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF MEAT – outside round steak (cow)
WHAT IS AN OUTSIDE ROUND STEAK? This sub-primal cut (larger then a steak and smaller then a side of beef) is a lean and inexpensive cut from the butt and hind legs of a cow. It’s also known as a bottom round, Western Griller or rump steak. If you’ve bought roast beef at a store, […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF BREAD – Damper Loaf
WHAT IS DAMPER LOAF? Also known as bush bread or seedcake, this soda recipe was popular with early Australian settlers. The dough is simple and easy to make. Stockman who herded cattle in remote areas would bake the bread in the ash remnants of their daily campfire. When the damper bread sounded hollow it was […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF MEAT – Iberico Ham (pork)
WHAT IS JAMON IBERICO? Also known as Iberian (southwestern Spain) ham, Jamon Iberico is exclusively from the native black pig. They’re a primitive breed, distinctive for having little hair and hooves that are actually black. With a much larger amount of fat both over and running through the muscles, they are cured for much longer […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF SEAFOOD – Plaice
WHAT IS A PLAICE? A popular fish and chips option in the Mediterranean , the name actually refers to 4 different types of flatfish. Plaice is a derivation of the Greek term platys a.k.a. “broad.” However when born they have a normal shape. They then gradually become flatter and flatter during the first few weeks […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF HERBS & SPICES – Black Sesame Seeds
WHAT ARE BLACK SESAME SEEDS? One of the oldest and most famous ingredients known to man, these seeds come from the tropical fruit pods of the sesamum indicum plant. When the seeds are mature these triangular pods burst open which gave rise to the original expression “open sesame.” The seeds are then hulled (removing the […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF PULSES, NUTS & GRAINS – Alfalfa Sprout
WHAT ARE ALFALFA SPROUTS? Also known as lucerne, these tiny green strands are actually a member of the pea family. These baby shoots of the alfalfa plant are harvested at a young age while still rich in vitamins and minerals. And as the plant grows, the leaves turn bitter making their flavor less desirable. In […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES – Adirondack Potato
WHAT IS AN ADIRONDACK POTATO? Also known as the Adirondack Blue or Adirondack Red, these tubers are dark brown on the outside. Each of these varieties comes in a beautiful hue of either a purplish blue or red on the inside. And unlike many other starches, this color holds even when roasted. Invented at Cornell […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF PULSES, NUTS & GRAINS – Sugar Snap Peas
WHAT ARE SUGAR SNAP PEAS? Also known as snap, butter or mangetout peas, they are a cross between snow and garden peas. The entire pea, including the pod, is edible despite having a thicker shell then snow peas. Delicious raw or blanched, they have a crunchy texture and sweet flavor. When hulling the sugar snap […]