Tasty Shepherd’s Pie is a relatively new tradition

“The Eastbourne Board of Guardians have ordered a mincing machine … for the use of aged and toothless paupers in their workhouse.” – Pall Mall Gazette, 1885 Maybe I’m just getting old and curmudgeonly, but …

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Pie will make you thankful for caves of Cheddar

When you amble over to that cheese board during a party and cut yourself a hunk of cheddar, you are indulging in a tradition that goes back thousands of years and involves everything from kings …

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Kugels have been embraced by different cultures for 8 centuries

Back in my younger days, I married into a family of Lithuanian-Polish descent. While in the bosom of this group, I discovered many traditions of which I had been unfamiliar. The Christmas season in particular …

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Don’t mince words: This pie has long been popular

EDITOR’S NOTE: Mincemeat can be used in a variety of ways, which does not allow for a meaningful nutritional analysis. “The serving men doe sit and whine, and thinke it long ere dinner time: The …

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Yule Bread handed down from ancient tradition

Have you ever wondered about the tradition of putting out a plate of cookies for St. Nicholas on Christmas Eve? Well, it’s older than you might expect – and may even stretch back to the …

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Let them eat (cheese)cake for the holidays

There are some things that just don’t go together. Bacon and ice cream, for example. Or anchovies and chocolate pudding. You can add to that list cheesecake and athletes. It just doesn’t work. Nevertheless, that’s …

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Picadillo: Sweet Mexican dish fit for an emperor

Gen. Augustin de Iturbide was nothing if not flexible. Instrumental in the Mexican War for Independence in the early 19th century, he started out fighting with the Spanish royalists, but switched sides to the insurgents …

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Muffins are baker’s delight for treat that can’t be beat

“Do you know the muffin man the muffin man the muffin man. Do you know the muffin man, That lives in Drury Lane?” – 19th-century English rhyme Food entomology can be tricky, especially when it …

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

We have Wampanoag to thank for tasty succotash

When British settlers first arrived in New England, they were at a definite disadvantage. Far from being farmers, they were largely a collection of lawyers and tradesmen, lacking the necessary skills for survival in the …

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Tasty black spice has peppered recipes for ages

“The door led right into a large kitchen, which was full of smoke from one end to the other; the Duchess was sitting on a three-legged stool in the middle, nursing a baby. The cook …

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Turn this prank into a delectable rice-based treat

Young Valerius was a very unhappy man. The year was 1574, and Valerius was an apprentice in charge of staining the decorated glass for the majestic Duomo di Milano, the massive cathedral under construction in …

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Stingy Jack’s tricks turn into our Halloween treat

There is an old Irish legend concerning an unsavory figure by the name of Stingy Jack. Jack was known far and wide as a man who would never pay for his drinks. Well, one day, …

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Making gelatin far easier than its ancient roots

In this age of modern convenience foods, it’s easy to lose track of the trials our ancestors had to go through just to create the most rudimentary dishes. Consider gelatin, for instance. When we want …

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

America has love affair with Twinkies – even deep-fried

I was recently watching CNN’s dispatches from the Iowa State Fair and was struck by the fact that, for those correspondents who weren’t out chasing Sarah Palin’s bus, they were obliged to report from the …

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Kids, create a tasty recipe with peanut butter

Young chefs have demonstrated their creativity in the kitchen for the last decade by reinventing the classic peanut butter sandwich with a twist in the Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest. Now through Oct. …

Wednesday, October 5, 2011