Any nourishing substance that is eaten, drunk, or otherwise taken into the body to sustain life, provide energy, promote growth.
5
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2answers
62 views
Historical and biblical names for bottles of wine
According to sources like the linked sizes list at Wikipedia entry about bottles of champagne and other kinds of wine, various sizes of bottles took their names after ancient Jewish kings and other ...
7
votes
1answer
83 views
Why are the Portuguese so obsessed with salted codfish?
Portugal nowadays catches only a small amount of codfish annually but imports huge amounts (especially from Norway), sometimes already salted, sometimes not.
Salted cod or bacalhau is a very common ...
2
votes
3answers
111 views
Historical use of alcohol as a source of clean water
I've heard that there were two common methods to disinfecting water in the past: boiling water or turning it into alcohol. Presumably, those in the East relied on boiling water, while those in the ...
1
vote
0answers
29 views
What was the main diet of pre-agricultural Asians?
The modern Asian diet is based mostly around rice. Was rice a major part of the paleolithic Asian diet? Did they know how to process and eat rice before agriculture?
Aside from meats, what were other ...
3
votes
0answers
47 views
Why have wheat and rice been consumed in different forms?
Historically, wheat has been ground into bread, while rice has been boiled and consumed in "granular" form. Corn has been consumed both ways, "on the cob," and in corn bread.
Why is that?
7
votes
2answers
197 views
Why did Greeks and Romans dilute their wine?
I’ve gathered that ancient Greeks and Romans watered their wine heavily, up to 90% water. Roman-era Talmudic sources speak of wine not being fit to drink until it had been watered (although mixtures ...
10
votes
2answers
92 views
Which is the first culinary book ever written?
I strongly believe that food is a fundamental part of a country's tradition, so which is the first culinary book ever written?
3
votes
1answer
77 views
What was the main food source in old California?
What was the main food source in California during the Spanish and Mexican periods? I'm expecting it was either corn or wheat, but I don't know which.
5
votes
1answer
85 views
What are Kottabos players holding in their left hand?
What are these Kottabos players holding in their left hand?
It is seen in a lot of similar pictures. It is as if the player refills the kylix from it. Is it a skyphos? Any info on this?
7
votes
1answer
158 views
How was beer production affected by the war during WW2?
How did the war affect beer production during World War II? This is a follow-up question to this question at Seasoned Advice, which is gathering interesting food-science answers but which are are ...
13
votes
2answers
329 views
Which cultures did *not* produce alcohol?
I've been reading Harold McGee's fascinating On Food and Cooking, and the chapter on alcohol has some interesting historical notes. He describes the widely varied and creative methods used in various ...
10
votes
2answers
401 views
Evidence of diets that were exclusively vegetarian
What evidence, provided by archaeological anthropology, is there in regards to diets that were exclusively vegetarian by choice from Ancient history (4th millennium BC) to Classical antiquity (5th ...
6
votes
3answers
262 views
How did corn become the most produced crop in the world?
This article has corn listed as the most important crop produced in the world. For some reason I feel like rice, or wheat is the more logical choice. So what were the conditions, and events, that led ...
2
votes
1answer
84 views
What factors led to the US government issuing nutrition guidelines in 1916?
This timeline from the Washington Post says that the United States Department of Agriculture issued its first food guidelines in 1916 for children, and then did one in 1920 for adults. My question is, ...
13
votes
1answer
170 views
How did people react to Cavendish bananas when they first replaced the Gros Michel strain?
I was reading that the bananas we eat today (Cavendish) weren't particularly popular until the 50s, when the more popular Gros Michel variety was virtually wiped out by a nasty disease. Apparently ...
15
votes
1answer
248 views
When and how did classic “Italian” cuisine come to be?
Most people can recognize "Italian" food. Pasta, tomatoes, basil, etc. But many of the plants used in Italian food, didn't actually originate in Italy. Or even anywhere in the Old World. The ...
4
votes
1answer
121 views
What was the reason why Americas didn't take to buckwheat as a crop?
Buckwheat is a very useful crop, resulting in healthful food. It was (and is) extremely popular is Eurasia (especially Russia and China).
However, despite the fact that - as per Wiki - it was one of ...
27
votes
2answers
573 views
What was the typical peasant's diet like in Europe during the High Middle Ages?
I know that wheat, barley, rye, onions, lettuce-like plants and turnips were common but how common were other things like meat or cheese? I've heard the "plowman's lunch" was a concoction of the dairy ...
9
votes
1answer
219 views
Was the Granny Smith Apple the first green skinned apple widely propagated?
In my hometown (Eastwood NSW, Australia) we annually celebrate the Granny Smith Apple, which is assumed by many to be the first green apple widely propagated.
How true is it that it was the first ...
