Living out here across the pond, it’s easy to forget that the BBC has some really good radio shows. Not that I’ve ever lived on that particular side of the pond. Geeky girl that I am, I have heard some of the old Hitchhiker radio shows so I’m aware of the gems aired on BBC radio. I don’t remember how I found it, but there’s a really nice little food program on BBC 4 that you can catch on the web.
This week’s show is about the history of chutneys, pickles, and relishes. Journalist Sheila Dillon interviews a food historian, a pickle producer, chefs, and growers, while reporter Mark Holdstock talks to the managing director of Henderson Relish factory in Sheffield. The best part is listening to the pickle bubble as pickle maker Maya Pieris stirs the pot and offers Dillon a taste. Similarly, the Henderson factory is vivid with the sound of mechanical movement and steam. You can browse through the archive of previous shows, including one on Romany food and another on Iran.
Listening to the history of English condiments reminded me of my predilection for old recipes. One of the great wonders of human cookery (that’s humans cooking, not cooking humans) is “the fundamental interconnectedness of all things” (back to Douglas Adams). Traditional foods from disparate areas often have so much in common, sometimes even traceable to a common source. The key to finding these interesting connections is by looking at the history of these foods. Old cookbooks show us how we used to cook, and illuminate the origins of the way we cook today. Old cookbooks can be an adventure for the modern, sometimes jaded, palate. Many chefs, in fact, turn to historical recipes for inspiration.
Old recipes can inspire home cooks too, particularly during the holiday season. Some web searching returned some new and old favorites:
- Fannie Farmer Cookbook: A Bostonian classic, this particular version was published in 1918.
- Feeding America: A site one could easily browse for hours, this work in progress is a collection of historic American cookbooks. Entries include a description of the work with links to a few salient recipes, as well as the full text of the cookbook in HTML and PDF formats. Also fun to look at is a browseable gallery of historic kitchen utensils. My favorite is the bain marie, which is—quite literally—a bain.
- Gode Cookery: A collection of Chaucerian, Medieval, and Renaissance recipes with modern measurements.
- Medieval and Renaissance Food: A hefty collection of links to old cookbooks and individual recipes.
- Historical Culinary and Brewing Documents: A collection of links to old cookbooks in various languages.
- The Food Timeline: This site presents the history of food as a timeline starting from around 17,000 BC up to the current year. Foods are listed according to their appearance in history with links to both internal and external articles. The FAQ has some good links as well.
- Foods of Jerusalem: Short articles and recipes on food in the ancient Middle East during various periods.
- Oded Schwartz: In the same vein, check out Oded Schwartz’s astute articles on topics such as olives, dairy products, and the foods of the Bible.
