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Questions tagged [history]

Questions pertaining to current culinary practices and foods--how did we get where we are today?

Note that only the history of things which are otherwise on topic (cooking, equipment, etc) is on topic.

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Why did flatbread dominate the Middle East but Europe adopted raised breads?

This may be a history question so please move it if appropriate. Culturally, local ingredients dominate cooking recipes and national dishes (e.g., soy in SE Asia), but why do Europeans add a raising agent to bread items to make loaf bread whilst…
Venture2099
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Why are there so many different pasta shapes?

Do the different pasta shapes serve any purpose, or are they just for fun? Some difference appear to be cultural (lo mein vs spaghetti), but there are so many different syles of Italian pasta, is there a reason for this? Clearly there need to be…
DaveParillo
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Was honey in ancient times different than now?

I am trying to reproduce a recipe found in the Roman "cookbook" Apicius, Conditum paradoxum: it is a spiced wine that calls for honey as an ingredient, but it uses a lot (30 % of the volume of the wine). This means – adapting the recipe, that…
Andrea Shaitan
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What was Indian food like before the arrival of the chili pepper from the Americas?

One of the things associated with Indian cuisine is heat from chili peppers. Yet, chili peppers can only have been introduced to Asia from their Central and South American homeland after the Spanish conquests of the 1500s. What was Indian food like…
immutabl
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Why did my grandfather-in-law salt his beer?

My grandfather-in-law was born in England in the 1920s and fought in World War II. Somewhere along the line he acquired the habit of salting his beer before drinking it, which persisted for the rest of his life. I'm as curious about the cultural…
SevenSidedDie
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What did European/American historical cooks do with the egg whites?

I do some historical cooking out of old cookbooks, like Amelia Simmons' American Cookery or The Art Of Cookery Made Plain and Easy. One thing I've noticed is that these cookbooks use way more egg yolks than whites. For example, I prepared an 18th…
FuzzyChef
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Why are salt and pepper the "classic" dinner table seasoning?

Is there a reason we use salt and pepper on so many dishes and they can be found in any kitchen table at dinner time? Does it have to do with their flavor synergies, or were they just more available "back in the day"?
n0pe
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How did people transport food before aluminium foil was invented?

I know this question does not concern cooking, however I wondered how people transported their food before aluminium foil was invented (circa 1900, which is not too long ago). Did people in the middle ages only carry preserved food with them on long…
B.Swan
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Why doesn't Greek cuisine use a lot of spices, compared to neighbors?

According to what I know almost all countries in the Mediterranean which surround Greece use a lot of spices in their cuisine. Greece itself has been occupied by such countries for hundreds of years. There has always been trade and travel between…
cheater
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How was the usage of yeast for bread discovered?

From where did people get the yeast for their bread??
user41277
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Cumin in Taco Seasoning?

I've noticed that I never taste cumin in the tacos I get at restaurants, yet cumin is often the most noticeable flavor in pre-made taco seasonings. When and why did cumin get associated with tacos? Why is it not used in most restaurant preparations?
Charles Hudgins
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Where can I find ancient ages/middle ages recipes and preparation techniques?

I always had an interest for recipes from ancient ages (ancient Greece, Roman empire) and middle ages (i.e. after the fall of the Roman empire until the Renaissance). It's nice to experience what people who lived hundreds of years ago ate daily, or…
Stefano Borini
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Why do chefs traditionally wear a high white hat?

The stereotypical chef beloved of TV, cartoons, and elsewhere is always pictured wearing a high white hat. A hat I can understand. But why so high?
Tea Drinker
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Cups v. weighing scales - is there an historical explanation?

Broadly speaking UK recipes will specify amounts by weight (lbs/ounces or metric), whereas American recipes will specify amounts by volume (cups). Is there an explanation for how the two different approaches arose in the first place? I'm not talking…
Tea Drinker
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Why are non-orange coloured carrots so uncommon?

Carrots come in a great variety of colours, from almost white to dark purple. However, the most ubiquitous colour variety is orange, and often the only to be found in regular supermarkets. Why is this?
citizen
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