Once a week in Chiesa Nuova (Church of Santa Maria in Vallicella), after Saturday evening mass, worshippers can take part in a very strange spectacle – the sexton lets down a Ruben’s painting by remote control to reveal a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary behind it....
Guérande sea salt As long as 2700 years ago, salt was being extracted on the Guérande peninsula, in the southern tip of Brittany, near the Loire estuary. In the distant past clay containers full of salt water were heated in ovens until salt was produced. The Romans obtained...
According to legend, Athena and Poseidon were unable to agree on which of them was to rule Attica. Zeus, the father of the gods, was summoned to arbitrate. He told the squabbling pair that he would declare the victor whichever of them could show him the most beneficial discovery...
(Perugino, The vision of St. Bernard, c. 1490/91) The history of Bernard of Clairvaux illustrates the power of a single wise man to bring about radical change in the fortunes of a city and an entire region. It was the year 1134, and Bernard, soon to be declared a...
(Self portrait from Adoration of the Magi 1488) Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449 – 1494) was an Italian Renaissance painter, frescoist mosaicist from Florence. Among his many apprentices was Michelangelo. he is responsible for some wonderful pieces of art and this is the first of a series of blogs on these artworks....
This is a favourite salad of mine which can be used with both thinly sliced beef and chicken, depending on your preferences. I particularly like this salad as I grow radicchio, flat-leaf parsley, rosemary and rocket in my garden, so it makes the preparation of the salad very simple and...
Ok, so this may not strictly be Mediterranean, but certainly chocolate is, and anyway, my blog, so here is a little bit of decadence and something that is awfully good at boosting the endorphins. A glass of sparkling shiraz and you will be one happy camper!!! Chocolate and pretzels...
Dionysus was not part of the Homeric panetheon of Mount Olympus and in fact Dionysian worship did not become widespread in Greece until the 6th century BCE, which was precisely the same period in which wine emerged as a common beverage, something that was no longer reserved for society’s...
Here is a simply superb honey ricotta torte topped with grapes cooked in verjuice and honey until syrupy. There is so much to love about this as a dessert and even non-dessert lovers have been tempted to try a slice. The hazelnut pastry provides that wonderful flavour balance to the...
Welcome to my love affair with the food, wine, history and culture of the Mediterranean, past and present. Here you will find not only recipes, drinks and fabulous products, but the history of the food and culture of the Mediterranean.
My purpose is to get you to explore and experience new tastes and along the way to immerse yourself in the wonderful history of this diverse and wonderful region – from Venice to Istanbul, Rome to Dubrovnik, Athens to Crete and all places in between and in the surrounds. Be prepared to be surprised, delighted and enthralled as you take this trip with me.
