With some nostalgia, Rome occasionally commemorates Angelo Valiani, a character who made his name at the end of the 19th century as a master of the cold buffet, first at the station of his native town of Orbetello, later in Grosseto, and finally also in Rome. His speciality was...
This weekend as part of our football celebrations, I decided I would cook up a beer cake for the ‘boys’ so that they could have a piece of cake with their beer if they so desired. Seemed to be a sound proposition as there wasn’t any cake remaining by...
The famous bridge of Avignon was built in the 12th century by St Bénézet, but was abandoned in the 17th century after having been swept away on several occasions by floods of the Rhône. But who was this ‘saint’ and how did he come to build this bridge? For...
I recently was asked to make the most divine of chocolate puddings I could come up with for a friend’s birthday. The only specific instructions I received were that it had to include chocolate, caramel and rum and it had to pack a flavour punch not to be forgotten. Now I’ve...
This piece is attributed to Francesco Michele Tramezzino, Venetian printers, as well as friends and publishers of the famed Bartolomeo Scappi on the publishing of his 1570 Opera – The Art and Craft of the Modern Cook – and is worth sharing… “To the Readers The main purpose of good...
Domenico Romoli, a contemporary of Bartolomeo Scappi (see a previous blog entry), first had published in 1560 his Singolare dottrina which was an accumulation, much like Scappi’s work, of his professional knowledge and wisdom in the keeping of a house. In Book 1 of this work which he is writing to a younger...
Now that spring is here, at least in my part of the world, and the days are warmer and longer promising things to come, I start to look for dishes which are fresh, light and above all, colourful. Of course salads are a key feature of menu planning, but...
One of Venice’s Renaissance masters was Vittore Carpaccio (1465 – 1525/26), an Albanian painter who studied under Bellini. While he is probably best known for his cycle of nine paintings, The Legend of Saint Ursula, he also painted two paintings of St Jerome’s monastery which are well worth viewing...
When Nero died in 68AD, his successors strived to eliminate the last traces of his extraordinary palace on the Esquiline, the famous Domus Aurea (Golden House). The rooms, glittering with gold and precious stones and decorated with frescoes, marble sculptures and multi-coloured stucco, were looted and then buried up...
This is a quick and easy, but oh so tasty salad to prepare which will serve 4 as a side dish or two as a light meal. If you can’t get hold of Persian lentils, you can use Puy lentils which work just as well and Greek feta is...
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.
