Medieval History
It's dark, chewy and protein-packed. It's fruity-sweet and studded with nuts. Sticky on the inside but smooth on the outside, it travels well.
It's panforte, a traditional Tuscan spiced fruitcake so dense as to be almost candy. Invented in medieval Siena, where monks baked it for local Crusaders enroute to the Holy Land -- hey, Crusaders need comfort food too -- this flour-sugar-citron-almond-hazelnut-clove-cinnamon-nutmeg-honey melange is made to last. Its very name means "strong bread" -- strong-tasting and more durable than donuts. It's history's first energy bar.
And it's back. At the 37th annual Fancy Food Show in San Francisco last week, no less than three different companies debuted brand-new versions of this glorious relic from an age when Istanbul was Constantinople, and sultans paid bounties for every severed Christian head.
Click here to read this article from the Huffington Post
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Historians of the Fourth Crusade (1202-04) have been seeking explanations why the crusaders decided to sail to the Byzantine capital of Constantinople instead of Egypt. Some believe that the crusaders were tricked into doing it by the Doge of Venice or...
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Construction workers building Ireland?s largest energy project have discovered ancient skeletal remains on farmland in Rush, north county Dublin. The discovery was made as EirGrid laid piping for a high voltage direct current underground power line. ...
- Wakefield Museum: Sugar And Spice And All Things Nice
Yorkshire academics have launched a mouth-watering new exhibition exploring the history of the sweet tooth. The free-to-all exhibition at Wakefield Museum traces the evolution of sweet foods through history, examining their different nutritional roles...
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To piggyback on Matthew's previous blog, sign the petition. And, as a way to continue of the theme of the importance of the humanities, I thought I would comment on this thoughtful commentary from Easily Distracted (which I picked up from The Cranky...
- Obscure Latin Word Of The Week
This week's word: grunnio (grundio), -ire def. to grunt (or squeal) like a pig How to use this word in everyday speech: 1. As a command: "Grunni like a pig, boy!" 2. As an intimidation: "If you grunnatis to the cops, you'll sleep with the fishes."...
Medieval History
Medieval Energy Bars: They're Back!
It's dark, chewy and protein-packed. It's fruity-sweet and studded with nuts. Sticky on the inside but smooth on the outside, it travels well.
It's panforte, a traditional Tuscan spiced fruitcake so dense as to be almost candy. Invented in medieval Siena, where monks baked it for local Crusaders enroute to the Holy Land -- hey, Crusaders need comfort food too -- this flour-sugar-citron-almond-hazelnut-clove-cinnamon-nutmeg-honey melange is made to last. Its very name means "strong bread" -- strong-tasting and more durable than donuts. It's history's first energy bar.
And it's back. At the 37th annual Fancy Food Show in San Francisco last week, no less than three different companies debuted brand-new versions of this glorious relic from an age when Istanbul was Constantinople, and sultans paid bounties for every severed Christian head.
Click here to read this article from the Huffington Post
- How Did Medieval Europeans Deal With Greek Debt? They Sacked Their Capital City
Historians of the Fourth Crusade (1202-04) have been seeking explanations why the crusaders decided to sail to the Byzantine capital of Constantinople instead of Egypt. Some believe that the crusaders were tricked into doing it by the Doge of Venice or...
- 9th Century Viking Skeletal Remains Found In Dublin
Construction workers building Ireland?s largest energy project have discovered ancient skeletal remains on farmland in Rush, north county Dublin. The discovery was made as EirGrid laid piping for a high voltage direct current underground power line. ...
- Wakefield Museum: Sugar And Spice And All Things Nice
Yorkshire academics have launched a mouth-watering new exhibition exploring the history of the sweet tooth. The free-to-all exhibition at Wakefield Museum traces the evolution of sweet foods through history, examining their different nutritional roles...
- The Uses Of The Humanities
To piggyback on Matthew's previous blog, sign the petition. And, as a way to continue of the theme of the importance of the humanities, I thought I would comment on this thoughtful commentary from Easily Distracted (which I picked up from The Cranky...
- Obscure Latin Word Of The Week
This week's word: grunnio (grundio), -ire def. to grunt (or squeal) like a pig How to use this word in everyday speech: 1. As a command: "Grunni like a pig, boy!" 2. As an intimidation: "If you grunnatis to the cops, you'll sleep with the fishes."...