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12
votes
10answers
4k views
Why is the alcohol content in British beer so weak?
I am a Brit married into a French family, so there has obviously been some teasing and so-on over the years about the relative merits of the two cooking cultures :P
I recently took my wife's uncle to ...
15
votes
4answers
1k views
Why did my grandfather-in-law salt his beer?
My grandfather-in-law was born in England in the 1920s and fought in WW2. Somewhere along the line he acquired the habit of salting his beer before drinking it, which persisted for the rest of his ...
3
votes
4answers
1k views
Why is a tablespoon defined as 20mL in Australia?
In Australia, a tablespoon is defined as 20mL whereas it is 15mL in nearly all other countries.
I'm interested to know where this comes from, and also what other Australian people do about this ...
7
votes
2answers
322 views
How can I cook chicken in a similar way to how it was done in Biblical times?
I want to make a historically accurate biblical meal for a group. I'm using chicken, and serving it with flatbread and an Israeli salad (sans tomatoes and other new world vegetables)
Does anyone have ...
4
votes
2answers
572 views
Cooking cakes on asbestos mats
My mother tells me when she was young her mother would bake cakes on an asbestos mat inside a lidded electric frypan. I'd assume the practice is gone now because of the reputation of asbestos, but ...
1
vote
1answer
812 views
What is the origin of cheese dip?
I want to know where cheese dip was invented. Based on this article it was invented in Arkansas.
This documentary goes into more detail about it being from Mexico Chiquito, a restaurant in Arkansas.
...
1
vote
2answers
409 views
How spicy is authentic, traditional Palak paneer?
I have heard that the spiciness of Palak paneer is regional, but I don't have any historical or geographical facts to confirm this. So, is there anybody around here that knows if a proper, old-school ...
23
votes
1answer
535 views
Why are salt and pepper the “classic” dinner table seasoning?
Is there a reason we use salt and pepper on so many dishes and 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 ...
5
votes
2answers
260 views
Is a “typical” jam sweeter today than the typical jams of centuries ago?
I have a new early morning snack this week - toast and jam, but after putting the (fridge temp) jam on the toast, I put the whole plate of toast and jam in the microwave for 20 seconds to warm the ...
5
votes
1answer
185 views
Forties dinner buffet
I'm serving food to 11 people in a dinner that is supposed to be set at the house of the Deputy Mayor of Casablanca in 1942. I can't seat that many people at table, so the food will have to be capable ...
4
votes
1answer
899 views
Did tomato paste come in only one size of can in the 1950s?
I found an old cookery book while on holiday at the german coast, it was published by Peter Pauper press, Mt. Vernon, New York in 1959.
All recipes that use tomato paste just say "1/2 can tomato ...
6
votes
4answers
656 views
How the heck did people in the olden' days learn to beat eggs and other laborious tasks?
Did they have whipped cream in the olden days before electricity? I think that they might have. I'm sure I've seen a portrait of Henry VIII munching some of that creamy goodness before.
But what on ...
4
votes
1answer
347 views
Where does the shape of pretzels come from?
I wonder where the shape of pretzels originated.
My guesses:
The holes make it easy to put them on a stick or rope and store them in a place (under the roof?) where mice would not get it.
...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
What's the origin of the name of the “Chinese Cookie” found in Jewish deli's in the US?
At a classic Los Angeles Deli for lunch yesterday, I snagged my usual take-out guilty pleasure for later: a fresh-baked Chinese Cookie. This is a four or five inch diameter short-bread cookie with a ...
8
votes
2answers
421 views
14
votes
7answers
461 views
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 ...
5
votes
4answers
2k views
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?
27
votes
6answers
3k views
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 ...
17
votes
3answers
618 views
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 ...
5
votes
4answers
839 views
What were the popular cookbooks of the 1950s?
What were the most popular cookbooks in the 1950s in the US? I have seen lists that cite the many Betty Crocker cookbooks, but what about other authors (or companies)?
4
votes
2answers
464 views
Why powdered eggs?
Powdered egg is emblematic of all that was was ghastly and difficult about cooking during WWII. At least in Britain, but perhaps also in other countries during that period.
Supposedly it was pretty ...
