Take Tasting The Past: British Food From The Stone Age To The Present Drafted By Jacqui Wood Depicted In Digital Copy

gladiators were fat!

There has been some research from the University of Vienna on the diet of Roman gladiators, They tested the bones from a gladiator graveyard in Ephesus in modern day Turkey, and were shocked to discover that the diet of those prime fighting men was mainly made up of vegetables and barley just carbohydrates, with very little, if any, meat proteins.


The reason for this was found in historical accounts: the gladiators had to have a good layer of fat on them in order to keep fighting once wounded.
A thin gladiator would be dispatched too quickly, as glancing blows of the sword would be able to cut into their internal organs, The fat layer apparently let the fighters carry on long after they were wounded, This diet would have given the gladiators a serious calcium deficiency, but historical accounts say that they were made to drink bone ash to keep their bones strong,

Somehow one imagines the Hollywood versions of the gladiators as slim muscular men, rather than ones carrying a good layer of fat to protect them in battle!

The book was a short read or recipes, cooking methods and associated historical titbits of the Celts and the Romans.
Some of the recipes are less than standard: 'wrap the meat in fresh green grass and place on the hot stones', for instance, others are more 'takeeggs',

There were some interesting titbits scattered among the recipes that didn't excite me but then I don't cook, hello Microwave! one was how the Celts easily had hot water.
They always had a fire going with hot stones to cook the food on, and would just drop one into a pan of water, there you are hot water! I hadn't thought of that so maybe they didn't have horrible cold baths in midwinter or stink up the cottage until the sun came out if it did some time in June.


The book was ok, it had it's moments, but it's main virtue was it was short! This one took quite a while to travel via interlibrary loan Thank you, Rockford, IL! but was so worth the wait.
The small overviews of various stages of British history followed by recipes for food typical of that time were absolutely fascinating, This one is going on the wish list now, because I will want a personal copy for my cookbook collection, Can't wait to try a few out! 'Tasting the Past' by Jacqui Wood is a book containing recipes from different eras, Each chapter has a introduction, some every day recipes and christmas recipes, The recipes are easy to follow and where some obscure ingredients are used, the author offers suggestions to replace it with, I originally bought it for the celtic era chapter, but now I can't wait to make some recipes from some other eras as well! This book was a gift from my spouse, recently returned from England.
This is just my kind of book, why oo we eat what we eat What influences food choices Can a culture absorb another's choices, . . maybe even make them better And, why on earth is curry so popular in Great Britan

From the beginnings of recipes comes an easy to refer

to work that may begin to answer these questions, and I love it.


Bon Appetit! As someone who is very interested in social history but without too much waffle, this book is brilliant! I adore the little historical details she adds at the beginning of many of the recipes, and the prologue to each 'era' is written interestingly and doesn't overload the reader with information.
As a veggie, many of the recipes aren't relevant to me, but it is still a very good read and fantastic cook book and there are plenty of other recipes I can do!.
Try making Celtic breadcups they're great fun with soup in, I plan on having a Roman Christmas dinner this year but making my mum cook the meat! The first study of the rich history of British food, its fads, and its fashions, to be combined with a practical cookbook of more than recipes from each age for use today 

British food has a long and distinguished history and much like the British language has absorbed elements from diverse and widespread cultures.
This book traces the development of British cooking from the prehistoric period, through the medieval and early modern, to the advent of convenience foods in the postWorld War II period.
The chronological chapters will trace the fads and fashions in food, as well as the influences which changed and molded the British diet through the centuries,  Each section will also include recipes originating in the period and recipes for Christmas festivities, Offerings include tasty beach BBQ ideas from Celtic times, a hearty Roman Army lentil stew, and ideas for festive feasts from every period, This is the ideal book for anyone interested in the history of food as well as those adventurous cooks who like to try new things, .