Mutton refers to the meat of mature sheep, typically those older than two years. While lamb occupies a place of honour on many tables, mutton possesses a deeper culinary heritage. Throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East, societies have long...
Oxtail is the culinary name given to the tail of cattle, traditionally from oxen but today sourced from cows, steers and bulls alike. In medieval Europe oxtail was prized for its rich flavour and gelatinous texture, reflecting a time when...
Buckfast Tonic Wine, commonly known simply as Buckfast, is a fortified wine with added caffeine first produced in 1893 by the monks of Buckfast Abbey in Devon, England. The Benedictine community at the abbey revived viniculture after centuries of dissolution...
Vermouth is a fortified wine infused with a blend of botanicals, spices and herbs. Its roots date back to ancient Greece where physician Hippocrates combined wine with wormwood an aromatic herb now central to its flavour for medicinal purposes. The...
Venison refers to the meat of deer and has been enjoyed by humans since prehistoric times when hunter‑gatherer societies relied on wild game for sustenance. The word itself derives from the Latin venari meaning “to hunt,” reflecting its deep roots...
Couscous is a staple food that traces its roots to the ancient Berber communities of North Africa, particularly in the regions of modern day Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Archaeological evidence indicates that grains of couscous were being produced as early...
Taro, known botanically as Colocasia esculenta, is one of the world’s oldest cultivated crops with a history that stretches back more than ten thousand years. Believed to have originated in the wetlands of Southeast Asia and Southern India, taro became a...
Stracciatella traces its name to the Italian word stracciare, meaning “to shred” or “to tear.” Two distinct culinary traditions bear the name. In Rome it refers to a simple yet comforting soup made by drizzling beaten eggs into simmering broth,...
Tamari is a traditional Japanese condiment that belongs to the soy sauce family. Its origins date back over a thousand years to the monasteries of Nara and Kyoto, where it was developed as a byproduct of miso paste production. When...