

The Delicious Legacy
The Delicious Legacy
A Greek Gourmand, travels through time...Imagine yourself dining with Socrates, Plato, or Pythagoras! What tasty morsels of food accompanied the conversations of these most significant minds in Western philosophy?Now picture yourself as you sat for a symposium with Cicero, or Pliny the Elder or Julius Caesar. The opulent feasts of the decadent Romans!Maybe, you're following Alexander the Great during his military campaigns in Asia for ten years. Conquering the vast Persian empire, while discovering new foods. Or try and picture the richness of fruits and vegetables in the lush Hanging Gardens of Babylon.What foods did our ancestors ate?How did all begin? Who was the first to write a recipe down and why? Sauces, ingredients, ways of cooking. Timeless and continuous yet unique and so alien to us now days. Staple ingredients of the Mediterranean world -as we think now- like tomatoes, potatoes, rice, peppers, didn't exist. What did they eat? We will travel far and wide, reconstructing the diet, the feasts, the dishes of a Greek Philosopher in a symposium in Athens, or a Roman Emperor or as a rich merchant in the last night in Pompeii.....Lavish dinners, exotic spices, so-called "barbaric" traditions of beer and milk, all intertwined...Stay tuned and find out more here, in 'The Delicious Legacy' Podcast!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 28, 2026 • 53min
Origin History of Coffee (Reprise)
Hello!What happened in Paris in 1669 that ushered the fashion of Coffee in France?What's the popular myth of the introduction of coffee in Europe and the cafe culture that has to do with the siege of Vienna?And how an Ethiopian goat herd named Kaldi is credited with the discovery of coffee?All this and more, exploring the long history of coffee and it's myths from the Cloud forests of Ethiopian highlands to the deserts of Arabia and beyond on this episode!Enjoy! Sources and Credits for this episode:Books:-A people's history of coffee and cafés by Biderman, Bob-The devil's cup : coffee, the driving force in history by Allen, Stewart Leehttps://insidearabia.com/coffee-the-lost-treasure-of-yemen/ And podcasts that deal with the subject in much more detail:A History of Coffee:https://www.spreaker.com/user/filterstories/episode-1-draft-8-ahoc-channelOriginal Music by Pavlos Kapralos & Miltos BoumisMotion Array Music:-UNCOVERING THE TRUTH A Rhian Talisein Sheehan Karl Solve Steven-Ashot Danielyan - Above The Long Desert- Arabia- Spirit of Oman-EMilarMusic&Audio_Shattered_StoneThat's it!Now go and listen to the episode!Support the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes! https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacySupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 25, 2026 • 15min
Graviera stuffed aubergine leaves in tomato sauce
Hello!New recipe of the week for you! Support the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes! https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacySupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 21, 2026 • 54min
Food Traditions of Taiwan -Interview with Cathy Erway
Hello my curious archaeogastronomers!New episode is out for your delight!An interview with food writer Cathy Erway about the foodways and dishes from the beautiful island of Taiwan!Recommendations for the week:The Library of Ancient Wisdom by Selena Wisnomhttps://www.penguin.co.uk/books/443027/the-library-of-ancient-wisdom-by-wisnom-selena/9780241519639The Ottoman History Podcast:https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/The Hungry Historians podcast:https://open.spotify.com/show/2dd70WM8rXd2rMKepkbjwuEnjoy!LoveThom & The Delicious LegacySupport the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes! https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacySupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 17, 2026 • 13min
Soutzoukakia Smyrneika (Spicy meat balls from Smyrna)
Hello!Your recipe of the week on a Saturday is out! And what better dish than a Greek Sunday favourite?Izmir, Smyrni or Smyrna:One city, three names, a shared history of three thousand years! Being “born” in such a place, in the crossroads of trade, our recipe for “Soutzoukakia Smyrneika” or Izmir kofte encompasses spices valuable for trade and meat and ideas from East and West. And thus making a syncretic dish, delicious, luxurious and celebratory.Enjoy!ThomSupport the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes! https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacySupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 14, 2026 • 27min
Legacy of The Knights Hospitaller - Food of Rhodes!
Hello!Rhodes is a rich history island with a lush landscape and an illustrious past.After the fall of Acre in 1291 CE, the Knights Hospitaller last stronghold in the East Med for the next two centuries was the island of Rhodes.Rhodes is the biggest island of the Dodecanese complex, and place of trade in the eastern Mediterranean for more than three thousand years!What is 'Souma', and 'Melekounia'? And how do the Rhodians use cyclamen in their cooking?Let's find out about here food here!Enjoy!ThomThe Delicious Legacy PodcastSupport the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes! https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacySupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 10, 2026 • 8min
Pork, Chestnut & Chickpea Stew from the Island of Lesvos
Hello!Happy weekend.Here's our recipe of the week;A Christmas pork stew from the island of Lesvos! I cannot quite shake away the Christmas feeling...! Enjoy!The Delicious LegacySupport the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes! https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacySupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 7, 2026 • 1h 23min
Food, Foreigners and Shakespeare
Hello! New episode for all my hungry archaeogastronomers!In Act 2, Scene 2 of the Merry Wives of Windsor Frank Ford says:‘I will rather trust a Fleming with my butter, Parson Hugh the Welshman with my cheese, an Irishman with my aqua-vitae bottle, or a thief to walk my ambling gelding, than my wife with herself.’Why do certain nationalities have close associations with certain foods? And what does this tell us about early modern English attitudes to foreigners? Was this something common across all strata of society?One of the ways to explore these attitudes is to look at how foreigners are represented in plays particularly when it comes to food. I spoke to food historian and fellow podcaster Sam Bilton about this. Sam has recently released a cookbook called Much Ado About Cooking which looks at the food references in Shakespeare’s play.On this episode then the above questions and a lot more regarding kitchen technology and implements of the time, measurements and terminology in the 16th Century, best recipes and dishes are answered. So join us onto another adventure through food and history!Enjoy!The Delicious LegacyRecommendations of the week:The UK Will Soon Be Home To The Largest Oyster Reef In Europe – As Four Million Oysters Are Being Dropped Into The North Sea As Part Of A Restoration Project To Help Restore Marine Ecosystems And Clean Water:https://secretldn.com/uk-home-to-largest-oyster-reef-in-europe-norfolk-coast-restoration-project/#google_vignetteThe importance of being malted: making malt and malt sugars from cereals in the Palaeolithic. https://merryn.dineley.com/2025/12/the-importance-of-being-malted-making.html?m=1The Meaning of Borsch:https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ne63nGnDvTYgT2OFiayzf?si=c0b1449fe848458bLoveThom & The Delicious LegacySupport the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes! https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacySupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 31, 2025 • 9min
Stocking Filler! Recipe of the week a Comforting Winter Beef Stew
Hello!Your recipe of the week is out!Recommendations of the week:Sarcophagus found at Church of St. Nicholas could be the tomb of “Santa Claus”:https://www.heritagedaily.com/2024/12/sarcophagus-found-at-church-of-st-nicholas-could-be-the-tomb-of-santa-claus/154084Roman occupation of Britain damaged the population’s health:https://www.newscientist.com/article/2508181-roman-occupation-of-britain-damaged-the-populations-health/On contrarian history:https://going-medieval.com/2025/11/25/on-contrarian-history/Enjoy!Much Love and Happy New Year to all!The Delicious Legacy PodcastSupport the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes! https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacySupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 27, 2025 • 6min
Recipe of The Week Three: Kalymnos Octopus Fritters
Hello!Happy Christmas!Here's your recipe of the week this time from the beautiful Dodecanese island of Kalymnos!Enjoy!With music from Miltos BoumisLoveThom & The Delicious LegacySupport the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes! https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacySupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 24, 2025 • 50min
Where Beer Began: Is the Mesopotamian Origin Story Correct & The Birth of Brewing
Hello my curious archeaogastronomers!Who were the first beer makers? Why did they even made beer in the first place? Can we even find a Civilization to be the clear winner in this "race"? What's the word for beer in ancient Sumerian?What role the priests and kings plaid in this? Who even drunk beer in the ancient Mesopotamian world? All this and many more questions were buzzing through my mind.On today's episode I have as a guest the author of the book In The Land of Ninkasi: A History of Beer in Ancient Mesopotamia, Tate Paulette.Tate’s book has recently won two awards:Felicia A. Holton Book Award, Archaeological Institute of AmericaThis award is given annually to a writer or writers who, through a major work of non-fiction, represents the importance and excitement of archaeology to the general public. The work should have broad public appeal and be written for an adult lay audience in a clear and engaging style. It should convey the excitement of archaeological discovery accurately and responsibly. It should be well-researched and provide new insight for the general public. https://www.archaeological.org/2026-aia-awards-spotlight-felicia-a-holton-book-award/And he also won the Nancy Lapp Popular Book Award, American Society of Overseas Research:This award is presented to the author/editor of a book published in the last two years that offers a new synthesis of archaeological or textual evidence from the Ancient Near East and Eastern Mediterranean intended to reach an audience of scholars as well as students and the broader public.https://www.asor.org/about-asor/honors-awards/previous-award-recipients/Alright! Time for my delightful and interesting I hope recommendations for this week are the following:Disco scallops:Here’s a link:https://www.discoscallops.co.uk/A Spirit Never to Betray” before tequila and mescal there was another: David Lauer investigates the fate of a spiky ancient desert plant called sotol, and its alliance with generations of artisans who distil a fiery spirit from its heart.https://dark-mountain.net/a-spirit-never-to-betray/And finally the website https://www.ukrainer.netA community and organisation that has been researching Ukraine and the Ukrainian context since 2016, telling stories to Ukrainian audiences and broadcasting them to the world in dozens of languages.xEnjoy!Photo credits : Book Tate Paulette, Cuneiform Tablets Justin Kase Conder, Portrait Kathryn GrossmanThom & The Delicious LegacySupport the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes! https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacySupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


