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SECONDS | An extra helping of history.

Topics

  • Ancient food
  • Early modern food
  • Eggs and dairy
  • Famous figures
  • Fast food
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Herbs and spices
  • Implements & appliances
  • Meat and fish
  • Medieval food
  • Sweet treats
  • Unusual and exotic
  • Word of Mouth
SECONDS | Food history
Hello Kitty Kat: How the Kit Kat conquered Japan
Mar 28

Mar 28 Hello Kitty Kat: How the Kit Kat conquered Japan

Declan Henesy
Sweet treats

How a classic British chocolate bar marketed at working men became a modern must-have Japanese treat.


Full of love: The world of wedding food
Mar 12

Mar 12 Full of love: The world of wedding food

Declan Henesy
Sweet treats, Ancient food, Unusual and exotic

There's more to weddings than cake, apparently.

Serving (Jelly)Fish
Feb 7

Feb 7 Serving (Jelly)Fish

Declan Henesy
Ancient food, Meat and fish, Unusual and exotic

Are you ready for this jelly?

The Toaster: A Hot Slice of History
Jan 30

Jan 30 The Toaster: A Hot Slice of History

Declan Henesy
Implements & appliances

From cooking bread on a stick over an open fire to toasting it up in a high-tech springing machine, here’s a brief history of the toaster.

Old Diets for a New You
Jan 10

Jan 10 Old Diets for a New You

Declan Henesy
Famous figures, Unusual and exotic

The history of what three men ate (or didn't).

Mastic Fantastic: Resinating with history
Dec 28

Dec 28 Mastic Fantastic: Resinating with history

Declan Henesy
Ancient food, Medieval food, Sweet treats, Unusual and exotic, Herbs and spices

Flavouring, chewing gum, cosmetic and medicine. The historical uses of mastic.

What's the scoop? 6 facts on the history of ice cream
Nov 15

Nov 15 What's the scoop? 6 facts on the history of ice cream

Declan Henesy
Fast food, Sweet treats, Eggs and dairy

Six ice-cold facts on the history of ice cream.

Let's Ketchup: A history of the king of condiments
Oct 24

Oct 24 Let's Ketchup: A history of the king of condiments

Declan Henesy
Fruit and vegetables

From Asia to America. The evolution of ketchup.

Tine After Tine: An Early History of the Fork
Sep 7

Sep 7 Tine After Tine: An Early History of the Fork

Declan Henesy
Implements & appliances, Early modern food

We explore the fork in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, meet the Byzantine Princess who brought it to Venice, and its blossoming love affair with pasta.

Cool Intentions: The History of Sorbet
Aug 30

Aug 30 Cool Intentions: The History of Sorbet

Declan Henesy
Sweet treats, Medieval food, Early modern food

Ancient iced desserts, medieval Arabic sherbet, and the birth of sorbet in Naples.

Home-Grown English Exotica
Aug 8

Aug 8 Home-Grown English Exotica

Declan Henesy
Fruit and vegetables, Medieval food

A history of growing rhubarb, liquorice and saffron in England.

Pastel de nata: How the tart got its start
Jul 31

Jul 31 Pastel de nata: How the tart got its start

Declan Henesy
Early modern food, Sweet treats, Eggs and dairy

The origins of Portugal's famous egg custard tart and where to find the best ones in Lisbon.

Freedom Fries: Freedom Never Tasted So Good
Jul 12

Jul 12 Freedom Fries: Freedom Never Tasted So Good

Declan Henesy
Fast food

French fries, the Iraq War and some angry Americans.

An Aukward End
Jun 20

Jun 20 An Aukward End

Declan Henesy
Meat and fish, Unusual and exotic

How European sailors, in the search for New World cod, ate the great auk to extinction.

Lettuce get it on: History’s (un)sexiest vegetable
May 22

May 22 Lettuce get it on: History’s (un)sexiest vegetable

Declan Henesy
Ancient food, Fruit and vegetables

From the ancient world to the modern, lettuce has a reputation as both a sexual upper and downer.

The Unbeatable Banger: 14 Historic Sausage Facts
Apr 18

Apr 18 The Unbeatable Banger: 14 Historic Sausage Facts

Declan Henesy
Fast food, Meat and fish

Because who doesn't love a banger?

Portuguese / Japanese / Hot Chillies
Mar 14

Mar 14 Portuguese / Japanese / Hot Chillies

Declan Henesy
Early modern food

Tempura, vindaloo, piri piri. Wherever the Portuguese went, fusion foods followed.

Fish Sauce: A Fishtory
Feb 13

Feb 13 Fish Sauce: A Fishtory

Declan Henesy
Ancient food, Meat and fish

From ancient Greece to modern-day Southeast Asia, we trace the history of fish sauce across the globe.

@secondsfoodhistory

Witch feeding her familiars with blood, 1579, British Library
Food and @newyorkermag
Unknown artist, 'Der Esser (The Glutton), c.1815-20
Annapurna, 'giver of food and plenty' bestowing rice upon Shiva. 
Unknown artist, 'Annapurna and Shiva', c.1860
Hu Zhengyan, 'Persimmon and Three Yellow Tangerines', 1633
Sad I missed this dinner party. 
Andries van Bochoevn, 'Portrait of the Painter Andries van Bochoven and his Family', 1629

#foodart #foodhistory #arthistory #familydinner

SECONDS | An extra helping of history.

 
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