Many modern readers imagine seed cake to be chock full of sunflower or pumpkin seeds, but it turns out Tolkien grew up on a decadently buttery version of pound cake full of caraway seeds. They have a sweet, licorice flavor reminiscent of a milder, earthier version of anise seeds. You […]
Tag: Historic Recipes
Hobbit Week: Hot Buttered Shire Scones
Forget those crunchy triangles you find at Starbucks. The Victorian scones of Tolkien’s day were far more like southern style American biscuits. Like American biscuits, these are best served hot and buttered. Unlike their modern counterparts, they’re served at teatime, around 4 p.m., with clotted cream or home made raspberry […]
Edible Art: Martha Washington’s Revolutionary Rum Punch
People think of the founding fathers as being stiff necked and straight laced, but the truth is they could party harder than frat boys on spring break. The legend of Martha Washington’s Rum Punch* was once even more widely known than the legend of Sleepy Hollow. Show your favorite modern […]
Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Recipe Countdown: Shakesperean Shooter Sandwich
This week, we continue our countdown to Doctor Who’s 50th Anniversary. If you’re lined up outside a cold theater waiting for the 3D special, you might want to fight off hunger with a historically Whovain snack that harkens back to what the groundlings would’ve eaten at the Globe Theater. This […]
11 Recipes for 11 Doctors: Shakespearean Shooter Sandwich
Shakespearean Shooter Sandwich That beard. That swagger. Oh, Shakespeare. You’ve never been so sexy. If you slipped into the Tardis for Martha’s first journey back in time, you could not only enjoy the only production of Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Won,” but also a hearty slice of what would later be […]