Tag Archives: Culinary Traditions
International Culinary Traditions for New Year’s Luck and Prosperity
New Year’s is just around the corner, and revelers from around the globe will be welcoming 2010 with a variety of celebrations, usually involving elaborate parties, fireworks, countdowns, glittery balls and random hugs and kisses between friends and strangers.
But the merriment is only one part of welcoming in the New Year. The festivities are augmented [...]
A Brief Study of American Culinary Christmas Traditions
Many American Christmas culinary traditions have their roots in Europe. Fourteenth century feasts were rather crude by today’s standards. King Richard II of England hosted a Christmas feast in 1377 at which twenty-eight oxen and three hundred sheep were served; the Yule boar was also a common offering in medieval Christmas feasts. But as time [...]
Full StoryInternational Christmas Culinary Traditions
Christmas culinary traditions in America are as diverse as our individual backgrounds. The foods that families eat during the holidays are usually derived from traditions and recipes that were passed down through the generations. So if you can trace your ancestors back to Spain, it would not be unusual to feast on almond soup during the [...]
Full StoryCulinary Traditions of Hanukkah
Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, starts at sundown on December 11, celebrating the 2,000-year old miracle that turned one day’s worth of purified olive oil for the Temple’s menorah into eight days of fuel to keep the lights burning. To commemorate this phenomenon, the learned elders instituted the festival of Hanukkah. A single flame [...]
Full StoryThe Gastronomy of Marriage: A Memoir of Food and Love …Coming to a Bookstore Near You
Author Michelle Maisto’s memoir about her courtship and marriage to a fellow writer and foodie is scheduled to hit bookstores on September 8. The Gastronomy of Marriage: A Memoir of Food and Love is a story about how these two young and idealistic New Yorkers find commonality as they try to combine their Italian and Chinese [...]
Full StorySecret Dining Societies
Some call these secretive supper events underground dinner parties, others call them anti-restaurants, or an alternative “speak-easy” dining experience, while still others call it guerrilla gourmet. Whatever these cryptic gatherings are called, Misty Harris with Canwest claims “some of the nation’s top culinary names are making it as difficult as possible to get in the [...]
Full StoryTen Bizarre Gourmet Foods from World Cuisines
Every culture has its own culinary traditions, including some strange and bizarre foods that are considered gourmet delicacies and even sacred. If you have a sense of adventure, here are 10 specialties that (believe it or not) are enjoyed by cultures throughout the world.  This is only a small selection of the many unique and creative dishes [...]
Full StoryGreen Dining “Best Practices” Cuts Environmental Impact and Costs
The name Restaurant Associates may not strike a bell with most of us, but this quiet and understated New York-based company is a powerhouse when it comes to managing the fine dining services at upscale eateries located within some of North America’s finest museums, aquariums, performing arts centers and corporate headquarters. With 110 prestigious and [...]
Full StoryHidden Culinary Manuscripts Come to Life in New Book
There’s a new book out that promises to be fascinating reading for foodies of all generations. It also looks like it will make a great gift for our parents or grandparents … anyone who grew up during the Great Depression and World War II.  Author Mark Kurlansky uncovered and wove together previously unpublished depression-era manuscripts from [...]
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