Vinegar is one of those culinary facts of life that existed for thousands of years before being truly understood. (Some probiotics enthusiasts might say that we still don’t truly understand vinegar.) With the ability to sterilize, preserve, and add flavor, vinegar has been made all over the world with as many source ingredients as can…
Occasionally someone will ask about weird foods I’ve tried in the name of history. Beef stuffed with oysters or anchovy may seem weird to some people. Perhaps peanut-pickle sandwich filling is a curiosity from another time. Honestly, I tend to believe that the food we have access to now is weirder than anything found in…
“The fame of the Maryland apple is perhaps less known at home than in distant markets. The Maryland apple has never figured to any great extent in the lobster palaces in the Broadway section in New York at $1 per apple. It is a good apple, nevertheless.” – The Baltimore Sun, 1911 A Baltimore fruit…
It’s pretty rare that I should have *too much information* about a person associated with a recipe. For years now I’ve sighed in frustration when all I can find on someone is a date of birth, a passing newspaper mention, a headstone. This week’s recipe comes from a woman who has been so scrutinized and…
There aren’t many recipes specifically for blackberry pie. Usually, older recipes for “berry pie” will specify that blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries can be used. Blackberry pie has been a longtime favorite of mine. I grew up making them with my grandmother so I wanted to make one for her birthday in September. I have also…