Beans in the New World

When we talk about a “bean,” we are not talking about a specific kind of bean in most cases. It’s an indefinite term, like “vegetable,” which means it may refer to many varieties of bean. The first major distinction came about during the 1500s, when the English began using the term “kidney bean” to refer to European varieties and distinguish them from the American counterparts. 

Brazil was, for a time, considered to be the original country of lima beans. Evidence on hand today seems to point to Guatemala as the origin, based on “prehistoric varieties” that have been recovered along Indian trade routes. 

One of these courses went north through Mexico and deep into the Southwestern region of what is now considered American soil. 

Lima beans are highly concentrated foods that can be stored and carried for long distances without fear of spoilage. They made for ideal food stuffs during long seafaring expeditions, like explorer and slave trading missions. The Americas were most definitely the source, with trade routes carrying the lima bean into India and Spain. 

By the 1700s, historians find written records of lima beans in almost every country on Earth. Europeans never caught onto the lima bean trend, because the plant requires heat to grow effectively. Dwarf mutations helped spawn a bush-like variety of the bean. 

The lima bean and the common bean share some of the same journeys around the world, with both ending up in the same places throughout history. Still, it’s probable that the Americas were the source of this important food.

The Goat as a Food Source and Symbol

Goats once featured prominently in the Bible, but they all but disappear from the New Testament. We know that both goats and sheep were seen fit for sacrificial slaughter, which the Old Testament contains several references to. 

Early Christians viewed the lamb as a sacred animal. The phrase “Lamb of God” features prominently in Christian beliefs and doctrine, but the goat was largely viewed as pagan. In Rome especially, where Christianity matured, the goat was considered sacrilegious. It’s likely that the changes to the Bible had to deal with a separation of those beliefs. 

We know that goat was consumed throughout the ancient period, especially in the cultures of Greece and Rome. Recipes seem to favor lamb, in the sense of there being more ways to prepare lamb, but we know that goats were kept as a dairy producing animal. This meant they were slaughtered only after they stopped producing milk, which meant their meat was probably tougher and less palatable.

The goat, along with the auroch, was the earliest domesticated animal by many standards. It’s likely that they wandered onto human-controlled land when crops were grown, and man penned them in with a rudimentary fence and raised the young who spawned since. 

 

The goat was sacrificed to honor Hera and Dionysus, in addition to a host of other gods from the ancient world. The Old Testament even mentions that God specifically intended on goats to remain sacrificial animals.

How the Pretzel Got its Name

Much of the information we have about the pretzel is based more in fiction than in fact. We can pinpoint some of the history of the pretzel, but we are unable to tell exactly who made the first one. It’s likely that Roman legions carried biscuits that were similar in texture to pretzels, but we don’t know for sure if the bread was the same kind. What we do know is that the pretzel played an important role during lent, when Christians were abstaining from eggs.

The word “pretzel” has a few possible origins. In German, the word is bretzel, which is directly related to brachiatellum or “bracelet” in Latin. The word is often misspelled with a “P” when translated to English, which could explain the English origin of the word. There is also a reference to the Latin word for gift, “pretium,” which would make sense considering the bread was given to children.

You can’t go back to 7^th century Europe in search of an authentic recipe for pretzels. Some painters imagined that the pretzel dated back to Biblical times, so there might be pretzels hidden inside of paintings of the Last Supper.

Settlers from Northern Europe introduced pretzels to America through the Pennsylvania area, where populations were largely German. It’s likely that the Dutch brought the first pretzels to America, and we do know for certain the Philadelphia is the first place in recorded history where we see mustard on a pretzel. 

All About Peas

Peas are the edible seeds that come from the plant Pisum Sativum. There are basically two broad groups of peas: those which have an edible pod and those which have a hardened one. The most popular variety of pea is the green, or garden variety. Also called “English peas,” this plant produces bulbous peas with a sweet taste. 

Peas may have come originally from the Middle East, but there is evidence suggesting Asia is another potential place of origin. It’s likely that the wild pea, which is highly seasonal, was a menu item for early hunter gather societies that gradually became a part of domestic life. We estimate domestication of the pea occurred close to 8,000 years ago. 

Once domestication was started, the pea spread quickly throughout India and China. The Egyptians, like the Greeks and Romans, considered the pea to be a valuable crop.

By the sixteenth century, we’d perfected the art of growing peas and created a variety that could be eaten fresh from the vine. The French embraced peas with fervor, and they found their way to the New World with the earliest settlers to land there. 

At some point, we also lost an “e” in the word peas. In Old English, we called them pise from the Latin word “pisa.” In Greek, we say “pison,” which suggests that peas have been a staple for a large part of human history. It was not until the rise of the “tinned pea” where we see “pease” become “peas.”

How Arugula Started Salads

Arugula, also known as “the rocket” is an old world leafy green that has been a centerpiece in both salads and seasoning. It’s origins put the plant in Eurasia. Its leaves are reminiscent of the dandelion, with a taste that invokes mustard-greens. The name can trace its roots back to the French version “roquette,” and then the Italian, “ruchetta.” 

The arugula plant has several uses. It has been a part of salads since the days of ancient Greece, and it was routinely grown in ancient gardens. The Romans likely brought it to Europe during their conquests, where it enjoyed a reputation as an aphrodisiac. It was not uncommon, for instance, to be served a plate of arugula for the aphrodisiac qualities, with a side of lettuce that was believed to curb those powers. Its seeds were also eaten, or they were used to extract oil that was put into lubricants and medicines. 

Arugula was enjoyed worldwide, but it was a slow bloomer in the continental US. A short survey of mentions of the word “arugula” in culinary publications shows the plant really gained popularity in the 1990s.

There were whispers of the plant throughout the 60s, where it was introduced as the vegetable with more names than Joseph’s coat colors. It began to see some appreciation in New York, where Italian chefs used it to flavor their salads. It gained more popularity in Creole food that was coming out of Louisiana. 

Americans would refer to it as “rocket salad,” and naturalized the vegetable within a matter of years.

The History of Yeast Breads

The cooks of the Neolithic period are almost singlehandedly responsible for bringing yeast breads and beer into existence. Most of these early breads were unleavened, with variations on size, shape and even grains used from culture to culture.

We do know that the Egyptians were using yeast for bread and beer making by 4000 B.C., but we believe the discovery of yeast as a leavening agent happened entirely by accident. It’s likely that the world’s first barley crops came from the Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamia.

It’s also believed that bread making came before beer making. Neolithic cooks learned by chance that if they used grains that had been sprouted and dried, their bread tended to keep for longer periods. The concept was well known by the time we find evidence of the first beers. The Egyptians dried the grain, and then made it into dough that was partially baked. They would then soak that dough in water and allowed to ferment before the drink was considered palatable.

The Egyptians were also the first civilization to use a portable oven. They formed a beehive shaped object out of clay, which was divided into two parts. The top portion was where the bread was laid out for baking, while the bottom portion was reserved for the tinder. The Jews used an oven that had a similar shape, but theirs was made of polished stone instead of clay. This sturdy construction carried over to the home, where early Jewish people had standing stoves built into the main rooms of the home.