1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,520 Speaker 1: Hey, there, can I get you something tall and cool 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: to drink, like some liquefied bugs on the rocks. Hmmm, 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: I'll pass on that one. There are so many things 4 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,159 Speaker 1: we eat and drink without ever thinking about what it 5 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 1: actually is or why we eat it. That started centuries 6 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:19,600 Speaker 1: ago with some odd foods like gold leafed fleaming peacock, 7 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: but it still goes on. In fact, it's likely you've 8 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 1: recently indulged in everything from various bugs to the anal 9 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 1: secretions of beavers. 10 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 2: Yikes, don't blame me. 11 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: For that one. By Patty Steele. Gag me with a 12 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:40,520 Speaker 1: spoon and a fork. Next on the backstory, bug, We're 13 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: back with the backstory. Food is and has been a 14 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:47,279 Speaker 1: driving force in our lives for as long as there 15 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: have been animals on Earth. Right, we do it to survive, 16 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: we do it to indulge, and we do it to 17 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: share with others. Okay, let's head back to ancient Rome, 18 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: where there was a kind of mouse called a dormouse. 19 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: It was a tasty delicacy. They'd cook them up, drizzle 20 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,680 Speaker 1: them with honey and poppy seeds, pop them in their mouths, 21 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: and munch away. But on the other hand, you couldn't 22 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 1: even mention the idea of eating butter to a Roman. 23 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: In fact, you are considered barbaric if you slathered on 24 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: yummy butter. Same went for the Greeks, who also considered 25 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:26,000 Speaker 1: butter uncivilized. In fact, butter eater was one of the 26 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: nastiest insults among ancient Greeks. In Egypt, they had a 27 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: fairly recognizable Mediterranean style diet, which included lentils, chickpeas, nuts, figs, bread, onions, 28 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 1: lots of onions, a number of vegetables and fruits, and 29 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: to a lesser extent, meat and fish and beer was 30 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 1: served pretty much every meal, even to kids. Only thing 31 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 1: is to keep the flies away from their feasts. The 32 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: wealthy Egyptians would slather their servants with honey so the 33 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: flies would cover them in Not the big shots. 34 00:01:58,040 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 2: That's nice. 35 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: Now we shoot forward a few thousand years or more. 36 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: At medieval banquets, there was often a really popular roast 37 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: that was actually made by stitching together the bottom half 38 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 1: of a baby pig and the top half of a 39 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 1: large bird. They were then roasted together and presented at 40 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: the table that way to amaze dinner guests. Yeah, and 41 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: there were other hot dishes in those days, like peacocks 42 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: and swans. They'd skin the bird, keeping the feathers in 43 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 1: place in the skin, then roast the bird, and once 44 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 1: it was cooked, they'd sow the skin back on and 45 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,639 Speaker 1: serve it fully feathered. Guess you had to pick out 46 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: the feathers before chomping down. Now, occasionally, if they had 47 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: even more money, before serving, they'd gild the bird, including 48 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:47,640 Speaker 1: the feathers, with gold leaf and serve it that way 49 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 1: with a bit of flaming cotton stuffed in the beak. 50 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: All this for a bird that was said to be 51 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 1: extremely dry and tough. All about the show, I guess. Now, 52 00:02:57,400 --> 00:02:59,839 Speaker 1: for those who were less well off, getting a hold 53 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,239 Speaker 1: of fish for lent was kind of tough. It was 54 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 1: too expensive, and in North America, beavers were an important 55 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: source of food and a cheap one. So the Catholic Church, 56 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: anxious to help folks stay faithful, declared the beaver a 57 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: fuzzy mammal who swims most of the time, and its 58 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 1: tail in particular of fish, and therefore aok to eat 59 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:23,799 Speaker 1: on Fridays during Lent. Now, I'm sure you've seen movies 60 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:27,519 Speaker 1: set in medieval times that showed big feasts where people, 61 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 1: even royalty, were eating with their hands. There's a reason 62 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 1: for that. Forks were first introduced in the eleventh century 63 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 1: in Italy, but they actually freaked out religious leaders who 64 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: said that using what they called artificial hands was an 65 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: offense to God. When it comes to beverages, for thousands 66 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: of years, right up until just a few hundred years ago, 67 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: most cultures skipped water and drank wine or beer at 68 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: all meals, including chill. Given how riddled with bacteria water 69 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 1: supplies could be back then, I guess alcohol makes more 70 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: sense now. In the seventeen hundreds, one of the most 71 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: coveted foods was the pineapple. In fact, it was so 72 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: desired and so difficult to get. If you bought a 73 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:19,360 Speaker 1: single pineapple in England in the seventeen hundreds, you would 74 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 1: pay about eight thousand dollars in today's money. Actually, Christopher 75 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 1: Columbus get some of the credit for first introducing pineapples 76 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:30,040 Speaker 1: to Europe in the fourteen nineties after his trip to 77 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:33,160 Speaker 1: the Americas, but just one pineapple. 78 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 2: Survived the trip back to Europe. 79 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:38,040 Speaker 1: He presented it to Spain's King Ferdinand, and as time 80 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: went by they started to import them and everybody wanted 81 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: the King of Fruits because it was tough to get. 82 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: It became a show offye thing that was a symbol 83 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: of power and royalty. Pineapples were featured in paintings of kings, 84 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:57,240 Speaker 1: printed on linens and wallpaper, even carved into furniture. Getting 85 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: your hands on a rare pineapple meant you had money 86 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 1: and status. And here's how crazy it got. A lot 87 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:07,039 Speaker 1: of partygoers in Europe would try to find somebody with 88 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:10,159 Speaker 1: a pineapple and they would rent it for a fraction 89 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 1: of the cost of buying it and then carry it 90 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:16,919 Speaker 1: around at parties as the ultimate accessory, but of course 91 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 1: without eating. 92 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 2: It, or they'd have to pay the full price. 93 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:22,599 Speaker 1: Now, as we move into the eighteen hundreds, during a 94 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: long economic downturn, some kind of creepy sounding foods got 95 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:30,880 Speaker 1: people through tough times because they were inexpensive. We see 96 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:34,480 Speaker 1: recipes for things like jellied eels, as well as something 97 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: called broxy that was meat usually from sheep, that butchers 98 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:42,400 Speaker 1: sold really on the cheap because the animal had died 99 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:45,920 Speaker 1: from diseases like tetanus or salmonella. And then there were 100 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:50,120 Speaker 1: sheep's trotters, which were actually sheep's feet they were boiled 101 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:54,359 Speaker 1: or fried and sold by street vendors, and their snail water, 102 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: a slimy drink that was also considered. 103 00:05:57,279 --> 00:05:58,800 Speaker 2: A cure for tuberculosis. 104 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: Now on the upscale side, there were some serious Victorian foodies, 105 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:05,840 Speaker 1: including the guy who gave us the theory of evolution, 106 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:09,479 Speaker 1: Charles Darwin. As a college student, he helped create a 107 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:13,080 Speaker 1: social group called the Glutton Club, where members gathered for 108 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:18,640 Speaker 1: unusual meals, including digging into meat of iguanas, giant tortoises, 109 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:22,479 Speaker 1: in one case, a twenty pound rodent, possibly a cappa. 110 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:24,240 Speaker 2: Bara, which he said was the best meat. 111 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:27,840 Speaker 1: He'd ever eaten, also armadillos, and even a big cat 112 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:31,640 Speaker 1: called a puma. The club disbanded after Darwin fed them 113 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:34,920 Speaker 1: a really nasty tasting owl for one of their dinners. 114 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: So we've been eating and drinking a lot of weird 115 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: stuff for thousands of years, right, Well, guess what we 116 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:44,560 Speaker 1: still do. Turns out these days a lot of foods 117 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:48,160 Speaker 1: and drinks that have a red color, like frappuccino drinks, 118 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: cocktails with that red glow, some sausage yogurt, Many cakes 119 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:55,039 Speaker 1: and pastries use a powder made of a kind of 120 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: ground up beetle and many pastas, breads, chips, and smoothies 121 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:05,200 Speaker 1: use pulverized freeze dried crickets. Yeah, beer, particularly British beers, 122 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:09,760 Speaker 1: can get their golden glow from dried fish bladder. And finally, 123 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 1: this product was and in some cases still is used 124 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: in a huge number of foods like strawberry and raspberry 125 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 1: ice cream, juices and puddings, as well as in various 126 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 1: perfumes and even medicines. It's called kastorium and it's created 127 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 1: by milking the anal glands of beavers. 128 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, you heard me. 129 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 1: It's still used in some cases, but the FDA only 130 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 1: has manufacturers label it as natural ingredients. So at the 131 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: end of the day, you know, food plays so many 132 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: roles in our lives. Yes, sustenance, yes, satisfying desire, but 133 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 1: most of all, connecting us with each other through sharing, 134 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: even if it's from beaver glands. I want to thank 135 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 1: loyal new listener Trish Connors Angelie for suggesting a story 136 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: about how we share food. If you'd like to suggest 137 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:09,680 Speaker 1: a story for me to dive into and share, please 138 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: feel free to dm me on Facebook at Patty Steele 139 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:20,400 Speaker 1: or on Instagram at real Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. 140 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:24,960 Speaker 1: The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, the Elvis 141 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 1: Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Doug Fraser. 142 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 1: Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday 143 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: and Friday. Feel free to reach out to me with 144 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:39,680 Speaker 1: comments and even story suggestions on Instagram at Real Patty 145 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:43,199 Speaker 1: Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening 146 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: to the Backstory with Patty Steele, the pieces of history 147 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 1: you didn't know you needed to know.