1 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: You're listening to Part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope 2 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:13,960 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. Guess what Will? What's that mango? Do you 3 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: know what a food mummy is? 4 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:17,920 Speaker 2: You mean, like yummy mummy, the character who hangs out 5 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 2: with Count Chocolate. 6 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: I mean, that's a pretty good guess. But food mummies 7 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:25,119 Speaker 1: or victual mummies are ancient meals that have been found 8 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: preserved in tombs alongside Egyptian pharaohs and their families. Like 9 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:32,880 Speaker 1: ancient meals, so like mummified wheat and figs. 10 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 3: What are you talking about? 11 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: So for plant based foods like grains, fruits, and honey, 12 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:40,479 Speaker 1: the Egyptians packed them into baskets or ceramic jars, and 13 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 1: while remnants of those foods have been found in tombs, 14 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,319 Speaker 1: most of the perishable food decomposed a long long time ago. 15 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 1: But this was completely different for meat and poultry preserved 16 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: for the afterlife. Every cut of beef for gamebird was 17 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: given the same mummification process that was used on human 18 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: royals and their animal pets. So first the foods were 19 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: slowly dry with salt, and then they were wrapped in 20 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:04,760 Speaker 1: strips of linens and coated with the mixture of resins 21 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 1: to keep out moisture and prevent decomposition. And lastly, the 22 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:12,400 Speaker 1: mummified meats were packed into little wooden sarcopha guys, some 23 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: of which were even carved into the shape of their contents, 24 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:16,319 Speaker 1: so you might find a leg of veal or a 25 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: shoulder of antelope in something shaped like that. I have 26 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 1: to ask, like, what was the goal with all of this? Well, 27 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 1: as I'm sure you know, the whole point of human 28 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: mummification was to prepare the body for the afterlife, So 29 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:30,679 Speaker 1: you know, it's so that a person's soul could recognize 30 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: the body and continue using it forever. But the Egyptians 31 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,960 Speaker 1: also applied the same principle to whatever else a person 32 00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 1: was late to rest with. So if you buried someone 33 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:41,399 Speaker 1: with a bunch of treasure, then they would have an 34 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: endless supply of wealth to spend in the afterlife. And 35 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: if you bury them with their favorite foods, they would 36 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: have something delicious to nibble on for all of eternity. 37 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: So I guess in their minds they were kind of 38 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: stalking the pharaoh's eternal pantry with all his favorite goodies exactly. 39 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: And because of that practice, archaeologists are now digging up 40 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: four thousand years old cuts of beef, many of which 41 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: look surprisingly good for their age. 42 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 2: Wait, could somebody actually still eat one of those meat mummies? 43 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 2: Mummified beef should technically still be edible, but so far, 44 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 2: no one's had the chance or maybe the courage, to 45 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 2: try it. Right, those kinds of food artifacts are kept 46 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 2: almost exclusively in climate control display cases at museums and 47 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 2: research centers, where guests are pretty strongly encouraged to look 48 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:27,919 Speaker 2: but not taste. The other thing is that, like if 49 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 2: the Egyptians were right, eating that old beef could make 50 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,519 Speaker 2: the pharaoh's ghost meat disappear from his table mid dinner party, 51 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 2: and who would want to do that? But the good 52 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 2: news is that the ancient Egyptians weren't the only ones 53 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:43,239 Speaker 2: to discover the wonders of underground food storage. Cultures around 54 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 2: the world have been preserving, curing, and even cooking foods 55 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,519 Speaker 2: beneath the soil, and many of those techniques are still 56 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 2: in use today, from bog butter to Peruvian barbecue, and 57 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:56,920 Speaker 2: today's episode is all about shining a light on those 58 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 2: buried food traditions. So grab your shovels and four and 59 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 2: get ready to chow down on the best underground cuisines. Hey, 60 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:27,839 Speaker 2: their podcast listeners, Welcome to part time Genius. I'm Will 61 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 2: Pearson and as always I'm joined by my good friend 62 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 2: mangesh Hot Ticketer. And on the other side of that 63 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 2: soundproof glass, just chomping his way through a smorgash board 64 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 2: of freshly dug root vegetables. That's our friend and producer 65 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 2: Dylan fag And now, as always, he goes above and 66 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 2: beyond with these things, because he's not only got the 67 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 2: spread with carrots and beets and sweet potatoes. I think 68 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 2: I see a few radishes in there. 69 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 3: I'm pretty proud of him. 70 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: Well, and is that a turnip for a rootabaga? 71 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 2: That's an onion mango, So brush up on your veggies. 72 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 2: But I think you just wanted to say the word Rudebagah. 73 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: Pretty sure that's what's got it in twice. 74 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 2: But let's talk a little bit about the practice of 75 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 2: burying food, which of course started as a way to 76 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 2: keep it from spoiling. According to the National Center for 77 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 2: Home Food Preservation, the earliest technique for preserving food was 78 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 2: most likely drying it in the sun. That's a process 79 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 2: that's thought to have been developed by accident during the 80 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 2: stone age. 81 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: Oh, I can definitely see that. Like some guy forgets 82 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:23,479 Speaker 1: about the mammet steaks he left out on his rock yep, 83 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: he comes back the next day, he finds him dried 84 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:26,920 Speaker 1: out and decides to eat him anyway. 85 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 2: I mean, that is kind of exactly what would have happened, 86 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 2: And it's easy to imagine that our ancestors and colder 87 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 2: climates may have stumbled upon the freezing. 88 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 3: Method in much the same way. 89 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:38,839 Speaker 2: So somebody forgets about a stash of food, finds it 90 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 2: in the debt of winter, thaws it out, and finds 91 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:43,719 Speaker 2: that it still tastes just as good as it was 92 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 2: when it was fresh. And so basically there were discoveries 93 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:50,480 Speaker 2: of culinary carelessness. So some random Neanderthals were bad at 94 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:53,280 Speaker 2: resource management and desperate enough to eat something that might 95 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,360 Speaker 2: have killed them. But without those mistakes, there's a strong 96 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 2: chance that human civilization wouldn't exist today. 97 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 1: That's the ability to preserve food through winter allowed humans 98 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: to plant roots and form communities instead of just endlessly 99 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: roaming from place to place in search of food. 100 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:10,840 Speaker 2: That's right, and the reason why things like drying food 101 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:12,599 Speaker 2: in the sun or burying them in the ground and 102 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 2: freezing temperatures is so effective is that they both slow 103 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:19,599 Speaker 2: down microbial growth. Thanks to microbes in the air, food 104 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 2: begins to spoil as soon as it's harvested, but those 105 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 2: microorganisms require moisture to carry out their cellular functions, and 106 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 2: so without that they'll either die or go dormant. So 107 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 2: whether you evaporate the moisture by drying the food in 108 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:35,719 Speaker 2: the sun or turn it into ice by freezing food underground, 109 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 2: the process wipes out the microbes and slows down that 110 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 2: process of decay. 111 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: So I am curious though, what about food that's buried 112 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:47,159 Speaker 1: in non freezing temperatures like it still contains moisture, So 113 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: wouldn't it spoil just as fast as food above ground. 114 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 3: Well it's not just about temperature control. 115 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 2: That's a big part of it, but there are other 116 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 2: environmental factors that are at play too, namely. 117 00:05:58,120 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 3: Light and oxygen. 118 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 2: Those can trigger natural reactions between air and food molecules 119 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:07,279 Speaker 2: that hasten decomposition. But when food is buried underground, the 120 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:11,240 Speaker 2: exposure to air and light is much less of an issue. Additionally, 121 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 2: if the soil is dry and salty, that can also 122 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:16,359 Speaker 2: help reduce the food's moisture level. Even if the ground 123 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:18,400 Speaker 2: isn't cold enough to freeze. 124 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:20,560 Speaker 1: That's really interesting. I do want to mention, though, that 125 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: under certain conditions, it is possible to preserve food underground 126 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 1: in a cool, moist environment, and the best example for 127 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:30,919 Speaker 1: that that I can think of is something called bog butter. 128 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:32,600 Speaker 1: Bog butter, I'm just. 129 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:33,200 Speaker 3: Like saying it. 130 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:35,479 Speaker 2: I'm so curious about this because I've definitely heard of 131 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 2: bog bodies, which are those super old preserved corpses that 132 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 2: people keep finding in European peat bogs, but I don't 133 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:44,000 Speaker 2: know how much about this bog butter. 134 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:48,040 Speaker 1: Weirdly, bog bodies and bog butter are both created for 135 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 1: the same natural process, so for anyone I'm familiar at, 136 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 1: bog is a shallow kind of wetland where the ground 137 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:58,200 Speaker 1: is composed of all this soft, spongy material called peat. Now, 138 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 1: peat is formed by the partial decomposition of moss and 139 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 1: other plant matter, and it's that abundance of rotting vegetation 140 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 1: that gives bogs their preservative power. They become so clogged 141 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: with peate that water can't flow in and out easily, 142 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: and that results in extremely low oxygen levels. On top 143 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: of that, the decomposition process makes the bogs highly acidic, 144 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:23,160 Speaker 1: and because most bogs form in cold temperate climates, peat 145 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: bogs also have the preserving power of cool temperatures, and 146 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:28,880 Speaker 1: these factors combined to create a unique environment that's good 147 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: for preserving things, which is how we wound up with 148 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:34,320 Speaker 1: those perfectly preserved human bodies that you mentioned, most of 149 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 1: which were laid to rest way back in the Iron Age. 150 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:39,160 Speaker 1: Actually it's like nearly three thousand years ago, and it's 151 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 1: also wide. People in Scotland and Ireland keep finding giant 152 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 1: wads of butter from around the same era. 153 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 2: Wait, I am curious about this, Like, so is bog 154 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 2: butter actual butter? 155 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 1: It is actual ancient butter. 156 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:53,440 Speaker 3: Wow. 157 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:56,600 Speaker 1: Yeah. Some specimens are from as recent as the sixteen hundreds, 158 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 1: but most are much older, from as far back as 159 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 1: six hundred BCE. Now, over the last decade or so, 160 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:06,560 Speaker 1: bog workers in the UK have stumbled across hundreds of 161 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: examples of bog butter. These slimy chunks of yellowish dairy 162 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 1: that are typically found wrapped in animal skins or inside 163 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:16,760 Speaker 1: wooden crates even and they range and weight from about 164 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: fifteen pounds to well over one hundred pounds of this stuff. 165 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:21,240 Speaker 3: Wow, that's crazy. 166 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 2: So why were people dumping so much butter in their bogs? 167 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 3: Like, if they were, I just want to say that, But. 168 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 2: If they were wrapping it up, they must have wanted 169 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 2: to come back for it, right, Yeah. 170 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: So historian instinct that locals were using the bog as 171 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:36,400 Speaker 1: a natural refrigerator, and the custom clearly persisted for thousands 172 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: of years. And along the way, it seems that more 173 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:41,719 Speaker 1: than a few people just kind of lost track of 174 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,839 Speaker 1: their butter stash. I never found it again, So tryptocurrency 175 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:45,560 Speaker 1: event happened. 176 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 2: Sometimes you just lose your butter, you know, and their 177 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 2: losses are gain I guess, but I can't imagine a 178 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 2: chunk of old, rancid butter is worth that much to 179 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 2: anyone at this point. 180 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:56,440 Speaker 1: Yeah. So what's interesting is that, according to nat Gio, 181 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 1: and this is what I was kind of hinting at, 182 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:00,880 Speaker 1: people in the area actually treated butter as a substitute 183 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:04,560 Speaker 1: for cash, using it to barter or even pay their taxes. 184 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:08,679 Speaker 1: So not only was the bog this big like communal refrigerator, 185 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:12,440 Speaker 1: it was also people's savings accounts, which means that you know, 186 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 1: misplacing your butter was every bit as much a financial 187 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:17,680 Speaker 1: loss as it was a culinary one. 188 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:20,200 Speaker 3: I do love butter. I sort of get it at 189 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 3: the same time. 190 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:23,280 Speaker 2: Actually, a question for you, do you leave your butter 191 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:24,680 Speaker 2: out on the counter or do you keep your butter 192 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 2: on the refrigerator. I leave it on the counter, man, 193 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 2: it's so good, just the way to do it. I 194 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:30,960 Speaker 2: have no idea whether it's the right thing to do, 195 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:33,360 Speaker 2: but it's definitely taste here. All right, We've got much 196 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:35,680 Speaker 2: more buried food to uncover. But before we do that, 197 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:46,520 Speaker 2: let's take a quick break. 198 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 1: You're listening to Part Time Genius and we're talking about 199 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 1: the many hidden benefits of burying your food. Okay, Well, 200 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: so we've looked at food burial as this really just 201 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:03,960 Speaker 1: right and as a preservation method and kind of a bank. 202 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 1: But where do you want to go next. 203 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:09,480 Speaker 2: With all this talk about microorganisms and temperature control. I 204 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:12,440 Speaker 2: can't help but think about fermentation, which is a very 205 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,080 Speaker 2: different approach to buried food preservation than what we've talked 206 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:15,720 Speaker 2: about so far. 207 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, So, so tell me a little bit about this. 208 00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:17,840 Speaker 3: All right. 209 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:20,520 Speaker 2: Well, instead of trying to eliminate the microbes in a food, 210 00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 2: fermentation does the opposite. It spurs the growth of certain 211 00:10:23,679 --> 00:10:27,320 Speaker 2: bacteria and yeast and causes them to produce lactic acid, 212 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:30,480 Speaker 2: which in turn alters the flavors and textures of the food. 213 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:33,000 Speaker 1: And that's also what helps preserve. 214 00:10:32,679 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 2: These foods, right, that's exactly right. So all the lactic 215 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:39,520 Speaker 2: acid from fermentation prevents the growth of harmful bacteria, effectively 216 00:10:39,559 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 2: preserving the food for longer. And because it's the acidic 217 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:45,880 Speaker 2: environment that makes this kind of preservation possible, you can 218 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:49,280 Speaker 2: ferment foods in hot or cold weather. In fact, Korea 219 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 2: and kimchi was traditionally made in the colder months so 220 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:55,720 Speaker 2: families would have access to vegetables throughout the winter. Large 221 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 2: batches were prepared in ceramic pots and then buried in 222 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:01,720 Speaker 2: the ground to slowly ferment had a more steady temperature. 223 00:11:02,679 --> 00:11:05,440 Speaker 1: So in a way, fermentation was kind of the next 224 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 1: step in the evolution of varied cuisine because not only 225 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:11,320 Speaker 1: are you preserving food underground, now you're preparing it too. 226 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:12,839 Speaker 1: And the thing you put in the ground isn't the 227 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:14,839 Speaker 1: same as what you dig up, right, Like, there's a 228 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:17,680 Speaker 1: real change there. The look, the taste, the texture, it's 229 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:18,880 Speaker 1: all completely different. 230 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, and traditional kimchi isn't the only example of a 231 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:25,200 Speaker 2: food that's forever changed by its time underground. For instance, 232 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 2: in Greenland, the native people's prepare a dish called kiviak 233 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 2: and that involves stuffing a seal skin with hundreds of 234 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:35,080 Speaker 2: tiny seabirds and placing it in a hole covered with 235 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 2: rocks to ferment for eighteen months. 236 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:37,959 Speaker 3: Have you ever made this before. 237 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 2: It's just it's just a seal skin and then hundreds 238 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:43,360 Speaker 2: of tiny birds and eighteen months later. 239 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:45,280 Speaker 1: I've tried it with like twenty or thirty birds, but 240 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:49,400 Speaker 1: has a lot of birds no, I mean, I've heard 241 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:50,960 Speaker 1: of it, but it's not appeeling to me. 242 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 2: It's basically like a seal turducan, right kind of, but 243 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:57,439 Speaker 2: unlike the tur ducan, you don't consume the outer layer, 244 00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:00,720 Speaker 2: only what's inside of it. And another important differences that 245 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:03,680 Speaker 2: the dead birds in kivak actually get stuffed into the 246 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:07,640 Speaker 2: cavity with all their feathers and their beaks still attach. 247 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:10,720 Speaker 2: Then you have to coat the whole thing with oils 248 00:12:10,760 --> 00:12:13,840 Speaker 2: to ward off maggots and bury it seam side up 249 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 2: so that any gases can vent through the rocks there. 250 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:18,960 Speaker 2: It sounds like a sort of a growth process. 251 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, so the starting evolved and you said they buried 252 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:25,800 Speaker 1: this thing for like over a year. 253 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 2: Technically you can dig it up after just three months. 254 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:31,640 Speaker 2: But if you want those beaks to get good and gelatinous, 255 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:35,439 Speaker 2: you definitely don't want an aldentate beak like you gotta 256 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:38,160 Speaker 2: wait a little bit longer, so be patient. But the 257 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:39,920 Speaker 2: goal in any case is to have it ready for 258 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:42,560 Speaker 2: Christmas time, when kivak is eaten as part of a 259 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:47,000 Speaker 2: traditional holiday feast. Now, understandably, many families choose to enjoy 260 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:50,240 Speaker 2: this winter delicacy outdoors to keep its powerful smell from 261 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 2: lingering in the house. And this can linger for weeks afterward. 262 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:56,760 Speaker 2: And if you're wondering what the dish tastes like but 263 00:12:56,800 --> 00:12:59,640 Speaker 2: would rather not try for yourself, a BBC producer named 264 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:03,559 Speaker 2: Bethan Evans once described it as a cross between licorice 265 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:05,880 Speaker 2: and the strongest cheese I've ever had. 266 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:10,000 Speaker 1: Those are not things I think of pairing together for 267 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:14,600 Speaker 1: together well, so thinking of like other combinations that are 268 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:17,439 Speaker 1: a little bit odd. I feel the same way about gravlocks, 269 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:22,160 Speaker 1: which is another strong smelling Nordic dish that involved buried fermentation. 270 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:25,360 Speaker 2: And actually that's the salmon dish that Julia Child made 271 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:27,959 Speaker 2: famous isn't it. Yeah, I've seen it on minis before, 272 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 2: but I've never actually realized it was fermented. 273 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, so that's the thing. The modern take on gradlocks 274 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:36,560 Speaker 1: doesn't involve fermentation or even much of a burial. Instead, 275 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 1: the salmon is just buried in a dry rub of salt, 276 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:42,200 Speaker 1: sugar and dill, and then it's cured in a refrigerator 277 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 1: for a few days. But that is very different from 278 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:48,440 Speaker 1: how Swedish fishermen first prepared the dish, and this goes 279 00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:50,640 Speaker 1: way back to the Middle Ages. They'd been looking for 280 00:13:50,679 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 1: a way to preserve their summer catch without the use 281 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:56,280 Speaker 1: of salt, which at the time was very expensive, and 282 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:59,080 Speaker 1: this led to the development of a technique called gravlocks, 283 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:01,360 Speaker 1: which literally means buried salmon. 284 00:14:01,679 --> 00:14:03,520 Speaker 2: You know, it's actually just occurring to me right now. 285 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 2: That grave is right there in. 286 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 1: The word, yeah, and true to the name. Peasants and 287 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:10,360 Speaker 1: fishermen would wrap the fish in birch bark and then 288 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:15,120 Speaker 1: bury it in a wet, sandy grave, and the cold moisture, 289 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 1: the lack of oxygen, and the acidity from the birch bark, 290 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:21,480 Speaker 1: all of that would cause the salmon to ferment instead 291 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:22,280 Speaker 1: of robbing. 292 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:24,720 Speaker 2: It does feel like such a risky way to ferment, 293 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 2: something like there's no air tight container and your only 294 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:30,880 Speaker 2: defense against spoilage are a few strips of birch bark, 295 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:33,120 Speaker 2: Like I'm surprised people didn't get sick from eating it. 296 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 1: People absolutely did, and if you even died from it. 297 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 1: The dish is considered a delicacy today, but in its 298 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:42,720 Speaker 1: original form, eating gravlocks was an act of true desperation, 299 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:46,320 Speaker 1: and no matter how horribly it smelled or how iffy 300 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 1: it tasted, the chance to not starve was It was 301 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:50,640 Speaker 1: kind of worth the gamble. 302 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:51,800 Speaker 3: That makes sense, all right. 303 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 2: Well, now that we've covered the aromatic delights of animal fermentation, 304 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:58,680 Speaker 2: I've got another resourceful buried food tradition for you, and 305 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 2: this one's actually vegetarian. So, according to an old piece 306 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 2: of Appalachian wisdom, if you bury heads of cabbage upside 307 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:08,520 Speaker 2: down in the dirt, they'll stay crisp and crunchy all 308 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 2: winter long. The mountaineers discovered the trick over a century ago, 309 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:15,160 Speaker 2: and many families in the regions still swear by it today. 310 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:18,000 Speaker 2: They claim that buried cabbage is more flavorful than its 311 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:21,600 Speaker 2: top side cousin. Wait, so these cabbages aren't fermented or 312 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:24,160 Speaker 2: seasoned or anything. They're just like pulled from the garden 313 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:26,640 Speaker 2: and then plopped back into the ground, just upside down, 314 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:29,240 Speaker 2: pretty straightforward. And that's not to say that there was 315 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:32,080 Speaker 2: nothing clever about the process. I mean, the leafy greenheads 316 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:34,840 Speaker 2: have been a staple crop for mountaineers since the Blue 317 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:38,479 Speaker 2: Ridge area was first settled, and in the days before refrigeration, 318 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:41,600 Speaker 2: a homesteader's best bet for storing their cabbages through the 319 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:44,720 Speaker 2: winter was by digging and framing out a root cellar 320 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 2: somewhere along the way, though enterprising families realized they could 321 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 2: skip that step by simply sticking their cabbages in the dirt. Now, 322 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:55,360 Speaker 2: the preferred method, known locally as holing it up, was 323 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:57,920 Speaker 2: to dig out a shallow trench just below the frost 324 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:01,280 Speaker 2: line and then place the cabbages in it upside down, 325 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:03,400 Speaker 2: so that the dirt wouldn't get in the leaves once 326 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:05,240 Speaker 2: the hole was filled in if you think about the 327 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:08,640 Speaker 2: direction of the leaves, and so those underground stores of 328 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:11,840 Speaker 2: cabbage could be tapped into as needed throughout the season, 329 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 2: adding a welcome crunch of texture to the families. Otherwise 330 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:18,040 Speaker 2: mushy meals of you think about things like canned beans 331 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:19,680 Speaker 2: and corn pudding and stuff like that. 332 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 1: So I know you can do a lot of things 333 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:24,960 Speaker 1: with cabbage, like you can saute, fry it up, chop 334 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,400 Speaker 1: it into a slab. But did mountaineers try burying anything 335 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:30,920 Speaker 1: besides cabbage, because that seems like it's a technique that 336 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:32,960 Speaker 1: would work for other foods pretty well as well. 337 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:36,120 Speaker 2: So they did experiment with bearing other kinds of vegetables, 338 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:39,120 Speaker 2: but without added preservatives, most of them just rotted after 339 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:42,560 Speaker 2: a few days. Underground cabbage proved the exception. Because of 340 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 2: the plant's tough outer leaves, that protective layer would gradually 341 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 2: dry out, but the plant's inner core could remain crisp 342 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 2: and fresh. In fact, proponents of buried cabbage claim the 343 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 2: process concentrates all the flavor in those inner leaves that 344 00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 2: makes the plant taste much sweeter. 345 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:01,240 Speaker 1: That sounds delicious actually, And you said this is something 346 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:04,720 Speaker 1: people still do in the Appellations, Yeah, I mean most residents. 347 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 2: Don't see the point now, and it's just about everyone 348 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:08,800 Speaker 2: has a refrigerator. But that said, there are still some 349 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,359 Speaker 2: old timers and diehard cabbage fans out there who. 350 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:12,399 Speaker 3: Are still holding it up. 351 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:15,679 Speaker 1: Like the good old that's fascinating. Okay, well, we've got 352 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:17,840 Speaker 1: a whole lot more to cover, but before that, let's 353 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 1: take a quick break. 354 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:33,479 Speaker 4: All right. 355 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:36,159 Speaker 1: Well, so no offense to our listeners in the blue ridge, 356 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 1: but raw cabbage is just about the most low effort 357 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:42,280 Speaker 1: buried food I can think of, right, Like, it is 358 00:17:42,359 --> 00:17:44,880 Speaker 1: so simple to do, and I thought we could head 359 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:47,760 Speaker 1: north and talk about one that requires just a little 360 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:50,639 Speaker 1: bit more elbow grease. It's an old New England specialty 361 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,640 Speaker 1: called a bean hole supper. Have you actually heard of this? 362 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:53,840 Speaker 2: No? 363 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:54,359 Speaker 3: I have not. 364 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:56,919 Speaker 1: This is something that our friend Mary turned me on too. 365 00:17:57,440 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: She's a Native maner and she says it's one of 366 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:02,080 Speaker 1: her favorite summer traditions. Let's get into it. Tell me 367 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:05,200 Speaker 1: about it. So the cooking itself is not too complicated, 368 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:07,359 Speaker 1: but it does take a fair amount of prep. First, 369 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:09,399 Speaker 1: you have to get your beans ready by soaking and 370 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:13,760 Speaker 1: par boiling them. Then you add all your fixens like pork, onions, 371 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:17,359 Speaker 1: dry mustard, molasses as well. The next step is where 372 00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:19,439 Speaker 1: things start to get interesting. You go outside and you 373 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:21,560 Speaker 1: dig a hole a few feet deep, and then you 374 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:23,679 Speaker 1: start a fire at the bottom and you keep it 375 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:25,960 Speaker 1: burning till you have a nice bed of coals. You 376 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,440 Speaker 1: need something that's about eight inches thick. Next, you lower 377 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:31,680 Speaker 1: your sealed pot of beans into the hole and line 378 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:33,879 Speaker 1: the walls with rocks to keep the heat in. And 379 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:35,640 Speaker 1: then you fill in the hole with soil and let 380 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:38,840 Speaker 1: the beans cook for a good long while, generally overnight. 381 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:41,320 Speaker 1: And at that point there's really nothing to do but 382 00:18:41,359 --> 00:18:44,040 Speaker 1: wait till morning. Then you dig up the pot hoist 383 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:45,560 Speaker 1: it out of the hole, which is usually a two 384 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:48,320 Speaker 1: person job, and then you help yourself to some warm 385 00:18:48,359 --> 00:18:49,280 Speaker 1: beanie goodness. 386 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:51,960 Speaker 2: Wait, so are these breakfast beans? I thought this was 387 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:52,959 Speaker 2: a bean hole supper. 388 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 1: Well, it's really up to the people with the shovels. 389 00:18:55,119 --> 00:18:57,880 Speaker 1: Some people cook the beans all day, eat them at night, 390 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:00,760 Speaker 1: and then reheat the leftovers for breakfast. Others tuck in 391 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 1: first thing in the morning and then go back for 392 00:19:02,359 --> 00:19:05,520 Speaker 1: seconds at dinner time. We're talking mass quantities of beans here, 393 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 1: like they're actually like about nine or ten pounds of 394 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:11,400 Speaker 1: beans per pot, So most people will make a few 395 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:13,879 Speaker 1: meals out of it regardless of when they start eating. 396 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 1: And not to mention, the bean whole supper is really 397 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:20,119 Speaker 1: a communal event. You might wind up burying a dozen 398 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:23,080 Speaker 1: pots or more depending on the size of your guest list. 399 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:25,439 Speaker 2: That's a lot of beans. And it does make me 400 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:27,640 Speaker 2: wonder though, like why beans this is main? 401 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 3: Right? So it feels like you should have a. 402 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:32,320 Speaker 2: Clam bake or cook a bunch of lobsters underground instead. 403 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:34,480 Speaker 1: Part of it just comes down to price, right, Like 404 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:36,960 Speaker 1: one hundred and fifty pounds of beans versus one hundred 405 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,080 Speaker 1: and fifty pounds of lobster. Beans are called a different price, 406 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:43,640 Speaker 1: two different prices. Beans are called the poor men's meat 407 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:46,160 Speaker 1: for a reason. Plus they have a much longer shelf 408 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:49,480 Speaker 1: life than clams or lobsters. But there are still other 409 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:52,080 Speaker 1: cheap foods that you can bury besides beans, Like they 410 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:54,400 Speaker 1: must have picked them for a reason. Yeah, I mean, 411 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:58,399 Speaker 1: beans really are ubiquitous in New England. Boston's nickname is 412 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:01,680 Speaker 1: the bean Town for a reason. But probably the biggest 413 00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:05,280 Speaker 1: reason why maners still do this is that it's like 414 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:09,159 Speaker 1: this long, rich history of the custom right. According to 415 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:11,919 Speaker 1: the Main Folk Life Center, the bean hole method of 416 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:14,800 Speaker 1: cooking was first developed by Native American tribes living along 417 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:17,800 Speaker 1: the East coast. They would fill clay pots with beans, 418 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:20,520 Speaker 1: bear grease, and maple syrup, and then they'd cover it 419 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:23,640 Speaker 1: with deer skins and bury them in coals underground. Now 420 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:27,040 Speaker 1: European settlers in Maine adopted the bean hole from the 421 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:31,480 Speaker 1: Abenaki tribe, and the long, slow cooking style proved especially 422 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:35,200 Speaker 1: useful in the regions many lumber camps. Beans were cheap 423 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:39,159 Speaker 1: and plentiful and obviously a good source of protein, and 424 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:42,360 Speaker 1: they could be easily prepared in large batches. And while 425 00:20:42,359 --> 00:20:45,359 Speaker 1: the equipment and camp kitchens was pretty bare bones at 426 00:20:45,359 --> 00:20:47,760 Speaker 1: the time, the cooks had everything they needed to make 427 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:50,800 Speaker 1: a bean hole supper, which is really just cast iron pots, 428 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:53,560 Speaker 1: plenty of rocks and wood, and lots of open land 429 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:56,000 Speaker 1: for digging. I'm curious, though, do we know what kinds 430 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:57,879 Speaker 1: of beans these guys were eating. I guess there's a 431 00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:01,560 Speaker 1: certain kind that's traditionally used in these bean holes. From 432 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:05,000 Speaker 1: what I read, most maners stick to heirloom beans, which 433 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,440 Speaker 1: are the types that were common during the colonial era. 434 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:10,760 Speaker 1: But whichever beans you use, you'll want to make sure 435 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:12,960 Speaker 1: you've got plenty of brown bread and onions on hand 436 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:15,680 Speaker 1: to go with the leftovers. And that's because the traditional 437 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:18,560 Speaker 1: next day meal after a bean hole supper is a 438 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:21,680 Speaker 1: sandwich of cold beans and raw onions on brown bread. 439 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 3: Wait, cold beans? 440 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:24,320 Speaker 2: Why why wouldn't you just reheat them? 441 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: Because then you have to dig another hole. I guys, 442 00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:30,320 Speaker 1: but it's not practical. You know. That actually reminds me. 443 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:33,280 Speaker 1: Gabe came across a nineteenth century folk song this week 444 00:21:33,359 --> 00:21:36,080 Speaker 1: about life at the lumber camps, and one of the 445 00:21:36,119 --> 00:21:38,359 Speaker 1: stanzas made me think that the cooks may have relied 446 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:40,919 Speaker 1: on bean hole suppers just a little too much in 447 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:43,960 Speaker 1: some cases. This song is called the Good Old State 448 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:46,360 Speaker 1: of Maine, and the outlines how much worse the conditions 449 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:49,520 Speaker 1: were at New Hampshire's lumber camps compared to those of Maine, 450 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:52,960 Speaker 1: including the lack of variety on the menu. Now we 451 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:56,520 Speaker 1: found this recording sung by James Brown, not the James Brown. 452 00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:58,600 Speaker 1: We all know a different Games Brown, and I want 453 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:00,639 Speaker 1: to play a clip of it, so let's late it. 454 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 4: Now. Twas bread and beans and beans, and bread and 455 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 4: bread and beans again for a grub. We sometimes had 456 00:22:10,119 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 4: it change in the good all day domain. 457 00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 2: Oh that is great, and leave it up to Gabe 458 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:19,040 Speaker 2: for find a gem like this. It kind of reminds 459 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:21,240 Speaker 2: me that Monty Python sketch, where every dish on the 460 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:24,919 Speaker 2: menu consists partially or entirely of spam, Like there's just 461 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:25,840 Speaker 2: no escaping. 462 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:28,080 Speaker 1: It exactly, beans all around all right. 463 00:22:28,119 --> 00:22:30,240 Speaker 2: Well, I read about this other pit cooking tradition from 464 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:32,240 Speaker 2: Peru and it's called pacha manca. 465 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:34,239 Speaker 3: The name means earthpot. 466 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,280 Speaker 2: In the indigenous Ketchua language, and it refers to a 467 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:38,440 Speaker 2: style of cooking that's thought to be more than eight 468 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:42,800 Speaker 2: thousand years old. It's basically Peru's answer to barbecue, but 469 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:45,439 Speaker 2: instead of using a grill, you bury the food and 470 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:48,399 Speaker 2: you cook it between rows of hot volcanic rocks. 471 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:50,520 Speaker 1: That's really cool. And I'm guessing the food in this 472 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:51,879 Speaker 1: case is some kind of meat. 473 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:54,399 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that's it's certainly the star of the show. 474 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,919 Speaker 2: A traditional spread can include up to four different marinated meats, 475 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:02,200 Speaker 2: with the most common options being chicken, pork, lamb, alpaca, 476 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:04,720 Speaker 2: or guinea pig, the last two of which are local 477 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:07,320 Speaker 2: delicacies that rarely get served to tourists. 478 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:10,160 Speaker 3: There's a lot more to pacha manka than meat, though. 479 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:13,920 Speaker 2: Other crucial components of the dish include Tomlli's lima beans, 480 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:18,200 Speaker 2: corn potatoes, sweet potatoes, all of which are carefully stacked 481 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:20,680 Speaker 2: in layers according to how long each one needs to cook, 482 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:24,119 Speaker 2: and so how does that work exactly? The first step 483 00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:26,240 Speaker 2: is to dig a pit and then start a fire. 484 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:29,160 Speaker 2: Then you add layers of stones, making sure to only 485 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 2: use volcanic ones so that they don't burst from the 486 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,000 Speaker 2: high heat. Now, once the rocks are red hot, you 487 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:37,639 Speaker 2: add your first layer of food. This is typically the 488 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:40,840 Speaker 2: potato layer because those take the most time to cook. Now. 489 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:43,560 Speaker 2: Their placement also has the added benefit of absorbing all 490 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:46,280 Speaker 2: the fat drippings from the layer above them, which is 491 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:48,560 Speaker 2: your meat of choice. On top of the meat, you 492 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:52,040 Speaker 2: add another layer of rocks, followed by faster cooking vegetables 493 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:54,760 Speaker 2: and tomali's on the very top. Now, the last step 494 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:56,560 Speaker 2: is to cover it all up, but once again there 495 00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:59,399 Speaker 2: is a layering process. So first you pile on some 496 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:02,840 Speaker 2: banana and plantain leaves for flavor, Then you add some 497 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 2: craft paper or fabric to act as a barrier, and 498 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:08,480 Speaker 2: lastly you top it with soil. Now, it can take 499 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:11,159 Speaker 2: as little as fifteen minutes to cook everything, depending on 500 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:13,920 Speaker 2: the heat of your stones, but most pachamanca has cooked 501 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:16,920 Speaker 2: for forty minutes or longer to get everything nice and tender. 502 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:17,960 Speaker 3: It actually sounds pretty good. 503 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:20,720 Speaker 1: It sounds delicious, but this obviously, isn't a dinner for 504 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:23,280 Speaker 1: one kind of thing. Is this more communal as well? 505 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:24,320 Speaker 1: Very much so. 506 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:27,840 Speaker 2: Like historically it's a very social experience. So people living 507 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:31,240 Speaker 2: in the Andes Mountains were incredibly isolated from other communities, 508 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:34,600 Speaker 2: so making pachamanca was a reason to get everybody together. 509 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:37,480 Speaker 2: It's the same today too, where you might have pachamanka 510 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:40,159 Speaker 2: to celebrate a special occasion or as part of a 511 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:42,960 Speaker 2: big community event, but you're definitely not going to do 512 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:43,640 Speaker 2: this alone. 513 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,000 Speaker 1: It's interesting because when I think of proving cuisine, I 514 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:50,600 Speaker 1: mostly think about savich, which is so firmly rude in 515 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:53,480 Speaker 1: the culture that it's considered the national dish there. But 516 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:56,960 Speaker 1: what you're describing is exact opposite of a cold cooked 517 00:24:57,000 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: seafood salad. 518 00:24:57,880 --> 00:24:59,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like a Maine is better known for lobster 519 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:02,600 Speaker 2: than it is for beanhole suppers. For whatever reason, the 520 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:05,879 Speaker 2: coastal food traditions have just garnered more attention than the 521 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:06,480 Speaker 2: inland ones. 522 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:08,120 Speaker 1: Well, I'm glad we could do this episode to share 523 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:10,800 Speaker 1: the good news of underground cooking. I know a lot 524 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:13,440 Speaker 1: of people got into canning during the pandemic, so who knows, 525 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:16,239 Speaker 1: maybe food burial will be next, you know, like the 526 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:19,440 Speaker 1: next hot food trend. But before we sign off, why 527 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:20,680 Speaker 1: don't we do a quick fact off? 528 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:25,680 Speaker 3: All right, let's dig in. All right, So we've been 529 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:27,160 Speaker 3: covered some unusual. 530 00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 2: Approaches to food preservation today, but I think the strangest 531 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:33,000 Speaker 2: might be the old Russian folk belief that putting a 532 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:35,600 Speaker 2: frog and milk will prevent it from spoiling. 533 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:37,320 Speaker 3: Now that's the milk, not the frog. 534 00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:39,639 Speaker 2: The idea may have stemmed from the fact that frogs 535 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:42,119 Speaker 2: are cold and damped to the touch, which may have 536 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:44,760 Speaker 2: led folks to assume that those qualities could be passed 537 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:48,760 Speaker 2: along to whatever liquid the frog was submerged in. Another 538 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:50,879 Speaker 2: theory is that the belief rose from the practice of 539 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:54,920 Speaker 2: storing milk cans in a stream to keep them cool. Occasionally, 540 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:57,600 Speaker 2: frogs would find their way into these containers, and farmers 541 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:01,320 Speaker 2: would have to assure customers that the milk was still drinkable. 542 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:03,560 Speaker 2: Some of them may have even pretended that the frogs 543 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:07,280 Speaker 2: had been purposefully added due to their supposed preservation power, 544 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:09,880 Speaker 2: which is pretty clever there. In any case, the folklore 545 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:12,920 Speaker 2: about frogs has persisted for centuries, and while few people 546 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:16,199 Speaker 2: in Russia actually believe it, today, just about everyone has 547 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 2: at least heard of it, so you can imagine their 548 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:22,280 Speaker 2: surprise when back in twenty twelve, scientists in Moscow announced 549 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:23,320 Speaker 2: that the belief. 550 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:24,639 Speaker 3: Might not be that far fetched. 551 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:28,320 Speaker 2: Actually, according to the report, many of the peptides found 552 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:33,000 Speaker 2: in the secretions of common frogs contain antibacterial properties. So 553 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:35,399 Speaker 2: while dropping a frog in your milk carton is still 554 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:38,359 Speaker 2: super gross, it turns out the peasants of Old Russia 555 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 2: may have actually been onto something. 556 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:42,840 Speaker 1: That is incredible. I'd heard about that, but I didn't 557 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:45,760 Speaker 1: know there was any truth to it. Well, heading back underground, 558 00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,280 Speaker 1: I want to tell you about the world's oldest noodles. 559 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:51,280 Speaker 1: They were unearthed in China back in two thousand and five, 560 00:26:51,359 --> 00:26:55,520 Speaker 1: and according to radiocarbon dating, the ancient millet pasta is 561 00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:59,240 Speaker 1: about four thousand years old. Now, the discovery suggests that 562 00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:01,960 Speaker 1: China was like the birthplace of the noodle, as none 563 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:04,960 Speaker 1: of the specimens found in other countries come anywhere close 564 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:07,760 Speaker 1: to matching that date. And the really crazy thing is 565 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:12,280 Speaker 1: that this act of preservation happened completely by accident. According 566 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:15,160 Speaker 1: to archaeologists, the ancient settlement where the noodles were found 567 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:18,760 Speaker 1: had been wiped out by a sudden catastrophe, and amidst 568 00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:21,800 Speaker 1: the wreckage and human remains, the team found an upturned 569 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:24,480 Speaker 1: bowl and when they lifted it, they found a pile 570 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:28,600 Speaker 1: of neolithic noodles waiting for them. So the archaeologist Kambu 571 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:32,920 Speaker 1: Lee explained it this way. It was this unique combination 572 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:35,359 Speaker 1: of factors that created a vacuum or an empty space 573 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:37,600 Speaker 1: between the top of the sentiment cone and the bottom 574 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:40,760 Speaker 1: of this bowl that allowed the noodles to be perfectly preserved. 575 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:44,360 Speaker 2: It's interesting, actually, I think I have the perfect thing 576 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:46,719 Speaker 2: to pair with the world's oldest noodles, and that's the 577 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:50,520 Speaker 2: world's oldest wine. It was poured into a funeral urn 578 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:52,960 Speaker 2: in Spain more than two thousand years ago and was 579 00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:57,479 Speaker 2: rediscovered inside an underground Roman tomb back in twenty nineteen. Now. 580 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:00,399 Speaker 2: The archaeologist who opened the urn found a glass flask 581 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,960 Speaker 2: inside containing about five liters of a reddish brown liquid. 582 00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:07,760 Speaker 2: Chemical analysis revealed it to be a white sherry type 583 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:10,480 Speaker 2: wine that's still made in the region today, and it 584 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:13,560 Speaker 2: has since been authenticated as the oldest known example of 585 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:16,719 Speaker 2: a wine that still exists in a liquid form. But 586 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:19,280 Speaker 2: for any connoisseurs out there, attempted to give it a taste. 587 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:22,159 Speaker 2: Keep in mind that cremated remains were also found in 588 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,399 Speaker 2: the urrns, so you'll just want to maybe, I don't know, 589 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:25,440 Speaker 2: maybe strain it first. 590 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:29,760 Speaker 1: I don't know. I like my wine chunky style. One 591 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:32,040 Speaker 1: thing I'd have a harder time saying no to is 592 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:36,600 Speaker 1: a freshly pickled pickle from a Fijian pickle pit. Nice. Now, 593 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:38,800 Speaker 1: the pickling process is thought to have version it in 594 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: Mesopotamia as far back as twenty four hundred BCE, but 595 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:45,960 Speaker 1: it holds a special importance in the Pacific Islands, where 596 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:49,120 Speaker 1: the warm, humid climate causes food to spoil much faster. 597 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:52,720 Speaker 1: So to get around that problem, native communities began digging 598 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:55,640 Speaker 1: these fermentation pits, which they would line with banana leaves 599 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:58,160 Speaker 1: to keep out the soil. And the pits were especially 600 00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:01,080 Speaker 1: helpful in building up food stores to use celebrations or 601 00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:03,960 Speaker 1: you know, in case of storms, and over time the 602 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:06,720 Speaker 1: pits became so vital that they even started to play 603 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:10,480 Speaker 1: a role in the courting process. So in Fiji, for example, 604 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:13,720 Speaker 1: building up a well stocked picklepit shows that a man 605 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:16,400 Speaker 1: is a good provider, which is why it's customary for 606 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:19,880 Speaker 1: men to let a woman's parents inspect their picklepit before 607 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 1: they popped the question. It has some good. 608 00:29:23,080 --> 00:29:26,800 Speaker 2: Tongue twisters this episode, and it just sounds sturdy mango. 609 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:29,400 Speaker 2: To be honest with you, My last one doesn't involve 610 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:31,600 Speaker 2: a buried food, but it's such a bizarre case. 611 00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:34,040 Speaker 3: Of food preservation that I can't not mention it. 612 00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:34,440 Speaker 4: So. 613 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:37,560 Speaker 1: According to our friends at Alice Obscura, the world's oldest. 614 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:39,720 Speaker 2: Ham was carried one hundred and twenty three years ago 615 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:43,600 Speaker 2: by Gwaltney Foods Meat Company, this in Smithfield, Virginia. Now, 616 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:46,160 Speaker 2: somehow the ham fell by the wayside for two decades 617 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:49,320 Speaker 2: and remained hanging from the rafters of a packing house 618 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:52,479 Speaker 2: until the early nineteen twenties. The head of the company, 619 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:55,680 Speaker 2: a guy named Pembroke Gwaltney Junior, was so thrilled by 620 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:58,160 Speaker 2: the hams rediscovering that he put a brass collar on 621 00:29:58,200 --> 00:29:59,840 Speaker 2: it and started calling it his pet. 622 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:01,480 Speaker 3: You know how you'd normally. 623 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:04,320 Speaker 2: React to something like this so weird, And that wasn't 624 00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:06,600 Speaker 2: all either. So Gwaltny was so proud of the ham 625 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:09,560 Speaker 2: that he took it to public expositions and showed it 626 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:12,920 Speaker 2: off as proof of the preservative powers of his smoking method. 627 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:16,320 Speaker 2: He claimed the company's process was so effective that its 628 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:20,080 Speaker 2: meats could be stored in definitely without refrigeration. Seems he 629 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:22,920 Speaker 2: was right too, because the century old Ham is still 630 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:26,040 Speaker 2: going strong today. It's on permanent display at the Isle 631 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:28,880 Speaker 2: of White County Museum in Virginia, which, by the way, 632 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:31,040 Speaker 2: is also home to the World's Oldest Peanuts. 633 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:33,640 Speaker 3: These guys have a lot to brag about in that area. 634 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:34,600 Speaker 1: It's so old. 635 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:36,800 Speaker 2: And if you can't make the trip in person, don't worry. 636 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:39,200 Speaker 2: You can still keep up with the Ham's Twitter account 637 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:42,280 Speaker 2: at World's Oldest Ham, or you can keep an eye 638 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:45,640 Speaker 2: on it directly through the museum's twenty four to seven 639 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:49,800 Speaker 2: live streamed ham Camp, of course. And in case you're wondering, 640 00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:53,680 Speaker 2: according to microbologist, the ham is still technically edible, although 641 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:56,200 Speaker 2: you know it looks like a petrified football. 642 00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:56,360 Speaker 3: At this point. 643 00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:00,840 Speaker 1: Well, even though I love the idea of around the 644 00:31:00,840 --> 00:31:03,920 Speaker 1: clock Hamcam, the fact that it is in does give 645 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:04,840 Speaker 1: you a little pause here. 646 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:05,640 Speaker 3: I think that's fair. 647 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:07,120 Speaker 2: I still wanted to mention it, but I was going 648 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:09,600 Speaker 2: to give you this week's trophy anyway for the pickle pits, 649 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:11,840 Speaker 2: you know, mainly for the tongue twister there because it's 650 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:13,240 Speaker 2: just so much fun to say. 651 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:16,080 Speaker 1: I love it. Well, that's going to do it for 652 00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:18,520 Speaker 1: today's Part Time Genius. If you enjoyed this episode, come 653 00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:21,000 Speaker 1: find us on Instagram at part Time Genius or leave 654 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:23,880 Speaker 1: us a review on Apple Podcasts, and either way we'll 655 00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:26,040 Speaker 1: be back in your feed real soon with another brand 656 00:31:26,120 --> 00:31:30,600 Speaker 1: new episode from Mary Gabe, Dylan, Will and myself. Thank 657 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:46,000 Speaker 1: you so much for listening. Part Time Genius is a 658 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:49,920 Speaker 1: production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. This show is hosted by 659 00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:54,520 Speaker 1: Will Pearson and me Mongayshtikler and researched by our good 660 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:58,800 Speaker 1: pal Mary Philip Sandy. Today's episode was engineered and produced 661 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:02,120 Speaker 1: by the wonderful Dylan Fagan with support from Tyler Klang. 662 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:05,959 Speaker 1: The show is executive produced for iHeart by Katrina Norvel 663 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:09,160 Speaker 1: and Ali Perry, with social media support from Sasha Gay, 664 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:13,680 Speaker 1: Trustee Dara Potts and buy Any Shorey. For more podcasts 665 00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:18,520 Speaker 1: from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 666 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:33,920 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.