Author: Skyler In 350 BCE, Greece was the place to be in the Western world. After the end of the Persian Wars (Greece against the Persian Empire) and the Peloponnesian War (between the city-states of Athens and Sparta) in the 5th century BCE, Classical Greece was enjoying a time of relative peace and prosperity shortly…
Cultural Revolution and a Starving Population (a failed egg custard)
Author: Skyler In ninth grade I remember finding Chinese history confusing and dull. A mess of difficult pronunciations and dynasty names*, one which we did little more than glance over in class. That changed, however, when I happened to read Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang, a short memoir that documents a young girl’s childhood and adolescence in Cultural Revolution-era…
The Five Flavors of Thailand (Thai Vegetable Curry with Rice Balls)
Author: Sarah Thai food is made up of 5 flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and spicy. Curry was brought to Thailand by Buddhist monks. This curry had all five of the main flavors. It had coconut, which was sweet. The sourness was brought in by the addition of lemon. It was made bitter by the…
Montezuma’s Secret Chocolate Club (Xocolatl, or Aztec Hot Chocolate)
Author: Sarah Cacao was originally cultivated by the Olmecs and the Mayans, but has been most famously associated with the Aztecs. Montezuma II was known to drink 50 goblets of chocolate each day and for limiting chocolate consumption to royals, nobles, and warriors. As the early Americans did not have sugar yet, the hot chocolate…
From Aristocracy to the Public: The Story of the Plantain (Plantains 3 Ways)
Author: Sarah The plantain migrated to South America during the 15th and 16th century via the slave trade as a cheap and nutritious food. Importation of bananas and plantains increased at a steady rate, and just before the turn of the century, the industry emerged as dominant. By the late 19th century, the plantain had…
Chapati Codes and the Sepoy Rebellion (Chana Saag and Naan)
Author: Skyler From the time of the ancient river valley civilizations and into the classical and postclassical eras, India was set apart by its advanced society and profitable trade in spices and other specialty goods. The wide availability of spices has given Indian cuisine rich flavors that set it apart from any other region. Unfortunately, it…
AP Food History 