Articles Archive for December 2008
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In order to write a quick article of contemplation for the New Year, we flipped through some books and once my intense irritation at Aristotle’s insistence that cooking was something meant for slaves and low-lives …
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There’s a legend that tells how the Greeks, during the Byzantine era, donated gold to their emperor so that he could pay the invading forces not to besiege their beloved Constantinople. The siege didn’t take …
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At this time of the year, hot chocolate is offered in most Spanish homes and the warmth and spiciness of the chocolate immediately brings home exactly what Christmas is all about – warmth and love …
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Over Christmas Polvorones, Mantecados and a host of other interesting sweet cookies are found in most Spanish homes. The Spaniards, thanks to the strong Arab influence still evident, love all things sweet. Today we feature …
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On the 8th of December, the Feast of Immaculate Conception was celebrated, as usual, in front of the Great Cathedral in Seville and the Los Seises ceremony heralded the beginning of the Christmas season. Los …
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On the 13th of April 1531 Eske Bille, the Lord of Bergenshus Castle in Denmark wrote to Olav Engelbrektsson, the last Archbishop of Norway to tell him that a parcel he was sending to him …
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During the Middle Ages, gravadlax was made by local fishermen who salted the salmon and lightly fermented it by burying it in the sand above the high-tide line. The word comes from the Scandinavian word …
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All countries in the northern hemisphere drink mulled wine and all of them have their own recipes and methods of making it. Glogg is, traditionally, drunk in Danish homes at Christmas because it’s extremely cold …
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Swedish biscuits are legendary and I think one can safely say that the Swedes have mastered the art of the light, crispy and buttery biscuit. At this time of the year cupboards are packed to …
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Yuletide, the time of the year when “the sun turns“, is also known as the winter solstice and was just as important here as anywhere else in Europe. The Scandinavian people believed that this was …
