Hi everyone – Meghan and Bradly here. In February, we kind of vanished. It wasn’t intentional – But it did happen. 2023 was a difficult year, but 2024 is starting out to be just as harsh. Between ArchaeoBaby teething and no longer sleeping regularly, our own medical complications and our landlord deciding to sell our home (Yeah, THAT happened as well) – We’ve been a bit spent. We have taken this time to focus on our mental health and attempt to pull ourselves out of a funk. It didn’t happen very well. But we are still trying. Once we determine our next steps regarding where we will be living ..read more

I love Chicken Tagine. Whenever we go to Moroccan restaurants, I always get it. There is just something captivating about the saffron, cumin hitting your senses to warm you up on a cold February day. So, when we moved forward to North Africa for Winter; I had to try to tackle this iconic dish. A public use photo of a modern Tagine. Before we go into the ingredients and the history; I need to post a clarification for everyone – Tagine is a cooking dish. Often, we associate the name as simply a menu item (Chicken Tagine, for example). However, a Tagine is a clay cooking pot that is recognizable ..read more

January has been a month. It seems like it has been for everyone around North America. From freak snowstorms, to flooding, to polar vortex and Silent Hill-esque fog – We’ve hit that point of winter where it exists, and there is nothing fun to go along with it. So I, like my predecessors, longed for the warmth of sunshine, beaches, Paella and dozens of sunburnt Brits poorly pronouncing words in Spanish. This led me to put together a winter-relieving Fish Stew. Fish Stews are hugely popular for most costal populations. Growing up in the Midwest, I had not had a fresh ocean fish until I was an ad ..read more

We’re back from our holiday break. We spent the time sleeping, baking, entertaining ArchaeoBaby (Far more work than imagined) and most of all: Contracting a virus from one of our rare social gatherings, leading to the entire family being miserable for a week-plus. Alas, this had me thinking of Europe from the Viking Era, to the early medieval – and the plagues and concerns that would have befallen them during the winter. It likely makes handy that this week’s recipe is taking place in Northern Europe, focusing on meal choices of the Vikings. What did the Vikings eat? If you are like me, you ma ..read more

It’s that time of the year again – where the cold chill makes you crave something warm – and full of chocolate. Chocolate comes from the Cocoa Beans, which we have evidence was cultivated for food as early as 1500 b.c.e. Our journey around the world with food (throughout the seasons) has gotten us to North America, in the winter – which we felt like we had to celebrate with Xocolatl – Also know as Aztec Cocoa or Mexican Hot Chocolate. This recipe is so simple; but we played around with it. We know from Archaeological records and the meticulous documentation from the Spanish, that the drink was ..read more

Ah, Peru. This isn’t the first time we’ve ventured here during our journey around the world, and it won’t be the last. This time, we are focusing on those Autumn foods that make you long for early darkness, warm blankets and fires – And Baked Potatoes are the easiest source. Now, this isn’t the traditional Baked Potato you may be thinking of. Instead of a russet, we are using sweet potatoes, and our fillings are region specific: Tomatoes, Lima Beans, Aji Panca Paste and Corn. Corn in South America Here is where we play the game “How did that get here?”. This week, we’re discussing corn. Corn i ..read more

This week we move on to China, where we are making steamed pork dumplings. This is one of those recipes that I have made before on my own and didn’t even realize I was using entirely accurate ingredients for the time period. The dumpling has its origins in the Eastern Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE), as an invention by a Chinese Medicine practitioner, Zhang Zhongjing. It was believed that it was used to treat colds, by filling these little dumplings with spices, that were warm enough to fight off the chill of Autumn/Winter. The recipe is very simple, full of ginger, garlic, pork mince and bok ..read more

We have been on a bit of rice kick here these last few weeks. It’s one of the most versatile components to dishes and is native to multiple countries. Not to mention, in the context of the autumn – it stores really well. This means, we are doing it again, with this warming dish of Lemon Rice, from Ancient India. The Origins of Lemons The origins of lemons are a bit unknown, but what we do know from genetic mapping, is that they likely originated in Southeastern Asia. The lemon would have travelled around Asia, the Middle East, into the Mediterranean, where the flavor would have evolved with th ..read more

It may come as a surprise to you; but one of India’s most famous dishes, Lamb Biryani, has its origins in the Middle East. Biryani, from the Persian word “birinj” or “birian”, means to fry before cooking. This dish is believed to have been brought to India from the Persian Ruler, Timur the Lame, and was seen as dish for soldiers due to it’s ease of cooking and heartiness, after a long day of marching and fighting. This meant when we moved forward to the Middle East, I couldn’t stop myself from wandering back to the Persian Empire. When we were plotting out this dish we had to explore – What wo ..read more

I know – this is a headline you never expected to read. Breastfeeding is impacting the podcast? Well, as you probably know – The Archaeologist and I had a baby in June 2023. ArchaeoBaby is a delight and he is the best part of our lives. Traditionally, babies are not very accommodating to content creators. However, we made plans on how to make him fit into our lives, to allow both of us to carry forward, while also ensuring he had our undivided attention. So, what went wrong? I haven’t talked much about my full-time career and what I do. To provide some background – I design and manage the prod ..read more