Alas this day had to come - this is the last official episode of the DARK season!In Episode 15 I delve into the historical culinary trials and tribulations of Russia with Darra Goldstein, Professor Emerita of Russian at Williams College (USA) and author of The Kingdom of Rye: A Brief History of Russian Food. We discuss the importance of ‘black’ rye bread which is at the heart of any traditional Russian meal; the folklore surrounding it and how Russians survived during periods of privation.Useful LinksYou can find out more about Darra and her work on her website which contains some mouthwatering sample recipes. You can also follow Darra on Instagram. Darra’s books include:* The Kingdom of Rye: A Brief History of Russian Food* Beyond the North Wind: Recipes and Stories from Russia* Fire and Ice: Classic Nordic Cooking: Classic Nordic Cooking* Darra has written a range of books on preservation co-authored with Cortney Burns. Topics include vegetables, fruit and drinks.* Darra is also Editor In Chief of the Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Food Studies. If you’re interested in ancient grains like rye you may also want to check out Ruth Nieman Substack and her book Freekeh, Wild Wheat & Ancient Grains: Recipes for Healthy Eating.This is the last official episode of the season but there will be a few inter-season episodes dropping over the coming months to sustain you! Listen to the end of episode 15 to discover the theme for Season 4.If you enjoyed this season please consider leaving a small tip to help support the podcast for future seasons.Don’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe
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S3 E14: Long Pepper
In Episode 14 I get passionate about a particular type of pepper which was once so highly prized the Visigoths demand 3000lb of the stuff to leave Rome. Joining me to explore the history and usage of this spice are Giles Gasper, Professor of High Medieval History and Florence Swan from Durham University and food writer and author of Pepper, Christine McFaddenDon’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!Useful LinksYou can find Christine McFadden on Instagram and Facebook Don’t forget to check out Christine’s book on Pepper Blackfriars Restaurant in Newcastle where you will find details of their upcoming events and the Eat Medieval summer schoolProfessor Giles Gasper, Durham University You can find Florence Swan on InstagramLong pepper can be bought in the UK from Steenbergs and Seasoned Pioneers Don’t forget to check out the episode on Anglo-Saxon food with historian Emma Kay.Suggested Reading* Forme of Cury * Natural Histories - Pliny* Apicius (this is just one of many translations)* Le Menagier de Paris (or Goodman of Paris)* Sir John Russell’s Book of Nurture* Le Viander - Guilluame Tirrell* John de Mandeville - Mandeville’s TravelsDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe
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S3 E13: Murder In The Kitchen
Alice B Toklas reckoned that ‘food is far too pleasant to combine with horror.’ In Episode 13 I will be exploring how food is used in crime fiction with writer and host of the Shedunnit podcast Caroline Crampton and food writer and author of the Paul Delamare mysteries, Orlando Murrin.Don’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!Useful Links* Orlando’s thrilling Paul Delamare Mysteries Knife Skills for Beginners and Murder Below Deck are available now.* Orlando has written lots of delicious cookery books too including Two’s Company: The best of cooking for couples, friends and roommates * Orlando’s website* Caroline’s website* Shedunnit podcast* Caroline’s books include A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria (now available in paperback) and The Way to the Sea: The Forgotten Histories of the Thames Estuary Suggested ReadingWe talked about a lot of books in this episode so here are just a few that we mentioned:* Alice B Toklas Cookbook* The Pimlico Poisoning* The Poisoned Chocolate Case by Anthony Berkeley* ‘The Tuesday Night Club’ in The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie* A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha ChristieDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe
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S3 E12 Cooking for health (exploring melancholy part 2)
In the first part (Episode 10) of this investigation into the impact food has on our mental health I explored the renaissance fascination with melancholy with Professor Mary Ann Lund and food historian Ken Albala. In Episode 12 I want to find out how gardening and cooking in particular have helped two modern cooks deal with anxiety and depression. I had a chat with Ami Bouhassane, co-director of the Lee Miller Archives and Farley’s House and Gallery in Sussex. Ami’s grandmother was model, photographer, writer and cook Lee Miller who battled with depression in the later years of her life. Food writer Kathy Slack reveals how gardening and cooking helped her overcome anxiety and depression in her latest book, Rough Patch.This is a bumper episode so a bit longer than usual. Full length interviews with both Ami and Kathy will be released later in the year.Don’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!Also, I will be speaking at the annual Scottish Food Heritage Symposium on 28 March 2025. You can find more details here.Useful LinksTo see examples of Lee Miller’s photography visit the Lee Miller Archives online.Farleys House & Gallery and on InstagramBooks on Lee’s work including her cookbook A Life with Food, Friends and Recipes can be found here.Chloe Edwards of Seven Sisters Spices runs cookery workshops at Farleys often using Lee’s recipes.You can find out more about Kathy on her website and follow her on Instagram. Kathy has published two books: * From the Veg Patch: 10 favourite vegetables, 100 simple recipes everyone will love* Rough Patch: How a Year in the Garden Brought Me Back to Life* You can find out more about the French Field to Fork Experience 19-23 June 2025 in France that Kathy is involved in here.Suggested ReadingThe Lives of Lee Miller by Antony PenroseLee Miller: Photographs by Antony Penrose and Kate WinsletDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe
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S3 E11 A Fruit with an Image Problem?
In Episode 11 I am investigating a fruit with a bit of an image problem. Carob (Ceratonia siliqua) is the fruit of an evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean. The view of carob as a subsistence food has perhaps tarnished this fruit’s reputation. Yet despite this, the carob grown in the Ragusa district of Sicily has earned a place in the Slow Food Ark of Taste where it is described as having ‘a taste similar to cocoa with hints of honey and caramel, so much so that in ancient times in Sicily it was considered the “poor persons chocolate”.’ In recent years carob has been praised for its healthy credentials being a good source of dietary fibre and antioxidants. However, today it is more likely to be fed to animals than used in a kitchen. So why is it not more widely used in cookery? To help me answer this question I chat to historian Mary Taylor Simeti and food writer Angela Zaher.Useful LinksAngela Zaher’s website. You can also follow Angela on Instagram.Mary Taylor Simeti’s books include:* Pomp and Sustenance: Twenty-five Centuries of Sicilian Food* Bitter Almonds: Recollections and recipes from a Sicilian girlhood (with Maria Grammatico)* On Persephone's Island: A Sicilian Journal* Travels With a Medieval QueenYou can also find Mary on Instagram.Suggested Reading* Slow Food on Carob* ‘How Carob Traumatized a Generation’ by Jonathan Kauffman for the New Yorker* I Malavoglia by Giovanni Verga (1881) was translated by Mary A Craig and published in English as The House by the Medlar-Tree (1890)* ‘Carob: The “Poor Man’s Chocolate”’ by Jo Vraca for Italy SegretaDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe
Welcome to the comfortably hungry podcast where yesterday’s dinner is tomorrow’s history. If you’re a peckish person who is curious about the history of food and drink, then you’re in the right place. I’m Sam Bilton a food historian, writer and cook and each season I will be joined by some hungry guests to discuss a variety topics centred around a specific theme. As a former supper club host I’m always intrigued to know what people like to eat. So to whet everyone’s appetites I have invited my guests to contribute a virtual dish with them inspired by today’s topic. comfortablyhungry.substack.com
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