It’s obviously been quite a while since this blog was updated, but that doesn’t mean we have forgotten about Consuming Authenticities! In fact, plenty of exciting developments have been quietly happening behind the scenes, which I will write more about over the coming weeks and months: we have been continuing to publicise and distribute our […]
Consuming Authenticities
Our book ‘Authentic Recipes from Around the World’ is out
Our much-anticipated book, entitled ‘Authentic Recipes from Around the World’ (HAT Events, 2015), written by the investigators of the project (Emma-Jayne Abbots, Anna Charalambidou, Elaine Forde, Ana Martins, Hazel Thomas, Deborah Toner) and a number of collaborators and external partners has been published! This general audience book is the outcome of the AHRC project “Consuming […]
Cider, the golden global glug.
Ethnographic research with craft cider-makers suggests that part of the authenticity of a craft cider derives from its staying true to the traditions of cider, as opposed to a “commercial cider”, a category often used by craft cider makers to distinguish their brew from those of lesser provenance. While I have discussed ambiguities in the […]
What is ‘commercial’ cider?
During the course of research into craft cider in Wales, I keep hearing the word ‘commercial’ used by the crafters. It is a common term used by craft cider makers operating at a range of scales, from garden cider makers to cider makers with successful ‘commercial’ businesses. ‘Commercial’ is typically used to differentiate between a […]
Flaounes starred on BBC1 ‘Great British Bake Off’
Flaounes were the start of Britain’s favourite baking competition, ‘Great British Bake Off’. The seven remaining contestants had to prepare ‘flaounes’ from scratch for this week’s technical challenge, using Paul Hollywood’s recipe. Paul, a flaounes enthusiast, picked up the recipe while living and working as a pastry chef in Cyprus. Mary Berry, on the other […]
Tequila: Pulque’s Friend, Cousin, Usurper?
My route into the history of alcohol in Mexico took me through pre-Columbian, colonial and nineteenth-century history, so for me, this area of research has always been synonymous with pulque, the alcoholic beverage that predominated throughout this long time period. But, whenever I introduce myself as a historian of alcohol in Mexico, the first word […]
Cider in Unexpected Places? Rural Chile and the Cider Pressing
For most people the mention of authentic craft cider will probably lead to visions of Somerset and the West Country, so our project’s concentration on Welsh producers of craft cider posed some interesting questions. Contrary to some initial expectations, Emma-Jayne Abbots’s research has found that the Welsh-ness of the product is not that important to […]
Authentic Recipes from Around the World
We have recently been checking the proofs of our recipe book, Authentic Recipes from Around the World, and are starting preparations for the book launch, which is happening on 23 October in Senate House, London. It is free and open to all, with complementary copies of the recipe book on offer, so please get in […]
Cider-making in Wales: It’s a family affair.
During the course of research into Welsh craft cider I have spoken with many cider-makers at all scales of the craft cider industry in Wales. These range from smallholders with a handful of apple trees to some of Wales’ biggest cider-makers. One of the key themes to emerge from our discussions is the role of […]
Mexican Cookery and the Importance of Chilies
We recently completed work on the project’s recipe book, Authentic Recipes from Around the World, and as it is going through the process of design for print, I decided to celebrate with a weekend of cookery fun. Armed with an industrial quantity of various dried chilies, I set out to make several batches of Mexican […]
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