An aphrodisiac is an ingredient, a substance or a dish that is meant to enhance lust and passion. The desire to do so is supposedly as old as humanity. The word aphrodisiac comes from the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, who would carry a number of mysterious love potions at her belt – aphrodisiacs. The... Continue Reading →
The celebration of the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, is probably as old as human settlements and agriculture, if not older. Although the real winter cold is yet to come, the days are getting longer again. The crop has been brought in, there is not much outside work to be done, the... Continue Reading →
I did it: I started a Youtube channel for historic cuisine. In the following weeks I will upload more videos featuring a selection of ancient recipes ranging from Mesopotamia to the Middle Ages. My idea is to present historic recipes in a way that they can be reproduced at home, in normal household kitchens with... Continue Reading →
We've observed the summer and winter solstices for as long as humans have been around. In fact, one of the most popular western celebrations today, Christmas, is reminiscent of the winter solstice celebrations. Known as the darkest time of the year, when days are short and little work is to be done outdoors, there's plenty... Continue Reading →
My novel "The Emir's Trace" about the history and traditions of Puglia is now available in English: When young historian Lia Winter’s uncle dies, she travels to Southern Italy to spend several weeks with her aunt who is a masciàre, a traditional herbalist. Lia quickly finds herself increasingly fascinated by her aunt’s archaic way of life... Continue Reading →
I just joined the @vawaa_ family! VAWAA (Vacation With An Artist) offers mini apprenticeships with master artists and craftspeople all over the world. You can now book a VAWAA workshop with me and learn about historic cooking for four days. Find out more at https://vawaa.com/artists/ursula-historic-cooking-italy/. Look out for the winter solstice special!
Driving down the road south from the city of Urfa in Turkey, once known as Edessa, towards the nearby Syrian border, we approach the ancient town of Harran. The landscape is flat, a vast and dry plain, with light brown being the predominant color, apart from the bright blue sky from which a scorching sun... Continue Reading →
I've been preparing a historic dinner from Ancient Rome, based on recipes from Apicius' cookbook De re coquinaria, with lots of good and organic ingredients from our own soil. Starting with conditum paradoxum, a sweet, wine-based aperitif, some Roman bread baked with bay leaves, moretum - a herb and garlic cream cheese, eggs in ovis... Continue Reading →
I am happy to announce the publication of my book "Die Spur des Emirs", featuring a quest for old manuscripts, believed to be lost, in Apulia, together with lots of details about traditional life and a forgotten chapter of Southern Italian history. The book is currently being translated into Italian and will be soon published... Continue Reading →
