Jul 19, 2017 | The Roman empire was a time of power and brutality, fuelled by violent games and bloodbaths. However, it was also abundant in refinement and extreme sensuality. Food and cooking was an key indicator of success, with quality and abundance of dishes the primary measure. As the first and largest European civilisation, Rome was at the epicentre of culinary innovation, with an acute emphasis on vegetables, meat and spices.
From eating lying down, to watering down fine wines, Rome had unique practices when it came to dining. Techniques are examined, and strange staples, such as a fish intestine sauce that was the Roman equivalent of ketchup, are revealed. We explore the taste laboratories of Epicius, the master behind Rome’s cooking prowess, and source of inspiration for the best chefs today.
You can sign up to History Hit with the code 'timeline' for 80% off here.
Jul 2, 2022 French President Macron is making plans for new European cooperation beyond the EU. British Prime Minister Johnson reacted enthusiastically.
BoJo is a tosser! Bringing Turkey into any European community would be an absolute and utter disaster, especially when it is governed by the Islam-leaning, truculent Erdogan. Under Atatürk, it might have been a slightly different story; but Erdogan has been busy over the years unpicking Atatürk’s secular legacy.
But more than this: The European Union needs to remain a Judæo-Christian community, even though it is largely (and correctly) secular. To introduce a country such as Turkey into any form of European community would be asking for trouble. The population of Turkey is approximately 86 million. Does Europe really want to be taken over by Muslims and Islam? Listening to this video talking about BoJo’s crackpot idea of bringing Turkey into the European fold, one really has to ask oneself a fundamental question about Boris: How much of a grip on geo-politics does this man have?
Am I against Islam? No, certainly not! But, having spent years studying Islam and writing on the subject, I do understand it.
We refer to Islam as a religion, but the English word 'religion' does not correctly or accurately capture its meaning. More accurately, it should be called a deen (sometimes din or dean). This is the word that is used in Arabic to describe Islam. One often hears Arabs refer very proudly to the Deen (الْدِّين). Whereas the word 'religion' deals with the private spirituality of the adherent of the the faith, deen encapsulates all aspects of life, the private and the collective. The deen is a religious/spiritual, social, political and economic coherent whole.
