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Royals & power

10stories

Royal tables have always been theatres of status and power. Here you will find rulers, courtiers, political rivalries and the remarkable foods used to impress, persuade or control.

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Royals & power

54 - When Pineapples Were Status Symbols

For the majority of history they were considered the ultimate delicacy by European nobility who just couldn’t get enough of them. From snack to status symbol, the pineapple has graced many a King and Queens palace courts, while outside of them they took on a mythical quality akin to some sort of precious jewel. Today, we’ll track the pineapples voyage across the seas and into the history books as it became synonymous with the very peak of royal de rigeour.

15:01
Royals & power

40 - The Tapeworm Diet

As soon as people became wealthy enough not to have to spend every waking hour of their day, working, cleaning, hunting or cooking, they had enough to look in the mirror and decide what they didn’t like about themselves. From the truly horrific and crippling footbinding practices in imperial china to modern day plastic surgery, people have been searching for ways to achieve their body goals. Victorian England, the initial setting for todays story, was possibly one of the craziest times in history when it came to the number of diet fads and body morphing practices. So what better place to dive in and see where the stories take us.

18:06
Royals & power

38 - The Great Goldfish Eating Craze of 1939

Not only were western cultures happily eating raw fish for ages, at one point they were uh, in fact eating it so raw as for it still, in fact, to be alive. That’s right, today we’re talking about the 1939 craze of college students competing to swallow as many as they could of the humble goldfish.

15:27
Royals & power

35 - How A Tea Craze Took Over Tunisia

We continue to follow the journey of tea as it makes its way to Europe and the Americas. We’ll see the large role tea tends to play politically amongst rival nations as well as internally in Turkey, and we’ll get to have a look at how this humble beverage has made its way to each and every corner of the globe.

20:14
Royals & power

24 - The Eggnog Riot

What begins as just a little bit of seasonal fun, ends with smashed windows, bannisters ripped from stairways and a military barracks surrounded by rubble in a state of near ruin. By the end, our cast of characters are in a serious amount of trouble, and surprisingly, amongst them was a student who would one day become a future president of the United States Confederacy. And all of this carnage was caused by eggnog.

22:44
Royals & power

23 - The Nazi's Exploding Chocolate Bar

Food inherently is meant to sustain life, but this has not always been the case, in fact, for as far back as history goes food has also been used as a vehicle, not for invigorating life, but for delivering death. In this episode, we’re looking at some of the most bizarre moments in which food was involved in assassination plots throughout history. . In an extra special segment in today's episode, my friend Moxie LaBouche from the podcast Your Brain On Facts takes us through some of the more creative assassination attempts on the late Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.

18:54
Royals & power

22 - Leonardo da Vinci The Waiter, Chef & Party Planner

For many of history’s most famous characters, we all know, at the very least, the basics of what makes these men and women famous to begin with. And of history's most famous people, outside of religious figures, one of the most well known, revered and mysterious is the Renaissance Man himself, Leonardo Da Vinci. Today, we’re going to look at one of the lesser-known sides to a man most famous for his artistic works that include but are in no way limited to The Mona Lisa and the famous image of The Last Supper, which incidentally may have been inspired by one of the stories in today's episode. That’s right, today, we’re going to be looking at Leonardo Da Vinci, the waiter, chef and party planner.

18:04
Royals & power

12 - The Man Who Ate King Louis XIV's Heart

William Buckland and his son Francis were two men whose goal in life seemed to be to consume every single animal on earth. From bluebottle flies to mice on toast they were not afraid to try anything put in front of them, not even a mummified king's heart! Please support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/foodhistorypod Find show notes, transcripts and references on the website: www.foodhistorypodcast.com

15:53
Royals & power

11 - Bathing In A Meaty Broth

Throughout medieval times all the way until the 19th century, there are tales of people using food in all manner of creative ways.  We know that ultimately what we put into our bodies will have either a positive or a negative effect on our wellbeing. It has the effect of working from the inside out in a sense. In this episode we look at the ways in which people thought food could have the same positive effect on our health, but this time, from the outside in. Please support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/foodhistorypod Find show notes, transcript and references on the website: www.foodhistorypodcast.com

14:44
Royals & power

Introducing The Fantastic History Of Food

Season One of 'The Fantastic History Of Food' will soon be launching with the first 5 episodes. I'd really appreciate all of your help in getting more listeners for this podcast as we head towards the launch. The best way to do that is to leave a rating on Apple Podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on. If you have the time to leave a comment of support as well, that will help immensely. Coming up in the first season: We take a deep dive into the backstory of one of the middle easts most famous desserts and how it’s linked to the conspiratorial rise and fall of a powerful queen. We’ll also be looking at the time Paris was forced to eat their own zoo animals and the story of Ping Bodie, the New York Yankees hitter who once challenged an ostrich to a spaghetti eating competition. For more information check out www.foodhistorypodcast.com

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