Sylvia Rose
Xanthan Gum & Plant Blight: Xanthomonas Campestris
In microbiology the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris can be a gift from nature or a scourge of plants. Tiny but mighty, these...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 154 min read
Secrets of Xanthan Gum for Artists & Chefs
Xanthan Gum, a versatile ingredient with various applications, is a growing trend in multiple industries. In art and food it's valued as...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 33 min read
Science of Onion Tears: Demystifying Acids
What exactly causes onions to make a person cry? The answer involves a combination of chemistry and enzymes. The trigger behind the tears...
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Sylvia Rose
May 42 min read
Christmas Oranges & Yule Fruits
Sweet oranges in Europe and northern regions are a special treat at Christmas, going back to St Nicolas of Myra (270 - 343) in today's...
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 54 min read
Milk & Dairy: Ancient Lactose Gene
Neolithic farmers in Britain and Northern Europe are the first to use cattle for human milk consumption. Early humans are lactose...
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 44 min read
Broad Beans (Fava) - Bronze Age Crops
Broad beans (Vicia faba), faba or fava beans are cultivated as a crop from pre-Neolithic times to present day. Among the earliest...
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Sylvia Rose
Feb 25 min read
Butter - Food of Peasants & Barbarians
Earliest evidence of butter dates back to c. 8000 BCE. The first butter comes from the milk of cattle, sheep, goats and yaks. The ancient...
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Sylvia Rose
Jan 104 min read
Salt Trade - the Most Precious Mineral
Salt is an essential mineral of life. In food it stimulates taste and is among the oldest preservation methods. Part of the human taste...
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Sylvia Rose
Jan 64 min read
Pomegranate - Food of the Ancients
Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is one of the seven ancient foods of the southern Mediterranean. Figs are also part of the group. Read:...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 23, 20235 min read
Figs - Food of the Ancient World
The earliest agriculture begins with a fig (Ficus carica). Fig trees are the first known domesticated plants. In the ancient near East,...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 26, 20235 min read
Apples: Nature, Spirituality & Folklore
Cultivation of apples goes back to the Middle Stone Age in central Asia. The wild ancestor of today's apples still grows naturally in the...
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