The Epicurean-searching for the original eggs "BENEDICT" recipe
| 25 June 2010
ITALY
As our mode of transportation between these distant places was by ship, we arrived in Rome several days before we sailed. We didn’t hit Naples until the end of the trip, but some of the things we found there are linked to what we learned and experienced in Rome, so I put the two together.
Naturally, we took in all the tourist attractions we could in Rome, including the Vatican where we had a private tour of the public areas, which avoided having to wait in the ticket line that ran for several blocks around the high walls that make up the country’s border. Our guide first took us to the Vatican’s collection of ancient Greek and Roman artifacts, before going down the long tapestryed halls to the Sistine Chapel and finally into St Peter’s and the famous square where the Pope appears in his bedroom window on Wednesdays, I think.
I was disappointed it was Thursday, because I wanted to yell up to him and ask if he had been given the original recipe for Eggs Benedict when he took the name. Rumor has it one of the Popes named Benedict came up with recipe during the middle ages! Or maybe it was Benedict Arnold.
Anyway, beside the well preserved statues and busts of emperors, senators, and wealthy Romans in the Vatican museum there was an odd looking stone table with 8 hollowed out holes about 6 inches deep and about 10 inches in diameter. Georgiana, our guide, told us this was the forerunner to the chaffing dish and used to keep food warm. The large number of holes indicated that it probably was used for banquets rather than in a home. Maybe it was on the line at Libby’s Cafeteria. Or is that Lubby’s? We also visited Pompeii and saw several homes with 2 holers. It probably took a lot of sterno to heat up the granite they were made of to keep the food hot!
The Epicurean Starts His Tour
| 25 June 2010
"The Epicurean" for Beyondthekitchen.comMy wife and I and several other couples recently spent several weeks in the Eastern Mediterranean visiting Rome, Naples, Athens, Rhodes, Kusadasi, Turkey, Israel, Alexandria and Cairo. Before we left home, Chef David asked if we would take note of any culinary experiences or observations that might be of interest to Beyondthekitchen.com aficionados. As it turned out in nearly everyplace we visited there was something worthy of note. We took pictures and shot some videos, which Ben edited for prime time.
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