Alas this day had to come - this is the last official episode of the DARK season!

In Episode 15 I delve into the historical culinary trials and tribulations of Russia with Darra Goldstein, Professor Emerita of Russian at Williams College (USA) and author of The Kingdom of Rye: A Brief History of Russian Food. We discuss the importance of ‘black’ rye bread which is at the heart of any traditional Russian meal; the folklore surrounding it and how Russians survived during periods of privation.

Useful Links

You can find out more about Darra and her work on her website which contains some mouthwatering sample recipes. You can also follow Darra on Instagram.

Darra’s books include:

* The Kingdom of Rye: A Brief History of Russian Food

* Beyond the North Wind: Recipes and Stories from Russia

* Fire and Ice: Classic Nordic Cooking: Classic Nordic Cooking

* Darra has written a range of books on preservation co-authored with Cortney Burns. Topics include vegetables, fruit and drinks.

* Darra is also Editor In Chief of the Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Food Studies.

If you’re interested in ancient grains like rye you may also want to check out Ruth Nieman Substack and her book Freekeh, Wild Wheat & Ancient Grains: Recipes for Healthy Eating.

This is the last official episode of the season but there will be a few inter-season episodes dropping over the coming months to sustain you! Listen to the end of episode 15 to discover the theme for Season 4.

If you enjoyed this season please consider leaving a small tip to help support the podcast for future seasons.

Don’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!

Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.

A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.

Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

In Episode 14 I get passionate about a particular type of pepper which was once so highly prized the Visigoths demand 3000lb of the stuff to leave Rome. Joining me to explore the history and usage of this spice are Giles Gasper, Professor of High Medieval History and Florence Swan from Durham University and food writer and author of Pepper, Christine McFadden

Don’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!

Useful Links

You can find Christine McFadden on Instagram @ and Facebook

Don’t forget to check out Christine’s book on Pepper

Blackfriars Restaurant in Newcastle where you will find details of their upcoming events and the Eat Medieval summer school

Professor Giles Gasper, Durham University

Long pepper can be bought in the UK from Steenbergs and Seasoned Pioneers

Don’t forget to check out the episode on Anglo-Saxon food with historian Emma Kay.

Suggested Reading

* Forme of Cury

* Natural Histories - Pliny

* Apicius (this is just one of many translations)

* Le Menagier de Paris (or Goodman of Paris)

* Sir John Russell’s Book of Nurture

* Le Viander - Guilluame Tirrell

* John de Mandeville - Mandeville’s Travels

Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.

A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.

Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Alice B Toklas reckoned that ‘food is far too pleasant to combine with horror.’ In Episode 13 I will be exploring how food is used in crime fiction with writer and host of the Shedunnit podcast Caroline Crampton and food writer and author of the Paul Delamare mysteries, Orlando Murrin.

Don’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!

Useful Links

* Orlando’s thrilling Paul Delamare Mysteries Knife Skills for Beginners and Murder Below Deck are available now.

* Orlando has written lots of delicious cookery books too including Two’s Company: The best of cooking for couples, friends and roommates

* Orlando’s website

* Caroline’s website

* Shedunnit podcast

* Caroline’s books include A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria (now available in paperback) and The Way to the Sea: The Forgotten Histories of the Thames Estuary

Suggested Reading

We talked about a lot of books in this episode so here are just a few that we mentioned:

* Alice B Toklas Cookbook

* The Pimlico Poisoning

* The Poisoned Chocolate Case by Anthony Berkeley

* ‘The Tuesday Night Club’ in The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie

* A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie

Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.

A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.

Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.