Origin of Lasagna and other foods

There is no dearth of food items in the world and most of them are consumed globally. Interestingly there are many myths and realities associated with the origins of almost countless food items in use and it is usually fun to explore them. At times such search becomes surprising and amusing though in any case it remains extremely informative and engaging.

Duck

The hunting of ducks, geese, swan, and various other waterfowl creatures goes back to prehistoric times with cave paintings from the last ice age and murals within Egyptian tombs all showing people duck hunting. Even on the other side of the world, 2,000-year-old art out of Peru depicts ducks being used in feasts, suggesting that the animal was a staple in the Americas as well.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is native to India and many of its neighbouring countries but gained popularity after getting imported to Egypt around 2000 BC. The spice was so prized that it was considered a gift worthy of gods and monarchs. In fact, the source of cinnamon was kept secret for centuries in the spice trade as a way of keeping its value high and preventing other nations from acquiring their own supply of the legendary item.

Rabbit

The game-keeping of rabbits is said to have begun in Spain where the animal is naturally prevalent across the nation. In fact, one theory states that Spain’s name may even come from its abundance of the fuzzy animal, as Phoenician sailors mistook rabbits for the rock hyrax mammal that was native to their home.

They named the region “i-shepan-ham,” meaning “land of hyraxes,” which over time may have evolved into the name Hispania.

Ketchup

Although these days ketchup is synonymous with tomatoes, the earliest versions of ketchup used some very different ingredients. In sixth-century China, the condiment was created with fermented fish parts and salt before British traders found it over 1,000 years later and made their own versions with peaches, oysters, and mushrooms.

It wasn’t until 1812 that someone added tomatoes to ketchup, which would thankfully go on to become the norm.

Sandwich

The sandwich is deeply associated with John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, a British statesman who is said to have one day been so focused on a game of gambling between friends that instead of pausing for food, he ordered servants to bring him a piece of meat stuffed between slices of toast.

Other people at the table loved the creation so much that they began requesting their own and referring to it as the “Sandwich.”

Lasagna

Although synonymous with Italian food, lasagna’s origins come from Greece where the Greek word lasagnum means dish or bowl. The Romans would begin making their own version of the dish and slowly change the recipe over time before eventually adding their own layered cheeses and sauce and turning it into the comfort food recognised currently.