From Eggs to Apples Episode V: The Aztecs (Seashell Tamales and Frog Stew)

The last episode of From Eggs to Apples is now online!

I can’t believe after about a year of work that this project is finally coming to an end. This was something I wanted to do for a long time, featuring a variety of recipes I’ve been wanting to recreate, quotations I’ve been wanting to read, and people I’ve been wanting to work with (including those I met through a variety of sources: in college, online, on vacation, at events, etc; none of whom had met each other before!) I’m really proud of how everything came together and grateful for everyone’s hard work.

In this episode, we departed from the ancient world to investigate the cuisine of a different historical civilization that I have a mild obsession with: the pre-conquest Aztecs of Mexico, whose food is incredibly diverse and creative. Warning: this video contains frog meat.

PS: here’s a bonus picture from my Instagram of another pre-conquest Aztec recipe I recently recreated which is referenced briefly in the video: a sweet tamal stuffed with the unlikely combination of corn silk and dried cherries. It was quite good!

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New Food History Video Series! (Trailer)

Need something to watch while quarantined? I’ve posted on this blog before about my ancient food history web show, From Eggs to Apples, which I’ve been working on with dietician Fiorella DiCarlo. I’m excited to share the trailer for the series and announce that it’s finally going to be released soon.

Five episodes, five ancient civilizations, a whole lot of weird and fascinating recipes. GET READY. More information below!


Registered Dietitian Fiorella DiCarlo and educator, history and ancient food buff Andrew Coletti revisit ancient cuisines to find food cures for the modern world in their new video series “From Eggs to Apples: Ancient Recipes, Modern Kitchen.” Fiorella and Andrew recreate the signature dishes of ancient civilizations and explore the food and nutrition “from eggs to apples,” or as the Romans would say, “from the beginning to the end.”

Each episode features an ancient civilization, including Ancient Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Aztec Empire. Andrew uses his history and food background to delve deep into the ancient recipes and customs of the past, while Fiorella explores the ancient food remedies that apply to the past and present. Featured recipes include Babylonian and Assyrian-style Beef Stew, Peach Patina and Dulciarae, or honeyed dates, from Ancient Rome.


Special thanks to Kevin Schreck for editing and shooting, Huỳnh Nguyễn Tường Băng for the awesome logo/title screen design, and Ismail Butera for original music [featured in the episodes but not this trailer], and funding provided by the estate of Bill Mullen via The Mullen Fund.