Food and Drink: Herbs and Spices in the Bible

Studying the Bible, even if you are not seeking spiritual enlightenment, will always be educational and informative.  No matter which topic you are researching.  Helga Curtis wrote a book about fruits, herbs and spices in the Bible. Fifteen (15) plants were chosen because of their Biblical references. She is proficient in arts and crafts and teaches others her skills. In her book, she shares appliqué designs for fruits, herbs and spices such as chicory, cinnamon, cumin, mint,mandrakes, saffron, olives, figs, grapes, and more. Along with patterns, she also provides information about how the plants were used in Bible times.

Image credit:  Amazon.com

Along with this book, I also found an excellent article at one of my favorite GO TO websites for general health information: Dr. Axe. No worries. It has a Medical Disclaimer that says the content is for information only and that you should seek professional medical advice if you're sick.  He also provides scriptural references for the herbs and spices.

Top 14 Herbs of the Bible that Heal & Nourish 

1. Aloes

2. Anise

3. Balm or Balsam

4. Bitter herbs

5. Cassia

6. Cinnamon

7. Cumin

8. Frankincense

9. Garlic

10. Hyssop

11. Mint

12. Mustard

13. Myrrh

14. Saffron

The last spice, Saffron? No doubt you already know that saffron is the most expensive spice in the world.) But did you know that it was used to treat the Black Death (i.e. the Bubonic Plague)? Uh huh. Just goes to show you. When rich folks start dying and dropping like flies, if it comes to choosing between life and death, ain't nothing too expensive!!

NOTE: I am not a qualified historian. I'm just inserting my editorial comments, i.e. my opinions, observations, and a little bit of humor. Here is what an herbologist has to say about the use of saffron to treat the Bubonic Plague.

"For several centuries the cultivation of Crocus sativus was, for the most part, none-existent throughout Europe. This changed after the Moorish civilisation spread from North Africa around the 8th century and began reintroducing the spice. Saffron was rare, expensive and in high demand right up until the 14th century, when its use soared due to the medicinal applications of the plant in attempted treatments for the Black Death. However, many of the farmers that grew Crocus sativus had died from the disease and the demand far outstripped the supply. Thus large quantities of non-European saffron began to be heavily imported. The trade of saffron became of such significance that those found guilty of adulterating supplies were fined, imprisoned and even executed."  (Quote Source)

What We Know About the Origins of Pizza

How can one have a blog-magazine titled Joie De Vivre and not publish a post about pizza? One of the greatest joys of life ever!! LOL. Here goes!
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We know that pizza is an extremely popular food all around the world.  In fact, according to TripSavvy, a well-known travel site, serving up pizza is a $32 billion industry.  

We know that the invention of the modern pizza is credited to a chef in Naples, Raffaele Esposito, who prepared a dish fit for a visiting queen, by taking a meal commonly eaten by the poor folks and jazzing it up a little bit with the colors of Italy, red, white, and green.

But do we know who really got the ball started, or should I say started rolling the dough, and who should be given thanks for making this food of joy possible?

DID YOU KNOW:

"The Delicious History of Pizza
History of Pizza - as part of the news and politics series by GeoBeats. Believe it or not, pizza has been around since the 6th century BC. Historians recorded that Persian soldiers used to bake flat breads on their shields and cover them with cheese. In Pompeii, amidst the ashes, there is evidence of the popularity of the flat pizza pie. Even Virgil in The Aeneid wrote about these “cakes of flour.” If you ask me, Italy has had a long time to perfect the recipe."

• The word pizza was first documented in AD 997 in Gaeta.
• The precursor of pizza was probably the focaccia, a flatbread known to the Romans as panis focacius.
• Flatbreads were common in the ancient Mediterranean world.
• Ancient Greeks also made a flatbread called plakous, flavored with toppings like herbs, onion, cheese, and garlic.
• In the 6th century BC, the soldiers in Persian King Darius I armies baked flatbreads with cheese and dates on top of their battle shields.
• Roman Jews ate pizzarelle, which were kosher for Passover cookies.
• Foods similar to flatbreads in the non-Mediterranean world include bing (China); paratha (India), naan (leavened) and roti (unleavened) (Central and South Asia), carasau (Sardinia), and rieska (Finland).
• The modern pizza, which originated in Naples, Italy, made its way to the New World and is now a popular food in two North American countries.  Canada was introduced to pizza in the late 1950s, and the United States was introduced to this tasty dish with the arrival of Italian immigrants in the late 19th century.

So!  Who takes full credit for inventing pizza?  Flawless logic dictates ... whoever invented flatbreads!  And who invented flatbreads?  Nobody knows!  Yep yep.  This is yet another of life's greatest pleasures the world enjoys and we don't know who to thank!
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NOTE: Apologies.  The original source link for this quote was an AOL video which is no longer available (aol.com/video/view/the-delicious-history-of-pizza/517324588?on=1 ) is no longer available.

Replacement Links:
* The Secret History of Pizza | Epicurious (video) 
* A Slice of History: Pizza Through the Ages – HISTORY.com 
* Who Invented Pizza? | Wonderopolis.org 
* An Illustrated History of Pizza in America | First We Feast 
* History of Pizza - Wikipedia 

Follow Flipboard - Pizza Craving!  

Naan Pizza Recipes: 9 Easy Ways to Make Pizza at Home https://t.co/k43ewLgO9J via @flipboard @EverydaySpices #pizzalovers #funfood #foodfun #easyrecipes

— My Fox Nooze (aka Joie de Vivre Magazine) (@FoxMarks_ATX) September 12, 2019

Food and Drink: Health and Coca Cola : Teaching the World to Lament and Repent

From music evolution to soda slamming? (O.o) 

You may ask: How did I get there? Here's how.

No longer subscribe to cable or satellite TV and don't often tune in to the telly in the mornings. But my husband happened to be watching CBS This Morning and there was an interesting segment titled "CBS CHANGING TUNES".

It began with the moderator going through a series of songs that were all a part of my life's musical tapestry and of course, my head was nodding up and down in agreement with all of the selections – Beatles, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, Bee Gees, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, etc.


But then they switched and said that a more exact method was going to be used to determine the music evolution in America.


What were the results of using this method?


Changing tunes in the USA still started with the Beatles ( i.e. the British Invasion ) but ended up with Hip Hop (Example: LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out.)


For those who disagreed with the research findings, this was the response: “This is science. Everything else before that was just opinion.”


Needless to say, I disagreed.
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But as if that wasn't bad enough, in an attempt to try to find that particular segment of the CBS morning TV show on the Internet to listen to it again, stumbled across the "CBS SODA SLAM" segment.

Commercial jingles were not included in the music research project mentioned in the previous paragraph. If they were, the Coca-Cola jingle – harmony hilltop song would certainly have been included. To lift a quote from this TV program segment, that tune is the “single most famous commercial ever produced”. So well-known that a health advocacy group chose to remake it and change the lyrics to promote healthy eating and drinking.

This is not opinion. It is fact that sugary soft drinks have had adverse health consequences, on a global scale.

Yet, my devotion and loyalty to Coca-Cola have never waned.

(Sigh.) Why couldn't the world have just enjoyed my favorite carbonated beverage in moderation?

Lament. Repent. Lament. Repent. Lament. Repent.

Anyway! Didn't find the video for the “Changing Tunes” segment on the Internet, but here's the link for the remake of the words for the iconic classic Coca-Cola commercial by the health advocacy group. (http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/health-group-remakes-iconic-coca-cola-jingle-to-take-on-soda)

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Links of Interest:
History of Coca-Cola
History of the Soda
The Evolution of Tea
Joseph Priestly Invented Carbonated Water
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