Japanese pictorial map of Europe from the year 1932.
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Thursday, August 24, 2023
Fish and chips? Spain's Jews are the origin
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| [Illustration: Leonardo Berbesi] |
"The history of the dish begins with the persecution of the Jews in the Iberian Peninsula, during the 16th century.
Many of them ended up in England, taking the fried fish with them. It was a Sephardic dish that they used to eat on Fridays.
The secret was the use of oil, which sealed the flavours, made the flour crispy and the fish very tasty.
To those islanders accustomed to lard, frying in oil seemed revolutionary…’ Later we read: ‘…A Jewish fishmonger who emigrated from Eastern Europe, named Joseph Malin, was the first to come up with the idea, in 1860, of putting fried fish and potatoes together in his store in [London's] East End…"
Found at BoT but original source is here.
Thursday, August 17, 2023
6 years ago today: Video: My latest interview with ABC TV (Australia)...
6 years ago today I spoke to ABCTV (Australia) about the Barcelona terror attacks. Driven by fanatical religious extremists, a white van zig-zagged down Las Ramblas. Fourteen people were killed and more than 100 injured.
Sunday, August 13, 2023
Standing in a Spanish Doorway: "You Hated Spain" (Reposted)
Standing in a Spanish Doorway: "You Hated Spain": (Ted Hughes, below) [A poem by Ted Hughes, which I dedicate to my twin-brother Matt (a poet)
Saturday, August 5, 2023
Yet another ⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review of my latest book
"I found Brett's very personal account of his travels through Spain a moving and very rewarding read.
His affection for the country and its peoples shines through and his encounters with the people he meets on his travels avoid caricature and shallow conclusions.
He is clearly still discovering aspects of the country he loves and enjoying the opportunity to complete the picture."
[Read the full Amazon reader review here.]
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