Accidental Hedonist

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When we talk about the food timeline…and we here at Accidental Hedonist do…Beans are part of a weird coincidence in food history. The Old World (Europe, Asia and Africa) domesticated beans roughly the same time as the New World (North and South America). The Faba Bean (or Fava Bean in some circles) was widely cultivated [...]

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Pictured here with a side of Pasta with Walnut sauce and Green Beans with Pancetta, the Pork Fillets sit glistening in the kitchen lights. This Italian dish (called Fettine di maiale con salsa di capperi) ended up being better than I imagined. If you want to get specific on where in Italy this dish originates [...]

After I took a few jabs at the tradition of egg nog a few days ago, I figured I better have some basis in fact on which I could display my sardonic gen-x attitude. Because, you know, it’s the holiday season and all. Never let it be said that I am not a giver. Over [...]

It was pointed out to me in the comments that there are those who actually like …ahem…fruitcake. To these people I can only offer a quizical glance, a stare of disbelief, and a shake of the head. Could I be wrong? Perhaps I’ve been given bad fruitcakes all of my life, with the hard cherries [...]

Back in March of this year, the BBC Food folks asked people to submit foods that should be tried before one leaves their mortal coil. Well, the list is out…and being a huge fan of lists, I thought it was worth sharing. Some of the responses are a bit odd as the foods can be [...]

Let’s go back in history, to 18th Century England. IAN: Forsooth Kenneth! Look unto thine glass. I see it is empty! KENNETH: Ay! It is Ian. Why dost thou point this out? IAN: Me thinks that you look like you could use a glass milk. KENNETH: Nay, Nay! Milk in an age before refrigeration? I [...]

This are also called ‘Lover’s knots’ in Italy (although ‘Cenci’ supposedly translates to rags and tatters…Not knowing any Italian, it’s difficult for me to dispute this). Quick and easy, this Tuscan dessert can be best termed a deep fried cookie (which, as you can see by the pic, I’ve liberally coated with powdered sugar, given [...]

Part of being a foodie involves making informed decisions on your eating habits, whether for taste, health, or even political motives. When considering seafood, you might want to take into account which fish work best with a “save-theplanet” mentality. There are several reasons why this should be on one’s buying radar: Failing Fisheries, Pollutions, over-fishing, [...]

This…this wasn’t as good as my previous pork chop experience, and I put the blame entirely on the swine industry. There was one strip of fat, one, on both chops. These were the best of the bunch at the local corporate grocery store’s butcher counter. Ugh… lesson learned. No more buying pork at these places. [...]

The Cleveland Clinic is repeatedly ranked by U.S.News & World Report Ranks as the number one heart hospital in America (Ten years in a row). By all accounts, if you have heart disease, this is the place to go. So why do they have a McDonald’s in the heart of their hospital? It’s a question [...]