all posts Variability and dynamics of Nordic rye In the late medieval period, cereal cultivation and consumption in Scandinavia changed. After almost 2000 years of having barley (Hordeum vulgare) as the primary grain crop, the use of rye (Secale cereale) increased...
all posts The Botany Archive of the University of Coimbra: a complex and fascinating puzzle In 1772, a garden became part of Coimbra’s landscape. A botanical garden that was not intended for princes, but rather a venue for learning and leisure, a meeting place between...
all posts Friedrich Haberlandt and the soybean In the course of the 19th century, natural scientists in Europe took notice of a “miraculous stranger”, a nutritious cultivated plant rich in fats and protein – the soybean. One of the most renowned soy pioneers was...
all posts “Inconita et non peiu visto”: American flora in the Museo del Prado collections The first impression that Europeans had upon arriving in America was that of exuberant nature, plenty of plants and animals whose forms were hardly comparable to those of known...
all posts Oranges from Portugal In the 19th century, the development of chemical medicine determined the end of the bitter orange, which will remain just as a rootstock or a decoration tree. The sweet orange tree starts to earn real protagonism and turns out to be an...
all posts Food, history and cultural heritage: the grass pea consumption in central Portugal (19th century) In the District of Leiria, central Portugal region, some festivities revive gastronomic and rural traditions, as a way of reclaiming its intangible cultural...
