It’s once again time to greet the coming of winter with rounds of sugary treats, pranks, parades and parties. Yes, Halloween has arrived. [aside] Our sugar-sweet revelry hasn’t always been the standard, though. Centuries ago the ancient Celts marked the end of the harvest season and start
In the tradition of Bengali Hindus, the auspicious fortnight, or Debipaksha, ends on the full moon night with a prayer to Lakshmi, or Lokkhi in Bengali, the goddess of wealth, peace and prosperity. In most parts of India, people pray to Lakshmi during Diwali. However, in
Visit any fruit and vegetable market in northern Italy in the first chill of autumn and you may be forgiven for mistaking it for a New England farm stand. You’ll see apples and pears, certainly, but also great piles of pumpkins and pumpkin-like squashes. Pick the right
Outside of the candy that the kids collect, Halloween may be the only American holiday that is not associated with a particular feast or recipe. [aside] In fact, I didn’t know until recently that Halloween wasn’t celebrated in America until the late 19th century when Irish immigrants
World Pasta Day, celebrated each year the world over on Oct. 25, is a good reminder that pasta can indeed be a fall food. With the addition of a few seasonal ingredients, from figs and prosciutto to butternut squash, a cook can easily transform any
The flavors of the mountains were something to celebrate at an international Slow Food event that brought together chefs from throughout Europe. Bra, a charming village in Italy’s Piedmont region, hosted the 10th edition of Cheese that under the aegis of Slow Food marks the biennial
My husband and I spent our first year of marriage in Stockholm. As newlyweds we were deliriously happy, but as grad students we were broke. Our best entertainment consisted of visiting the city’s beautiful food hall, where we longingly eyed all the seafood we couldn’t
On a late summer’s weekend in Haro, in the heart of Rioja, northern Spain, a remarkable event took place. La Cata del Barrio de la Estación was an uncommon show of solidarity among seven of Rioja’s leading wineries. The point of the weekend was not