Weeping Eye, Laughing Eye or the Vine Variation

Weeping Eye, Laughing Eye or the Vine Variation

Author: Rachel Mosses January 18, 2022 Duration: 49:42

In which we discover that a good heart is a very vauable commodity, the loss of a vine that provides excellent unlimited free wine can cause distress and that sometimes there is more than one beautiful maiden in a story but sometimes she's just a fox.

We also learn how a killer migraine led an ancient Persian lady-in-waiting to the invention of wine, why we have wine goddesses and a mouthwatering recipe from one of the queens of French cookery.

This week's story is Weeping Eye, Laughing Eye or the Lame Fox adapted from the Serbian folk tale of the same name from Sixty Folk-Tales from Exclusively Slavonic Sources - Albert Henry Wratislaw (London, 1889)

This week's recipe is La Daube de Boeuf Provencal 

‘O, scent of the daubes of my childhood!

‘During the holidays, at Gemeaux, in the month of August, when we arrived in my grandmother’s dark kitchen on Sunday after Vespers, it was lit by a ray of sunshine in which the dust and the flies were dancing, and there was a sound like a little bubbling spring. It was a daube, which since midday had been murmuring gently on the stove, giving out sweet smells which brought tears to your eyes. Thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, spices, the wine of the marinade and the fumet of the meat were becoming transformed under the magic wand which is the fire, into a delicious whole, which was served about seven o’clock in the evening, so well cooked and so tender that it was carved with a spoon.’

Pierre Huguenin: Les Meilleures Recettes de ma Pauvre Mère, 1936

If you would like to find more information about any of the stories, books or research mentioned in this episode you can find them in Further Reading.

You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog.  If you'd like to get in touch about the podcast you can find me on Twitter or Instagram at @FairyTalesFood.


Rachel Mosses hosts Folklore, Food and Fairytales, a podcast that sits at the comfortable, worn-in table where narrative and nourishment meet. Each episode begins with a story-a piece of folklore, a fairytale, or a lesser-known myth-and then delves into the culinary world hidden within its lines. The discussion isn't just about whether the porridge in a tale is symbolic or simply a relatable detail; it's about unearthing the real food history and traditions that those fictional meals echo. You'll hear about the rituals of both eating and storytelling, and how each feeds a different kind of hunger. This podcast naturally explores how recipes are themselves stories passed down, and how the history of a dish can be as compelling as the plot of a legend. Listen for a thoughtful blend of narration and analysis, where a great story is always served with a side of fascinating context, leaving you to ponder the deep, savoury connections between the tales we tell and the food we share.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 50

Folklore, Food and Fairytales
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