Cultrface – a blog dedicated to culture and how it enriches our lives.

Where was the pizza margherita invented?

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I judge the prices of a restaurant by how expensive their pizza Margherita. I don’t know how foolproof that principle is but it has served me well as it’s my second favourite type of pizza (I love you, quattro formaggi). But who invented the Margherita and where?

StepYoshi and ccesare wrote and edited some possible answers for Gastro Obscura. According to legend, the pizza Margherita was created in Naples (no surprises there!) in 1889 by a chef named Raffaele Esposito. The birthplace? Pizzeria Brandi:

The pizza was allegedly created in honor of Italy’s unification, with the three toppings—basil, mozzarella, and tomato—respectively representing the green, white, and red of the Italian flag. The story also claims that Esposito named the pie after the Queen of Italy, Margherita of Savoy. Today, a plaque near the Pizzeria Brandi marks the location as the birthplace of the pizza Margherita. It was unveiled in 1989, on the 100th anniversary of its invention.

However, as the writer suggests, that’s probably just a sentimental tale as pizzas had been served with those toppings before that time and the name could have come from the arrangement of the mozzarella slices resembling a daisy which is, funnily enough, margherita in Italian.

The influence of palm trees in Western Africa

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Palm trees are much more than giant tropical plants you see in Miami, desert islands, or in the form of Pokémon. They provide spiritual protection as an article from The Guardian Life explains:

The sacredness of the palm tree spreads to its edible and non-edible parts. For instance, when making consultations to ascertain the cause of illness and fate of dreams, they are made sacred at the oracle Fa(Fon), Afan (Ewe) and the Ifa (Yoruba). The roots of palm trees to are used to ward off evil spirits by some practices in West Africa.

Palm trees also make two important foodstuffs: palm oil and palm wine. The former accounted for about one-third of global oils produced from oil crops in 2014, however its overuse has resulted in tropical deforestation and allegations of abuse and human rights violations. Palm wine is also important in Central and Western African cultures such as the Igbo and Yoruba people of Nigeria.

More on palm trees in Western Africa

A portrait of Nottingham from 1993

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Portrait Of A City - Nottingham - 1993

I love seeing familiar cities in the 90s, just to see what they looked like if I’d visited as a child. The first time I visited Nottingham was in 1995 but I doubt it would have been much different to the above documentary, Portrait of a City – Nottingham. Presented and narrated by Dennis McCarthy, the film explores the city in all its uniqueness and charm. Look out for the clips of Brian Clough before he left Nottingham Forest.

A very Imperial McDonald's restaurant in Porto

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MCDONALDS IMPERIAL (credit: sanprica)

I covered the old spaceship McDonald’s in Alconbury, UK but on the the other side of the stylistic spectrum is this Imperial McDonald’s in Porto. Formerly Café Imperial, the famous Portuguese coffeeshop became a McDonald’s in 1995 but retained a lot of its Art Deco features including the huge Imperial eagle at the entrance and its ornate ceilings and chandeliers. It’s a unique contrast for an American fast food establishment, maybe more befitting of a restaurant serving different cuisine, but it looks beautiful.

(via Atlas Obscura)

James Bond and his licence to drive anything and everything

Baryon Design have created a cool data viz story to showcase the vehicles of James Bond, from a humble cello case to a supertanker.

Bond has a passion for sports cars – Goldfinger introduced us to the 1964 Aston Martin DB5, which would end up appearing in 8 movies, a total of 28 minutes and 3 seconds. It’s the vehicle with the most screen time throughout the 25 movies.

And don’t forget some of Bond’s other legendary vehicles: the Orient Express in From Russia With Love, the submergible Lotus Esprit S1 in The Spy Who Loved Me, his 1985 Aston Martin V8 in The Living Daylights, or the T-54 tank he uses to chase general Ourumov through St. Petersburg in Goldeneye.

More on James Bond: James Bond villains and their love of post-Soviet architecture and a fan-made Bond trailer starring Pierce Brosnan

Backpacking through Britain, from John O'Groats to Land's End

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No rent, a tent & a camera: Backpacking Britain

I can’t remember how I found this video but it was just the tonic I needed. Liam Brown spent June 2021 backpacking from John O’Groats to Lands End with nothing more than a tent, a camera, and basic provisions. Some nights he spent in hotels but it was mostly wild camping and miles of walking. There was something therapeutic about watching Liam’s challenge and I reckon you’ll feel the same.

The sheets of gold that covered a 16th-century convent patio in Spain

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designers nicola dario baldassarre, salvatore dentamaro, francesco di salvo and ilyass erraklaouy introduce ‘gold digger’, a public installation comprised of golden thermal sheets covering the patio of the 16th century sant jordi and sant domènec convent in tarragona, spain. the eye-catching installation explores the world of curiosity and the desire for discovery. it was created as part of tortosa’s a cel obert festival, a festival of ephemeral interventions held annually since 2014, where ephemeral art transforms unknown historical spaces into a stage for artistic creations, while reclaiming the city’s architectural heritage.

(via Designboom)

The attic steps design problem

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For Core77, Rain Noe investigated the attic steps design problem and the fact that nobody has really solved it yet:

I’ve got your standard pull-down unfolding attic steps, and they kind of suck. I mean the engineering is clever but the UX is poor.

Years ago we looked at this alternative Concertina Ladder design. It doesn’t seem to be much of an improvement, and that was back in 2009, so I just checked to see if any advances have been made.

Remembering The Bees (1978)

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THE BEES: 1978 Theatrical Trailer (Vinegar Syndrome)

Before the murder hornets of 2020-2021, there was another bee-related horror story in the form of 1978’s The Bees. Here’s the synopsis from IMDB:

When South American killer bees, corporately smuggled into the United States, mutates into intelligent insects and attacks helpless people, young scientist work desperately to end the threat as the menace swarms in on the city areas.

Directed by Alfredo Zacarías (Stranger in the House, The Bandits, The Pearl), it starred John Saxon, Angel Tompkins, and John Carradine as citizens across the country desperately tried to escape the winged beasts. I do think the film was missing a Nicolas Cage cameo though.

Cool Coffee with Adriel Hawkins aka Big Groove

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Cool Coffee is a new feature for Cultrface where I ask people to talk about their favourite coffee brands. The second instalment comes from Adriel Hawkins aka Big Groove (and go listen to his latest album, Quarantunes, out on Bandcamp and all good digital retailers!)

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Kahawa 1893

I love their coffee blends but I really love their unique roasts like Rum Barrel-Aged and Whiskey Barrel-Aged coffee beans. Also, they are black woman-owned which is always a plus for me.

Black Girl Black Coffee

Another black-woman owned coffee which features my personal favorite region, Burundi. I’ve come across many other brands that roast the same region but BGBC is one of the few that I was 100% confident in getting the roast and taste that I desire.

Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters

This brand is local (DFW, TX) to me. They are Mexican-owned (mexicano honorario).They have a great selection of beans with notes that draw you in. I love their accessibility. You can find beans at their roastery or find them in grocery stores and other coffee shops in the area.

Addison Coffee Roasters

Another local brand. They have a wide selection of coffee from regions to blends to flavored coffees. They also sell green coffee beans so you can roast the beans at home as you like.

Abra Coffee

Specialty coffee based in Miami. They have an interesting model which is only offering 2 regions per month that they call Old World and New World. This causes me to drink from regions I have not considered before.

(You can also follow Adriel on Instagram account at @biggroove_ and @beats_and_beans)

Cool Coffee with Rikesh Chauhan

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Cool Coffee is a new feature for Cultrface where I ask people to talk about their favourite coffee brands. The first up is Cultrface’s spiritual forefather, coffee connoisseur, and my good friend Rikesh Chauhan.

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Like most things, my pursuit of good quality coffee beans was ex during the first lockdown of 2020. My usual haunts around East London were all closed indefinitely, and the thought of them not making it through to the other side was quite disheartening. Fortunately, the large majority moved their operations digital — allowing for people to purchase beans (and later, takeaway coffees) to be delivered to your door. Safe to say that a couple years later, and there are a select few that have left a lasting impression.

Ozone Coffee Roasters

Not only was their Leonard Street location my home away from home, but their coffee never missed — whether you were dining in or taking away. Their aesthetic in-store is just as sleek online, and the website is a dream to use. El Yalcon in particular is a must-try if you haven’t yet had the pleasure.

Origin Coffee

Another great location that have utilised the power of online purchasing. Origin probably has the widest assortment of beans available, with batch runs ensuring a lot of what you have will be limited in edition. No sweat though, as even though a favourite might no longer be available, it’ll soon be replaced by a roast that’s even better. Spring for the Gesha — it’s a previous Honduras Cup of Excellence winner.

The Roasting Shed

Based in East London, I came across The Roasting Shed earlier in 2021, and I’ve not had a single coffee that wasn’t exceptional. All small batch, fully traceable and entirely uncompromising. Definitely worth a try. Kaku, roasted in Yunnan, China, is a particularly exciting microlot.

Hard Lines

Not going to lie, every now and then I’ll pick up a bag of beans purely because of the branding. So I was delighted when I discovered that Hard Lines’ coffee is equally as punchy and bright! It’s impossible to pick a favourite, but Brazil House Party and Ethiopia Sawana Kebele are a good introduction to the brand.

Caravan Roastery

Caravan has a beautiful assortment of coffee at your disposal, categorised under the Americas, Africa and Blends. If you’re stuck, you can always pick up their sample pack to help guide you. I do love trying something new whenever I can with Caravan, and highly recommend doing the same! Peru Gesha and Africa Kilimbi FTW.

Disney+’s 'Sketchbook' series explores the animation process at Walt Disney Animation Studios

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Sketchbook | Official Trailer | Disney+

If you want an insider look at some of your favourite Disney cartoons, you’ll enjoy this upcoming Disney+ documentary series. Sketchbook explores the animation process at Walt Disney Animation Studios, with Disney describing it as “an intimate instructional documentary series”. Each episode shows a different artist illustrating a different character, including the likes of Olaf from Frozen, Genie from Aladdin, and Simba from The Lion King.

Disney related: A brief history of DisneyQuest and the history of Walt Disney Home Video

There could be a major earthquake and volcanic eruption in Azores

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Hundreds of Sao Jorge residents have been leaving the Portuguese island as an earthquake and volcanic eruption appear to be imminent:

Seismologists fear the more than 12,700 tremors, which have had a magnitude of up to 3.3, could trigger a volcanic eruption or a powerful quake.

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Dozens of other Sao Jorge residents also left early on Saturday, with the latest government figures showing about 1,250 people left the island on March 23 and March 24 alone.

The region’s CIVISA seismo-volcanic surveillance centre raised the volcanic alert to Level 4 on Wednesday, meaning there is a “real possibility” the volcano could erupt for the first time since 1808.

via Reuters, from 26th March

Some more links on the situation:

I’ll be updating this post as I get more news.