History and Tradition
One of the first inhabited areas of Italy, Sicily was named after the ancient Siculians who introduced agriculture and animal husbandry in the 3rd millennium B.C. The Phoenicians came next; they founded a number of commercial centers and started intensive exploitation of the forests for construction of settlements and boats.
Between the Eighth and [...]

Wine, especially that for which you have paid a premium, is worth more than a quick swallow. So perhaps this section should be entitled ‘Wine Appreciation’, because there is a lot more to judging the quality of a wine than just tasting it. Predominantly it involves smell, using that organ which protrudes from the front [...]

Q: Does coffee or caffeine prevent the absorption of vitamins or minerals? What about alcohol?
A: Coffee is the most concentrated source of caffeine in our diets, with each mug giving you about 100 milligrams. This caffeine can interfere with the absorption of certain minerals, including magnesium, calcium, and iron, but the loss is minimal. And [...]

The word «vodka» has been known since the 17th century and is most likely a derivative of «voda» (water). In the past, other names were also used for the drink: wine (bread wine), korchma or korchma wine, distilled wine, burning wine, burnt wine and bitter wine among others. It is thought that the drink itself, [...]