Seafood Ammunition and More

Rebel soldiers during the Mutiny of 1857 shot preserved lobsters at the British troops!

The Mutiny of 1857 or the First War of Indian Independence (1857-1858) was a mutiny led by many Indian monarchs and rebel leaders like Rani of Jhansi, Kunwar Singh, Mangal Pandey etc. So, as the story goes, a box of regimental rations of the British fell into the hands of the rebels. The rebels thought that the boxes contained deadly and destructive ammunition. So, they rammed the cases into their guns. After emptying the boxes, the rebels went out to attack the British troops. As they started firing at the British, do you know what came out of their guns?... Preserved lobster from Fortnum & Mason’s! Imagine somebody shooting lobsters at you when you expect bullets?! 

-"I dedicate this article to my grandfather who loves lobsters".

The Romans studied the cuts and cracks on the entrails of a chicken to tell the future!

The Romans were a people who were eager to know their future. They had a custom that if you saw an eagle in the air when you were preparing for battle, then you would be victorious. The Romans also studied the cracks and cuts on the entrails of a chicken to know if the battle you were preparing for would be won. Similarly, the ancient Chinese studied the cracks on heated turtle and ox bones to predict the future. I am sure that today the Romans nor the Chinese use these methods.

 

The word ‘punch’ originates from a Sanskrit word!

Punch is a drink that is made up of alcoholic and non-alcoholic ingredients like oranges, lemons, pineapple etc. It is especially drank in the summer as it is a nice cooling drink. So, now that you know what it is made of do you want to know where it originated from? The word punch entered the English language circa 1600 CE. It is said that the ‘punch’ originates from the Hindi word ‘panch’. The Hindi word ‘panch’ derives from the Sanskrit word ‘panchamrita’, which when translated into English means ‘five nectars of the gods’. The original ingredients included milk, curd, molasses, butter, and honey. By the time the word entered the English language the ingredients had changed and now included arrack (palm spirit), rosewater, lime juice, sugar, and spices. This is only one theory, and the Oxford English Dictionary states that ‘there is no evidence for this view’.