A Taste of the Past (Heritage Radio Network)

On Thanksgiving, more than 46 million turkeys will be the centerpiece of American holiday tables. And, as usual, home cooks across the country will have questions and concerns about how to best prepare the big bird. For 41 years the Butterball team of experts has been fielding more than 100,000 calls during the holiday season on the Turkey Talk-Line. Bill Nolan, the Talk-Line Supervisor, shares the story.

Photo Courtesy of Butterball.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

According to the authors of a new book on the history of the Cuban Sandwich, "Hiding beween the thin slices of its fillings are invisible layers of meaning, the spirit of a people, and the story of a nation--the life and times of the Cuban Sandwich." They share the tales and delicious variations of how the Cubano became a symbol for a displaced people and won the hearts and bellies of America.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Who were the Acadians? What was their food culture and cuisine? Food writer and journalist Simon Thibault, talks about exploring his Acadian roots and reacquainting himself with the food and recipes from his family’s past which he documented in his new book, Pantry and Palate: Remembering and Rediscovering Acadian Food. It’s a cookbook filled with old food traditions, recipes and anecdotes “seasoned with history.”

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

In his book Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll, Andrew Friedman takes us back in time to witness the remarkable changes in the American dining scene and evolution of the American restaurant chef in the 1970s and '80s. Using oral histories told primarily in the words of the people who lived it Friedman writes about the pioneers behind Chez Panisse, Spago, River Cafe and other landmarks as well as many of the the young cooks like Jonathan Waxman, Tom Colicchio, and Mario Batali who went on to become household names. Friedman shares those stories with Linda on this informative episode.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

Based on years of observation, ethnographic fieldwork, and countless shared meals, mother and son Merry White and Ben Wurgaft explore how our foods reach our plates and how every bite is part of a complex web of social meaning and value. From the Venetian spice trade to the Columbian Exchange, from Roman garum to Vietnamese nớc chấm, from the origins of agriculture to contemporary debates over culinary authenticity, they uncover new ways to understand food and the social rules that shape our meals.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Burger Scholar George Motz has spent decades researching, writing about, cooking, and eating America's favorite food: Hamburgers. His documentary film, Hamburger America, was recognized by the US National Archives as an integral part of American food history. On this episode, he shares the history of the burger and its variations across the country.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Most biographers pay little attention to people’s attitudes toward food, but once we ask how somebody relates to food, we find a whole world of different and provocative ways to understand her. Historian Laura Shapiro uses the lens of food to look at the lives of six women, each famous in her time, and most are still famous in ours; but until now, nobody has told their lives from the point of view of the kitchen and the table.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.

Chinese cuisine's history dates back more than three millennia, and it's only in recent times that regional specialties beyond the usual Cantonese, Hunan, and Sichuan dishes have begun to arrive in the US. Still, one element of Chinese cookery that remains rare in the Western world is the most popular across China: street food. Author, photographer and food fanatic Howie Southworth aims to change that with his new book, Chinese Street Food, filled with history, recipes, stories, photos and more. He describes it as a celebration of a culinary culture.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simpecast

Italy is a land of ancient cultures, the fibers of which are woven through its everyday modern culture. Nowhere is this more noticeable than on the many islands which dot the Mediterranean waters of its coastline. These islands were battlegrounds and places of refuge of ancient peoples for millennia. Today what is most evident from those ancient cultures is the culinary imprint that influences the various island cuisines. Katie Parla’s new book, Food of the Italian Islands, explores and describes the land and food.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Monasteries, temples, mosques, and synagogues around the world preserve not only the world’s religions, but also cultural and culinary traditions, And those who cook in the kitchens of those sacred places—the sacred kitchens-- are the keepers of the flame, if you will, preserving the culinary heritage by cooking the traditional recipes and foods from their respective places. And they are culinary innovators, as well, keeping up with modern methods and tastes that reflect the world today from within these religious sanctuaries. Author Jody Eddy visited these kitchens and speaks with us about the intersection of culture, spirituality, and cuisine.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Culinary historian and foremost expert on the food and foodways of the African Diaspora, Dr. Jessica B. Harris, joins Linda to talk about The Legacy Quilt, the centerpiece of a project celebrating Black contributions to American cuisine. It's all part of a major exhibition at the Museum of Food and Drink --MOFAD-- entitled, African/American: Making the Nation's Table, whose opening was delayed by COVID-19.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

There has been a resurgence in the cocktail culture of the pre-Prohibition period and the MadMen era. And whether mixing at home, cocktails-to-go (outside) from a restaurant or bar, or the new kid on the block: ready to drink cocktails in a can, there has been a definite uptick in the spirits market. Author and spirits writer Kara Newman shares her views and observations and answers Linda's questions about the origins of Pimm's.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Over the past decade, Diana Garvin has conducted extensive research in Italian museums, libraries, archives, and first-hand interviews to examine the role of women's food work in relation to the politics of Fascism. She describes her findings from her new book that demonstrate how women and the Fascist state vied for control over national diet.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast. many facets of daily life.

Battles over the ethics of foie gras in recent years have loomed large in the culinary world.  Yet history shows that the delicacy has been around for over 5,000 years since the ancient Egyptians, and is extolled in writings of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. Ariane Daguin of D'Artagnan tells the story of foie gras and how in the Gascony region of France it has been a tradition for centuries along with their distinct regional cuisine.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

On this episode, historian and regular voice on BBC Radio 4's Kitchen Cabinet, Annie Gray, joins Linda to talk about the enormous culinary changes during the Victorian era and the birth of modern food culture. In her recent book, The Greedy Queen, Annie considers Britain's most iconic monarch from a new perspective, telling the story of British food along the way. Voracious and adventurous in her tastes, Queen Victoria was head of state during a revolution in how the British ate--from the highest tables to the most humble.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

When the Michelin starred chef Andrew Wong was on a working tour of China, it ignited a burning curiosity in not just exploring the vast cultural and regional differences that have come to define the gastronomic identity of China, but also opened his eyes to the beauty of China’s 3000-year history first-hand. It inspired newfound respect for the local and ceremonial aspects of Chinese culinary heritage and began the formation of ideas for his own approach to cooking. And he sought help and collaboration with Dr. Mukta Das, food historian of China and Chinese diaspora, to find answers to his culinary history questions. Such is the case with their recent research on the history of Dim Sum and its relationship to the pastry arts.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Chef Gabriel Kreuther joins us in the studio to talk about the cuisine of his native Alsace-Lorraine.

A Michelin-starred chef, Kreuther was born on a family farm in Alsace and raised on his mother's traditional Alsatian cooking. After attending culinary school and working in Michelin-starred kitchens throughout Germany, France and Switzerland, Kreuther arrived in New York City in 1997 to work as a sous-chef at La Caravelle restaurant.

He was named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in 2003 and won a 2009 James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Chef: New York City.” Kreuther's eponymous restaurant offers an Alsatian-inspired dining experience overlooking Bryant Park.

On a special episode A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio is joined by Cathy Kaufman, the managing editor of Savoring Gotham: Celebrating the Making of the Definitive Companion to New York City’s Food.

New York City boasts the world’s most diverse, fascinating, and ground-breaking food scene. Whether dining in iconic or trend-setting restaurants, noshing on vibrant street food prepared by new immigrants, or filling one’s basket at markets catering to ethnic heritage or gourmet aspirations, New York City’s opportunities for cosmopolitan eating are unparalleled. New York also has pioneered solutions to complex issues, from launching farmers’ markets and tilling urban gardens be they in vacant lots or on pristine rooftopsto politically-charged battles over licensing laws, school food and soda sizes.

Cathy Kaufman (Chair), aka, dictator-for-life, has been chair of CHNY since 2003. She is Senior Editor of Savoring Gotham and of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, and writes for many publications. She teaches culinary history at The New School and the Institute of Culinary Education and is the author of Cooking in Ancient Civilizations; she loves foie gras, but to atone for her gluttony, can be found in Chinatown twice a week, practicing tai chi.

Who ever thought a video series about watching old Italian grandmothers making pasta would become a hugely successful YouTube channel? Food writer Vicky Bennison saw something special and spent over five years filming and interviewing the women who became "Pasta Grannies." Traditional regional recipes and techniques will be preserved thanks to her foresight and work. And now there's a companion cookbook that shares not only the recipes but also the extraordinary stories of these endearing women. And Vicky shares with us the behind-the-scene tales.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.

American cuisine is often described as bland, but throughout our history flavors and spices such as pepper, vanilla, curry powder and soy sauce have crossed the ocean to define our ever-changing palate. Historic Gastronomist Sarah Lohman researched the stories of these flavors in her new book Eight Flavors, The Untold Story of American Cuisine and shares them with us.

Trying to pinpoint origins of cuisines from the Caribbean is not an easy task. The many traders, invaders, colonists, and travelers left bits and pieces of their cuisines that became incorporated in the island food cultures. And Like most Caribbean islands, Jamaican foods are derived from many different settlement cultures, including British, Dutch, French, Spanish, East Indian, Portuguese, Chinese, and importantly, West African. Writer Rochelle Oliver takes us back to the 1500’s to learn about the origins of the favorite Jamaican food preparation – Jerk.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

Legendary baker Rose Levy Beranbaum made history when she pioneered the reverse creaming technique for baking cakes. She wrote about it in her award-winning book, "The Cake Bible," 34 years ago. Now, twelve books later, she has just published "The Cookie Bible." On this episode, Rose shares her life of baking and love of cookies.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

African Americans have worked in presidential food service as chefs, personal cooks, butlers, stewards, and servers for every First Family since George and Martha Washington. Award-winning author and food historian Adrian Miller explores the lives of these men and women in his book, The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families from the Washingtons to the Obamas (UNC Press, 2017). Miller gives us a glimpse of what life was like for these culinary artists, and he incorporates their White House experiences into the larger history of African American foodways, American foodways, and its cultural impact both at the White House and nationwide.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

Few ingredients have had greater influence on the cuisines and foodways of the world than peppers. Their diaspora spans millenia and has shaped the way generations of cooks create flavor. On this episode historian and three-time James Beard award winning author Maricel Presilla joins Linda and shares her work from her new book, Peppers of the Americas, in which she retraces the fascinating history of how Capsicum spread across the globe and found their way into cuisines of the world.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

There was a time, beginning about 500 years ago, when aspic/gelatin represented the finest, most elite, five-star dining experience. Jello dishes—savory and sweet-- appeared in abundance in the following decades. However, as historian and author Ken Albala clearly points out, “Jello is among the best examples of a food that goes in and out of fashion." On this episode, Ken discusses the history and future of the slippery stuff from his new book, "The Great Gelatin Revival."

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

The recently completed Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. Within the museums' exhibits are five forms of cultural expression including "Foodways: Culture and Cuisine." Author and historian of African-American foodways Jessica B. Harris was a consultant on the project, and talks about range of influence of African-Americans in the foods and cooking of the United States. And she gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the careful planning of regional foods offered in the museum's Sweet Home Cafe.

Handwritten Recipes is a living platform for culinary memories curated and edited by Rozanne Gold, a well-known chef and cookbook author. The column is part of the the website Handwrittenwork.com created by Brett Rawson, and serves to re-ignite the connection between generations of families through food, memory, and the power of the pen. While the relation of food to language is universal, the curve and slope of a loved one’s scrawl can re-capture long-lost scents, tastes and emotions at a moment’s notice--a living cookbook. Rozanne and Brett join Linda to discuss the silent power of the handwritten word in our digital world.

Authentic products by artisan producers are worth protecting. Beatrice Ughi, founder and president of the food importing company Gustiamo talks about the fake and adulterated products passing as "Made in Italy", and shares her passion for keeping it real.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

On this week's episode of A Taste of the Past, host Linda Pelaccio is joined in the studio by author, food blogger, and design writer Elizabeth Minchilli, and Rolando Baramendi, founder of Manicaretti, an importer and seller of Italian specialty items. Tune in to hear them discuss the changing food culture in Italy, from cocktails and coffee to the price of a dish of pasta.

Culinarians are and were intellectually curious, aesthetically experimental, and gastronomically evangelical. In his new book, The Culinarians: Lives and Careers from the First Age of American Fine Dining, Dr. David Shields traces the stories of 175 lives and careers of chefs, caterers, and restaurateurs who raised the profession of cooking and fine dining in America to an art form.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

Restaurants come and go, but chefs move on because it’s their career, their art, and, hopefully, their passion. But what are the secrets that lead to success? Tools of the trade—the craft-- are often not taught in classroom along with the important techniques and fundamentals. Aspiring young cooks can learn so much more by working with and listening to seasoned chefs. Shari Bayer, a fellow podcaster here at HRN with her show All in the Industry, is a hospitality public relations specialist who used her vast connections to chefs around the world to learn what advice they would impart to their young protégés. The result is a groundbreaking book called Chefwise which Shari talks about with Linda.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

This week on A Taste of the Past, host Linda Pelaccio is joined in the studio by Andrew F. Smith, author of the book Fast Food: The Good, The Bad and The Hungry. He is also the editor of the Edible Series, a revolutionary new series of books on food and drink which explores the rich history of man’s consumption. Each book provides an outline for one type of food or drink, revealing its history and culture on a global scale.

Tune in to hear them discuss the history of the fast food industry, from the streets to the franchises.

Good news to David Shields is that the Speckled Whippoorwill Cowpea, Jimmy Red whisky corn, or the Sicilian Timilia strain of durum wheat has been located, identified, and successfully grown and harvested. And further success means that many of these formerly lost seeds are added to the Ark of Taste, Slow Food's global register of the most flavorful, historically resonant, and imperiled foods. David sat down with Linda to discuss some of the recent searches for seeds and why they are important in the final flavors of regional dishes.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

It’s been 111 years since the publication of The Jungle, Upton Sinclair’s groundbreaking book on the cattle industry. Though improvements in animal welfare have been made since then, the industry has evolved to include issues Sinclair could never have foreseen. In her new book, What’s the Matter with Meat?, Katy Keiffer, host of What Doesn’t Kill You here on HRN, leads readers though a crash course on how this powerful multinational business has been able to generate such a bountiful supply of absurdly cheap animal proteins.

Italy is the largest rice production country in Europe, with a cultivation area of well over a half million acres and 1.6 million tons of total grain production. And they have been cultivating rice since the late 15th century. Count Paolo Salvadori di Wiesenhoff is an heir to and owner of one of the oldest Italian rice farms, Principato di Lucedio, which has been in existence since the 1400's. He shares the history and evolution of Italian rice production.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

The Kanz al-fawāʾid fī tanwīʿ al-mawāʾid, a fourteenth-century cookbook, is unique for its variety and comprehensive coverage of contemporary Egyptian cuisine. It is the only surviving cookbook from a period when Cairo was a flourishing metropolis and a cultural haven for people of diverse ethnicities and nationalities. Now available for the first time in English, it has been meticulously translated and supplemented with a comprehensive introduction by scholar Nawal Nasrallah. She joins Linda on this episode to discuss the discoveries, delights, and difficulties of the task of making this important work accessible.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

What makes a national dish, and who decides? Food writer Anya Von Bremzen dives into the questions as she journeys to the heart of six of the world's most storied food traditions in search of how cuisine became connected to place and identity. It's all from her new book, "National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History and the Meaning of Home."

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

New York was once known as the oyster capital of the world, and was famous for the Blue Point Oyster that originated in the Great South Bay on Long Island. In 1938, that suddenly changed due to the New England hurricane known as "The Long Island Express." Inlets were cut through Fire Island, silting over oyster beds and exposing them to predators. After WWII, the wild population still hadn't recovered and the oyster industry lay dormant for decades. However, the "Blue Point" name lived on under questionable circumstances.

Fast-forward to the late 1990s, enter Chris Quartuccio. Chris grew up in West Sayville, just down the road from Blue Point. After disease wiped out much of the Eastern wild oyster population (causing the price of oysters to quadruple), the stage was set for Chris to start the first Oyster Farm on the Great South Bay in almost 80 years! This week on A Taste of the Past, Kat Johnson takes a trip to visit Chris at Blue Island Oyster Company's hatchery and nursery to learn more about the history of the oyster farming industry on the Great South Bay.

It’s a little known fact that in the nineteenth century, Americans favored green teas consumed hot with milk and sugar. The teas were imported from China until Japan developed an export industry centered on the U.S. Author Robert Hellyer explores the forgotten American preference and traces the trans-Pacific tea trade from the eighteenth century forward in his book, Green with Milk and Sugar (discount code: cup20). He shares his insights on how the interconnections between Japan and the United States have influenced the daily habits of people in both countries. 

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.
 

Like the city itself, Rome’s culinary history is multi-layered, both vertically and horizontally, from migrant shepherds to the senatorial aristocracy, from the papal court to the flow of pilgrims and Grand Tourists, from the House of Savoy and the Kingdom of Italy to Fascism and the rise of the middle classes. Historian and author Karima Moyer-Nocchi joins Linda to talk about her recent book, The Eternal Table, in which she takes the reader on a culinary journey through the city streets, country kitchens, banquets, markets, festivals, osterias, and restaurants illuminating yet another facet of one of the most intriguing cities in the world.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

Profoundly intertwined with human civilization, milk has a compelling and a surprisingly global story to tell, and historian Mark Kurlansky, author of the new book "Milk! A 10,000 Year Food Fracas" is the perfect person to tell it. HRN's Kat Johnson interviewed Mark last month at MOFAD, (Museum of Food and Drink) and shares it here with us. In this diverse history from antiquity to the present, he details milk's curious and crucial role in cultural evolution, religion, nutrition, politics, and economics.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

In the 1980s, Montgomery County, Maryland set aside one-third of the county—93,000 acres—for agricultural uses. It was a remarkable act of stewardship, especially in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, where land is at a premium. Since then more than 500 farm operations produce food for local residents and for people around the world. The Reserve has become a national model for land preservation and has created space for food production, but also for clean air and water, recreation, and history. Independent writer, Claudia Kousoulas and producer, Ellen Letourneau have created a cookbook whose recipes, profiles, essays and photographs trace the Reserve’s history.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

On this week's A Taste of the Past, the tropical elegance and vibrant energy of Cuba's rich history and culture are recaptured in the stories of cocktails by two owners of the well known NYC rum bar, Cienfuegos – Jane Danger and Alla Lapushchik.

Graham Kerr, aka The Galloping Gourmet, wrote a very modern and revolutionary cookbook in 1969, which was overshadowed by his huge success as one of the early TV cooking personalities. Matt and Ted Lee have resurrected the book and added Kerr's own handwritten commentary. Graham and Matt join Linda to revisit the newly republished book and early stardom of TV food.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

Food trucks announcing "halal" proliferate in many urban areas but how many non-Muslims know what this means, other than cheap lunch? Middle Eastern historians Febe Armanios and Boğaç Ergene provide an accessible introduction to halal (permissible) food in the Islamic tradition, exploring what halal food means to Muslims and how its legal and cultural interpretations have changed in different geographies up to the present day.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

You don't need anybody to tell you Chicago is a food city or to extol the virtues of chicken Vesuvio, deep dish pizza, a jibarito, South Side rid tips or a Vienna Beef hot dog (on a poppy seed bun, of course). Perhaps less well known is how Chicago's cuisine developed, or how the city became the first modern industrial food center, both of which are explored in Chicago: A Food Biography by Daniel R. Block and Howard Rosing. (Chicago Tribune)

A fascinating food history of Chicago, revealing the reasons, many unexpected, why this city’s cuisine is so diverse and rich. An essential read for anyone interested in food and culinary history. (Jennifer McLagan, the author of award winning Bitter:A Taste of the World's Most Dangerous Flavor, with Recipes)

An interesting foray into Chicago's influence on food and food's influence on Chicago. (Denese Neu, PhD, author of Chicago by the Pint: a Craft Beer History of the Windy City)

Anyone interested in American food history must know a lot about the indispensable heart: Chicago. The nation’s historic food production and commodity distribution center, home to every ethnic food in America, Chicago always has been an innovative culinary center. How this came about is told in Block and Rosing’s well researched and engagingly written work. A complex story very well told, it is the best survey to date. (Bruce Kraig, co-editor, Food City: The Encyclopedia of Chicago Food and Man Bites Dog: Hot Dog Culture in America)

Chicago: A Food Biography is as much a history of today’s industrial food system as a story of the evolving food culture of Chicago. While Chicago has been a melting pot for today’s food industry, the city has remained a veritable stew of ethnic cuisine. The book is a good read for anyone interested in food and a must read for anyone interested in both food and Chicago. (John E. Ikerd, professor emeritus, University of Missouri Columbia)

Chicago’s food traditions are no less towering than the skyscrapers that define its skyline. Deep-dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs loom large in the culinary landscape, as does the influence of Chicago chefs like Rick Bayless, Grant Achatz, and the late Charlie Trotter. In Chicago: A Food Biography, geographer Daniel R. Block and anthropologist Howard B. Rosing chronicle Chicago’s swift evolution from frontier town to food capital—a path paved by meat and corn, migration, and modern industrialization—and make a strong case for Chicago as the most American of cities. (Meryl Rosofsky, MD, writer and adjunct professor of Food Studies, New York University)

Many of the foods brought by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe to New York have become some of the most iconic foods associated with New York City. Their popularity spread across the country and are often referred to as New York food. Author June Hersh joins Linda to discuss the history of many of these specialties which she has written about in her book, Iconic New York Jewish Food.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

In his new book, ACID TRIP: Travels in the World of Vinegar (Abrams Books), Michael Harlan Turkell takes us on a fermented look into vinegar's soured past and bright future. He shares tales and experiences from his travels throughout North America, France, Italy, Austria, and Japan to learn about vinegar-making practices in places where the art has evolved over centuries.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

Naomi Duguid has written fabulous books that are not only history and gastronomic adventures, but travelogues as well. In her newest work, she focuses on one ingredient--salt--and the essential role it has served for millennia in preserving, fermenting, and transforming food.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

On the season premiere of A Taste of the Past, host Linda Pelaccio is joined by Elizabeth Federici and Kathleen Squires, the director/producer and producer, respectively, of the new documentary film James Beard: America's First Foodie.

The name of James Beard has become synonymous with culinary excellence, and each year thousands gather in New York City for the James Beard Foundation Awards, which is often referred to as the Academy Awards for food. And yet, the incredible details of Beard's life are not as widely recognized.

The will air on PBS Friday, May 19 at 9:00 p.m.

On this episode, Linda welcomes Kat Johnson, HRN's Communications Director, to share an panel she moderated at the 2018 Charleston Wine + Food festival. Kat welcomed Jerome Dixon and Doc Bill Thomas from Georgia Coastal Gourmet Farms, Chef Sean Brock of Husk, and Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills to talk about the repatriation of Purple Ribbon Sugar Cane to Sapelo Island, home of the Gullah-Gechee community Hog Hammock.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

Gypsies, Romani, Gitano - these are all names used to identify the ethnic group of Roma throughout Europe, of which there are more than 750,00 living in Spain. Food writer Valerio Farris learned about the cuisine of the Spanish Roma and the importance of preserving their recipes and culture by cooking with Roma people in and around Barcelona.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Situated strategically at the crossroads of Europe and Asia in the Caucasus mountain range the Republic of Georgia has a unique and ancient cultural heritage that is famed for its traditions of hospitality and cuisine. Twenty-five years ago award-winner cookbook author Darra Goldstein introduced a generation of cooks to the culture and cuisine of that land in her book, The Georgian Feast. Today Georgia has become a hot travel destination for both its beautiful land and its food and wine traditions. Fortunately for us, an updated anniversary edition of The Georgian Feast has been released, and Darra once again brings the marvels and tastes of that rich country to her readers.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

Food is a many layered topic in most cultures and none more so than in Sicily, where the bitterness found in the flavors of almonds and wild greens are also present in the emotions of Sicily's past. Fabrizia Lanza, born and raised in Palermo, left to study and live in northern Italy as an art historian for many years. She returned to carry on her mother's work at pre-eminent Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School on the family property and winery, and realized the roots of so many of those bitter feelings were imbued with love for the land, people and food. She has made it her mission to promote Sicilian cuisine and bitter flavors through her books and films. Her newest film project called Amaro (bitter) is raising funds through a Kickstarter campaign and she hopes to have it completed by next fall. She shares her story with Linda on this episode.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

Menus hold a vast amount of historic information on America's culture, social history, economy, and everyday life. Food and culture historian and menu collector Henry Voigt shares some of the stories old menus have to tell about 19th century America.

Cider is delicious and it is historic. It is America’s first popular alcoholic beverage, made from apples brought across the Atlantic from England in colonial times. And over the past fifteen or so years it has been enjoying something of a revival. To appreciate the differing tastes of cider one needs to know more about the apples and the history as “Cider embodies the best and worst of America’s history and agricultural practices.” Cider specialists and authors Dan Pucci and Craig Cavallo delve deep into the topic in their recent book, American Cider: A Modern Guide to a Historic Beverage.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

What is American cuisine? Is there an American cuisine? It’s probably one of the most debated questions in food circles, certainly by food writers. Historian Paul Freedman, author of the recent best-selling book, Ten Restaurants that Changed America, explores the question in his newest book, AMERICAN CUISINE, and How It Got This Way.

Join Heritage Radio Network on Monday, November 11th, for a raucous feast to toast a decade of food radio. Our tenth anniversary bacchanal is a rare gathering of your favorite chefs, mixologists, storytellers, thought leaders, and culinary masterminds. We’ll salute the inductees of the newly minted HRN Hall of Fame, who embody our mission to further equity, sustainability, and deliciousness. Explore the beautiful Palm House and Yellow Magnolia Café, taste and imbibe to your heart’s content, and bid on once-in-a-lifetime experiences and tasty gifts for any budget at our silent auction. Tickets available now at heritageradionetwork.org/gala.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.

Marion Nestle is one of the original food activists in America. For nearly half a century, as she tells it in her recently published memoir Slow Cooked, she has been teaching and writing about the effects of politics on what we eat and, therefore, on our health. She has been called a courageous champion of healthy food, social justice, and scientific integrity.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Since ancient times societies have helped the hungry--those who had no access to food. Today we have food pantries, food banks, and soup kitchens. Linda talks to Stephen Henderson who has volunteered in soup kitchens around the world for the past ten years about the history of this system of feeding those in need.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.

Restaurant guides have been around for centuries since Grimod de La Reyniére published his Almanach des Gourmandes in1804. These guides were usually opinions of one writer about upscale restaurants or coupled with travel guides. Then along came Zagat in 1979, a restaurant guide for the people by the people founded by Tim and Nina Zagat. Forty years since its launch it is enjoying a resurrection of sorts. After having been dormanat for a few years TheInfatuation.com bought the rights to Zagat and has just published the first new NYC edition, and plans for more. The editor-in-chief Hillary Reinsberg joins Linda to share the story of its rebirth.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.

Taiwanese food is closely associated with Fujian and Japanese cuisine. There is a lot of braising, pickling, steaming, deep-frying, and noodles. Linda talks with Taiwanese-American food blogger, cookbook author, and podcaster Cathy Erway, to learn about the origins, influences, and nuances of the food of Taiwan.

Photo courtesy of Pete Lee.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Rosh Hashanah is an ancient holiday, and many of the foods eaten for the celebration are nearly the same as they were 3,000 years ago. Shifra Klein, Editor-In-Chief of Fleishigs magazine, a publication dedicated to modern kosher cuisine, joins Linda to talk about the history of the symbolic holiday foods.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

Photo Courtesy of Oleksandra Naumenko/123RF.com

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Community cookbooks—you know, those spiral bound collections with each contributor credited--began as a way for women to come together and share recipes and to support a common cause be it a local church, school, club, or other fundraising goal. The concept became so popular and spread rapidly throughout the nation that more than 3,000 charity cookbooks were published between 1864 and 1922, according to Feeding America, an historic cookbook project of Michigan State University. Antiquarian bookseller, collector and food historian Don Lindgren shares his insights into this movement from charitable funding to the breaking of gender limits.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.

Culinary travel is one of the fastest growing travel trends today. By combining travel with unique eating--and even cooking--experiences, culinary tourism offers an authentic taste of place and understanding of the culture. Elizabeth Minchilli shares her philosophy and tips for seeking out some of the historical food experiences which serve to preserve the ways of life and traditions that might otherwise fade away.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

Adrian Miller is a 'recovering' lawyer, soul food scholar, and former special assistant to President Clinton and today joins Linda Pelaccio on A Taste of the Past. Explaining that after President Clinton's second term, he found himself with extra time on his hands and ended up spending the next decade or so researching soul food. Specifically commenting on macaroni and cheese, Adrian shares how it began as a food fit for royalty dating back to the 1300s. From royalty to US Presidents, soul food has consistently had a place on the White House dinner table and Adrian goes on to recall tales of the influential African American chefs featured throughout presidential history. Tune in for a great episode!

Chinese food first became popular in America under the shadow of violence against Chinese aliens. In her book Chow Chop Suey, Anne Mendelson traces the introduction of an altered Cantonese cuisine to white Americans by poor Chinese immigrants during the Gold Rush. She follows the eventual abolition of anti-Chinese immigration laws and demographic changes that transformed the face of Chinese cooking in America.

John T. Edge joins Linda today for a conversation about his new book, The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South. John T., an esteemed writer of Southern food, traces how the food of the poorest Southerners has become the signature trend of modern American haute cuisine. He puts names and faces on the familiar dishes as he examines the food, race and politics in the South over the past 60 years.

America's Gilded Age, the last quarter of the nineteenth century, is renowned for the excesses of robber barons and tycoons and their culture of conspicuous consumption. The lavishness of their tables impressed contemporaries and historians alike. But what about the eating habits of ordinary people at the time? Robert Dirks, author of Food in the Gilded Age, poses that question and discovers some surprising answers by peering through the lens of what then was a newly emerging science of nutrition.

Curry is a word imbued with many meanings and mixed emotions. From the time of colonialism, it was long used to describe Indian food in general, a term that often had derogatory connotations to those of Indian descent. Today, fortunately, we recognize the regionality and diversity of the cuisine of India. And yet, largely through slavery, the enigmatic dish curry remains one of the most global of dishes--despite its many guises. Food writer Sejal Sukhadwala describes the history, etymology, and conflicts of curry in her book, "The Philosophy of Curry."

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Fasting from food is a controversial, dangerous, and yet utterly normal human practice. Christine Baumgarthuber discusses our fascination with restrictive eating in cultural history from her new book, Why Fast? If fasting offers few health benefits, why do people fast? Why have we always fasted? Does fasting speak to something deep and immutable within us? Why are our bodies so well adapted to intermittent fasting? And, what might this ancient, ascetic ritual offer us today?

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Chile peppers did not appear in China until the late 16th century when they were introduced from the Americas. Historian and author Brian Dott discusses how the nonnative chile went from obscurity to ubiquity in China, influencing not just cuisine, but also medicine, language, and cultural identity.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network, support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member! 

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Paris has been associated with fine dining for centuries and the city remains a veritable walking tour of historic gastronomy. David Downie, a travel and food writer living in Paris, takes a deep dive into this history for his new book, A Taste of Paris: A History of the Parisian Love Affair with Food. He shares with us stories, events and locations that brim with passion and flavor--a true food lover's paradise.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

In medieval times the term Laudemio indicated the best part of the harvest reserved for the feudal lord. This year the Frescobaldi family of Tuscany is celebrating the 30th anniversary harvest of its Laudemio Frescobaldi extra virgin olive oil with a special gold bottle. Matteo Fescobaldi, the 30th generation of the wine and olive oil family joins Linda to share the story behind Laudemio, now a consortium of 21 producers.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

For centuries, in the small town of Cetara on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, anchovies have been gathered and fermented into the piquant sauce "colatura di alici," a local specialty. Until the 1990s, colatura di alici had never been bottled or sold. People clamored for the artisanal product and asked for more. Now the town is embroiled in a "be careful what you wish for" scenario. Culinary history scholar Claire Alsup spent several months in Cetara examining the history and process, and was thrust into the middle of the town's debate.

A Taste of the Past on Simplecast.

Every city has its own iconic food, particularly a sandwich. And in Chicago, it's the 'Italian Beef,' made even more well-known by the recent TV series "The Bear." Historian Anthony Buccini shares the facts of why it's Italian. We learn how the sandwich went from being served at festive occasions to being a staple take-out from a sandwich stand, all the while preserving its socio-cultural place in the cookery of Naples.

Photo Courtesy of Jeffrey CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

It was well known in diplomatic circles that one ate very well at President George Washington's table, thanks to his very talented, but enslaved cook Hercules. Stories abound about the fate of the famed cook. Author and culinary historian Ramin Ganeshram has discovered how he reemerged, now with the surname Posey, in New York City, where his skill as a chef helped him create a new life as a free man, embodying the foundational narrative of the United States.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “comfort food” is “food that comforts or affords solace;" It is the food people turn to in a crisis or time of uncertainty. And the current coronavirus pandemic has people eating those foods that evoke a psychologically comfortable state. Prof. Lucy Long speaks about the history and broader theories of comfort food.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.

Award winning journalist Maryn McKenna reveals the fascinating history of chicken in her new book, Big Chicken. She talks with us about chicken's rise in popularity through the routine use of antibiotics, a practice that would transform agriculture, change the world's eating habits, and contribute to the deadly rise of drug-resistant infections around the globe.

This week we're presenting the first episode of Eat Your Heartland Out. Eat Your Heartland Out is a series dedicated to highlighting the rich, yet often overlooked, culinary depth of the American Midwest. Food is the storyteller while host Capri S. Cafaro serves as your audio tour guide through this region spanning 12 states.  

The show aims to weave a tapestry of cultural diversity, immigration history, migration patterns and agricultural variations in each episode. Expect to gain new insights about Midwestern foodways through compelling interviews with historians, authors, chefs and makers; each of whom brings a unique perspective on the Midwest's culinary story.

Subscribe to Eat Your Heartland Out wherever you get your podcasts (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS)  

In March, HRN began producing all of our 35 weekly shows from our homes all around the country. It was hard work stepping away from our little recording studio, but we know that you rely on HRN to share resources and important stories from the world of food each week. It’s been a tough year for all of us, but right now HRN is asking for your help. Every dollar that listeners give to HRN provides essential support to keep our mics on. We've got some fresh new thank you gifts available, like our limited edition bandanas.

Keep A Taste of the Past on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate. 

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.

On a recent trip to Rome, I met up with Katie Parla, Italian food and culture writer, to talk to her about her thoughts on the recent renaissance of old classic Roman dishes, particularly pasta dishes. She spoke about past, present, and what she sees in the future for the food of Rome.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

“There’s no genre of American cuisine as storied as Southern,” according to Rob Newton, Southern born chef/restaurateur, and now cookbook author. In his book, Seeking the South: Finding Inspired Regional Cuisines, Rob describes how the clash of cultures and ever-shifting mix of people who have moved through Southern regions have influenced the cuisine, making it culturally rich with distinct regional differences.

A Taste of the Past  is powered by Simplecast.

The cooking lessons that stick with us are rarely the ones we read in books or learn through blog posts or YouTube videos. They’re the ones we pick up as we spend time with good cooks in the kitchen. Dorothy Kalins, founding editor of Saveur magazine, calls the people who pass on their cooking wisdom her Kitchen Whisperers. Consciously or not, they help make us the cooks we are—and help show the way to the kind of cooks we have the potential to become. She has put her stories into a book, The Kitchen Whisperers, a beautifully written tribute to the people who teach us to cook and guide our hands in the kitchen.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

The adage "Power of the Press" is never truer than when it comes to restaurant reviews. A review can make or break a business, and more than that, it serves as a reliable guide to diners' experiences. Longtime restaurant critic and food writer Mimi Sheraton shares her insights and experience and sheds some light on the history of restaurant reviews.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

New York City-based Senegalese chef Pierre Thiam has heightened the profile of West African cuisine in the United States with his restaurants and award-winning cookbooks Yolélé and Senegal. His new mission is to popularize the ancient supergrain FONIO in the U.S. and help farmers across the drought-prone Sahel region.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.

Scenes of Victorian Christmas feasts conjure visions of roasting chestnuts on a lively fire, roast goose on the platter, and a flaming plum pudding with, of course some mince pie and fruitcake. British Food Historian Annie Gray discusses the history of the foods of Christmas past.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

"While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads..." But, what exactly is a sugarplum? On the season finale of A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio is in studio with Michael Krondl and Cathy Kaufman discussing the history behind the sweets enjoyed throughout the holidays. Embarking on a great fruitcake debate, explaining the plethora of sweeteners used throughout the ages, as well as the origins of the infamous yule log and more, this episode covers it all!

Unlike many Italian cookbooks, Autentico goes far beyond pasta. In a world where culinary shortcuts, adulteration, misleading labeling, and mass production of seemingly “authentic” food rule, culinary archaeologist, innovator and cooking teacher Rolando Beramendi has kept centuries-old culinary traditions alive.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

Ever wondered how plate size affects waist size? This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio is on the line with Brian Wansink, Professor and Director of the famed Cornell University Food and Brand Lab, where he is a leading expert in changing eating behavior – both on individual level and on a mass scale -- using principles of behavioral science. The author of Mindless Eating and Slim by Design as well as over 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, tune in as Brian relays how we can change the way we eat in a fun, painless, scalable, meet-people-where-they-are way.

Drawing on Slow Food's Ark of Taste, a list of endangered foods throughout the world, culinary historian Sarah Lohman decided to look closer at the American local culinary traditions and rare, cherished foods that are in peril of becoming lost. She shares the stories of her travels and the people who work with these foods in her new book, Endangered Eating, and talks about them on this episode of A Taste of the Past.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Fans of the TV series "Downton Abbey" are excitedly awaiting the premiere of the movie on Friday of this week. And coinciding with the movie's release is the publication of "The Official Downtown Abbey Cookbook," by Annie Gray, one of Britain's leading food historians who joins Linda on today's episode. Dr. Gray researched recipes from historical sources for the meals seen on the show and includes notes on the ingredients and customs of the time. She gives a warm and fascinating insight into the background of the dishes that were popular between 1912 and 1926, when Downton Abbey is set – a period of tremendous change and conflict, as well as culinary development, which makes the book a truly useful work of culinary history.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.

Many Ancient Roman dishes included the use of fish sauce—garum or liquamen—made from fermented fish parts. Sally Grainger, one of the foremost authorities on Roman fish sauce and foods of the Roman era, joins Linda to explain the nuances, differences, and uses of the sauces, as well as other herbs, spices, and recipes she has written about in her book, Cooking Apicius.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast

Technology and industry put more food on the shelves and in markets by extending the life of perishable goods with canning and processing methods. But was the food safe? By the late 19th century, the American food supply was rife with frauds, fakes, and deadly chemicals. It affected everything from milk and beef, black pepper and mustard to candy, whiskey and soda. It took one man, Dr. Harvey W. Wiley, chief chemist of the USDA, his entire career to campaign for food safety and consumer protection, and the ultimate creation of the Food and Drug Act in 1906. Award winning writer and science journalist Deborah Blum talks about the stories and struggles to safe food from her book, The Poison Squad, which is now a PBS documentary.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.

Lois Ellen Frank, Native foods historian, culinary anthropologist, and James Beard award winning cookbook author, joins Linda to talk about Native American foodways. She describes her teachings to Native American communities on how to "re-indigenize" their diets through the use of more plant based foods for a healthier lifestyle. Learning the ancestral techniques of gardening and cooking helps lead to food sovereignty and sustainable foodways.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

This week on A Taste of the Past, host Linda Pelaccio welcomes Lidia Bastianich to the studio discussing her newest book, "Lidia's Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Great Italian Cook." Teaching has always been Lidia’s passion, and in this magnificent book she shares the full benefit of that passion and of her deep, comprehensive understanding of what it takes to create delicious Italian meals. Lidia goes on to introduce the full range of standard ingredients—meats and fish, vegetables and fruits, grains, spices and condiments—and how to buy, store, clean, and cook with them. She also talks the comprehensive guide to the tools every kitchen should have to produce the best results. And she has even included a glossary of cuisine-related words and phrases that will prove indispensable for cooking, as well as for traveling and dining in Italy. There is no other book like this; it is the one book on Italian cuisine that every cook will need, and tune in to hear more straight from the source!

Tibetan cuisine cannot be described without talking about the geography of place, or the tradition of Buddhist or shepherd culture. Husband and wife team Yeshi Jampa and Julie Kleeman talk about the history and unique background which captures the essence of Yeshi's recipes served at their food establishment, Taste Tibet, in Oxford, England, and which are now published in their new book, Taste Tibet: Family Recipes from the Himalayas.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

While creating and producing the hit series Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, David Page dove deep into the world of American food. His new book, Food Americana, is an exploration and celebration of the foods Americans love and call their own. Page looks at the foods’ history, its evolution, and uncovers the people and stories behind the food. Tune in and "learn how Americans have formed a national cuisine from a world of flavors."

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member!

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

Charles Feltman, a German immigrant, invented the hot dog in Coney Island during the summer of 1867 as a convenient way for beachgoers to enjoy quality sausages on a bun without plates and silverware. The business closed in 1954, but the name lived on.  Now entrepreneur and historian Michael Quinn and his brother have resurrected the brand FELTMAN'S OF CONEY ISLAND and tell us all about the history.

The holiday season is all about food and community. There’s no better time to show your support for food radio by becoming a member! Lend your voice and help HRN continue to spreading the message of equitable, sustainable, and delicious food – together, we can change minds and build a better food system. Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate  today to become a crucial part of the HRN community.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.

The countries in the Persian culinary region are home to diverse religions, cultures, languages, and politics, but they are linked by captivating food traditions. The intrepid traveler, food writer and photographer Naomi Duguid covered the vast region to capture the cuisine. She uncovers the flavors of herbs, spices, fruit and tart that transcend the divisive borders and give a picture of ancient tastes of modern people.

Although there is archeological evidence and historical writings about olive oil in the ancient world, the popularity, demand, and production of olive oil as we know it today has a very recent history. The designation of Extra Virgin did not occur until 1960, which was the beginning of the modern era for olive oil. Prof. Carl Ipsen from Indiana University, who recently won the Sophie Coe award for writing in food history, shares his research and insights on this episode all about olive oil.

If you count on HRN content, become a monthly sustaining donor at heritageradionetwork.org/donate.

A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast.

The prosperity of the 1950's kicked off the revolution in technology and design that transformed the American kitchen from scullery to the central great room of the modern home. Modern pastel colored appliances and kitchen products made by companies whose names became household synonyms for convenience were representative of the era. Writer and design curator Sarah Archer has documented this movement in her new book, The Midcentury Kitchen, and joins Linda to talk about it.

A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.