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Food History

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The Ancient Greeks often decorated pottery used during parties with scenes from those events, like this <em>symopsium</em> (drinking party) attendee getting sick from too much wine.
food

Eat Like an Ancient Greek Philosopher

Before attending third-century dinner parties, readers consulted this “marvelous feast of words.”
Andrew Coletti September 25, 2023
Pizza alla Napoletana from Pellegrino Artusi's 1891 recipe.
food

Make 19th-Century 'Neapolitan Pizza' for Dessert

This "exquisite" recipe comes from the book that created our modern concept of Italian food.
Andrew Coletti September 20, 2023
Left: Artusi's grave monument in Cimitero delle Porte Sante, Florence. Right: the first edition cover of <em>Scienza in cucina </em>highlights the cookbook's three major themes: "hygiene, economy, and good taste."
food

This Book Created Italian Food as We Know It

In the early days of unified Italy, Pellegrino Artusi helped forge a national cuisine.
Andrew Coletti September 1, 2023
Don Angie's version of a wedge salad includes a creamy anchovy dressing and pepperoni fat-crisped breadcumbs.
farms

How Iceberg Won the Lettuce Wars

The wedge salad's dominance endures.
Diana Hubbell August 21, 2023
collections

A Peek Inside America's Most Dazzling Menu Collection

Henry Voigt has a treasure trove of vintage restaurant ephemera.
Anne Ewbank July 31, 2023
Cutting spaghetti squash across its short end results in longer "noodles."
food

How Spaghetti Squash Squiggled Its Way Onto American Tables

It took a shift in food culture for consumers to embrace the "noodle plant."
Andrew Coletti July 27, 2023
An actress dressed as Queen Margherita tries a pizza in present-day Naples.
food

Debunking the Myth of the National Dish

Anya von Bremzen breaks down true origins of pizza, ramen, and other iconic foods in her new book.
Diana Hubbell June 22, 2023
Gastro Obscura

Doberge Cake

This towering treat is a slice of New Orleans immigrant history.
A Close Combat Assault Ration, which provides calorie-dense nutrition and is shelf stable for years.
science

Feeding Armies Throughout History

From Sparta to the Mongol Empire, soldiers needed fuel for the fight.
Diana Hubbell May 12, 2023
The packaging laboratory where researchers design and test ways to transport and store rations in a wide variety of environments.
science

The Evolution of American Military Food

What would George Washington's spruce beer-chugging troops have thought about today's cheesecake rations?
Diana Hubbell May 12, 2023
Trays at the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine’s Metabolic Kitchen are prepared for an employee taste-testing panel.
science

Food Innovations That Came from War

Thank Uncle Sam for Cheetos, air fryers, and other modern mainstays.
Diana Hubbell May 12, 2023
Dontavius Williams thanks Caesar, the 18th-century enslaved chef who managed Stratford Hall, before beginning a demonstration in the historic hearth where Caesar once cooked.
food

Remembering Caesar, Colonial Virginia’s Enslaved Chocolatier

In Robert E. Lee's birthplace, Dontavius Williams honors an unsung chef.
Sam Lin-Sommer March 9, 2023
Chris Scott writes that peach cobbler figured in his "happiest food memories," just as it does for many Southern children.
food

The Sweet and Sour Origins of Amish Soul Food

In Pennsylvania Dutch Country, African Americans have created a distinct and delicious cuisine.
Sam Lin-Sommer February 6, 2023
<em>Sugo Marinetti</em> features capers, anchovies, fried artichokes, and pistachios.
history

The Sauce That Survived Italy's War on Pasta

The Futurists tried to abolish pasta and all they got was this delicious dish.
Sam Lin-Sommer January 27, 2023
A performer, deep in his feels, reciting "Address to a Haggis" at a Burns Supper.
food

Celebrating Scotland's Bard? Break Out the Haggis.

Every January 25, Scotland pays tribute to its most famous poet and an offal-y delicious dish.
Sam O'Brien January 23, 2023
beer

The Brewer Updating an Ancient French Beer for Modern Drinkers

Thomas Deck's cervoise-inspired brew is herbal and delicious.
Emily Monaco December 12, 2022
A 17th-century portrait of a waffle by German painter Georg Flegel.
food

The Wondrous History of the Waffle

From food frolics to pandan pastries, a guide through centuries of waffle love.
Anne Ewbank November 28, 2022
Oystermen were often African American.
food

The Double Life of New York's Black Oyster King

Thomas Downing was a fine-dining pioneer with a secret.
Briona Lamback September 28, 2022