Wondrous food to explore and enjoy

Gastro Obscura

Read 1891 Gastro Stories

This 1960s Anarchist Group Believed Food Should Be Free

For the Diggers of San Francisco, stew was subversive.

October 3, 2023

The Forgotten Dessert Loved by a Roaring '20s 'It Girl'

When life gives you marshmallows, turn them into marlow.

October 2, 2023

Slovenia's Beautiful Beehives Turn Apiaries Into Art

Dating back to the 18th century, AŽ hive panels depict stories of marriage, damnation, and daily life.

September 29, 2023

How Cults and Religious Groups Forever Changed American Food

In ‘Holy Food,’ Christina Ward examines how our belief systems end up on the plate.

September 26, 2023

Every Year, Rabbis Search Calabria for the Perfect Etrog

An ideal fruit can go for as much as $300.

September 26, 2023

How Poison Fruit Pits Became Irresistible to Humans

These plants make cyanide.

September 25, 2023

Eat Like an Ancient Greek Philosopher

Before attending third-century dinner parties, readers consulted this “marvelous feast of words.”

September 25, 2023

Welsh Sheep-Shearing Cake Is a Forgotten Pastoral Pleasure

Cacen gneifo was a traditional gift for farmhands during wool-gathering season.

September 22, 2023

Make 19th-Century 'Neapolitan Pizza' for Dessert

This "exquisite" recipe comes from the book that created our modern concept of Italian food.

September 20, 2023

Podcast: The Ark of Citrus

A sweet archive of almost biblical proportions can be found at the University of California, Riverside.

September 20, 2023

A Secretive Food Culture Enters the Spotlight

Peranakan cuisine is a feast of complexity.

September 19, 2023

‘Made in Taiwan’ Is a Love Letter to the Island Nation

Clarissa Wei’s debut cookbook celebrates centuries of Taiwanese culture and foodways.

September 15, 2023

native american cuisine

The Karuk Cook Restoring California’s Native Cuisine, One Acorn at a Time

Sara Calvosa Olson's cookbook shares delicious recipes and stories celebrating the oak's nut.

September 14, 2023

Cooking a Microwave Feast, 1980s-Style

Is it possible to nuke a decent boeuf bourguignon?

September 11, 2023

This Cookbook Explores Why ‘Rice Is Culture’

Chef JJ Johnson takes readers on a global culinary tour.

September 8, 2023

artificial intelligence

Would You Trust AI to Help You Forage?

Before you buy a plant field guide, make sure it wasn’t written by a computer. No, seriously.

September 7, 2023

The Lost Art of Roasting Eggs in Ash

Even Shakespeare knew the value of a well-roasted egg.

September 1, 2023

This Book Created Italian Food as We Know It

In the early days of unified Italy, Pellegrino Artusi helped forge a national cuisine.

September 1, 2023