Anthropology Bites

In this flavorful journey through time and culture, we explore the surprising anthropology of celery. From ancient Egyptian tombs to Victorian bouquets, Chinese stir-fries to American lunchboxes, celery has worn many hats: Medicinal, symbolic, culinary, and even spiritual.

From sacred berry to global superfood, this episode traces the cranberry’s journey across cultures, centuries, and continents. We explore its Indigenous origins, colonial transformations, global migrations, and modern reinventions, from pemmican and purgatory rituals to Thanksgiving feasts and skincare serums. With anecdotes from Russia, Sweden, Chile, and India, this tart fruit reveals a surprisi...

Stories regarding the magical ashwaghanda root from India.

In this episode we dive into the rich tapestry of pumpkin history, from ancient rituals to modern-day traditions. You'll discover how this unassuming gourd became a cultural icon across the globe.

In this autumnal offering, we gather around the fire to explore the humble chestnut as a vessel of memory, migration, and ritual. From Catalonia’s La Castanyada to global traditions of roasting and remembrance, this episode cracks open stories nestled in the shell. Whether you’ve held a paper cone of roasted chestnuts in a bustling plaza or watched them split open in your own kitchen, this is a ce...

Native to Southeast Asia and steeped in folklore, politics, and paradox, the star fruit (carambola) reveals its five-pointed layers: from colonial trade routes to modern wellness trends, from Filipino political insults to Vietnamese folktales, from ancestral remedies to neurotoxic caution.

From ancient Ayurvedic medicine to Caribbean healing tonics, ginger has traveled across empires, oceans, and kitchens. In this episode, we trace the journey of ginger. With proverbs, rituals, and some storytelling, we explore how this humble rhizome became a global language of flavor.

A poetic journey through the garbanzo bean’s migrations, meanings, and meals. From Neolithic kitchens to modern street carts, we explore how this humble legume became a global symbol of survival, ritual, and belonging.

In this episode, we follow the tonka bean—a fragrant seed with roots deep in the Amazon and branches tangled in colonial trade, perfumery, and ritual. Once banned, now coveted, tonka carries the scent of contradiction: vanilla and tobacco, memory and longing, sweetness and sorrow. Through its journey, we explore how aroma becomes archive, how desire is distilled into resin, and how a single seed c...

Did you know that apples came from Kazakhstan and not the garden of Eden? That and more in this episode dedicated to the healthiest fruit that keeps the doctor away.

In this episode we will remember the history and mention some anecdotes regarding lettuce and its varieties.

Rooibos is a very special tea, only grown in South Africa. Listen to it's history and some stories.

In this episode we talk about guava as symbol of sweetness, survival, and cultural memory.

My hometown symbol is an onion, honoring a remote agricultural past. Dedicated to Sabadell goes this episode about this flavorful and versatile vegetable.

Did you know that lavender is categorized as food and not just as flower or herb? Listen to this purple episode and you will visualize smelling it's fragrance.

Stories and anecdotes regarding apricots.

You might have heard or use marula oil but there is much more than the beauty aspect of it. Listen to some stories regarding this African tree and travel with me!

Summer is here, so what more fresh than watermelon? History and stories of this delicious fruit.

Stories regarding the mystique Argan, the famous oil from Morocco.

In this episode I reminisce about licorice sticks consumption as snack candy in my childhood and tell you some anecdotes regarding this sweet root.

History and stories about the shishito peppers.

Did you know that the fruit was before the color? That and more in this episode about oranges!

Freshness ensured with the cucumber stories!

Stories and anecdotes regarding honey production.

Stories and history of the sweet strawberries