A Taste of the Past

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 Pas...

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...

Get to know another Heritage Radio Network show that gives us a glimpse into the culinary culture of the 1970s. The Shameless Chef was developed for public radio in 1977 but many of these audio treasures have never been heard before. The show’s original host, Michael A. Davenport shares his fearless attitude towards food and encourages home cooks to have fun and take risks in the kitchen. The podc...

Historian and author Karima Moyer-Nocchi has been exploring and sharing information about the history and origins of Italian cooking through her books and also with photos and videos on her Instagram feed, @HistoricalItalianFood . In this episode, she shares the process of learning about pasta's past and other historical dishes. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast netw...

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 me...

Winston Churchill was a man of discerning appetite and credits his cook for helping him through such difficult times. But who was she? Historian Annie Gray talks about her recent book, Victory in the Kitchen: The Life of Churchill's Cook . 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 S...

Ellizabeth Minchilli joins Linda from Rome to talk about the regeneration of Italy's hospitality industry and an opportunity to experience and learn about the local culture in villages outside the cities. Photo Courtesy of Sextantio 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 Simpleca...

As American as Apple Pie? Although Pie came to America with the first English settlers, American pie focused on the sweet dessert varieties, and apple certainly earned its place at the top.  But don't forget pumpkin, pecan, cherry, custard... Petra Paredez of Petee's Pie talks about the history of the many types and flavors from the popular to the forgotten from her book, Pie for Everyone . Herita...

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...

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...

It's often said that the last aspect of a culture that remains after assimilation and acculturation is the food. And the fullest expression of the food of a particular culture is the food that was prepared and eaten at home. League of Kitchens is an organization that offers classes that aim to transmit that culinary knowledge along with the cooking techniques and traditions of the culture. Guest h...

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 Pa...

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 h...

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 . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.c...

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 Simp...

How and why has the COVID-19 pandemic affected our Food Supply Chain? And where are all the dried beans? They've been around for thousands of years and now the shelves are empty. Maybe it's a sign that Americans are cooking real food and know what's nutritious. Natalie Rachel Morris joins Linda to talk about the History of Beans and their importance. A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast ....

Often blamed for the rising rates of obesity and diabetes among black Americans, fast food restaurants like McDonald’s have long symbolised capitalism’s villainous effects on our nation’s most vulnerable communities. But how did fast food restaurants so thoroughly saturate black neighbourhoods in the first place? Historian Marcia Chatelain whose new book is Franchise, The Golden Arches in Black Am...

In her travels to the Russian North award-winning cookbook author and Russian scholar Darra Goldstein discovered the extraordinary in the ordinary. In her search to find truly Russian flavors she found that many of the old foods seemed new again in the context of modern cuisine. She shares her poetic sensibilities and sense of adventure and research on this episode. Photo Courtesy of Barry Goldste...

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. W...

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 c...

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 histor...

There are certain iconic restaurant dishes that defined the course of culinary history over the past 300 years, known as a chef's signature dish. Now an international team of culinary experts has featured 247 of those dishes in a new book, Signature Dishes That Matter . LInda's guest, writer and editor Christine Muhlke , wrote the texts that describe the dishes' histories as well as providing cont...

LIVE FROM INDUSTRY CITY: Linda interviews Ed Levine, food writer, author, and founder of one of the top food and cooking websites, SeriousEats.com. From a serious pizza taster to a serious website founder, Ed Levine had one mantra: “YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE people who refuse to lose who end up finding success.” It is the mindset that Levine carried with him throughout the ups and downs of his career....

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...

It’s been nearly ninety years since Irma S. Rombauer self-published the first edition of Joy of Cooking in 1931. It quickly rose in popularity and soon became the “kitchen bible,” shaping the recipes and techniques of home cooks. Irma’s daughter, Marion Rombauer Becker, revised and wrote the 6th edition in 1975, now considered a classic. Today there is a new, modern edition which reclaims many of...