The Spicecast

Black lives matter, now and always. Since long before the murder of George Floyd late last month, black people in the United States have been systemically marginalized, oppressed, and killed by white people in positions of power. The act of murder that was committed by police officers in Minneapolis on May 25th, 2020 is the direct result of the white supremacy that continues to pervade our governm...

Reuben is joined by special guests Justin and Lishan to talk about turmeric. The episode dives into what turmeric is and its history before a long segment on the medicinal uses of turmeric and a very short one on turmeric in pop culture. We also hear about the turmeric tasting that Lishan ran for her coworkers and share a number of fun facts and semi-relevant tangents. Lots of links this episode:...

Content warning: This episode of The Spicecast contains adult language and themes and may not be suitable for children. Reuben is joined by special guests Dee and Chris to talk about cumin. The episode distinguishes between common cumin and various species of black cumin, delves into the history of cumin, discusses the medical uses of cumin and black cumin (nigella sativa), and features a brief se...

Reuben is joined by special guests Stephen and Natasha in an unusual episode of The Spicecast, one not focused on a particular spice. This is because, due to COVID-19, the speakers could not all be in the same place during the episode, and so could not taste spices and foods together. The episode talks about The Spice from the Dune Series, gives a hypothesis on whether coffee is a spice (and wheth...

Reuben is joined by special guests Leanne and Aaron to talk about black pepper (and a few other peppercorns). The episode goes into different varieties of peppercorns, including black, white, green, pink, and Szechuan. It discusses the long and storied history of black pepper, takes a break from conversation for an extended tasting of peppercorns and pepper-flavored snacks, and includes brief segm...

Reuben is joined by special guests Stephen and Nathan to talk about nutmeg. The episode defines nutmeg (and its sister spice, mace), then elaborates on the bloody history of nutmeg, includes a mace and nutmeg tasting, and ends with references to nutmeg and mace in pop culture. Armenian Nutmeg Cake recipe: https://www.food.com/recipe/armenian-nutmeg-cake-62761 Basic Bechamel Sauce recipe: https://w...

Happy holidays from The Spicecast! Reuben is joined by special guests Benjamin and Andrew to talk about many types and species of cinnamon. The episode goes into cinnamon production and history, describes some medicinal uses for cinnamon, includes a cinnamon tasting, and ends with a few cinnamon references in pop culture. Correction: During the tasting, Korintje is referred to as another name for...

Reuben is joined by special guests Loren and Sara to talk about various types of paprika. The episode discusses the history of paprika, includes a paprika tasting, and ends with some references to paprika in pop culture. If you're interested in trying out the paprikash recipe Reuben used, it can be found at https://tastehungary.com/journal/paprikas-csirke-paprika-chicken/. Credits: Cover Art - "Re...

Reuben is joined by special guests Loren and Kenny to talk about mustard in all its forms. The show goes into the history of mustard seeds and prepared mustard, discusses mustard in pop culture, and ends with a mustard tasting. Credits: Cover Art - "Red hot pepper with fire vector" by freedesignfile (CC-BY) Music - "Inevitable Hope" by RKVC (CC0)