A Taste of the Past

By Heritage Radio Network

Society & Culture Arts Food

What's A Taste of the Past about?

Culinary historian Linda Pelaccio takes a journey through the history of food. Take a dive into food cultures through history, from ancient Mesopotamia and imperial China to the grazing tables and deli counters of today. Tune in as Linda, along with a guest list of culinary chroniclers and enthusiasts, explores the lively links between food cultures of the present and past.

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Peanuts: Preserving History

06.01.2023

Peanuts have a long history tied to indigenous South American people, early traders,and slavery. It was African slaves who brought the peanut to Virginia and planted and harvested the first crop. Some of those early harvesting techniques are now being ...

A Taste of the Past episodes:

06.01.2023 Peanuts: Preserving History Peanuts have a long history tied to indigenous South American people, early traders,and slavery. It was African slaves who brought the peanut to Virginia and planted and harvested the first crop. Some of those early harvesting techniques are now being ...
05.04.2023 Chefwise Restaurants come and go, but chefs move on because it’s their career, their art, and, hopefully, their passion. But what are the secrets that lead to success? Tools of the trade—the craft-- are often not taught in classroom along with ...
04.13.2023 The Myth of Milk as Superfood Cow’s milk in fluid drinking form was not introduced in America until the 17th century, and quickly gained popularity. Before long it was promoted as a science-backed dietary necessity even though a large portion of the population was lactose intolerant ...
03.23.2023 Iconic New York Jewish Foods Many of the foods brought by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe to New York have become some of the most iconic foods associated with New York City. Their popularity spread across the country and are often referred to as New ...
03.09.2023 Food of the Italian Islands Italy is a land of ancient cultures, the fibers of which are woven through its everyday modern culture. Nowhere is this more noticeable than on the many islands which dot the Mediterranean waters of its coastline. These islands were battlegrounds ...
02.09.2023 The Philosophy of Curry Curry is a word imbued with many meanings and mixed emotions. From the time of colonialism, it was long used to describe Indian food in general, a term that often had derogatory connotations to those of Indian descent. Today, fortunately, ...
01.26.2023 Unraveling The Food of Taiwan with Cathy Erway Taiwanese food is closely associated with Fujian and Japanese cuisine. There is a lot of braising, pickling, steaming, deep-frying, and noodles. Linda talks with Taiwanese-American food blogger, cookbook author, and podcaster Cathy Erway, to learn about the origins, influences, and ...
01.12.2023 The History and Revival of Gelatin There was a time, beginning about 500 years ago, when aspic/gelatin represented the finest, most elite, five-star dining experience. Jello dishes—savory and sweet-- appeared in abundance in the following decades. However, as historian and author Ken Albala clearly points out, ...
12.01.2022 The Miracle of Salt Naomi Duguid has written fabulous books that are not only history and gastronomic adventures, but travelogues as well. In her newest work, she focuses on one ingredient--salt--and the essential role it has served for millennia in preserving, fermenting, and transforming ...
11.10.2022 Talking Turkey: History of the Turkey Talk Line On Thanksgiving, more than 46 million turkeys will be the centerpiece of American holiday tables. And, as usual, home cooks across the country will have questions and concerns about how to best prepare the big bird. For 41 years the ...
10.21.2022 Marion Nestle: An Unexpected Life in Food Politics Marion Nestle is one of the original food activists in America. For nearly half a century, as she tells it in her recently published memoir Slow Cooked, she has been teaching and writing about the effects of politics on what ...
10.14.2022 The Cookie Bible Legendary baker Rose Levy Beranbaum made history when she pioneered the reverse creaming technique for baking cakes. She wrote about it in her award-winning book, "The Cake Bible," 34 years ago. Now, twelve books later, she has just published "The ...
09.22.2022 History and Art of Dim Sum When the Michelin starred chef Andrew Wong was on a working tour of China, it ignited a burning curiosity in not just exploring the vast cultural and regional differences that have come to define the gastronomic identity of China, but ...
09.15.2022 The Cuban Sandwich: History in Layers According to the authors of a new book on the history of the Cuban Sandwich, "Hiding beween the thin slices of its fillings are invisible layers of meaning, the spirit of a people, and the story of a nation--the life ...
09.08.2022 The Genealogy of Chicago's 'Italian Beef' Every city has its own iconic food, particularly a sandwich. And in Chicago, it's the 'Italian Beef,' made even more well-known by the recent TV series "The Bear." Historian Anthony Buccini shares the facts of why it's Italian. We learn ...
08.11.2022 County and State Fairs: An American Tradition Last year, Capri Cafaro, host of HRN’s Eat Your Heartland Out, recorded a show about the summer State and County Fairs. I thought it would be a terrific way to get to know her podcast, and what could be more ...
06.09.2022 Juneteenth: History and Food of the Celebration President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act making it an official holiday 154 years after it was first celebrated in Texas in 1866. And that was two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Black people throughout ...
06.02.2022 Taiwan Noodle Culture and the 100yr-old Recipe A-Sha Noodles is the cult-favorite noodle brand known for its patented, 100-year-old legacy noodle recipe from Tainan, Taiwan. Starting in one market in 1977, the company's product is now recognized around the globe. A-Sha Foods USA has been recognized as ...
05.12.2022 Tabletop Politics: Fascism in the Kitchen Over the past decade, Diana Garvin has conducted extensive research in Italian museums, libraries, archives, and first-hand interviews to examine the role of women's food work in relation to the politics of Fascism. She describes her findings from her new ...
04.14.2022 Taste Tibet: Food of the Himalayas Tibetan cuisine cannot be described without talking about the geography of place, or the tradition of Buddhist or shepherd culture. Husband and wife team Yeshi Jampa and Julie Kleeman talk about the history and unique background which captures the essence ...
03.24.2022 Italian Rice: Long History of a Short Grain Italy is the largest rice production country in Europe, with a cultivation area of well over a half million acres and 1.6 million tons of total grain production. And they have been cultivating rice since the late 15th century. Count ...
03.03.2022 Mothers' Ruin The gin myth of “Mother’s Ruin,” which was depicted in William Hogarth’s 1751 print, Gin Lane, has colored the perception of alcohol consumption by women for nearly 300 years. Dr. Nicola Nice, who built her brand, Pomp & Whimsy, in ...
02.18.2022 The General's Cook: the Life of Hercules Posey It was well known in diplomatic circles that one ate very well at President George Washington's table, thanks to his very talented, but enslaved cook Hercules. Stories abound about the fate of the famed cook. Author and culinary historian Ramin ...
12.09.2021 Forgotten Past of Green Tea in America It’s a little known fact that in the nineteenth century, Americans favored green teas consumed hot with milk and sugar. The teas were imported from China until Japan developed an export industry centered on the U.S. Author Robert Hellyer explores ...
11.04.2021 The Women Left Out of Cocktail History The history of cocktails in America is heavily skewed toward the male’s tale when, in fact, that is only half of story of the cocktail’s rise to social prominence. Women are largely absent from the tales of the cocktail until ...
10.15.2021 American Cider Cider is delicious and it is historic. It is America’s first popular alcoholic beverage, made from apples brought across the Atlantic from England in colonial times. And over the past fifteen or so years it has been enjoying something of ...
09.24.2021 History of Sourdough Culture Sourdough bread has a history that goes back at least 6,000 years and the earliest cultures--or sourdough starter--were likely an accident. Professor and amateur baker Eric Pallant shares the history and his own introduction to his storied starters from his ...
09.10.2021 Kitchen Whisperers with Dorothy Kalins The cooking lessons that stick with us are rarely the ones we read in books or learn through blog posts or YouTube videos. They’re the ones we pick up as we spend time with good cooks in the kitchen. Dorothy ...
07.15.2021 From Cloth Oil to Extra Virgin: A History of Olive Oil Although there is archeological evidence and historical writings about olive oil in the ancient world, the popularity, demand, and production of olive oil as we know it today has a very recent history. The designation of Extra Virgin did not ...
07.02.2021 Food Americana While creating and producing the hit series Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, David Page dove deep into the world of American food. His new book, Food Americana, is an exploration and celebration of the foods Americans love and call their own. ...
06.17.2021 The Arabesque Table Like the intricate pattern of intersecting lines of an ornamental Arabesque pattern, so are the roots of the Arab cuisine intertwined. Reem Kassis has researched Arabic food for many years and wrote her first book, The Palestinian Table, about the ...
06.10.2021 Meet Bread & Pizza Authority Peter Reinhart World-famous artisan bread authority and author Peter Reinhart recently shifted his focus to another form of yeasty dough, Pizza. He has launched a new podcast on Heritage Radio Network all about it, called PIZZA QUEST, where he meets all of ...
05.20.2021 Black Smoke, the African American Roots of BBQ While it's enjoyed throughout the US, barbecue has long been recognized as southern cooking. But the originators of barbecue have not been given their culinary due. The African American culture has been largely ignored as the progenitor of the culture ...
04.16.2021 Retro Cocktails and Pimm's Cups There has been a resurgence in the cocktail culture of the pre-Prohibition period and the MadMen era. And whether mixing at home, cocktails-to-go (outside) from a restaurant or bar, or the new kid on the block: ready to drink cocktails ...
04.09.2021 Cuisine of the Spanish Roma Gypsies, Romani, Gitano - these are all names used to identify the ethnic group of Roma throughout Europe, of which there are more than 750,00 living in Spain. Food writer Valerio Farris learned about the cuisine of the Spanish Roma ...
03.26.2021 Made in Italy, really! 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.
03.05.2021 Jessica B. Harris on The Legacy Quilt: African-American Foundation of American Cuisine 1619-2019 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 ...
02.20.2021 Presenting The Shameless Chef 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 ...
01.16.2021 Pasta's Past, One Dish at a Time 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 ...
12.17.2020 Foods of Christmas Past 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 ...
12.11.2020 Victory in the Kitchen: The Life of Churchill's Cook 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.
12.03.2020 Preserving a Culture Through Regenerative Tourism with Elizabeth Minchilli 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. Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com
11.01.2020 American Pie History 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 ...
10.18.2020 The Story of Foie Gras and Cuisine of Gascony 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 ...
09.18.2020 Holiday Food, 3,000 years old. 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 ...
08.20.2020 League of Kitchens: Preserving Culinary Traditions 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. ...
08.12.2020 The Chile Pepper in China 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, ...
07.09.2020 Presenting Eat Your Heartland Out 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 ...
05.08.2020 History of Soup Kitchens 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 ...
04.25.2020 Comfort Food 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 ...

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