Food Non-Fiction

By Lillian Yang

What's Food Non-Fiction about?

Food Non-Fiction tells the incredible true stories behind food. We look forward to taking you on this wild food journey - through history, and around the world. Think of us as food historians, food scientists, and food journalists.

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Food Non-Fiction episodes:

10.21.2020
#73 Ignacio Nicknamed Nacho
This Food Non-Fiction episode tells the incredible true story of nachos. This snack was created by and named after Ignacio Anaya who's nickname was Nacho.
04.14.2020
#72 When Impossible Burgers Became Possible
This Food Non-Fiction episode tells the incredible true story of meat alternatives. We talk about the early history of meat alternatives and then we talk to the Impossible Foods team to understand how this modern meat alternative was created.
05.20.2019
#71 Pass the Tofurky
This is an in-depth interview with the wonderful person who created Tofurky. Seth Tibbott founded Turtle Island Foods which is still a family owned company today.
12.24.2018
#70 Craft Beer Beginnings
This is the story of the beginnings of craft beer. We tell you how this "craft beer" concept emerged. In this episode, we interviewed John Holl - a beer expert and journalist, Renee DeLuca - the daughter of the craft...
08.24.2018
#69 The Oreo Story
This is the story of where Oreo came from, how it got its name, and who designed the cookie.
06.18.2018
#68 Kombucha: The Tea of Immortality
Kombucha has been referred to as the tea of immortality. So where did it come from and what are the actual health benefits? In this episode, we talk to the experts to learn about the history and the process of...
12.31.2017
#67 Nutella Since Napoleon
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we talk about the origins of Nutella - starting from when cocoa met hazelnut!
11.01.2017
#66 The Monastery Breweries
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we talk to one of the authors of Trappist Beer Travels. Caroline Wallace and her two co-authors visited the 11 Trappist monastery breweries, learning the stories and history behind each of these breweries. Here...
07.31.2017
#65 And This Led to Corn Flakes
Lots of people know the story of how cornflakes were created - this is the story of why. Thank You To Our Interviewee: Dr. Brian Wilson Thank You To Looperman Artists: Melody 126 Beats by Purge Ambellient by Danke Edm...
07.02.2017
#64 How Fondue Became Popular
This is the origin story of fondue and how it became a popular dish. Thank You To Our Interviewee: Belinda Hulin Thank You To Looperman Artists: Poppy Acoustic (parts 1, 2, and 3) by BradoSanz Edm pluck_for_intro by capostipite EDM...
05.22.2017
#63 Tony the Tiger
This Food Non-Fiction podcast episode is about the famous cereal mascot - Tony the Tiger. Thanks to Looperman Artists for the Music: Apollo by SANTIAGOO
03.06.2017
#62 - The Palace Kitchen
In this Food Non-Fiction episode, we talk to Peter Brears about what it was like to work in King Henry VIII's kitchen. Thank you to our interviewee: Peter Brears - author of "Cooking & Dining in Tudor & Early Stuart...
01.29.2017
#61 - Turnspit Dogs
This is the incredible true story of Turnspit Dogs. The turnspit dog is an extinct breed of dog. This breed was used in kitchens to turn roasting spits back when roasting was done over an open fire, rather than in...
12.01.2016
#60 The Carrot Myth
Did your parents ever tell you that carrots improve your night vision? Have you ever heard that this is a myth? So what is the real story? Thank You to Our Interviewee: Maya Hirschman from The Secrets of Radar Museum...
10.31.2016
#59 Trick Or Treat!
This episode explores the history of Halloween and the vague beginnings of trick or treating! Thank You To Our Interviewee: Professor Nick Rogers Thank You To Looperman Artists for the Music: Melody by Slice0fCake Father Grimlin - Temperament Strings by...
10.12.2016
#58 All Your Favorite Chocolates
Inspired by the book, "Chocolate Wars", by Deborah Cadbury, today we're telling you the incredible true story of how how the biggest chocolate companies in the world fought for our tummies and tastebuds through innovation after innovation that eventually turned...
09.01.2016
#57 What Came First - the Cadbury or the Egg
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we talk about the beginning of Cadbury. We go right back to a time before Cadbury even existed. Thank You to Looperman Artists for the Music: happily ever after strings perfect for movie score...
08.10.2016
#56 Waffle Frolic
This Food Non-Fiction episode is about waffles! We talk about the beginning of waffles and the rise of waffles. Thank You to Looperman Artists for the Music: Guitars Unlimited - Reaching Home 1 by MINOR2GO Guitars Unlimited - Reaching Home...
07.26.2016
#55 The Sriracha Story
This is the story of the extremely popular and iconic Huy Fong Foods hot sauce - Sriracha. The company, Huy Fong Foods, is an American success story. The founder, David Tran, left Vietnam in 1979 and ended up in the...
07.15.2016
BONUS Ep - Interview with Kyleena
Hey Food Buffs - This one is a bonus episode. Fakhri has a pizza place she loves - it's called Secret Stash - and she collected an interview with the owner, Kyleena Falzone. Thank You To Our Interviewee: Kyleena Falzone...
06.23.2016
#54 Vending Machines - Past to Present
This episode is about vending machines. The first reference to a vending machine is from the 1st century AD in Egypt. The reference is in a book called “Pneumatika”, written by Hero of Alexandria. In it, there is a detailed description...
06.09.2016
#53 How Jell-O Became Popular
This episode tells the story of Jell-O from when it was first introduced in 1897. Because gelatin desserts like Jell-O used to be a food that only wealthy families could afford to eat, (it took a long time to prepare)...
05.20.2016
#52 The Price of Vanilla
This Food Non-Fiction podcast episode is about vanilla! We explain the causes behind the rise and fall of the price of vanilla. It is a product that has very erratic cycles of prices skyrocketing then crashing, skyrocketing then crashing. The...
05.11.2016
#51 The Original Chocolate Chip Recipe
This episode is about the creation of the original chocolate chip cookie recipe by Ruth Wakefield in 1938. Ruth, along with her husband, was the owner of the famous Toll House Inn. As promised in the episode, here are 2...
04.25.2016
#50 Hershey, Pennsylvania
We talk to the Hershey community archivist, Pam Whitenack and her colleagues about what it is really like to live in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Hershey is a model community that was built by Milton Hershey - the founder of The Hershey...
04.13.2016
#49 Temple Grandin and The Slaughterhouse Revolution
This is a very special Food Non-Fiction podcast episode. We had the immense pleasure of interviewing one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in the Heroes category of 2010. Her name is Temple Grandin. She is a professor of animal...
04.07.2016
#48 The Poison Squad
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we tell the incredible true story of The Poison Squad. Thanks to Looperman Artists for the Music: SynCato by DesignedImpression 1950s Rock N Roll Piano Riff by rasputin1963 Food non-fiction 1 & 2 Funky...
03.26.2016
#47 The Life of Heinz
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we tell the incredible true story of Henry John Heinz - the founder of the H.J. Heinz Company and the maker of everybody's favorite ketchup. Special Thanks to Looperman Artists for the Music: Liar...
03.18.2016
#46 Ketchup Before Tomatoes
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we tell the incredible true story of ketchup. Thank you to this Looperman Artist for the Music: 1950s Rock N Roll Piano Riff by rasputin1963 Special thanks to the musician, truekey, for writing music...
03.10.2016
#45 Tupperware Parties
In this Food Non-Fiction episode, we tell the incredible true story of the Tupperware Party. Every few seconds, someone somewhere in the world is hosting a Tupperware Party. In a world where everything is sold online, Tupperware sells their product...
02.25.2016
#44 California Roll Creators
This Food Non-Fiction podcast episode investigates the question - who created the California Roll? Thank You to Our Interviewees: Hidekazu Tojo Trevor Corson David Kamp Thank You to Looperman Artists for the Music: Drum Loop Republic by attackyak Japanese Vibes...
02.17.2016
#43 Packing Food For A Hobbit
In this Food Non-Fiction episode, we go nerdy and cover a paper titled "Simply Walking into Mordor: How Much Lembas Would the Fellowship Have Needed?" by Skye Rosetti and Krisho Manaharan. The paper calculates how many pieces of lembas (elvish waybread)...
02.11.2016
#42 Noodles For The Hungry
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we tell the rollercoaster story of the birth of instant noodles. On March 5, 1910, Momofuku Ando was born in Taiwan and raised by his grandparents. This was during the 50 years of Japanese rule...
02.04.2016
#41 How An Accountant Created Bubble Gum
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we tell you how the accountant, Walter Diemer, ended up creating the world's first commercially available bubble gum. Walter worked for the Frank H. Fleer Corporation founded by Frank H. Fleer who had invented...
01.28.2016
#40 The Surprising Inventor of the Spork
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we talk about the spork. Thank you to the Looperman artist BradoSanz for the music! We used these wonderful songs: Poppy Acoustic 1 Poppy Acoustic 2 Poppy Acoustic 3 Poppy Acoustic 4
01.21.2016
#39 How to Spot A Food Trend
This is the first Food Non-Fiction episode of 2016, so we are going to talk about food trends. This episode will cover how to spot food trends, how to track food trends and what food trends we can expect in...
12.16.2015
#38 Can Man Dan
This Food Non-Fiction podcast is all about Can Man Dan. This is the story of how Dan Johnstone became Can Man Dan. Thank you to the following artists for the music in this episode: Paul Otten "Joy to the...
12.09.2015
#37 So Called Doomsday Vault
1300 km past the Arctic Circle, nestled in the permafrost, amongst inhabitants like polar bears and reindeer, lies the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. In the media, it’s better known as the “Doomsday Vault”. The vault contains backup copies of our...
12.03.2015
#36 Who Created Rice Krispies Treats?
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we talk about the creation of the Rice Krispies Treats. In 1928, Kellogg’s introduced the Rice Krispies cereal to the public. In the same year, the company hired a recent home economics graduate of Iowa State...
11.26.2015
#35 The Business of Casino Food
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we tell the story of how Las Vegas became a destination market for gambling, how the nature of destination markets created competition amongst the many casinos, how casino food amenities were used as a...
11.19.2015
#34 How Bacon Became Breakfast
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we reveal how bacon became a breakfast food. In 1925, the Beech-Nut Packing Company asked Edward Bernays to help increase bacon sales. Why did they ask Edward Bernays? Because Bernays was a master of...
11.12.2015
#33 Ice Cream Sundae Fight Song
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we look into the origins of the ice cream sundae. About a dozen towns claim to be the birthplace of the ice cream sundae, but there are 3 main contenders that are always mentioned....
11.05.2015
#32 Eaten to Extinction: The Passenger Pigeon
This is the incredible true story of passenger pigeons. There used to be an estimated 3-5 billion passenger pigeons. People killed them for food, then sold the surplus to local markets. With the advancements of technology, people were able to...
10.28.2015
#31 Halloween Candy Horror
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we find out the truth behind Halloween candy poisonings. Our guest, Dr. Joel Best, is the world's leading expert on Halloween sadism (Halloween sadism is the term that describes poisoning Halloween candy). He became...
10.22.2015
#30 Birth of Betty Crocker
This Food Non-Fiction podcast episode reveals the creation of Betty Crocker. In 1921, the Washburn-Crosby (now General Mills), created a non-existent employee named "Betty Crocker" who was "chief of correspondence". All customer inquiries about domestic matters were responded to immediately...
10.15.2015
#29 Sailing with Scurvy and Lemons
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we talk about scurvy and its Vitamin C cure. Although the cure for scurvy was discovered a long time ago, changes in the understanding of science, medicine and the human body, caused people time...
10.08.2015
#28 Space Food Part 2 - Chris Hadfield, Dr. Louisa Preston, Chris Patil
In this podcast episode of Food Non-Fiction, we continue our discussion of Space Food from part 1. This episode features Dr. Louisa Preston, an astrobiologist who discusses with us how realistic the book/movie The Martian was in depicting the growth...
10.05.2015
#27 Space Food with Chris Hadfield and Andy Weir
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we begin our interview with astronaut Chris Hadfield (concluded in part 2 of the space episode). We also speak to Andy Weir, author of The Martian (film adaptation out in theatres Oct. 2, starring...
10.01.2015
#26 The First Luau
This Food Non-Fiction podcast episode is the story of the first ever luau. Hawaii's second king, Kamehameha II was only around 22 years old when his father died and he took the throne. With influence from his stepmother and birthmother,...
09.24.2015
#25 Some More Marshmallows!
In this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we talk about marshmallows! Marshmallows used to be made with marshmallow plants (Althaea Officinalis). When marshmallows were made with marshmallow plant sap, they had some medicinal properties. They were used like lozenges, to soothe...

What's Food Non-Fiction about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Food Non-Fiction episodes:

#73 Ignacio Nicknamed Nacho

#72 When Impossible Burgers Became Possible

#71 Pass the Tofurky

#70 Craft Beer Beginnings

#69 The Oreo Story

#68 Kombucha: The Tea of Immortality

#67 Nutella Since Napoleon

#66 The Monastery Breweries

#65 And This Led to Corn Flakes

#64 How Fondue Became Popular

#63 Tony the Tiger

#62 - The Palace Kitchen

#61 - Turnspit Dogs

#60 The Carrot Myth

#59 Trick Or Treat!

#58 All Your Favorite Chocolates

#57 What Came First - the Cadbury or the Egg

#56 Waffle Frolic

#55 The Sriracha Story

BONUS Ep - Interview with Kyleena

#54 Vending Machines - Past to Present

#53 How Jell-O Became Popular

#52 The Price of Vanilla

#51 The Original Chocolate Chip Recipe

#50 Hershey, Pennsylvania

#49 Temple Grandin and The Slaughterhouse Revolution

#48 The Poison Squad

#47 The Life of Heinz

#46 Ketchup Before Tomatoes

#45 Tupperware Parties

#44 California Roll Creators

#43 Packing Food For A Hobbit

#42 Noodles For The Hungry

#41 How An Accountant Created Bubble Gum

#40 The Surprising Inventor of the Spork

#39 How to Spot A Food Trend

#38 Can Man Dan

#37 So Called Doomsday Vault

#36 Who Created Rice Krispies Treats?

#35 The Business of Casino Food

#34 How Bacon Became Breakfast

#33 Ice Cream Sundae Fight Song

#32 Eaten to Extinction: The Passenger Pigeon

#31 Halloween Candy Horror

#30 Birth of Betty Crocker

#29 Sailing with Scurvy and Lemons

#28 Space Food Part 2 - Chris Hadfield, Dr. Louisa Preston, Chris Patil

#27 Space Food with Chris Hadfield and Andy Weir

#26 The First Luau

#25 Some More Marshmallows!