Hungry for History with Eva Longoria and Maite Gomez-Rejón

With spring coming, honeybees are busy foraging nectar and pollen from blooming flowers. From ancient foraging to the modern day farmer’s market - E+M celebrate the rich symbolism of bees and the magical honey-making process in this special episode.

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In this episode, Eva and Maite continue their exploration of the South Texas lands they grew up in. They share stories of hunting and digging for arrowheads and welcome chef and Texas food historian Adán Medrano to the show. Together they reflect on how the land can tell stories about the daily lives of the people who have lived on it, the animals that have inhabited it, and the changes it has undergone over time.

https://adanmedrano.com/cookbook-author-adan-medrano/ 

https://texasindigenousfood.org

https://wwnorton.com/books/The-Social-Conquest-of-Earth/

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Eva and Maite start the episode talking about the complexity of moles and how this ubiquitous Mexican dish melds together flavors, textures, cooking techniques, and spices (!) from around the world. They then delve into the rich and spicy history of spices, which were once so desired by wealthy Europeans they kicked off the Age of Exploration.

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Food preservation has been around for centuries and canned foods are an essential part of our modern-day pantries. From Nicholas Appert in France to John Mason in the U.S. and Don Clemente Jacques in Mexico, in this episode Eva and Maite talk about some of the key characters in the history of canning and pickling.

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With the rising cost of eggs, Eva and Maite decided to dive into the history of one of the most versatile kitchen staples. Who ate eggs first? When did the chicken become domesticated? Why are eggs sold by the dozen? Why are some eggs blue? Learn that and more!

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In this episode Eva and Maite talk Guatemalan comfort foods with Guatemala born and raised actor and host of the new podcast, Greatest Escapes, Arturo Castro. They talk about the rich history of the region and uncover how some staple ingredients - like bananas and coffee - have been tied to political instability and conflict. Maite visits the Guatemalan Night Market in Los Angeles with food writer Bill Esparza.

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In the wake of the LA Wildfires, Eva and Maite welcome Antonio Diaz, an Emmy-award winning and James Beard Award-nominated filmmaker and founder of Life & Thyme to the show. They discuss the restaurant as the soul of a community, how the LA restaurant industry has come together to help those in need, the precarious nature of the restaurant business, and what we can do to help.

Life & Thyme: https://lifeandthyme.com + IG: https://www.instagram.com/lifeandthyme

Antonio’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/liberateantonio/

Independent Hospitality Coalition: https://www.ihcla.org

Feed the Streets: https://www.feedthestreets.info

Hollywood Food Coalition: https://hofoco.org

National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON): https://ndlon.org

Pasadena Community Job Center: http://pasadenajobcenter.com

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Black Seminoles were led to freedom in Northern Mexico where they settled in El Nacimiento in the 1800s. Their Mexican descendants, the Mascogos, have a transnational history that spans borders. Eva and Maite explore this rich history, the cookbook Recetario Mascogo de Coahuila, and Juneteenth, a federal holiday in the U.S. since 2021 that has been celebrated in El Nacimiento since 1865.

They welcome Dr. Maria Hammack, a scholar and historian whose work bridges histories of liberation and abolition, and Windy Goodloe and Corina Torralba of the Seminole Indian Scout Cemetery Association to the show.

• Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery Association: https://www.seminolecemeteryassociation.com
• Dr. María Esther Hammack: https://mariaestherhammack.me
• Recetario Mascogo de Coahuila: https://contigoenladistancia.cultura.gob.mx/detalle/recetario-mascogo-de-coahuila

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In the years before the Civil War, many enslaved people found freedom in Mexico, where slavery was abolished 36 years before the Emancipation Proclamation. In the first of a two-part series on Freedom Fighters, Eva and Maite explore the Southern route of the Underground Railroad and meet Silvia Webber, often referred to as the Harriet Tubman of Texas. They welcome Dr. Maria Hammack, a scholar and historian whose work bridges histories of liberation and abolition, Sofia Bravo and OJ and Leslie Treviño of the Webber Family Preservation Project to the show.

• Webber Family Preservation Project: http://wfpptx.org/projects.html#/
• Dr. María Esther Hammack: https://mariaestherhammack.me
• Texas Runaway Slave Project: https://digital.sfasu.edu/digital/collection/RSP 

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When people plant their flag in a new country, they do it first though food. In this episode, Eva and Maite talk about the often painful history of Chinese migration to the United States and Mexico and celebrate the rich Chinese contribution to both country’s food-ways. 

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