A Taste of the Past
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.
- Update frequency
- every 17 days
- Average duration
- 39 minutes
- Episodes
- 409
- Years Active
- 2009 - 2025
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 pan…
00:46:42 |
Sat 25 Apr 2020
The Food Supply Chain and History of Beans
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 th…
00:52:26 |
Fri 03 Apr 2020
Golden Arches in Black America
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 vulner…
00:34:42 |
Tue 25 Feb 2020
Darra Goldstein: Seeking The Flavors of Russian Cooking
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 fou…
00:51:01 |
Thu 06 Feb 2020
Poison Squad: Founding of the FDA
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…
00:52:13 |
Thu 30 Jan 2020
PASTA GRANNIES: Secrets of Italy's Best Home Cooks
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 …
00:48:13 |
Thu 23 Jan 2020
Episode 344: The Coney Island Hot Dog Returns
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…
00:37:33 |
Thu 19 Dec 2019
Episode 343: Signature Dishes That Shaped Culinary History
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 fea…
00:45:11 |
Thu 12 Dec 2019
Episode 342: Serious Eats' Ed Levine
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 fo…
00:48:02 |
Thu 05 Dec 2019
Episode 341: Resurrection of Zagat
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 o…
00:39:18 |
Thu 21 Nov 2019
Episode 340: Joy of Cooking - Redux
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…
00:50:31 |
Thu 14 Nov 2019
Episode 339: The Food of Sichuan
Sichuan food has long been known for its heat and spice, but the fragrant flavors and sophistication that it holds throughout China was little known abroad. The award-winning food writer Fuchsia Dunl…
00:43:53 |
Thu 07 Nov 2019
Episode 338: American Cuisine and How It Got This Way
What is American cuisine? Is there an American cuisine? It’s probably one of the most debated questions in food circles, certainly by food writers. Historian Paul Freedman, author of the recent best-…
00:48:03 |
Thu 31 Oct 2019
Episode 337: The History and Art of Tailgating
What do football games, concerts, NASCAR, and similar outdoor gatherings have in common? Tailgate parties, or "tailgating" as it's commonly called. It's an American cultural phenomenon, and my guest …
00:48:30 |
Thu 24 Oct 2019
Episode 336: Seeking the South
“There’s no genre of American cuisine as storied as Southern,” according to Rob Newton, Southern born chef/restaurateur, and now cookbook author. In his book, Seeking the South: Finding Inspired Regi…
00:48:33 |
Thu 03 Oct 2019
Episode 335: Dining at Downton Abbey
Fans of the TV series "Downton Abbey" are excitedly awaiting the premiere of the movie on Friday of this week. And coinciding with the movie's release is the publication of "The Official Downtown Abb…
00:52:32 |
Thu 19 Sep 2019
Episode 334: Grave Case of the Gravenstein: Saving an Heirloom Apple
In 2005, Slow Food USA declared the 17th century Gravenstein apple a heritage food. But despite the efforts of several organizations to preserve this historically important apple, it is now listed o…
00:41:29 |
Thu 01 Aug 2019
Episode 333: PICKLES!
Pickling is an ancient method of preserving foods, and even though the preservation need is no longer the major importance in today’s gastronomic world, pickled foods are valued more as a food that…
00:44:45 |
Thu 18 Jul 2019
Episode 332: Molly O'Neill
Today, we are rerunning Episode #52 of A Taste of the Past, in which we spoke with Molly O'Neill. Molly passed away this week, and she will be sorely missed.
It's HRN's annual summer fund drive, th…
00:31:38 |
Thu 20 Jun 2019
Episode 331: Salt-Works: Reviving a Centuries Old Tradition in the Appalachian Mountains
William Dickinson first drilled for brine in 1817, in western Virginia, using a hollowed-out tree trunk for piping, The town soon became the "salt capial of the east." Today, two 7th generation desc…
00:48:14 |
Thu 13 Jun 2019
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