Eat This Podcast

Using food to explore all manner of topics, from agriculture to zoology. In Eat This Podcast, Jeremy Cherfas tries to go beyond the obvious to see how the food we eat influences and is influenced by history, archaeology, trade, chemistry, economics, geography, evolution, religion -- you get the picture. We don't do recipes, except when we do, or restaurant reviews, ditto. We do offer an eclectic smorgasbord of tasty topics. Twice nominated for a James Beard Award.

What is Chametz?

In the end, the meaning of chametz rests on history and tradition, and new traditions are possible.

04-29
14:40

Passover and Easter Revisited

God’s original instructions for Passover did not include one of the crucial items on the Seder plate.

04-15
37:46

Malta Besieged & Black-market Intrigues

Ordinarily, evading food rationing in times of war is considered a crime. There are times when it must be accepted as a necessity.

04-01
29:09

The Case for Folic Acid Fortification

The European Union has failed to implement one of the most effective public health interventions, one that the United Kingdom is now able to contemplate.

03-18
21:54

Anthony Mongiello, Inventor of the Stuffed Crust Pizza

Pizza Hut says it invented the stuffed crust pizza. A judge agreed. But Anthony Mongiello has US patent 4,661,361, no matter what the law says.

03-04
26:12

Prehistoric cooking pots

In many respects the diets of farmers and hunter-gatherers were more alike than different

02-19
19:40

The Invention of Baby Food

Commercial baby food was perhaps the original industrial food product, with all that that entails

02-05
29:08

Black Stoneflower: A unique Indian spice

A lichen, which has no taste of its own, contributes hugely to the flavour of many Indian dishes

12-18
25:11

A New Story for Maize Domestication

A close look at more than 1000 varieties of maize solves a mystery about how the crop evolved from its wild relatives.

12-04
25:34

Honey and Adulteration

Why is honey the world’s third most-adulterated food? Because adulteration delivers profits.

11-13
23:02

Fat, Sugar, Salt

Before he uncovered "Nutrition Science's Most Preposterous Result," David Johns had already dug into reports on salt and sugar.

10-30
27:07

Jewish Food in Rome

The Jewish Community of Rome arrived before the Christian Era and has never left. Its cuisine was created by hardship and ingenuity.

10-16
29:27

Small Dairy

If you’re lucky enough to live in the right place, you may be able to experience real, fresh, whole milk.

10-02
22:15

Food Riots in England

When you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose ... except your life

09-18
31:01

Milk is not a Superfood

The first celebrity doctor's fad diet is still going strong today, 300 years later, and it has a lot to answer for.

09-04
37:35

Pomegranates & Artichokes

“It is about migrations: of ingredients, of recipes, of stories — but most importantly of the people who make them.”

06-05
32:26

Why Did the Artist Cross the Chicken?

Accumulating the genetic diversity of birds around the world in a population of truly cosmopolitan chickens

05-22
28:17

Feeding the People in Wartime Britain

Once upon a time, government made it possible for people to get a good meal at a reasonable price.

05-08
25:27

What is Wrong with Biofortification

Yields are generally lower than those of unfortified varieties and there’s little evidence it works. Biofortification is a waste of land and money.

04-24
23:46

Making Mr Song’s Cheese

The standard story is that ethnic Chinese don’t eat cheese or drink milk because they are lactose intolerant. They do, but it’s complicated

04-10
25:42

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