The Fakelore of Food Origins
Where did potato chips come from? How about clams casino? Are the origin stories for these foods true, or do they fall into the category of “fakelore”?
Thanksgiving Stories
Turkey or Tofurkey? Stuffing or dressing? Whatever the controversy, these Thanksgiving stories will slake your appetite!
Plant of the Month: Chili Pepper
Few foods elicit such strong reactions as chili peppers. Why do we love something that hurts so much?
Where Do Nutrition Labels Come From?
We all ponder them when standing in the cereal aisle of the grocery store, but why do we even have nutrition labels on our foods?
The USSR’s “Invisible Cuisine”
Unofficial cookbooks—handwritten recipes passed from kitchen to kitchen—provided their owners with social and cultural capital within the Soviet system.
Building Cultures on Wheat
Wheat remains a central part of national identity in Tajikistan despite the mechanization of agriculture and decades of hostile Soviet policies.
Plant of the Month: Black-eyed Pea
Human relationships to this global crop have been shaped by both violence and resilience.
Algae: The Food of the Future of the Past
In the years following World War II, American and European food scientists hoped to feed the world with common pond scum supplemented with plastics.
Food Waste: A Persistent Problem
Even when people think wasting food is bad, they tend to toss out as much (or more) food than they eat. Can that behavior be changed?
COVID-19 and Justice for Food Workers
The COVID-19 pandemic put food workers in danger of contracting infections, with few, if any, consequences for the industries' failures to protect them.