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Gastropod - Food with a Side of Science & HistoryA podcast about food with a side of history and science. Hosted by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley.Gastropod - Food with a Side of Science & History GastropodFood with a Side of Science & HistoryMain menuSkip to contentListenLatest EpisodePodcast ArchiveiTunesSoundCloudStitcherRSS FeedAboutAboutBooks and ReportsLive EventsPressAwardsDonateSupportSponsorContact Search for: Menu…– Latest Episode– Podcast Archive– iTunes– SoundCloud– Stitcher– RSS FeedAbout– About– Books and Reports– Live Events– Press– AwardsDonate– Support– SponsorContact Post navigationOlder posts  Gastropod looks at food through the lens of science and history.Co-hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley serve up a brand new episode every two weeks.MORE »Subscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on SpotifyFollow Us on TwitterLike Us On FacebookSubscribe to RSSSupport Us December 3, 2024 The Curiously Strong Story of Mint Episodes, Podcasts, Season 19    What’s the coolest flavor of the holiday season? It's peppermint, obviously, and it’s showing up in everything from coffee to chocolate and cookies to ice cream right now. But while standing in line for a peppermint mocha is a standard feature of the holiday season today, there was a time when this garden-standard herb was seen as so special—even powerful—that it made three American entrepreneurs rich enough to be crowned the "Peppermint Kings." This episode, the story of the forgotten American mint monarchy, plus the fascinating science behind why mint cools your tongue and maybe really does cure all. Join us to jingle all the way through peppermint heists, the surprising link between mint essence-peddlers and the abolition movement, and the true stories behind your favorite mint candies—including the disputed origins of the iconic candy cane. …More → November 19, 2024 Dishwashing Debates: The Soapy Science Behind Everyone’s Favorite Chore Episodes, Podcasts, Season 19    Next week, the US celebrates the dishwashing Olympics—also known as Thanksgiving. But how best to tackle the washing-up after the big meal can cause as much conflict as your uncle’s hot takes at the table. Do dishes get cleaner when they’re hand-washed or run through the dishwasher? Which is better for the environment? Are those convenient little detergent pods poisoning our oceans with microplastics? And who do we have to thank for that most glorious of inventions, the dishwashing machine? This episode, we’ve got answer to all these crucial questions and more, as we dive into the sudsy story of dishwashing through the ages and across cultures. Listen in now to make the most mundane household chore 100 percent more fascinating, guaranteed. …More → November 5, 2024 Bringing Salmon Home: The Story of the World’s Largest Dam Removal Project Episodes, Podcasts, Season 19    The Klamath River on the California-Oregon border was once the third largest salmon river in the continental U.S. There were so many fish, indigenous histories claim that you could cross the river walking across their backs—which made the peoples who lived in this remote, beautiful region some of the wealthiest in pre-colonial North America. But, for more than a century, salmon have been shut out of the Klamath: thanks to multiple hydroelectric dams that blocked the river, these fish couldn’t reach miles of cold, clear waters where they historically spawned. Their population plummeted to the point where even catching salmon for traditional ceremonies was banned, to help the few remaining fish survive. In just the past couple of months, however, the dams have come down, thanks to a scrappy coalition of  local tribes, commercial fishermen, and environmental groups who spent decades fighting to free the Klamath—and bring the salmon home. Listen in this episode for the epic tale of the largest dam removal project in history—but also for the much bigger story of why these fish matter, and what it will take to make the Klamath their home again. …More → October 15, 2024 Absinthe: The World’s Most Dangerous Drink? Episodes, Podcasts, Season 19    To painters and poets in late-1800s France, absinthe was "the green muse" or the "green fairy," an almost magical potion that promised vivid dreams, wild ideas, and artistic inspiration with every sip. By the 1910s, this once incredibly popular herbal liquor was banned—not only in France, but in countries around the world. Condemned as the cause of both individual ruin and social decline, absinthe consumption was said to lead to seizures, memory gaps, hallucinations, and even murderous rage. So what's the deal: is absinthe just a drink, or is it actually deadly? This episode, we've got the story behind the myths, from witchy distillers to women on bicycles, and military rations to pre-ban bottles. Join us for the trip! …More → October 1, 2024 From Trash to Treasure: Why’s It So Hard to Save Restaurant Leftovers From the Dumpster? Episodes, Podcasts, Season 19    Every day, at the end of service, restaurants throw away tons of entirely edible food: heaps of pastries and whole loaves of bread, vegetables chopped but not cooked, noodle dough, fish off-cuts, and more. An estimated 20 billion meals' worth of still edible food is tossed every year here in the US, and more than 85 percent of it ends up in landfill. Meanwhile, more than 1 in ten Americans are food insecure. So why is it so hard to keep all of that perfectly good food out of the trash and get it onto people’s plates instead? This week, we’re taking a deep dive into the dumpster (not literally!), to explore the most innovative and surprising new solutions to this toughest of food challenges, including meeting the wizards transforming everything from stale bagels to gallons of banana cream concentrate into a delicious dinner. Did someone order meals, not methane? Oui chef! …More → September 19, 2024 Smashing Pumpkin Myths: What’s Big, Orange, and Having an Identity Crisis? Episodes, Podcasts, Season 19    It’s already begun: that time of the year now known across the land as Decorative Gourd Season. Squash are everywhere—carved into jack o’lanterns on front porches, adorning our sideboards and porches with strange shapes and autumn colors, and of course, baked into pies for fall celebrations. But get ready to rethink squash, because despite their slightly cheesy House Beautiful vibe and family-friendly pumpkin patch associations, they are—and we quote—"the most interesting plants in the world." Join us this episode as we explore our surprisingly long entanglement with the cucurbit family, from its star role as the very first plant domesticated in the Americas to the can of Libby's behind nine out of every ten pumpkin pies. Along the way, we figure out what on Earth the difference actually is between a squash and a pumpkin, and we get a sneak peek into the weird and wonderful world of giant pumpkins, where growers compete to break the two-ton barrier with fruits the size of a compact car. …More → September 3, 2024 Deli is Short For Delicious—But Are Your Pastrami and Bologna Sandwiches Giving You Cancer? Episodes, Podcasts, Season 19    School’s back in session, and kids are boarding the bus with lunchboxes in tow. Many of them contain sandwiches stuffed with turkey and ham slices, bologna, even salami—but where did these staples of the lunch break, not to mention the charcuterie platter, come from? Long before the 1900s meat-cute that birthed the deli sandwich, preserved meats were a standby in human diets: from dried yak cured in salt in the Himalayas, to pork fermented into salami in Italy, to beef pressed in the saddle and pickled in horse sweat in Central Asia, people all over the world invented ways to make meat inhospitable to microbes, more portable—and even more delicious! But, in recent years, these meats have gotten a bad name: in 2015, the World Health Organization even labeled them a carcinogen. So should you chuck the corned beef for the sake of your health? This episode, join us for a deep dive on the science behind whether your charcuterie could kill you—plus, the story of how cured meats became a staple of American diet and culture, thanks to German immigrants and Jewish delis, military-manufactured meat glue, and some truly orgasmic sliced pastrami on rye. …More → August 20, 2024 What’s the Buzz on Eating Bugs? Can Insects Really Save the World? Episodes, Podcasts, Season 19    About ten years ago, insects were constantly being hyped as the future of food. Headlines proclaimed that, within the decade, everyone would be eating bugs as part of their daily diet—and saving the planet in the process. But while the buzz on edible insects hasn’t completely turned to crickets, the ento-revolution hasn't proceeded exactly as planned. In the Western world, insects are not yet what's for dinner, and, even in parts of the world where bugs are a traditional and treasured part of the cuisine, their consumption is on the decline. So what's the deal? Can edible insects really help solve climate change and world hunger? And, if so, what's stopping us from jumping on the bug bandwagon? Listen in this episode as we debunk insect conspiracy theories and sexist archaeology, savor tangy ants and a cicada bonanza, and visit Madagascar to tell the heart-warming tale of how a bacon-flavored bug is helping feed villagers, while saving an adorable primate. …More → July 9, 2024 Are Hush Puppies Racist? Is A2 Milk Really Healthier? And What’s Up With Wedding Cake? Ask Gastropod! Episodes, Podcasts, Season 19    You asked, and we’re answering—again! Ask Gastropod returns to answer some of our listeners’ most pressing culinary queries: how did elaborate, expensive cakes become the standard dessert for weddings? Did the deep fried cornmeal blobs known as “hush puppies” get their name from Confederate soldiers or racist stories from the plantation-era South? And could a trendy "new" variety of milk (that's actually ancient) allow the dairy-intolerant to snarf down cheese and ice cream without digestive consequences? This episode, we’re diving deep on the science, dispelling some myths, and correcting the historical record with the help of a team of experts. Listen in now! …More → June 25, 2024 Why Does Everyone Have Food Allergies These Days? Episodes, Podcasts, Season 19    It's not your imagination, food allergies are really on the rise. One recent study found that severe allergic reactions to food have increased by more than 300 percent over the past decade. And they don't just affect Americans or kids—they're on the rise in adults around the world. Even pets are getting food allergies. So what's going on? Why would your body decide that food—something that's actually essential to keeping you alive—needs to be attacked like a dangerous invader? And why would we evolve a defense mechanism that can end up killing us? This episode, we've got the history and the latest scientist on food allergies: what they are, what causes them, how they're different from food intolerance and sensitivity, and what we can do about them. Join us on a wild journey from ancient pharaohs to the future of medicine, via jellyfish, Calvin Coolidge, and "rose fever," as we figure this all out. …More →Post navigationOlder postsArchivesDecember 2024November 2024October 2024September 2024August 2024July 2024June 2024May 2024April 2024March 2024February 2024December 2023November 2023October 2023September 2023August 2023July 2023June 2023May 2023April 2023March 2023February 2023December 2022November 2022October 2022September 2022August 2022July 2022June 2022May 2022April 2022March 2022February 2022December 2021November 2021October 2021September 2021August 2021July 2021June 2021May 2021April 2021March 2021February 2021December 2020November 2020October 2020September 2020August 2020June 2020May 2020April 2020March 2020February 2020January 2020December 2019November 2019October 2019September 2019August 2019June 2019May 2019April 2019March 2019February 2019January 2019December 2018November 2018October 2018September 2018August 2018June 2018May 2018April 2018March 2018February 2018January 2018December 2017November 2017October 2017September 2017August 2017July 2017June 2017May 2017April 2017March 2017February 2017January 2017December 2016November 2016October 2016September 2016August 2016July 2016June 2016May 2016April 2016March 2016February 2016January 2016December 2015November 2015October 2015September 2015August 2015July 2015June 2015May 2015April 2015March 2015February 2015January 2015December 2014November 2014October 2014September 2014CategoriesBitesEpisodesPodcastsSeason 1Season 10Season 11Season 12Season 13Season 14Season 15Season 16Season 17Season 18Season 19Season 2Season 3Season 4Season 5Season 6Season 7Season 8Season 9UncategorizedListenAboutDonateContact© 2024 Gastropod. 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