Rachel Loudon is a visiting scholar in the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Texas. She's an author of cuisine and empire cooking in world history. We're going to talk about your book as well as an essay you've written on food and modernity. Why are grains so important in the history of food and why do they remain important?
Rachel Laudan, visiting scholar at the University of Texas and author of Cuisine and Empire, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the history of food. Topics covered include the importance of grain, the spread of various styles of cooking, why French cooking has elite status, and the reach of McDonald's. The conversation concludes with a discussion of the appeal of local food and other recent food passions.