Proof

Around the world and throughout history, we’ve celebrated the departed with rituals that involve food. Pharaohs were buried with feasts. We pour out drinks in honor of fallen friends and family. But the precision and thought that Zoroastrian priest Marziban Hathiram puts into preparing meals for the departed is in a league of its own. Author Varud Gupta takes us through the intricacies of the stum death ritual in Gujarat, India, and walks us through what foods are--and aren’t--appropriate for the afterlife.Read more of Varud's journey in his book, Bagwaan Ke Pakwaan: Food of the Gods.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charlotte Gill was anguished by the way the lobsters at her lobster pound died a slow death in vats of boiling water. ‘There must be another way,’ she thought. ‘How about getting them high?’ In this episode of Proof, science reporter Sarah Vitak tracks Gill’s quest, invokes David Foster Wallace, and considers the lobster.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jewish delis are a staple of many American cities and neighborhoods. But even before the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the restaurant industry, Jewish delis were already on the decline. In 1931, there were an estimated 2,000 delis in the Big Apple. Today--almost a century later--there’s fewer than a few dozen. So what accounts of this deli decline? Reporter Rebecca Rosman samples delis across the United States in search for answers.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We kick off the new season by asking: Why are Jewish delis disappearing? We consider the lobster, and the most humane way to treat them before we eat them. We look at literal soul food--food that's served to the departed, and you'll hear a story from host Kevin Pang about how his dad became an unlikely YouTube cooking star. All that, and much more on Season 9 of Proof from America’s Test Kitchen.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we have a special episode from our friends over at Mystery Recipe, a podcast from America's Test Kitchen Kids for young chefs ages 4-10. This episode features Proof host Kevin Pang! If you like Mystery Recipe, you can find their fourth season anywhere you get your podcasts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Old Bay Seasoning is a hallmark of mid-Atlantic food culture. The yellow and red branding has stood the test of time, and remained unshakably present in grocery stores across the country. It's sprinkled on seafood, fries, and even used in ice cream. But despite its renowned fame and recognition, very few people actually know the man behind this iconic seasoning and his battle with the spice industry. Reporter Claudia Rosenbaum digs into the the David-and-Goliath origins of Old Bay Seasoning, and how the spice blend has endured today.Take our season 8 survey to get a 30% off coupon code at the America's Test Kitchen online shop.A note from our sponsors:Listeners get 15% off of their first order at porterroad.com/proof.Get high quality cured meats and charcuterie in stores and online at Veroni USA.Use code ATK15 for 15% off on OXO.com.Visit nakedwines.com/summerproof for $100 to spend on wine.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How we speak, what we wear, and what we eat are influenced by our upbringings, our cultures, and our roots. But what happens when we peel the curtain back on all the things we thought we knew about ourselves? What would we find? In this episode, reporter Sheila V Kumar interrogates her own vegetarianism and asks what consequences our food choices have in the political sphere and in our own lives. Take our Season 8 survey here.A note from our sponsors:Get high quality cured meats and charcuterie in stores and online at Veroni USA.Use code ATK15 for 15% off on OXO.com.Visit nakedwines.com/summerproof for $100 to spend on wine.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Few drinks have gone through the ringer the way Chartreuse has. Since the 1700s, a silent group of monks in the Southeast of France have produced and protected this elixir-turned-liqueur through evictions, natural disasters, and other trials and tribulations of history. Today, Chartreuse is a crucial ingredient that helped spur the modern craft cocktail movement. Proof's managing producer and self-professed "pro-sumer" of cocktails, Yumi Araki, digs into the history of the spirit that just wouldn't die. Take our Season 8 survey here.For further reading on the history of Chartreuse: Chartreuse the Liqueur.A note from our sponsors:Listeners get 15% off of their first order at porterroad.com/proof.Get high quality cured meats and charcuterie in stores and online at Veroni USA.Use code ATK15 for 15% off on OXO.com.Visit nakedwines.com/summerproof for $100 to spend on wine.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The smell of certain foods imprint themselves in our brains and can transport us to different places and our past. One scent in particular--the smell of za'atar--brought two Palestinian women together through social media. Nadia Tommalieh and Lulu Abura instantly shared a bond over their love for the herb and the spice blend that reminds them of their homeland. Reporter Haley Gray reports. Take our Season 8 survey here.Follow Nadia Tommalieh on Instagram here.Follow Lulu Abura on Instagram here.A note from our sponsors:Get high quality cured meats and charcuterie in stores and online at Veroni USA.Use code ATK15 for 15% off on OXO.com.Visit nakedwines.com/summerproof for $100 to spend on wine.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a cold night in January 2017, five comedians gathered around a table in the back of a cramped restaurant in New York’s Greenwich Village called the Olive Tree Cafe. The comedian weren't scheduled to perform at the downstairs Comedy Cellar that night, but they had come to hang out at a place they called home: a family dinner around the most important table in American stand-up comedy. This restaurant--and the famous comedian's table--have long served as home base for comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, Aziz Ansari, and Dave Chappelle--the five comedians who ended up performing at what would be remembered as the Billion Dollar Comedy Night. Reporter Stephen Calabria digs into the history of the Olive Tree Cafe and how it fuels some of America's most famous stand-up comedians.A note from our sponsors:Listeners get 15% off of their first order at porterroad.com/proof.Get high quality cured meats and charcuterie in stores and online at Veroni USA.Use code ATK15 for 15% off on OXO.com.Visit nakedwines.com/summerproof for $100 to spend on wine.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices