Savor

Mushrooms are a delicious, nutritious part of our diets, but they’ve more traditionally been a medicine -- and you definitely shouldn't eat wild mushrooms without an expert. We dig into the history and science of the fungus among us. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

That stuff you probably dip your fries in descended from Chinese fermented fish sauce, and it had a hand in creating the FDA. We explore the non-Newtonian science and surprisingly fascinating history of ketchup. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Added flavors feature in as much as 90% of our groceries, so the science of creating them is a serious business. We unpack the difference between natural and artificial flavors and explore how some of the most famous (blue raspberry! MSG!) came to be. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lunar or Chinese New Year celebration, also known as the Spring Festival, is a 15-day marathon of family, friends, food -- and puns. We share some of the holiday's most popular traditions -- and welcome our friends Stuff to Blow Your Mind to come chat. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chalky candy hearts printed with sweet (or salty!) messages are apparently the most prolific candy of Valentine's Day. Anney and Lauren explore the past and present of the product, plus some of its strangest messages. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

B-A-N-A-N-A-S. The most popular fruit in the world has driven food technology and military coups alike. It's also in danger of being wiped out. We peel back the disturbing history and science surrounding bananas. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The cupcake caused quite a culinary kerfuffle in the early 2000s. Anney and Lauren explore how cupcakes (and their cousins, muffins) became what they were then, and what they are today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Banned for a century throughout the Western world, absinthe is officially back on the market. But was it ever dangerous in the first place? Come drink in the history and science behind the Green Fairy in this episode of FoodStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Garlic has millennia of history with cultures all over the world -- but mostly as a medicine and vampire deterrent, not a food. Anney and Lauren explore how we came to eat garlic, plus whether there's any hard evidence of its supposed health benefits. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

McDonald's is the biggest fast food chain in the world, but this behemoth has humble beginnings. We explore the ambitions and intrigue that made the McEmpire what it is today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.