A Taste of the Past

What is it about salty snacks? What is it, in particular, about the potato chip? Learn about the history of the iconic snack with Dirk Burhans, author of Crunch!: A History of the Great American Potato Chip. Dirk traces the history of the chip back to its origins and gives listeners some great fun-facts and cultural anecdotes. Potato Chip lovers unite! This program was brought to you by Fairway Market. “The idea of making a super thin fried potato and putting it in oil is nothing we can’t do on our own.” [04:00] –Dirk Burhans on A Taste of the PastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on A Taste of the Past, host Linda Pelaccio kicks off the new radio season welcoming Lionel Vatinet, master baker of La Farm Bakery in Cary, North Carolina and author of the book A Passion for Bread: Lessons from a Master Baker. Lionel shares with Linda that his passion for bread was first nurtured when he joined France’s prestigious artisans’ guild Les Compagnons du Devoir as an apprentice at age 16. Emerging 7 years later with the distinguished and hard-earned title of Maitre Boulanger (Master Baker), Vatinet pledged to devote his life to teaching, sharing and preserving the ancient art and science of bread baking. Rather than propagate secrets, Lionel’s mission through the years has been to demystify baking and enable more bakers to produce high quality, handcrafted breads. This mission can without a doubt be seen demonstrated throughout his book’s recipes as well. Tune in for a master lesson in bread and to hear what Lionel’s plans are for the future! This program has been brought to you by Cain Vineyard and Winery. “To be a teacher, to share, I think every culinarian should share what they know. You cannot feel like you have a secret.” [20:19] —Lionel Vatinet on A Taste of the PastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s that time of year again – students are headed back to school! Linda Pelaccio gets in the spirit on a academic themed episode of A Taste of the Past with guest Ken Albala, Professor of History at the University of the Pacific, USA. He is the author or editor of 17 books including Eating Right in the Renaissance, The Banquet and Beans: A History. He has also coauthored two cookbooks, The Lost Art of Real Cooking and The Lost Arts of Hearth and Home. With the proliferation of food history courses and avid interest among scholars and the general public, the need for a solid comprehensive collection of key primary texts about food of the past is urgent. His latest book, The Food History Reader, is that collection. Tune in as he urges researchers to focus on primary sources and gives listeners some insights into the world of food history. This program was brought to you by Fairway Market. “I think we need fewer encyclopedias and more original research and it won’t happen unless a generation of students is raised on the original sources and not the rehashes of information.” [12:00] “People eat certain things as expressions of who they are and who they want to be.” [16:00] –Ken Albala on A Taste of the PastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What is Midwestern cuisine? We may not ever know, but we get closer to understanding the food of the Midwest on a new episode of A Taste of the Past. Host Linda Pelaccio is joined by Peggy Wolff, author of Fried Walleye and Cherry Pie. With its corn by the acre, beef on the hoof, Quaker Oats, and Kraft Mac n’ Cheese, the Midwest eats pretty well and feeds the nation on the side. But there’s more to the midwestern kitchen and palate than the farm food and sizable portions the region is best known for beyond its borders. It is to these heartland specialties, from the heartwarming to the downright weird, that Fried Walleye and Cherry Pie invites the reader. Tune in and get some brilliant insight into an often overlooked region and its impact on the way we eat in America. This program was brought to you by The Greenhouse Tavern. “Wisconsin is a huge cherry growing region but nothing beats northern Michigan.” [20:00] “When you criss cross the midwest and hit the farmers markets you see, what I call, real food. You’re gonna see a nod to the housewives back in the 50’s with homemade pickles and preserves.” [23:00] “I think the Midwest can claim the roots of fast food. Where we would be without the whole notion of fast food?” [25:00] –Peggy Wolff on A Taste of the PastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on A Taste of the Past Linda tackles the delectable topic of the donut with food historian, Michael Krondl, and author of The Donut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin. Tracing the donut through the years, Michael details the various types of fried dough that ultimately led to the donut that we all know and love today, including the popular cronut. However, when did donuts start being filled with sweets? Where did the donut originate? Where is the donut headed in the future – Linda predicts the up and coming biznut. Tune in to find out more about this beloved treat as well as other derivatives of donuts found around the world. This program has been brought to you by Whole Foods Market. “I have a theory… that donuts do well in times of economic crisis. If you look at the depression, donuts were big, if you look at the 1970’s, donuts were big, and if you look at the last ten years, once again, donuts become huge.” [27:19] “Donuts have a street cred that cupcakes will never have.” [28:43] — Michael Krondl on A Taste of the PastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda welcomes Cindy Lobel to the program. Cindy is an assistant professor of history at Lehman College, a cultural historian with interests in urban development and consumer culture as well as the history of New York. Today she and Linda discuss her book, Urban Appetites: Food and Culture in Nineteenth-Century New York. Was New York City the first in the country to have a restaurant? What was the first restaurant to open in New York City? Surprisingly, it seems as though present day New York food scene is not so different than it was in the 1800s. Tune in as Cindy takes us through the beginnings of restaurants in New York City and how the now flourishing industry evolved through the years. This program has been sponsored by Cain Vineyard and Winery. “People think that New York was born with the Zagat Guide, and that of course is not the case… free standing restaurants have a history in New York.” [5:40] “The rise of restaurants is really tied to the growth of the city.” [8:10] — Cindy Lobel on A Taste of the PastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio talks about the history of ramen in Japan and the United States with George Solt, author of The Untold History of Ramen. Tune into this episode to learn how international relations and trade agreements allowed ramen to evolve in Japan using non-traditional ingredients. How do ramen noodles different from other Japanese noodle soups like soba? How did ramen preparations change in order to satisfy the caloric needs of the Japanese population. Tune into this program to learn more about the first instances of instant ramen, ramen museum, and the dish’s nutritional value! Are ramen shops in Japan as popular as their equivalents in the United States today? Tune in to find out! Thanks to our sponsor, S. Wallace Edwards & Sons. Music by Pamela Royal. “Until the introduction of Western food culture en mass in the 19th Century, the Japanese didn’t eat much meat; it was much more of fish and vegetable type of eating culture… It shows how politics, international relations, and trade affect food culture.” [6:50] “The pushcart is really the site that the ramen phenomenon came from.” [9:20] — George Solt on A Taste of the PastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How does one begin to encapsulate the varied cuisine of Italy? On this episode of A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio is joined by Associate Professor at the New School, Fabio Parasecoli. Recently, Fabio released Al Dente, a book about the history of food in Italy. Learn how a desire for modernization suppressed the interest in Italian heirloom ingredients. Find out how economic conditions shaped Italian cuisine today. Why is Italian food so regionally diverse, and how do Italians express their local pride through food? How did Italians incorporate agricultural products from other areas into their culinary identity? Find out on this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past! Thanks to our sponsor, The International Culinary Center. Music by Idgy Dean. “There was this idea of being ‘modern’ rather than ‘Italian’, and that allowed for the spread of products throughout the country, and many of them were industrialized food products.” [9:30] — Fabio Parasecoli on A Taste of the PastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Linda Pelaccio welcomes Josh Kilmer-Purcell and his husband Brent Ridge, who are known as The Fabulous Beekman Boys, to this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past! The Beekman Boys describe themselves as “Two NYC guys who bought a farm and are sharing their experiment in living better lives, season by season, neighbor by neighbor.” They are the stars of The Fabulous Beekman Boys, a reality TV show now broadcasting on The Cooking Channel, and have many other endeavors, including running a farm, a mercantile, writing cookbooks and many more. Their new Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook is a delectable yearlong trip through the Beekman vegetable bounty and is packed with simple, delicious, and seasonal vegetable-forward recipes that will have readers counting down the months to green shoots every year. This program was sponsored by Fairway Market. “This idea of growing your own crops and appreciating heirloom varieties is very important to us. [10:00] –Brent Ridge on A Taste of the Past “Whenever you meet an unfamiliar vegetable – know that anything can be roasted. Toss it in olive oil put in an oven bake it at 400 degrees until its soft and see how it tastes.” [15:00] –Josh Kilmer-Purcell on A Taste of the PastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Sax is an expert of food trends and author of Save the Deli and most recently The Tastemakers: Why We’re Crazy For cupcakes But Fed Up With Fondue. Linda and David talk about how food trends come about, how they spread across the world, and how they come back decades later. Tune in to hear about trends such as Asian BBQ and cupcakes! This program has been sponsored by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons. Today’s music provided by Pamela Royal. “Everything’s so interconnected. We share our food culture now online and in media so much more easily and so much more widespread.” [21:45] –David Sax on A Taste of the Past See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.