A Taste of the Past

You think you know pasta? Think again! This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio chats with author and pasta expert Maurren Fant who dispels many common myths around everybody’s favorite carb. From cooking times to salting water, Maura breaks down pasta from A-Z and leaves listeners with a much better understanding of the potential, history and variations of pasta. She talks about the process of writing her award-winning book, Sauces & Shapes: Pasta the Italian Way, and describes what real Italians do when it comes to cooking pasta. The pasta police are definitely patrolling the airwaves – that means no cream in your alfredo, no tomato sauce and angel hair and definitely no overcooked spaghetti! This program was sponsored by Bonnie Plants. “People believe that pasta exists as a vehicle for sauce – it’s quite the opposite. The pasta is the main attraction.” [14:00] “The only way to eat angel hair or tortellini is in broth!” [21:00] “There is no cream in fettuccine alfredo!” [26:00] –Maureen Fant 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.

German cuisine is often thought of as brats and not much else. Ursula Heinzelmann is here to change that perception and she’s this week’s guest on A Taste of the Past. Ursula is an acclaimed German food and wine writer, a sommelière and a gastronome. She’s written numerous books on the subject of German cuisine and has twice been awarded the annual Sophie Coe Prize in Food History at the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, most recently in 2006. Her latest book is called Beyond Bratwurst: A History of Food in Germany. Tune in to this program to get an in depth look at the culture, cuisine and traditions of Germany. This program was sponsored by Bonnie Plants. “If I had to define German food – it would be diversity, always.” [14:00] “Food is all about meeting people, getting to know their food and sharing it.” [30:00] –Ursula HeinzelmannSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pretzel history is this week’s topic on A Taste of the Past. Linda interviews Hans Röckenwagner, owner and founder of Restaurant Röckenwagner, James Beard Award winner, pretzel expert and more, about pretzels: where they came from, where they’re made, how they came about, and much more. This program has been sponsored by Whole Foods Market. Today’s music provided by The California Honeydrops. “What I love about a pretzel is it has a distinct burstiness.” [12:00] –Hans Röckenwagner 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.

In 1827, before Delmonico’s opened, diners ate at cafes and boarding houses (inns), where the food was simply the food available that day from the farms. Diners had no choice of dishes, but ate the food that was served. Delmonico’s changed all of that. Today’s guest is Billy Oliva, graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and currently the Executive Chef at Delmonico’s. This program has been sponsored by Heritage Foods USA. Today’s music provided by Pamela Royal. “[Delmonico’s] is history. And when you walk through the door you feel that way.” [5:15] “Ireland is not really known for food but that has changed so much.” [28:00] –Billy Oliva 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.

Peter Hertzmann is an author, instructor, blogger, historian, and occasional butcher. Today, Peter’s expertise that shines through the rest is that of knives. Linda interviews him about the origins of the chef’s knife, which actually didn’t even exist a mere 50 years ago! Tune in to hear more about how knives have evolved! This program has been sponsored by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Today’s music provided by Obey City. “If you look at the year 1855 as a dividing point…they did have steel before that, but that really made modern production of steel possible.” [13:55] “The Japanese style handle with a western style blade can be very comfortable.” [35:30] –Peter Hertzmann 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 explores the history of Rhubarb and other foods of The Silk Road with Laura Kelley, author and food historian. Laura tells us about how so many foods were originally used as medicine, and the lines between food and medicine have become much more clear over the years. This program has been sponsored by Rolling Press. Today’s music provided by Pamela Royal. “Most cinnamon we see on the shelves today labelled cinnamon isn’t really cinnamon.” [15:00] “You have to really try to kill a chili plant.” [24:30] –Laura Kelley 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.

Darina Allen joins us on this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past, to tell us about Ballymaloe Cookery School located in southern Ireland, of which she is the founder. Linda asks her about real Irish cuisine, and she explains how many people in Ireland were so slow to realize the great benefits of using local food. This program has been sponsored by The International Culinary Center. Today’s music provided by Pamela Royal. “The whole image of irish food, particularly over here [in the U.S.] in no way reflects what’s happening in Ireland.” [9:00] —Darina Allen 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.

Turmeric: health benefits, flavor, dyes, and more. This spice is used in many eastern cuisines, such as Thai and Malaysian. This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda interviews food historian and spice expert Colleen Sen, who tells us all about The Wonder Spice. This program has been sponsored by Heritage Foods USA. Today’s music provided by Obey City. “Like many ingredients, the health benefits are intensified by using it with other spices.” [5:50] –Colleen Sen 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’s guest is culinary historian, storyteller, and Soul Food authority, Tonya Hopkins. Linda and Tonya talk about American master cook Anne Northrup (wife of Solomon Northrup) and the significance she had on American cuisine and in particular, soul food. This program has been sponsored by Cain Vineyard & Winery. Today’s music provided by Plexophonic. Image from Accessible Archives “People think of ham as cooked and salted, but people made their own ham back then.” [26:00] —Tonya Hopkins 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 explores the origin of the chocolate chip cookie. Her guest Carolyn Wyman is the author of The Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie, among other books that document the history of America’s most iconic foods. Later, Linda and Carolyn discuss the history of SPAM. This program has been sponsored by Fairway Market. Today’s music provided by Plexophonic. “Cookies are not on the dessert menu for most restaurants; it’s more of a home food.” [23:45] —Carolyn Wyman 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.