A Taste of the Past

This week on A Taste of the Past: is candy food? Linda Pelaccio interviews Samira Kawash, author of Candy: A Century of Panic and Pleasure. Samira explains to us how difficult it was to make candy back in the 1800s, and how technological innovations allowed the candy industry to boom. Later, she and Linda discuss society’s perception of candy, how many other foods and beverages are less healthy, yet candy can be an easy scapegoat. This program has been sponsored by Many Kitchens. Today’s music provided by Takstar. “The tradition in the 19th century was candy was a luxury, and it was for special occasions.” [9:40] “I think it’s easy to look at candy and see it as really the scapegoat of our anxieties around the role of sugar in our diet and the dangers of eating foods that are far away from the farm.” [17:25] —Samira Kawash 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 talks to Nic Mink, professor at the Center for Urban Ecology at Butler University, President and co-founder of Sitka Salmon Shares, and author of Salmon, A Global History. Nic tells us about the various evolutionary mechanisms that salmon have developed to survive. Later, Nic and Linda discuss the developments in catching and storing salmon – from wild to farm-raised, line caught and canned. Tune in to hear the whole discussion! This program has been sponsored by Fairway Market. Today’s music provided by The Hollows. “Salmon was kind of nature’s first convenience food.” [10:40] “If you ever see on a menu ‘Wild Atlantic Salmon’, that restaurant is either doing something incredibly bad, or they are mislabeling their menu.” [24:45] “The best thing to do for a wild salmon actually is to eat one!” [34:05] Nic Mink 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, the subject is New York City food. Linda speaks with Andrew Smith, author of New York City: A Food Biography, about the history of food in New York City. Andrew brings us back thousands of years, and describes what the food culture were like throughout time. After the break, they discuss some specific food establishments such as the automat and the supermarket that imposed varying levels of change on the food industry in New York and nationwide. This program has been sponsored by Whole Foods Market. Today’s music provided by Four Lincolns. “From about the 1830’s on, New York City became the major sugar refinery not just for the north but for the entire country.” [15:25] “New York is really the beginning of what we think of as bagels.” [20:25] Andrew Smith 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 welcomes guest Gustavo Arellano to discus the history of the taco. Gustavo is the author of Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America, an editor at OC weekly, and a contributing editor to the LA Times. Linda and Gustavo discuss the evolution of the meal we now know as the taco, and how the taco differs around the U.S. This show has been sponsored by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons. Thanks to Pamela Royal. “There’s a time for every taco and a season for every torta.” [12:35] Gustavo Arellano 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.

“A cold chain is a supply chain that transports and stores temperature sensitive perishable goods. The most visible manifestation of the cold chain is the electric household refrigerator.” – Jonathan Rees The world was changed by the innovation of refrigeration. This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio is joined by Dr. Jonathan Rees. Dr. Rees is a professor of history at Colorado State University – Pueblo, and the author of Refrigeration Nation. Tune in to hear about the origins of the ice industry and ice boxes, and learn about ‘the cold chain’. Find out how compression refrigeration developed during the Civil War era, and why the marketing of refrigerators in the 1940s relied on size. Learn why cold storage was a controversial political issue, and how refrigeration was essential to the development of the supermarket. How were frozen foods received upon their arrival? Find out on this week’s edition of A Taste of the Past! This program has been sponsored by Regional Access. Music by Jack Inslee. “Ice was something that all classes were interested in, whether or not all classes could afford it.” [5:50] “Producing food and having it spoil is just as harmful to the environment as refrigeration.” [17:10] — Dr. Jonathan Rees 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 explores the roots of the Christmas celebration. She brings in guest Alice Ross, a distinguished culinary historian who recreated the recipes for a modern version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Dinner”. Alice brings us through history, explaining where countless Christmas food traditions come from. This program has been sponsored by Heritage Foods USA. Music provided by Pamela Royal. Image from AliceRoss.com “Even though we think of turkey as an American bird, it was brought over to Europe and propagated there.” [20:15] — Alice Ross 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 thrilling episode of A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio brings in features writer for EaterNY.com, Robert Sietsema. Robert educates us on the history of pizza, and enlightens us about where many aspects of modern pizza originated. After the break, they discuss more in depth how pizza and the pizza industry spread throughout Italy and the U.S. This program has been sponsored by Heritage Foods USA. Music provided by Pamela Royal. “Totonno must have made one hell of a flatbread.” [13:50] “In Naples when you get a piece of pizza, you know what you drink? You drink that great old American beverage, Coca-Cola.” [21:45] — Robert Sietsema 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.

Imagine having to cook Thanksgiving dinner over an open fire! This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio is joined in the studio by historical interpreter Carolina Capehart. Carolina is a hearth-cooking expert, and prefers to cook all types of food over an open flame. Tune into this episode to learn what tools were used in the 1800s to boil vegetables, roast meat, and bake breads. Hear why Carolina is so dedicated to historical accuracy. Carolina explains how the colonialists pioneered local and seasonal eating- out of necessity! Learn about the founding ideals of the United States as an agrarian society. How does the language of the 1800s confuse the recreation of historic recipes? Collect some firewood and slaughter a hog; it’s time for this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past! This program has been brought to you by White Oak Pastures. Music by Pamela Royal. “Anything you can cook these days, you can cook oven an open fire. It’s just about learning a different system.” [3:45] “These days, everyone says that you need to eat seasonally and locally. Back in the 1800s, they did that, but mainly because they had to!” [20:20] “90% of people back then were farmers. That was Jefferson’s ideal- an agricultural society.” [23:10] — Carolina Capehart 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.

Adam Shprintzen discusses 19th Century vegetarianism in his book, The Vegetarian Crusade. This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio talks with Adam about the roots of meat abstention in the 19th Century with the British Bible Christians. How was vegetarianism related to the American Reform Movement and the murmurings of temperance? Tune into this episode to find out how the American Vegetarian Society organized disparaging groups of non-meat eaters. Have vegetarians faced vitriol throughout history? Learn how food entrepreneurs like Harvey Kellogg and Sylvester Graham helped spur on the spread of vegetarianism. What are the parallels between 19th Century vegetarianism and its form in the modern day? Find out all of this and more on this week’s edition of A Taste of the Past! Thanks to our sponsor, Consider Bardwell. Music by Obey City. “The 19th Century was not only a time when people were thinking about reform, but also a time when people were thinking about ways to live a better life. People were abstaining from alcohol, rethinking sexual relationships with the ‘free love’ movement… It only makes sense that people were also considering changing their diets.” [6:00] “Today, vegetarianism is marketed in a very personal way!” [31:25] — Adam Shprintzen 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, Abigail Carroll joins host Linda Pelaccio via phone for a discussion on the American meal. Abigail Carroll is the author of Three Squares: The Invention of the American Meal, where she upends the popular understanding of our most cherished mealtime traditions, revealing that our eating habits have never been stable—far from it, in fact. Whether we’re pouring ourselves a bowl of cereal, grabbing a quick sandwich, or congregating for a family dinner, our mealtime habits are living artifacts of our collective history—and represent only the latest stage in the evolution of the American meal. Tune-in for a historical context on how the dinner table became an evening ritual, and how this has caused with the rise of processed foods and snacking, associated problems as well. This program has been sponsored by Fairway Market. Thanks to The California Honeydrops for today’s music. “We’re talking about food in our society almost more than ever, and all these foods trends. But I don’t see people talk about how we eat – the social context of food, the family meal, and the value of that.” [22:15] — Abigail Carroll 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.