A Taste of the Past

Learn about the history of Antarctic exploration and cuisine on this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past. Linda Pelaccio is talking with Jason Anthony, author of the recent Hoosh. But what is ‘hoosh’? Antarctic explorers used ingredients like pemmican and melted snow to create a stew that they named hoosh; find out how a diet of hoosh lead to vitamin deficiencies on the cold continent. Tune in to hear about Jason’s seasons in Antarctica, and what food he packed for a hundred-day excursion into the center of the continent. What foods are most desired by Antarctic explorers? Also, tune in to hear about early explorers’ roasted penguin recipes, and find out how Jason and his colleagues preserved fresh produce in their sleeping bags! This program has been sponsored by Whole Foods. Thanks to Idgy Dean for today’s music. “Antarctica went from being an unknown blank spot on the map to a known blank spot on the map.” [7:00] “Explorers knew from Arctic exploration that you needed more calories in cold temperatures, but the problem was that they were unable to bring enough supplies to Antarctica on their ships to sustain themselves.” [8:50] “I think the unstated thesis of my book is: the worse the food, the better the story!” [15:55] — Jason Anthony 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.

William Sitwell, author of A History of Food in 100 Recipes, joins Linda Pelaccio for this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past to talk about the evolution of the food industry over hundreds of years. Tune in to hear William talk about the initiation of fast food and supermarkets, and how the idea of self-service mechanized the business of eating. From Mesopotamia to Mario Batali, William highlights and reproduces important recipes in order to transport the reader to specific time periods. How do different foods denote status? Learn about William’s literary lineage, and how that inspired his writing. How did William decide to outline his book, and why does food history research require primary sources? Find out all of this and more on this week’s edition of A Taste of the Past! Thanks to our sponsor, Hearst Ranch, and thanks to Plexophonic for today’s break music. “Food is a wonderful subject for journalists because it touches on so many aspects of everyone’s lives.” [3:30] — William Sitwell 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.

Mark Pendergrast comes into the studio this week on A Taste of the Past to talk about the history of coffee! Mark Pendergast is an American independent scholar, and author of six books, with his most recent titled, “Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World”. Telling the story of coffee from its discovery on a hill in ancient Abyssinia to the advent of Starbucks, Mr. Pendergrast is an expert when it comes to the history, craft, and production of coffee. Learn how coffee was able to sober up Europe, how coffee first became a traded product through the growth of the railroad industry, and the truth behind the health benefits of coffee. Think you know a lot about coffee? Listen to this program and we’re sure that you’ll expand your knowledge even further. This program has been sponsored by Rt. 11 Potato Chips. “It’s inevitable that we’re going to continue having a boom in coffee.” [18:05] “One of the things that’s revolutionized coffee is the one way valve.” [25:03] “A great way to make coffee: 2 teaspoons of ground coffee and 6 ounces of boiled water.” [31:05] — Mark Pendergrast 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 is an Irish chef, food writer, TV personality, and founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Schanagarry, County Cork, Ireland. In this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past, Darina explains the current state of Irish food and culture in our society today, bringing us back to the history of Irish culture from the beginning. Darina also talks about founding the Ballymaloe Cookery School, the only cookery school in the world located in the middle of its own 100-acre organic farm. As a result, the school is completely self-sufficient, and people can come for a simple afternoon cooking class, or a full course designed to take the amateur cook further in his or her studies. Hear about Darina’s book, Irish Traditional Cooking (published by Kyle Books), and how she hopes to reconnect us with the cooking skills that have been forgotten for generations. This program has been sponsored by Bonnie Plants. “Its not just about economics, it’s about the whole quality life – an appreciation for the quality of life.” [16:50] “We need to be able to cook, to sit down around the table again.” [23:10] — 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.

Katie Parla is in love with the contemporary Roman food scene! On this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio invites Katie into the studio to talk about restaurant trends in Rome. Find out why so many Roman chefs look to their city’s history for culinary inspiration. Hear about the resurgence of ancient grains on many restaurant plates and inside craft beer bottles. Learn more about famed Roman chefs such as Arcangelo Dandini and Gabriele Bonci! What esoteric ingredients are these chefs using in their recipes? Find out all of this and more on this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past! Thanks to our sponsor, White Oak Pastures. Thanks to PEELS for today’s music! “In general, chefs in Rome don’t travel, so they look at what they have already done. At times, this leads to fantastic results.” [4:45] — Katie Parla 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.

Who was television’s first cooking star? If you guessed Julia Child, you must be forgetting Dione Lucas! This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio is joined in the studio by Australian author and food historian Jill Adams to talk about the life of Dione Lucas. Also in the studio is Margaret Happel Perry, the president of the New York chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier. Tune into this episode to find out why Dione Lucas has not necessarily been remembered favorably. How did Dione Lucas help popularize television in Australia? Learn how the advertising schemes of the 1950s have made it impossible to syndicate Dione Lucas’ cooking shows. This program has been sponsored by Bonnie Plants. Thanks to The California Honeydrops for today’s musical break. “She absolutely insisted that the food be genuine. It was great, and something our readers really connected with.” [8:45] — Margaret Happel Perry on A Taste of the Past “I think that you tell a great story by dragging things out of the closet. There are a lot of things unknown about Dione Lucas.” [12:50] — Jill Adams 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.

Nawal Nasrallah joins Linda Pelaccio in the studio to celebrate the new edition of her book, Delights from the Garden of Eden. This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda and Nawal delve into the history of Iraqi cuisine and the Sumerian people. Learn about some of the world’s oldest recipes written on cuneiform tablets. Learn about the importance of stews in the Iraqi diet! How did traditional, medieval-influenced Iraqi recipes change with the discovery of the New World? Tune into this episode to learn more about cooking techniques for masgouf! Find out how Nawal blends ancient, medieval, and modern recipes in her book! This program has been sponsored by Hearst Ranch. Thanks to SNOWMINE for today’s musical interlude. “I wanted people to see the other side of Iraq- the culture, the food- the bright side! This was my chance.” [3:00] “We had a revolution in our kitchens in the 19th century when the tomato was introduced.” [25:40] — Nawal Nasrallah 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.

Lynne Olver is a reference librarian with a passion for food! This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio calls Lynne to talk to her about food history and her website, FoodTimeline.org. How does Lynne’s library science background inform the way she researches and references recipes, food origins, and more? Learn how studying food prices can reveal further information about the economy of a certain time period. How does one become a food historian? Learn the methods that Lynne uses to research any topic, and what resources Lynne trusts. Find out why Lynne is not interested in corporate food history, and how her beliefs on information are influenced by her passion and profession. This episode has been sponsored by Cain Vineyard & Winery. Thanks to Four Lincolns for today’s music. “What I’m trying to do here with FoodTimeline.org is give a starting point for an individual’s research.” [8:00] — Lynne Olver 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.

Did you know that gangsters controlled nearly all of the food distribution in Depression-era New York City? This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio invites Andy Coe to talk about racketeering in New York City food history. Learn how something as innocent as an egg cream was the cause of major crime. Find out what products were controlled by specific gangsters, and how the food rackets weren’t eliminated from the Big Apple until the days of Giuliani! Learn about Murder Inc., and how competition was dealt with in the 1940s. Calling all fans of The Godfather: you don’t want to miss this installment of A Taste of the Past! This program has been sponsored by The Heritage Meat Shop. Music has been provided by SNOWMINE. “Today we have supermarkets and bodegas, and the food appears on the shelves and we don’t really know where it comes from… Back then, food distribution was much more spread out.” [7:45] — Andy Coe 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.

Learn about the history of vegetarianism and veganism with Rynn Berry. Rynn joins Linda Pelaccio in the studio to talk vegetables, raw food, and animal rights. Rynn is a historical adviser to the North American Vegetarian Society and is on the Advisory Board of Earth Save. In his lectures, articles, and books, he has specialized in the study of vegetarianism from an historical perspective. Tune into this episode to hear Rynn and Linda discuss the cultural and religious significance of a plant-based diet. Why has vegetarianism become popular in the past fifty years? Learn about the historical link between vegetarians and abolitionists, and the health considerations of a meat-heavy lifestyle. Listen in to learn about some famous vegetarians throughout history! This program has been brought to you by Whole Foods. “Vegetarianism often has a religious impetus; it is not entirely a secular movement.” [12:25] “People have been consuming raw food for eons. Cooking food was not financially expedient until recently.” [24:50] — Rynn Berry 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.