A Taste of the Past

What’s more American than apple pie? Answer: apple cider! On this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio is talking with “apple evangelist” and author of Cider, Hard and Sweet, Ben Watson. Where did the tradition of American cider originate? Hear about how grafting has caused the amount of apple varieties to diminish, and learn about the role of the Industrial Revolution in cider’s popularity. Find out how cider stacks up against beer and wine in terms of alcohol content, and learn what varieties of apples make the best cider. Also, learn what differentiates hard cider from apple jack. Also, Sara Grady calls in from Glynwood to talk about their new initiative, The Apple Project. Learn about the importance of hard cider and apple spirits to the regional economy! This program has been brought to you by Cain Vineyard & Winery. “Almost any apple makes decent cider because when you press it, you get different qualities. Is it sour? It’s going to have bitterness and astringency to it that adds body- just like wine.” “Apples provided another way to create a beverage that was plentiful and easy to produce.” — Ben Watson 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.

Grains take center stage on this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past as host Linda Pelaccio is joined by Bruce Weinstein, cooking instructor and author of “Grain Mains: 101 Surprising and Satisfying Whole Grain Recipes for Every Meal of the Day”. Tune in for a lively discussion on grains and their place in culinary history. From quinoa to millet, learn about how whole grains were essential in early China and how they differ from refined grains. From health benefits to culinary applications, Bruce gives listeners plenty to digest on this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past. This program was sponsored by White Oak Pastures. “Millet was the grain of China before rice. Some of the oldest pastas found in China were made of millet flour.” “If you eat whole grain cereal for breakfast you’ll be less hungry later than you would if you ate regular sugary cereal.” “Seasonings and flavors have been dumbed down across the board. As a society – we’ve grown accustomed to more tasteless food that’s been over-processed.” “Grains are for everybody – they’re not just for the vegans and vegetarians among us!” –Bruce Weinstein 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 most Americans did not eat tuna until the 20th century? On this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio sits down with Andrew F. Smith, a food historian and author of the recent book, American Tuna: The Rise and Fall of an Improbable Food. Learn about how Mediterranean immigrant populations popularized the fish in the United States, and how the Japanese made it a staple of culinary culture. Hear about how American preferences in terms of tuna preparation have changed over the decades, from canned to raw. With all of the media attention concerning methylmercury, is tuna still safe to eat? Tune in to learn more about the different varieties of tuna, population levels, and the role of sport fisherman in the tuna industry. This episode has been brought to you by Hearst Ranch. “Once you remove the oil from it, it’s actually a very mild-tasting fish. You can use it as a substitute in pretty much all of your chicken recipes.” “80% of the Bluefin tuna stock that was around in the 1970s is now gone. The thought used to be if we restricted catching, then we would give the population an opportunity to recover… There’s no evidence that supports that.” — Andrew F. 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.

Cooking with chocolate is the theme on this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past, as Linda Pelaccio is joined by “The First Lady of Chocolate”, businesswoman, baker and cookbook author Alice Medrich. Alice explains how she found her way to baking and chocolate, and how she’s adapted to thinking in terms of home cooking instead of complex kitchen baking. Learn some tips for making world class desserts at home, and find out how sugar balance is essential for delicious and wholesome taste in sweets. This program was sponsored by White Oak Pastures. “When I sold my business, I became a home cook again and started to realize that for a home cook and entertainer, it was not so easy to make complex desserts…so increasingly I’ve started to think more and more about the home cook who may have a limited kitchen, less time and less experience.” “One of the things that’s consistent in my career is that I want to taste the ingredient more than the sugar.” — Alice Medrich 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 differentiates an herb from a weed? And what historical significance do herbs hold? Today’s episode of A Taste of the Past is a culinary history of herbs. Linda Pelaccio is joined by Gary Allen, herbalist and author of the recent book, Herbs: A Global History. Tune in to hear the difference between herbs and spices. Learn about extinct herbal plants and their ancient uses. Hear about the exchange of regional herbs, and how it has changed the culinary landscape and the food we eat today. Culturally, herbs are symbols for for memory, love, and fidelity. How did these associations come to be? Find out this, and so much more on this week’s A Taste of the Past. This episode has been sponsored by Whole Foods. “Technically herbal teas are not teas- they are infusions. True tea is only the tea plant: camellia sinensis.” “All foods are fusion foods, because every time anyone runs into anyone from anywhere they adapt their dishes to new ingredients and new circumstances.” “Rosemary is often associated with memory because its scent lingers for so long.” — Gary 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.

This week’s episode of A Taste of the Past is a dedication to Craig Claiborne, legendary New York Times restaurant critic. Linda Pelaccio is talking with Tom McNamee, author of the recent Craig Claiborne-focused book, The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat. When Craig Claiborne began his career, there was no outlet for critical review of restaurant and food culture. Tune in to hear about how Craig Claiborne transformed The New York Times’ food coverage into the critical lens that it is known to be today. Hear about how he brought the star rating system for restaurants to the United States, and how he introduced American households to multitudes of ethnic cuisines. If you think some restaurants are extravagantly priced, listen in to hear about a meal that Mr. Claiborne shared with chef Pierre Franey that cost roughly $20,000 in today’s currency. Hear more about the fascinating life and work of Craig Claiborne in this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past! This episode was sponsored by White Oak Pastures “I think it’s important to realize what the American context was at the time. It was just shortly after World War II, and industrialized food was in a huge upsurge… it was an absolute wasteland in American food!” “He was bringing strange things to The New York Times’ readership immediately in his first column.” “He kept constantly bringing in the ‘outer world’, and therefore a lot of things that we take for granted [he introduced in our culture].” — Tom McNamee 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.

On this episode of A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio is joined in the studio by Rebecca Federman of the Culinary Collections at the New York Public Library. Today, they are discussing the NYPL’s old menu collection and the new What’s on the Menu? program. Hear about old menus from the inauguration of President McKinley to the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. Help out the NYPL by helping to digitize some of these menus to create a searchable database! Tune in to learn about some of the more obscure NYC menu items, as well as the role of midday lunch in building the restaurant business in the city. This episode has been brought to you by White Oak Pastures. “There are the everyday menus that I find very graphically beautiful and interesting. Or there are children’s menus that I find really adorable.” Restaurants are such a huge part of our social history, that to not have these documents is such a loss.” — Rebecca Federman 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 is on the phone with Giuliano Hazan, cooking instructor and author of a new book entitled Hazan Family Favorites. Giuliano comes from a tradition of fine Italian cooking. His mother, Marcella Hazan, is a famous Italian cookery writer. Tune in to hear Giuliano recount stories of frying with his grandmother, and being teased because of his Italian school lunches. Giuliano’s book includes unpretentious recipes designed to inspire home cooking. Hear about Giuliano’s favorite pasta dish, why he loves to teach, and the importance of cooking with family. Hear some of Giuliano’s heirloom recipes on this episode of A Taste of the Past. This episode has been brought to you by Whole Foods. “My mother and father could put up with a lot of things, but not bad food…” “I think a lot people have a misconception that fried food is always going to be greasy and heavy, but fried properly it’s really a wonderful way to cook because it seals the natural flavors of the food inside with this crispy exterior. It’s almost the purest way of enjoying something when it’s very well fried.” “The act of cooking together creates a bond within a family.” — Giuliano Hazan 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.

On this episode of A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio is talking with cooking instructor, author and founder of LaVarenne Cooking School, Anne Willan. Anne’s cookbook, The Cookbook Library, includes cooking instructions from four centuries of recipe history. Tune in to hear about cooking instructions from all over Europe throughout the ages, the history of dining utensils, and the role of illustrations in cooking manuals. Hear about some of the difficulties involved with recreating dishes from the 15th or 16th century. Anne has collected over 5,000 cookbooks, and you can find some excerpts of these gems of cookbook history in The Cookbook Library! This program has been brought to you by White Oak Pastures. “It’s wonderful because the whole of Europe was interested in writing down and recording what they were eating.” “The oldest recipes were the most difficult to recreate because hard to know just what ingredients tasted like and what people were getting, so it was kind of a bit of a guess. What I wanted to do was to present something that’s feasible in a modern kitchen.” —Anne Willan 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.

On this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio is talking about ancient and whole grains with Maria Speck, IACP award winning author of the NYTimes notable book Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. Topics include Maria’s upbringing with whole grains, the health benefits of eating grains, and why ancient grains have become fashionable in the food world. Quinoa has been back on the scene for a while, but learn about some lesser known grains such as emmer, kamut- and the most ancient of them all- einkorn. Maria’s book includes grain dishes for all of your courses- appetizers, meals, and deserts! Listen to this episode, and you will be an ancient grain expert. This episode is sponsored by Cain Vineyard and Winery. “The key and my passion is to tell people that whole grains can taste really good.” “In average supermarkets, grain selections are becoming bigger and bigger.” “A big trend in baking is that bakers are looking for local grains and freshly-milled flour.” — Maria Speck 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.