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The Salt
A view of a McDonald's fast-food restaurant in Des Plaines, Ill., circa 1955. A new book explores the complicated bond between Americans and fast food.

'Drive-Thru Dreams' Explores America's Love-Hate Relationship With Fast Food

Aug 07, 2019
Americans have a torturous relationship with fast food. We vilify it but also view it through a nostalgic lens. A new book explores this complicated yet seemingly unshakable bond.
NPR
The Salt
We may think of salads as leafy and green, but the Watergate salad is only the latter. A combination of pistachio pudding mix, canned pineapple, whipped cream and chopped nuts, the salad is the shade of a Shamrock Shake ... sort of a minty chartreuse.

Watergate Salad: A Fluffy Green Bite Of Washington, D.C.'s Past

Aug 03, 2019
Thirty years ago, if you walked into a deli in Washington, D.C., you might find a dish called "Watergate Salad." And it's not bad. Soft. Tangy. You can taste why this caught on. And why it went away.
NPR
The Salt

The Colonial Roots Of Pimiento Cheese

May 19, 2019
A Filipina American discovers her favorite cheesy snack has a bloody origin story.
NPR
The Salt
Sebastiano Ridolfi tries on the costume of Papà del Gnoco, or "Gnocchi Dad," the Santa-esque figure who's the symbol of the gnocchi-themed pre-Lent celebration in Verona, Italy. Although Ridolfi didn't win the election to be Papà del Gnoco, he was rece

Wherefore Art Thou, Gnocchi-o? Fair Verona Has Another Enduring Love Story

Feb 27, 2019
Though the potato dumplings are found all over Italy, it's only in Verona that the dish inspired a pre-Lent holiday, complete with a parade, costumes and an elected Santa-esque figure, Papà del Gnoco.
NPR
The Salt
A satire of women's social discourse in the Queen Anne period depicts six women taking tea in a parlor, with figures on the left signifying hidden emotions and power struggles behind a genteel facade. Circa 1710.

The Real 'Favourite' Of Queen Anne's Era? Tea, And The Gossip That Swirled Around It

Feb 19, 2019
The Oscar-nominated film has reignited interest in the life (and love interests) of a corpulent, gouty, queen who liked chocolate more than tea. So why are Queen Anne and tea-drinking so closely tied?
NPR
The Salt
At Colonial Williamsburg's garden and nursery, which is open to guests, staff grow items that would have been found in gentry pleasure gardens: herbs, flowers and seasonal greens.

Colonial Williamsburg Serves Up The Past So You Can Try A Taste Of History

Feb 17, 2019
The living-history museum in Virginia re-creates 18th-century recipes in its restaurants using ingredients grown in the traditional way onsite. But some modern palates aren't too keen on the taste.
NPR
The Salt
Sriraja Panich is the brand name of one of two Sriracha sauces created by Saowanit Trikityanukul's family. The family sold the brand to Thaitheparos, Thailand's leading sauce company, in the 1980s. The brand has struggled to gain a foothold in the U.S.,

In Home Of Original Sriracha Sauce, Thais Say Rooster Brand Is Nothing To Crow About

Jan 16, 2019
The Rooster brand, ubiquitous in the U.S., is now being exported to Thailand, where Sriracha was born. But many Thais who taste the U.S. version are not impressed. "I wanted to gag," says one.
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NPR
The Salt
Sorrel, a festive drink made by steeping hibiscus flowers, is the taste of the holidays throughout the Caribbean. It is also a close cousin to the African-American red drink, described as "liquid soul."

Sorrel: The Ruby-Red Caribbean Christmas Drink Flavored With Black History

Dec 23, 2018
This festive punch, made from hibiscus, is the taste of the holidays throughout the islands. It is also a close cousin to African-American "red drink," described as "liquid soul."
NPR
The Salt
<em>Rosogolla</em>, also known as <em>rasgulla</em>, is a simple white spongy ball, made of <em>chhena</em>, an Indian version of cottage cheese, dunked in syrup.  Above, newer, colorful iterations of this classic sweet are for sale during Rosogolla Day

An Indian Dessert, Beloved And Battled Over, Now Stars In Its Own Movie

Dec 21, 2018
Rosogolla is a classic Indian sweet, so loved that a new film tells its "bittersweet" origin story. But that story comes with its own version of a political birther controversy.
NPR
The Salt
The author's mother prepares<em> doraji</em> (도라지), or bellflower root.<strong> </strong>In Korea, it's often culturally associated with cough relief.

Korean Culinary Cures: From Tummy Aches To Hangovers, Here's How Moms Cook Up Relief

May 09, 2018
Cooking to soothe sick children is a ritual for moms around the world. In Korea, some foods are widely believed to help treat ailments and boost health. Here's a look at some popular healing dishes.
NPR
The Salt
A collection of the ancient cobs unearthed by Tom Dillehay, one of Dolores Piperno's collaborators, at a site in Peru.

The Oscar For Best Snack Goes To ... Popcorn, The 6,000-Year-Old Aztec Gold

Mar 01, 2018
Zoom in and behold the science secrets behind popcorn's airy crunch — and learn about the snack's ancient origin — in this bite-sized video.
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NPR
The Salt
A still from the Netflix series <em>Ugly Delicious</em>.

Chef David Chang Dishes On The 'Ugly' Side Of 'Delicious' Food

Feb 24, 2018
David Chang's show, Ugly Delicious, delves into how various cultures approach comfort foods that have complicated back stories. "There's no universal truth about any food," says the chef.
NPR
The Salt
Brick Lane is a street in the London borough of Tower Hamlets. It is famous for its many curry houses.

What's The Difference Between A Curry House And An Indian Restaurant?

Dec 05, 2017
Curry may be Britain's unofficial national dish, but it's really more of a cuisine — and an entirely British invention. It's a testament to the innovation of Indian immigrants in the UK.
NPR
The Salt
Panda Express co-founder Andrew Cherng says the chef who created Orange Chicken was inspired by flavors from the Hunan Province in China.

Orange Chicken, Panda Express' Gift To American Chinese Food, Turns 30

Oct 30, 2017
The concoction, crispy fried chicken tossed with a sweet and sour sauce, is an Americanized version of dishes found in China. But this top seller has developed its own authenticity over the years.
NPR
The Salt
In the last 13 years of Queen Victoria's life, she spent a great deal of time with Abdul Karim, who came from India initially to wait on the queen's table, but soon became part of her inner circle. And despite all opposition, Victoria and Karim curried o

Queen Victoria's Unlikely Bond With Indian Attendant Made Curry Classy

Oct 29, 2017

The new film Victoria & Abdul sheds light on this extraordinary friendship, which had a spicy side effect: Curries, once a way to use up leftovers, began to simmer regularly in the royal kitchens.

NPR
The Salt
Photos of Chinese men working in the fields and bottling wine are displayed in Buena Vista's tasting room. "We feel it's more important than ever to talk about the reason we exist and the people who contributed to it − Chinese, Hungarian, French," says

Chinese Laborers Built Sonoma's Wineries. Racist Neighbors Drove Them Out

Jul 13, 2017
Enjoying a chardonnay or cabernet sauvignon? In the 1800s, Chinese immigrants helped introduce those iconic varietals to California's wine country. But as vineyards grew, so did anti-Chinese fervor.
NPR
The Salt
Fannie Lou Hamer, the famed voting rights activist from Mississippi, pictured here in 1964, also became what we would call a "food sovereignty" activist.

Race, Class And Paying Down Southern Food's Great 'Debt Of Pleasure'

Jun 11, 2017
In his book, The Potlikker Papers, John T. Edge tells the story of modern Southern history through food — which means "explicitly digging into issues of race, class, gender, ethnicity," he says.
NPR
The Salt
Food historian Paula Marcoux decided to follow the 1651 recipe for Eggs in Snow, using the period cooking tools it called for. Instead of an oven, she placed the eggs on a buttered dish over hot coals and heated it from above using a hot fire shovel call

Cloud Eggs: The Latest Instagram Food Fad Is Actually Centuries Old

May 21, 2017
The fanciful dish was meant to impress nearly 400 years ago, so don't roll your eyes at photos of these pretty edibles: They're actually a time-honored tradition tinged with a bit of kitchen science.
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NPR
The Salt
At the turn of the 20th century, when access to professional care was spotty, many cookbooks served up recipes for the sick — some (brandy) more appealing than others (toast water). Even the <em>Joy Of Cooking</em> included sickbed recipes up through t

Food To Cure What Ails You: When Cookbooks Treated Meals As Medicine

May 17, 2017
At the turn of the 20th century, when access to professional care was spotty, many cookbooks served up recipes for the sick — some (brandy) more appealing than others (toast water).
NPR
The Salt
Gullah chef Benjamin "B.J." Dennis prepared this dish of Moruga Hill Rice in coconut milk as part of a tasting of the African rice in Charleston, S.C., during the Carolina Gold Rice Foundation's spring meeting.

A Lost Rice Variety — And The Story Of The Freed 'Merikins' Who Kept It Alive

May 10, 2017
The rice traveled from Africa to the Southeast, where it was a link to home for enslaved Africans. Then it nearly vanished — and with it, a heritage tying African, Southern and West Indian foodways.
NPR
The Salt
Honey fritters

What Did Ancient Romans Eat? New Novel Serves Up Meals And Intrigue

Apr 28, 2017
In ancient Rome, food was a bargaining chip for position for slaves and nobles alike. At the center of Feast Of Sorrow is real-life nobleman Apicius, who inspired the oldest surviving cookbook.
NPR
The Salt
GIs enjoy a cup of coffee during World War II. "The American soldier became so closely identified with his coffee that G.I. Joe gave his name to the brew," according to coffee historian Mark Pendergrast.

In WWI Trenches, Instant Coffee Gave Troops A Much-Needed Boost

Apr 06, 2017
One hundred years ago today, the U.S. entered World War I. American GIs marched into battle armed with one important — and then still-novel — item to give them a jolt of energy and raise morale.
NPR
The Salt
Anyone who has read or seen <em></em>Victor Hugo's masterpiece knows the plot of <em>Les Miserables</em> turns on the theft of a simple loaf of bread. There was no sharper barometer of economic status in 19th-century France than bread.

Let Them Eat Bread: The Theft That Helped Inspire 'Les Miserables'

Mar 20, 2017
Anyone who has read or seen Victor Hugo's masterpiece knows the plot turns on the theft of a simple loaf of bread. There was no sharper barometer of economic status in 19th-century France than bread.
NPR
The Salt
A caricature of a French lemonade merchant, after Henry William Bunbury, 1771.

How Lemonade Helped Paris Fend Off Plague And Other Surprising 'Food Fights'

Mar 12, 2017
Tom Nealon's new book searches through patchy historical records to trace subjects like how chocolate helped lead to war in the Caribbean, or the role a grain fungus played in the Crusades.
NPR
The Salt
From happy Neolithic-era accident to inspiration for student protests to tabletop staple, butter has had quite the ride over the past 10,000 years. A new book tells the story.

Spread The Word: Butter Has An Epic Backstory

Feb 24, 2017
From its origins as a happy accident 10,000 years ago, to its role as the centerpiece of a school "rebellion," the tabletop staple has had quite a life. A new book tells the story.

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