Having some hot chocolate at the cafe of the ChocoMuseum in Lima, Peru (Miraflores district)
I’ve been trying to learn more about food history, but with work taking up so much of my time, it’s a bit hard to sit down to read a book. I’ve found a few food history podcasts that I listen to on my way to work that you might like as well!
A Taste of the Past
This podcast features guest speakers, which range from authors to scholars to discuss food culture ranging from Rome to the tables of today. Sometimes the guest speaker could be a bit dry, but there is an ample amount of facts and info to be learned from this podcast. The most recent one is about Jamaican Jerk, a style of cooking native to Jamaica by slaves who escaped into the wilds of Jamaica, and I found it very intriguing!
http://heritageradionetwork.org/series/a-taste-of-the-past/
Fast Food History
This podcast talks about fast food history in the US. The podcast is a bit dry, but I do like how it covers the history of McDonald’s and other fast food restaurant chains in detail.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fast-food-history/id1307115877?mt=2
Food Non-Fiction
This podcast brings in guest speakers as well and the hosts are pretty good at keeping the listener entertained. Like A Taste of the Past, the podcasts focuses more on the history of certain dishes, but also adds in a bit more in that it will also go into current food trends. Overall, a pretty good podcast for covering food history and modern food culture such as the history of kombucha to eating bugs.
https://www.foodnonfiction.com/
Gastropod
This podcast has a bit of everything with the food culture and history, such as the science and current events. The topics don’t necessarily cover just food history and culture specifically, but rather how the foods today tie into societal expectations and traditions today, such as how the US became the world’s biggest food aid donor and how avocados became a global dish. This podcast has pretty interesting stories if you are looking for more of a mix of everything from science to history to culture.
Hungry
This podcast talks about specific dishes and how it shapes history, and how current events have shaped these dishes. Topics range from donuts to tootsie rolls and their history but also discusses modern issues of today around food such as immigration. Not as much of a focus on the history as A Taste of the Past as it does cover a few podcasts on current events. It is also relatively new (so not that many episodes to pick and choose from) but does have very interesting topics.
The Feast
This podcast focuses on food history, but the topics are a bit of a niche in the food history and culture it covers. For example, podcast topics range from African American Cooks in the White House to Space Gastronomy. Some of the topics are very interesting and aren’t something I’ve thought to look for (for example, how space food for astronauts have developed), so definitely check it out.
http://www.thefeastpodcast.org/
Overall, I like to go through each of the podcasts and look at the topics that interest me, but you’d never know if you like a podcast episode unless you give it a try!
Check out my blog posts on food history of certain dishes if you’re interested in food history!
http://www.foodworthwritingfor.com
Food Worth Writing For 