Food Non-Fiction
76 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 263 ratingsFood Non-Fiction tells the incredible true stories behind food. We look forward to taking you on this wild food journey - through history, and around the world. Think of us as food historians, food scientists, and food journalists.
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Episodes
#73 Ignacio Nicknamed Nacho
October 21, 2020 04:40 - 12 minutes - 9.66 MBThis Food Non-Fiction episode tells the incredible true story of nachos. This snack was created by and named after Ignacio Anaya who's nickname was Nacho.
#72 When Impossible Burgers Became Possible
April 14, 2020 18:54 - 25 minutes - 23.9 MBThis Food Non-Fiction episode tells the incredible true story of meat alternatives. We talk about the early history of meat alternatives and then we talk to the Impossible Foods team to understand how this modern meat alternative was created.
#71 Pass the Tofurky
May 20, 2019 01:08 - 38 minutes - 31.4 MBThis is an in-depth interview with the wonderful person who created Tofurky. Seth Tibbott founded Turtle Island Foods which is still a family owned company today.
#70 Craft Beer Beginnings
December 24, 2018 00:11 - 17 minutes - 14.1 MBThis is the story of the beginnings of craft beer. We tell you how this "craft beer" concept emerged. In this episode, we interviewed John Holl - a beer expert and journalist, Renee DeLuca - the daughter of the craft beer pioneer Jack McAuliffe, and professor Michael Lewis who has taught brewing for decades.
#69 The Oreo Story
August 24, 2018 19:08 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBThis is the story of where Oreo came from, how it got its name, and who designed the cookie.
#68 Kombucha: The Tea of Immortality
June 18, 2018 22:13 - 21 minutes - 17.2 MBKombucha has been referred to as the tea of immortality. So where did it come from and what are the actual health benefits? In this episode, we talk to the experts to learn about the history and the process of brewing kombucha.
#67 Nutella Since Napoleon
December 31, 2017 00:00 - 13 minutes - 9.49 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we talk about the origins of Nutella - starting from when cocoa met hazelnut!
#66 The Monastery Breweries
November 01, 2017 08:25 - 21 minutes - 15.2 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we talk to one of the authors of Trappist Beer Travels. Caroline Wallace and her two co-authors visited the 11 Trappist monastery breweries, learning the stories and history behind each of these breweries. Here is a link to the book website for Trappist Beer Travels
#65 And This Led to Corn Flakes
July 31, 2017 21:12 - 17 minutes - 12 MBLots of people know the story of how cornflakes were created - this is the story of why. Thank You To Our Interviewee: Dr. Brian Wilson Thank You To Looperman Artists: Melody 126 Beats by Purge Ambellient by Danke Edm pluck for intro by capostipite Edm synth for verse by capostipite
#64 How Fondue Became Popular
July 02, 2017 03:41 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBThis is the origin story of fondue and how it became a popular dish. Thank You To Our Interviewee: Belinda Hulin Thank You To Looperman Artists: Poppy Acoustic (parts 1, 2, and 3) by BradoSanz Edm pluck_for_intro by capostipite EDM Trap Perc Melody by 7venth12
#63 Tony the Tiger
May 22, 2017 20:17 - 5 minutes - 3.44 MBThis Food Non-Fiction podcast episode is about the famous cereal mascot - Tony the Tiger. Thanks to Looperman Artists for the Music: Apollo by SANTIAGOO
#62 - The Palace Kitchen
March 06, 2017 20:18 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction episode, we talk to Peter Brears about what it was like to work in King Henry VIII's kitchen. Thank you to our interviewee: Peter Brears - author of "Cooking & Dining in Tudor & Early Stuart England" Thank you to Looperman artists: Bright Absurdity - Hip-hop Piano by JulietStarling xxiii Sampled Medieval Italian Acoustic Guitar by Julietstarling Artisticstrings HD Part 1 by Jawadalblooshi Dusted Jazz Loop by LeuNatic Brass - 10 - 130 Bpm by SoleilxLune ...
#61 - Turnspit Dogs
January 29, 2017 00:59 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBThis is the incredible true story of Turnspit Dogs. The turnspit dog is an extinct breed of dog. This breed was used in kitchens to turn roasting spits back when roasting was done over an open fire, rather than in an oven. The earliest known reference to to this breed is in a book called "De Canibus Britannicis" by Dr. Caius. In this book, which was published in 1570, turnspit dogs were described as a kitchen service dog. Turnspit dogs were put into wooden wheels (that looked like gian...
#60 The Carrot Myth
December 01, 2016 20:45 - 13 minutes - 9.47 MBDid your parents ever tell you that carrots improve your night vision? Have you ever heard that this is a myth? So what is the real story? Thank You to Our Interviewee: Maya Hirschman from The Secrets of Radar Museum Thank You to This Looperman Artist for the Music: Piano Loop Will-Power 94 by designedimpression Special Thanks to Public Service Broadcasting for the Music: Visit their site!
#59 Trick Or Treat!
October 31, 2016 21:09 - 12 minutes - 8.58 MBThis episode explores the history of Halloween and the vague beginnings of trick or treating! Thank You To Our Interviewee: Professor Nick Rogers Thank You To Looperman Artists for the Music: Melody by Slice0fCake Father Grimlin - Temperament Strings by JulietStarling Dark Creepy Piano by Zaqsi
#58 All Your Favorite Chocolates
October 12, 2016 17:38 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MBInspired by the book, "Chocolate Wars", by Deborah Cadbury, today we're telling you the incredible true story of how how the biggest chocolate companies in the world fought for our tummies and tastebuds through innovation after innovation that eventually turned cocoa products from a drink, to an edible chocolate, to a milk chocolate powder, and finally, to our beloved milk chocolate bar. In the 1860s/70s cadbury experimented with and successfully created the first mass-manufactured chocola...
#57 What Came First - the Cadbury or the Egg
September 01, 2016 19:08 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we talk about the beginning of Cadbury. We go right back to a time before Cadbury even existed. Thank You to Looperman Artists for the Music: happily ever after strings perfect for movie score by nbeats26 oboe 65 70 bpm by soleilxlune Funky Guitar by Neems 1 by Neems For more information on the topic, we recommend this book: "Chocolate Wars: The 150-Year Rivalry Between the World's Greatest Chocolate Makers" by Deborah Cadbury
#56 Waffle Frolic
August 10, 2016 05:01 - 10 minutes - 7.32 MBThis Food Non-Fiction episode is about waffles! We talk about the beginning of waffles and the rise of waffles. Thank You to Looperman Artists for the Music: Guitars Unlimited - Reaching Home 1 by MINOR2GO Guitars Unlimited - Reaching Home 2 by MINOR2GO happily ever after strings perfect for movie score by nbeats26
#55 The Sriracha Story
July 26, 2016 23:30 - 17 minutes - 11.9 MBThis is the story of the extremely popular and iconic Huy Fong Foods hot sauce - Sriracha. The company, Huy Fong Foods, is an American success story. The founder, David Tran, left Vietnam in 1979 and ended up in the U.S., along with many of his fellow refugees. He had been part of the Chinese minority in Vietnam, and because of his Chinese heritage, he had been pressured to leave after the Vietnam War. David Tran missed the taste of the hot sauces from Vietnam, and also needed to make mon...
BONUS Ep - Interview with Kyleena
July 15, 2016 22:45 - 24 minutes - 16.6 MBHey Food Buffs - This one is a bonus episode. Fakhri has a pizza place she loves - it's called Secret Stash - and she collected an interview with the owner, Kyleena Falzone. Thank You To Our Interviewee: Kyleena Falzone of Secret Stash
#54 Vending Machines - Past to Present
June 23, 2016 20:59 - 21 minutes - 14.5 MBThis episode is about vending machines. The first reference to a vending machine is from the 1st century AD in Egypt. The reference is in a book called “Pneumatika”, written by Hero of Alexandria. In it, there is a detailed description and a picture of a device, which dispensed water when you put in a five-drachma coin. This was invented for dispensing equal amounts of sacrificial water at Egyptian temples. This was a source of money for the Egyptian temples, and it also made sure everyone...
#53 How Jell-O Became Popular
June 09, 2016 07:08 - 17 minutes - 10 MBThis episode tells the story of Jell-O from when it was first introduced in 1897. Because gelatin desserts like Jell-O used to be a food that only wealthy families could afford to eat, (it took a long time to prepare) people were unfamiliar with the product and it was hard to sell. It took some great marketing to get this product off the ground. Special Thanks to Interviewee: Lynne Belluscio and the Jell-O Gallery Museum Thanks to Looperman Artists for the Music: relaxed chillout str...
#52 The Price of Vanilla
May 20, 2016 04:25 - 12 minutes - 7.27 MBThis Food Non-Fiction podcast episode is about vanilla! We explain the causes behind the rise and fall of the price of vanilla. It is a product that has very erratic cycles of prices skyrocketing then crashing, skyrocketing then crashing. The supply never seems to match the demands. We discuss a possible solution to this - fair trade. Special Thanks to Our Interviewees: Felix Buccellato of Custom Essence Richard J. Brownell We highly recommend this book about vanilla: "Vanilla Orch...
#51 The Original Chocolate Chip Recipe
May 11, 2016 06:22 - 12 minutes - 7.23 MBThis episode is about the creation of the original chocolate chip cookie recipe by Ruth Wakefield in 1938. Ruth, along with her husband, was the owner of the famous Toll House Inn. As promised in the episode, here are 2 links to the original chocolate chip cookie recipe: Easier to read! With pictures! Thank you to Looperman Artists for the Music: Apollo by SANTIAGOO Funky Guitar by Neems 1 by Neems Whats Goin Down by rasputin1963
#50 Hershey, Pennsylvania
April 25, 2016 01:07 - 18 minutes - 10.8 MBWe talk to the Hershey community archivist, Pam Whitenack and her colleagues about what it is really like to live in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Hershey is a model community that was built by Milton Hershey - the founder of The Hershey Company. It was built as a place for The Hershey Company employees to live. Unlike other factory towns, it was built with care and love, with great transportation, entertainment, and aesthetics. Special Thanks to Our Interviewees: Pam Whitenack and Anthony Haub...
#49 Temple Grandin and The Slaughterhouse Revolution
April 13, 2016 01:31 - 25 minutes - 14.8 MBThis is a very special Food Non-Fiction podcast episode. We had the immense pleasure of interviewing one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in the Heroes category of 2010. Her name is Temple Grandin. She is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. In North America, over half the cattle are handled in the humane systems designed by Dr. Grandin. Thank You to Our Esteemed Guests: Temple Grandin Christopher Monger Mark Deesing Special Thanks to: David Porter and...
#48 The Poison Squad
April 07, 2016 05:43 - 11 minutes - 6.51 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we tell the incredible true story of The Poison Squad. Thanks to Looperman Artists for the Music: SynCato by DesignedImpression 1950s Rock N Roll Piano Riff by rasputin1963 Food non-fiction 1 & 2 Funky Guitar by Neems 1 by Neems Special thanks to the musician, truekey, for writing music for Food Non-Fiction: Soundcloud Twitter: @truekeymusic
#47 The Life of Heinz
March 26, 2016 01:43 - 12 minutes - 7.27 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we tell the incredible true story of Henry John Heinz - the founder of the H.J. Heinz Company and the maker of everybody's favorite ketchup. Special Thanks to Looperman Artists for the Music: Liar Piano - 1 of 5 Sounds by RicoBeatz Funky Guitar by Neems 1 by Neems Bright Absurdity - Hip-hop Piano by JulietStarling Liar Guitar FLEX - 4 of 5 Sounds by RicoBeatz Piano Quality - Love Confession 2 by MINOR2GO Piano Quality - Love Confession 1 by ...
#46 Ketchup Before Tomatoes
March 18, 2016 05:50 - 11 minutes - 6.48 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we tell the incredible true story of ketchup. Thank you to this Looperman Artist for the Music: 1950s Rock N Roll Piano Riff by rasputin1963 Special thanks to the musician, truekey, for writing music for Food Non-Fiction: Soundcloud Twitter: @truekeymusic
#45 Tupperware Parties
March 10, 2016 06:17 - 11 minutes - 6.38 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction episode, we tell the incredible true story of the Tupperware Party. Every few seconds, someone somewhere in the world is hosting a Tupperware Party. In a world where everything is sold online, Tupperware sells their product through Tupperware Parties. If you haven't attended a Tupperware party, it's unlikely that you own actual Tupperware brand Tupperware. That's right - Tupperware is a brand. It's one of those brands, like Frisbee and Kleenex, with a name that has b...
#44 California Roll Creators
February 25, 2016 07:59 - 12 minutes - 7.03 MBThis Food Non-Fiction podcast episode investigates the question - who created the California Roll? Thank You to Our Interviewees: Hidekazu Tojo Trevor Corson David Kamp Thank You to Looperman Artists for the Music: Drum Loop Republic by attackyak Japanese Vibes Rhodes Only by raphael29 edm pluck for intro by capostipite Dusted Jazz Loop by LeuNatic Poppy Acoustic 2 by BradoSanz Poppy Acoustic 3 by BradoSanz
#43 Packing Food For A Hobbit
February 17, 2016 07:50 - 7 minutes - 4.38 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction episode, we go nerdy and cover a paper titled "Simply Walking into Mordor: How Much Lembas Would the Fellowship Have Needed?" by Skye Rosetti and Krisho Manaharan. The paper calculates how many pieces of lembas (elvish waybread) the Fellowship of the Ring would have had to pack for the journey from Rivendell to Mordor. Special Thanks to Looperman Artists for the Music: Concert Cello - Heaven by kickklee Apollo by SANTIAGOO Amazing Strings by BakoBone
#42 Noodles For The Hungry
February 11, 2016 05:41 - 11 minutes - 6.65 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we tell the rollercoaster story of the birth of instant noodles. On March 5, 1910, Momofuku Ando was born in Taiwan and raised by his grandparents. This was during the 50 years of Japanese rule that started after Japan won the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895. He was a natural entrepreneur and started a clothing business when he was only 22. With his success, he moved to Japan the next year and expanded his clothing company while still attending uni...
#41 How An Accountant Created Bubble Gum
February 04, 2016 06:51 - 10 minutes - 6 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we tell you how the accountant, Walter Diemer, ended up creating the world's first commercially available bubble gum. Walter worked for the Frank H. Fleer Corporation founded by Frank H. Fleer who had invented the world's first (not commercially available) bubble gum. After Frank died, his son in law, Gilbert Mustin, eventually took over the company. There are few sources on how Walter became involved with making bubble gum, but according to a book t...
#40 The Surprising Inventor of the Spork
January 28, 2016 06:51 - 6 minutes - 3.7 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we talk about the spork. Thank you to the Looperman artist BradoSanz for the music! We used these wonderful songs: Poppy Acoustic 1 Poppy Acoustic 2 Poppy Acoustic 3 Poppy Acoustic 4
#39 How to Spot A Food Trend
January 21, 2016 07:04 - 13 minutes - 7.5 MBThis is the first Food Non-Fiction episode of 2016, so we are going to talk about food trends. This episode will cover how to spot food trends, how to track food trends and what food trends we can expect in 2016. Using the New York Times' Chronicle tool, writer Neil Irwin came up with the Fried Calamari Index to track food trends by looking at the frequency at which the NYT mentioned various foods. Culinary trendologist, Christine Couvelier, forecasts food trends by going to food shows a...
#38 Can Man Dan
December 16, 2015 16:16 - 15 minutes - 8.64 MBThis Food Non-Fiction podcast is all about Can Man Dan. This is the story of how Dan Johnstone became Can Man Dan. Thank you to the following artists for the music in this episode: Paul Otten "Joy to the World" cover - Website | SoundCloud Shaun Friedman "Deck the Halls" cover - Website | SoundCloud Thank you to our Interviewees: Dan Johnstone Evan Cherot Wood Buffalo Food Bank Edmonton's Food Bank
#37 So Called Doomsday Vault
December 09, 2015 10:57 - 9 minutes - 4.36 MB1300 km past the Arctic Circle, nestled in the permafrost, amongst inhabitants like polar bears and reindeer, lies the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. In the media, it’s better known as the “Doomsday Vault”. The vault contains backup copies of our world’s seeds...it protects the genetic diversity of our crops in case of large-scale disasters. The location was chosen in 1983 by the Nordic gene bank. Originally, they had used an old coal mine to store containers of seeds. The coal mines were s...
#36 Who Created Rice Krispies Treats?
December 03, 2015 17:13 - 9 minutes - 5.29 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we talk about the creation of the Rice Krispies Treats. In 1928, Kellogg’s introduced the Rice Krispies cereal to the public. In the same year, the company hired a recent home economics graduate of Iowa State University - her name was Mildred Day. Her job was to test recipes for Kellogg’s and she also travelled around the country conducting cooking schools for the company’s customers. Kellogg’s recipe testers were asked to develop recipes using Kel...
#35 The Business of Casino Food
November 26, 2015 06:39 - 10 minutes - 6.2 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we tell the story of how Las Vegas became a destination market for gambling, how the nature of destination markets created competition amongst the many casinos, how casino food amenities were used as a competitive tool, and how casino restaurants have changed over time from buffet to gourmet. In October of 1929, the stock market crashed. October 29th was the worst day of this crash. It was named “Black Tuesday”. On Black Tuesday, over 16 million sh...
#34 How Bacon Became Breakfast
November 19, 2015 04:56 - 7 minutes - 4.11 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we reveal how bacon became a breakfast food. In 1925, the Beech-Nut Packing Company asked Edward Bernays to help increase bacon sales. Why did they ask Edward Bernays? Because Bernays was a master of influencing public opinions. His campaigns increased smoking amongst women, the use of disposable Dixie cups instead of washable glass cups, and more. Back then, breakfasts were very light meals. For example, a breakfast could be a cup of orange juice, s...
#33 Ice Cream Sundae Fight Song
November 12, 2015 03:22 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we look into the origins of the ice cream sundae. About a dozen towns claim to be the birthplace of the ice cream sundae, but there are 3 main contenders that are always mentioned. By chronological order, we share the stories from 1. Two Rivers, Wisconsin in 1881, 2. Evanston, Illinois in 1890 and 3. Ithaca, New York in 1892. In Two Rivers, the ice cream sundae was created when a man named George Hallauer asked for chocolate syrup on top of his ice...
#32 Eaten to Extinction: The Passenger Pigeon
November 05, 2015 06:48 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MBThis is the incredible true story of passenger pigeons. There used to be an estimated 3-5 billion passenger pigeons. People killed them for food, then sold the surplus to local markets. With the advancements of technology, people were able to sell their surplus to regional then national markets. Improvements in telegraph technology allowed hunters to communicate where the birds were, and the spread of railroads allowed transportation of huge numbers of passenger pigeons to far away markets. ...
#31 Halloween Candy Horror
October 28, 2015 07:37 - 12 minutes - 6.86 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we find out the truth behind Halloween candy poisonings. Our guest, Dr. Joel Best, is the world's leading expert on Halloween sadism (Halloween sadism is the term that describes poisoning Halloween candy). He became interested in the topic when he was in graduate school and spending his term reading about deviant behaviours. What he noticed was that criminals always have a motive. He didn't believe that strangers would poison candy because what would...
#30 Birth of Betty Crocker
October 22, 2015 04:20 - 9 minutes - 5.46 MBThis Food Non-Fiction podcast episode reveals the creation of Betty Crocker. In 1921, the Washburn-Crosby (now General Mills), created a non-existent employee named "Betty Crocker" who was "chief of correspondence". All customer inquiries about domestic matters were responded to immediately in personal letters signed by Betty Crocker. People loved her. Betty's replies were always prompt and informative. She not only taught people cooking and cleaning techniques, but she also guided women in ...
#29 Sailing with Scurvy and Lemons
October 15, 2015 06:06 - 13 minutes - 7.96 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we talk about scurvy and its Vitamin C cure. Although the cure for scurvy was discovered a long time ago, changes in the understanding of science, medicine and the human body, caused people time turn away from the tried and true cure of fresh fruits and vegetables time and time again. We discuss the various events that brought the fresh produce cure in and out of favor. Thanks to Looperman artists for the music: Nerves Drums Part 1 & 2 by Lodde...
#28 Space Food Part 2 - Chris Hadfield, Dr. Louisa Preston, Chris Patil
October 08, 2015 00:04 - 21 minutes - 15 MBIn this podcast episode of Food Non-Fiction, we continue our discussion of Space Food from part 1. This episode features Dr. Louisa Preston, an astrobiologist who discusses with us how realistic the book/movie The Martian was in depicting the growth of potatoes on Mars. We also talk to Chris Patil who is part of the Mars One mission that is hoping to send human colonists to Mars. Finally, we finish our interview with astronaut Chris Hadfield who reveals his favourite space food. Thanks to ...
#27 Space Food with Chris Hadfield and Andy Weir
October 05, 2015 05:41 - 12 minutes - 7.01 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we begin our interview with astronaut Chris Hadfield (concluded in part 2 of the space episode). We also speak to Andy Weir, author of The Martian (film adaptation out in theatres Oct. 2, starring Matt Damon). We ask Chris Hadfield what breakfast lunch and dinner are like in space and we ask Andy Weir about how he came up with the idea for his book.
#26 The First Luau
October 01, 2015 06:20 - 13 minutes - 7.67 MBThis Food Non-Fiction podcast episode is the story of the first ever luau. Hawaii's second king, Kamehameha II was only around 22 years old when his father died and he took the throne. With influence from his stepmother and birthmother, as well as changing beliefs sparked by Western contact, Kamehameha dined at the women's table during a feast in 1819. This was previously forbidden by kapu rules, but the king's act symbolized the end of the strict kapu system. The Hawaiian word for "feast" u...
#25 Some More Marshmallows!
September 24, 2015 06:20 - 8 minutes - 4.76 MBIn this Food Non-Fiction podcast episode, we talk about marshmallows! Marshmallows used to be made with marshmallow plants (Althaea Officinalis). When marshmallows were made with marshmallow plant sap, they had some medicinal properties. They were used like lozenges, to soothe sore throats. We also talk about the first printed S'mores recipe in the 1927 Girl Scouts handbook. References: Guild of Food Writers How Stuff Works Madehow.com Smithsonian.com Campfire Marshmallows Boye...