History

The stewardesses of Pan Am

TV’s “Pan Am:” A Case of Misplaced Nostalgia

Who doesn't miss the retro glories of the early Jet Age celebrated in the ABC series? But enough with the sexy stewardesses already

Deviled eggs, one of many Halloween treats

Deviled Eggs and Other Foods from Hell

What, exactly, is so wicked about mixing hard-boiled egg yolk with mayonnaise and mustard?

These artifacts are thought to have been offerings from the earliest farming communities that lived in this area. Chemical analysis of charred food residues preserved inside a number of vessels shows they were used for processing freshwater fish, which supplemented their fledgling agricultural economy.

Ancient Pots Show How Humans Adopted Farming

The switch from hunting and gathering to farming was revolutionary—but was it fast or slow?

A food distribution line at the Occupy Wall Street protests in Manhattan

The Long Marriage of Vegetarianism and Social Activism

As early as 1850, vegetables were identified with virtue and meat was considered "the keystone to a wide-spread arch of superfluous wants"

Water in the Black Sea’s northern reaches gets as cold as seawater can get—31 degrees Fahrenheit—and as warm as the 80s in summer.

The Wild World of the Black Sea

Visitors come for the place and spill onto the beach and pose exuberantly under umbrellas and wrestle with colorful inflatable toys in the brown waves

Fishermen pass the hours along the Bosporus Strait. They occasionally catch sardines.

Istanbul: The Maddest City in Europe

“That’s the fattest stray dog I’ve ever seen.” A lot has changed here since Mark Twain wrote about the city, but there's still plenty of mayhem

Brazilian bombshell Carmen Miranda, the lady in the tutti-frutti hat

Vogue Vittles: The Cross Between Food and Fashion

Before Lady Gaga's beef dress, there were Wonder Bread raincoats, waffle pants and Marilyn Monroe in a potato sack

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Shark Fin Soup in Hot Water

Chiles en nogada, the patriotically colored dish

Eating the Colors of the Flag for Mexican Independence Day

The patriotically colored chile, walnut sauce and pomegranate seed dish was invented by nuns in Puebla to honor a visiting general

A Manhattan, mixed using Maker's Mark bourbon

Bourbon Renewal: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of America’s Native Spirit

Despite prohibition, changing palates and charlatan whiskeys, this national drink has made a comeback

Maple syrup

Maple Grands-pères for Grandparents Day

These soft dumplings cooked in maple syrup must have made for good comfort food after a day of hard labor. But why are they named for grandfathers?

A fried peanut butter and banana sandwich

Five Funky Ways to Make a Peanut Butter Sandwich

Although peanut butter and jelly is the classic combination, there are plenty of other, very strange permutations for your lunchbox

Perhaps it's time to start teaching kids useful kitchen skills in home economics classes.

Is Home Economics Class Still Relevant?

"Too many Americans simply don't know how to cook," says a historian, and that has contributed to a health crisis

Scientists recently discovered the wild yeast that came to be used to brew lager beer.

Big Brew-ha-ha: Scientists Discover Lager’s Wild Yeast

Beer, a cornerstone of human civilization, owes its alcohol and flavor to yeast; one important variety made a long trans-Atlantic journey

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September Anniversaries

Momentous or Merely Memorable

Blackstrap molasses

Four Deadly Disasters Caused by Food

There are things you can do to prepare for a hurricane, but what about the London Beer Flood or the Boston Molasses Disaster?

The skeleton of Xiaotingia (head is to the left)

An Ode to Archaeopteryx

The many fuzzy and feathery dinosaurs that have been discovered reveal one of the most magnificent evolutionary transformations in the history of life

I love ketchup

What Ever Happened to Homemade Ketchup?

By the mid-1800s, some cookbooks listed as many as 20 recipes. Today the homogenized condiment is due for a paradigm shift

Visitors walk in the shadow of a reconstructed Tyrannosaurus at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Dinosaurs for Experts, or for Everyone?

Mounting a full dinosaur skeleton, some paleontologists believed, had more to do with art and architecture than with science

The patron saint of cooks, St. Lawrence

To Grill or Not to Grill: Commemorating a Saint’s Martyrdom

If the stories about him are true, St. Lawrence would probably appreciate this bit of perverse humor

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