If you didn’t know anything about American children, and were suddenly shown a kid’s menu from just about any restaurant, what would you think? That kids have an unhealthy relationship with French fries and grilled cheese? That chicken tenders and peanut butter sandwiches must ...read more

These days, sushi is everywhere: the strip mall, the airport terminal and even your local supermarket. A spicy tuna roll is as easy to come by as a hot dog or hamburger. But it wasn’t always this way: as ubiquitous as it is now, sushi is a remarkably recent addition to the ...read more

Over the past 70 years, the name “Hindenburg” has become synonymous with disaster. Footage of the fiery end of the great German airship over a field in New Jersey still fascinates modern viewers, and theories as to why the zeppelin caught fire are debated even today. But the ...read more

These days, it can seem like every chef has their own television show. From the smallest public television station to huge networks devoted to food, TV chefs occupy an inordinately large portion of the airwaves. This isn’t a recent phenomenon. Long before Emeril Lagasse and even ...read more

Steak and potatoes, creamed spinach, a stiff drink: the menu at your average steakhouse hasn’t changed for over 100 years. Americans flock to these palaces of meat, whether they’re upscale chains or a neighborhood spot whose décor hasn’t changed since the Reagan administration. ...read more

When it comes to official state mottos, we all know that New Hampshirites “Live Free or Die.” Oklahomans claim “Oklahoma!” as their state song, and Georgians proudly sing “Georgia on My Mind.” But when it comes to state foods, the list gets pretty esoteric. Were you aware, for ...read more

As soon as NASA began the work of sending humans into space, the question arose: What would they would eat once there? Space food had to fit a number of requirements. It had to be easily portable. It had to be nutrient-dense and filling, as the astronauts would be expending a ...read more

When we think of foods of the California Gold Rush, our thoughts are likely to turn to sourdough bread and Hangtown Fry. But a much more interesting phenomenon was at work in the gold fields of Northern California in the 1850s: an out of control rate of inflation in the cost of ...read more

We’ve all enjoyed a nice slice of apple pie, a piping hot apple turnover or a dish of fresh apple crisp. But when was the last time you dug into an apple Brown Betty? How about a pandowdy, or a buckle? And when have you last baked an apple slump for your family’s dessert? While ...read more

For the past couple of years, it seems the most fashionable way to get your lunch is from a truck. From Los Angeles to New York, slinging lobster rolls or Korean tacos or gourmet ice pops, food trucks run wild across our country’s blossoming food scene. But while the craze is ...read more

Have you ever been in search of, shall we say, a natural high? Are you looking for some extra excitement in your grilled fish dinner? Want more out of your spice rack? This week, we’re looking at some very different foods that share a common trait. These intoxicating foods can ...read more

Would you believe that Americans eat more than 300 million sandwiches a day? That’s right, every day we consume about as many sandwiches as we have people to eat them. And why not? The sandwich might be the perfect food: portable, open to any interpretation and as simple or as ...read more

These days, most Americans think nothing of picking up dinner, bringing it home and enjoying all the benefits of a meal in, without the hassle of dishes, cooking and clean up. But not that long ago, takeout as we know it was unheard of. While restaurants have flourished in ...read more

Whether you prefer yours toasted or not, with scallion cream cheese or just buttered, with lox or jam, chances are you love a good bagel for breakfast. And you aren’t alone – Americans have enjoyed bagels for about 100 years, ever since Polish Jews brought them to New York’s ...read more

Is there anything more satisfying than a huge bowl of freshly sauced pasta at the end of a long day? Few meals can be as pleasurable. But the stories behind your basic carbonara, puttanesca and bolognese sauces are anything but simple. Italian pasta sauces have a rich history ...read more

It's one of the most celebrated feats of World War II: On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 troops stormed the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion. Less known is that an unlikely snack helped power the Allies before, during and after the historic mission—Hershey’s ...read more

Let’s take this opportunity to revisit the history of this delicious concoction of tequila, Cointreau, lime and salt. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. While it’s a relatively minor ...read more

These days, when we think of the words “airline food,” it hardly conjures up a vision of gourmet cuisine. We’re more likely to think of stale crackers, a bag of party mix or those ever-present peanuts. But once upon a time, airplane food was actually delicious (and you didn’t ...read more

The coming of Passover, a celebration that commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from their enslavement in Egypt—a story depicted in the biblical Book of Exodus—brings with it the annual ritual of loading up the Seder plate. The six items on the plate each hold a special ...read more

The Ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras is best known today for his mathematical theorem, which haunts the dreams of many geometry students, but for centuries he was also celebrated as the father of vegetarianism. A meatless diet was referred to as a “Pythagorean diet” for ...read more

From Italian ravioli, to Polish piroshky, to Chinese pot stickers, the humble dumpling is beloved by eaters around the world. Truly a universal food, you’d be hard pressed to find a cultural cuisine that doesn’t include dumplings in some form, be it stuffed or boiled. Ghanaians ...read more

Graham crackers and corn flakes: two staples of every American pantry. Chances are you’ve enjoyed a bowl of cornflakes for breakfast or snacked on a s’more by the side of a campfire. But did you know that both of these foods trace their roots back to the 1800s and two men’s ...read more

For some people, the weekend just isn’t complete without brunch. A leisurely meal of eggs Benedict, perhaps some home fries and a Bloody Mary or two: What’s not to love? But we haven’t always brunched. This week we’ll investigate the history of this unique meal, from its origins ...read more

Newly popular in health circles, the Paleo diet was created back in the 1970s by gastroenterologist Walter Voegtlin. He was the first to suggest that eating like our Paleolithic ancestors could make modern humans healthier. A return to the diet of our forebears, according to ...read more

Today, the Vikings are celebrated as a proud, warlike folk, well known for their mythology and elaborate funerals. The Viking diet, however, is a mystery to most people. What did these warriors eat to survive in such a forbidding landscape? As it turns out, their food was ...read more

We’re taking a look at how George Washington threw a dinner party. As the first American president, Washington forged his own path regarding how much interaction to have with his public, his advisors and his Congress. The new republic was still small, so it was easy for ...read more

The Year of the Horse is almost upon us! Chinese New Year festivities begin this weekend, and preparations are underway from Shanghai to San Francisco. For many Chinese, this holiday is all about the food. From potstickers to noodles to citrus fruit, the foods eaten hold meaning ...read more

Double, double toil and trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bubble. Those words might be the most famous ones Shakespeare ever wrote about food, but they’re hardly the only ones. In between the star-crossed lovers, the mad kings and the bumbling courtiers, Shakespeare mentions food ...read more

Love to grill? Well, you’re not the first. In fact, the Greeks beat us all to it by more than 3,000 years. Recently, archeologist Julie Hruby of Dartmouth College presented her research findings about how exactly the ancient Greeks used their grills at the Archeological Institute ...read more

January 3 marks the 55th anniversary of Alaska’s admittance to the Union. And what better way to celebrate that day here at Hungry History than by taking a look at some traditional Alaskan foods? For thousands of years, Alaska’s indigenous Inuit, often referred to by the more ...read more

Early Americans were absolutely oyster crazy. When the first English settlers arrived at Plymouth Rock, oysters were a reliable and tasty source of nutrition. Native Americans had already been harvesting them for at least 3,000 years. As the young colony’s population grew and ...read more

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, when cooks around the country take to their kitchens to bake cookies galore. Whether you prefer gingerbread men, crisp springerle or crunchy biscotti, chances are you’ll enjoy some fresh baked Christmas cookies this holiday season. Like ...read more

Holiday tables are often divided over these three little words–green bean casserole. This mixture of canned soup, frozen green beans and fried onions has graced holiday buffets since the 1950s. But who came up with this trinity, and why has it become so famous? This week we’ll ...read more

It’s hard to think of a more purely American food than popcorn. Whether it’s salted and buttered at a movie theatre, kettle corn at a state fair or a caramel popcorn ball at holiday time, we devour the stuff. And we’re far from the world’s first popcorn fans: Archeologists have ...read more

This past week, history has taken a center stage, as newspapers, online publications and television programs mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy Jr. In that spirit, this week, Hungry History is taking a special look back at the food of the ...read more

Let’s talk turkey. ‘Tis the season for this noble animal, a true native American and Benjamin Franklin’s pick for national bird. A turkey is much more than just a yearly holiday roast, or the humble sliced lunchmeat on your club sandwich. This week, we’ll examine some little ...read more

Cooking knowledge has been passed down through the ages since the first hungry human thought to grill a hunk of meat over a campfire. From mother to daughter, master to servant, or chef to apprentice, skills are mastered and then continually refined by the next generation. These ...read more

“We have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon, If it were not for pumpkins we should be undoon.” Those lines, from a poem written by a Massachusetts settler in the 1630s, seem particularly appropriate at this time of year. Halloween is nearly here, so grocery stores, coffee ...read more

Archeological discoveries have told us much about how ancient Egyptians worshiped, celebrated and mourned. But these scientific finds have also provided tantalizing clues about how–and what–this complex civilization ate. From grains like emmer and kamut to cloudy beer and ...read more

If the adage is true, and we really are what we eat, then there’s much to be learned from White House menus. Not only do they tell us what the most powerful men in America had for dinner, they also chart the cultural growth and change of an entire nation. George Washington was a ...read more

The weather is finally turning colder, and the crisp morning air can only mean one thing: the season’s first snowfall isn’t far away. But imagine how chilling that cold air would be if you were a soldier in Washington’s army, preparing to spend a winter in Valley Forge, ...read more

Beer–it’s the chosen beverage of English kings, Egyptian stonemasons and Homer Simpson. And it has a long and celebrated history going back to 3400 B.C. The first known written record of beer dates back to the ancient Sumerians. It’s in the form of a hymn, to the goddess of beer ...read more

If you’re like most Americans, chances are you’ve been on at least one picnic this summer. And if you haven’t, why not? Dining al fresco with friends and family is one of summer’s greatest pleasures, although it certainly wasn’t always that way: It’s hard to envision prehistoric ...read more

The hot dog is the quintessential summer food: cheap, tasty, great for grills and forgiving of even the most inexperienced backyard cooks. But who made the first hot dog? Historians believe that its origins can be traced all the way back to era of the notorious Roman emperor ...read more

In the late winter of 1863, Richmond, Virginia, was a miserable place to be. Once expected by proud Southerners to be a short conflict, the Civil War was stretching into its third year. Things were not going well for the boys in grey, as Union troops took control of coastal trade ...read more

However, frozen desserts were around long before that part of our story begins. Ancient Roman slaves were sent up into the mountains to retrieve blocks of ice for their masters, which were then crushed and served with fruit and spice syrups. Marco Polo himself enjoyed sorbets and ...read more

Though it’s mainly known as a non-alcoholic beverage today, punch was invented as a beer alternative in the 17th century by men working the ships for the British East India Company. These men were accomplished drinkers, throwing back an allotment of 10 pints of beer per shipman ...read more

Long before the Civil War, the hog was the staple of the Southern diet. Cheap to raise and incredibly low maintenance, farmers could let young pigs loose in their fields to run wild until it was time for slaughter, usually in the late fall right as temperatures dipped. This ...read more