Stephanie Butler

Long before supersonic jets made it easy to cross the country, train travel was the elegant way to get from place to place in the United States. During the golden age of American trains, their sleek, opulent interiors featured plush seats, porters for your every need and gleaming ...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

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

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

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

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

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

For many Chinese, the annual Chinese New Year holiday is all about the food. From potstickers to noodles to citrus fruit, the foods eaten hold meaning and significance for the year ahead.  The foods enjoyed during New Year are similar to those consumed during the rest of the ...read more

Each December, 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 many Christmas traditions, the ...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

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

The hot dog, a quintessential American summer grill food, has origins that may go back millennia. Historians believe its beginnings can be traced to era of the notorious Roman emperor Nero, whose cook, Gaius, may have linked the first sausages. In ancient Rome, it was customary ...read more

Frozen desserts have been enjoyed for millennia. Ancient Roman slaves were sent up into the mountains to retrieve blocks of ice, to be crushed and served with fruit and spice syrups. Medieval Venetial explorer Marco Polo enjoyed sorbets and ices when he traveled to the Chinese ...read more

When you think of military food, the word “delicious” doesn’t often come to mind. That’s especially true of camp and battlefield rations, where MREs stocked with orange juice powder and peanut butter rule the day. But even today’s not-so-savory meals have come a long way since ...read more

The Jewish calendar is full of holidays with rich food histories. Whether it’s latkes and sufganiyot for Hanukkah or the decadent fast breaking of Yom Kippur, food is inextricably linked to celebrating for the Jewish people. One of the religion’s most iconic holiday foods is ...read more

Chopsticks are used by billions of people around the world—and they have a truly ancient past. The Chinese have been wielding them since at least 1200 B.C., and by A.D. 500 the slender batons had swept the Asian continent from Vietnam to Japan. From their humble beginnings as ...read more

Conversation hearts, truffles galore and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates—these are the symbols of Valentine’s Day for many lovers around the world. But where did this tradition come from? While the roots of Valentine’s Day go all the way back to Roman times, candy gift-giving is ...read more

You wouldn’t think it to look at them, but your salt and pepper shakers have caused a lot of problems over the years. Underneath that innocuous ceramic bulb lies a history of kingdoms torn apart, newly discovered worlds and powerful trade dynasties. The story of spices fills many ...read more

Forget champagne—in the Southern United States, hoppin’ John is standard New Year’s fare. This simple, delicious dish of peas, pork and rice has graced holiday tables since the 1800s. Although it’s believed to bring luck and peace in the coming year to anyone who eats it, hoppin’ ...read more

It’s likely you’ve heard the adage “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and everyone knows about the reputed healing powers of a steaming bowl of chicken soup. But would you think to place potato slices on a fever-stricken patient’s forehead? Or shampoo with mayonnaise to give ...read more