Food—A Cultural Culinary History Podcast – The Great Courses Daily

Latest Episodes
Elizabethan England, Puritans, Country Food
English cookery’s unflattering reputation really conceals a rich and varied culinary past. In today’s podcast we’re going to look at the religious and political factors that ended up producing multiple different versions of English gastronomy.
Dutch Treat—Coffee, Tea, Sugar, Tobacco
In today's podcast, we'll follow the conquests of the Dutch, the British, and the French, and we'll discuss how the trade in a group of entirely superfluous, edible, luxury items changed the focus of the global economy and the global cuisine.
African and Aboriginal Cuisines
In this episode we're going to learn about the distinctive African foodways. These are food ecosystems that predated extensive outside contact. They encompass traditions such as rich stews and “fufu” which is a starch-based porridge.
Edo, Japan—Samurai Dining and Zen Aesthetics
In today's podast, we're travelling all the way to the islands of Japan, where we will contemplate how traditional Japanese reverence for nature is reflected in their respect for the natural flavors of food.
Colonial Cookery in North America
In today's podcast we're going to contrast the culinary fashions of colonial Virginia which were modeled on the English gentry, with the mercantile, Puritan ethic of New England.
Eating in the Early Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution brought far-reaching changes in food production and culture. In this episode, we'll travel to the British Isles and observe how the advent of industrially organized farming, urban labor,
Romantics, Vegetarians, Utopians
In the 19th century, food-conscious social movements reacted against the many ills of industrial society. In today's podcast. we're going to delve into new dietary ideologies that stressed purity and were backed by both quasi-scientific and religious t...
First Restaurants, Chefs, and Gastronomy
In today's podcast we're going to learn about the West’s first true restaurants in 18th-century Paris.
Big Business and the Homogenization of Food
In today's episode we're going into the underbelly of food production. We'll investigate the process by which late 19th-century food production became a vast industry. And we'll see how technological developments such as freezing, canning,
Food Imperialism around the World
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, European colonialism expanded across the entire globe as a form of economic empire building, with food production as a primary form of wealth creation.