When you buy a bottle of rum in the United States, by law nearly all the federal taxes on that rum must be sent to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It's an unusual system that Congress designed decades ago to help fund these two U.S. territories.

Guest episode: In this episode we introduce you to a part of our bodies that was invisible to Western scientists until about five years ago; its called "the interstitium," a vast network of fluid channels inside the tissues around our organs that scienti

You asked, and were answeringagain! Ask Gastropod returns to answer some of our listeners most pressing culinary queries: how did elaborate, expensive cakes become the standard dessert for weddings? Did the deep fried cornmeal blobs known as hush pupp

It's not your imagination, food allergies are really on the rise. One recent study found that severe allergic reactions to food have increased by more than 300 percent over the past decade. And they don't just affect Americans or kids—they're on the rise

Today, its a breakfast staple, but, as recently as 1960,The New York Timeshad to define it for readersas an unsweetened doughnut with rigor mortis. Thats right, this episode is all about the bagel, that shiny, ring-shaped, surprisingly dense bread

For as long as weve been making Gastropod, co-host Nicky has also been working on another project: writing a book all about refrigeration. Well, time to pop the champagne youve had stashed in the icebox, because that book comes out June 25and were giv

Based on all the hype, you'd be forgiven for believing that the fish oils known as omega-3s are the solution to every problem. Heart disease, dementia, depression, even obesitythe list of ailments that experts claim a daily dose of omega-3 can help preve

Your pantry's sweetest ingredient has an extremely bitter history. The sap-producing grass known as sugarcane has been grown and enjoyed by humans for at least 10,000 years, but it was only relatively recently that it went from a luxury to an everyday ing

From our friends at Switched on Pop: Where were you when you learned that the McDonald's jingle "I'm lovin' it" was originally part of a full-fledged pop song by Justin Timberlake and Pharrell that flopped on the charts but found staying power as a slogan

When you go out for a meal, its not just what's on your plate that matters, it's what's in your eardrums, too. From dining rooms so loud you have to shout to be heard, to playlists that sound like a generic Millennial Spotify account, it's not surprising