Podcast
The History of American Food
Hosted by Margaret Hardin · EN
Starting with the first English settlements in the 17th Century, this podcasts traces how we went from barrels of salted meat & peas to Korean bbq tacos and the largest grocery store selections ever seen anywhere in the world. We'll go everywhere - and it is full of surprises.
Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/
Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood@gmail.com
Internets: @THoAFood
Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/
Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood@gmail.com
Internets: @THoAFood
14episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
172 The Potato - A History
2w ago00:34:57Tap to summarizePo-tay-toesWhere are they from? Why do we call them Irish? Are they poisonous? And what was the blight? I answer all these questions and more - as well as providing you with a link to a really cool paper published about the origins of potatoes 9 Million Year Ago!Cell September 2025 Full Text Article on the Origin of PotatoesCell Press Release on Potato Origins (less technical)Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood
Transcribe →171 Iron Has New Jobs in Food
3w ago00:29:10Tap to summarizeIron is back and it has a bunch of new tricks up it sleeves. Sure we still cook on it - but it's doing lots of other new things it has never done before.And that is going to change the way we eat - because what food we get, and how much we have to work to prepare it, and how fast we - and the food can travel is going to upset everything.So much of how long we think things should take is about to change in a big way.Hop on - don't miss the train.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood
Transcribe →Season 6 Preview - I Wanna Go Fast
4w ago00:18:28Tap to summarizeLet's Go Season 6(last season was way more dreary than I had thought)All I can say is Ice Cream for Everyone - and let's road trip... Rail Trip?The end of the 19th Century is exciting, colorful and yeah full of mistakes. But we are Doing Things, Building Things and Going Places.Let's Go.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood
Transcribe →170 Prisoner of War Food for - Wait How Many Guys? The Long Tail of War
May 1300:27:09Tap to summarizeThe LAST Civil War Episode becasue I'm writing this - and have decided that is ENOUGH Civil War.And, yes I'm not happy about writing about war while there is a "we are pretending it's not a war" going on. My poor brain has said enough.That said - it's an interesting topic. And despite how dire it is - things are actually better now than they used to be. Eat your veggies, brush your teeth, wash your hands.The American Battle Field Trust article on Andersonville: Hell Hath a New NameMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood
Transcribe →169 Not Enough Railroads Will Make You Salty in the Bad Way
May 600:30:24Tap to summarizeEvery seasone needs a salt episode! And here it is. It's mainly about why the South was without salt - and how that meant they couldn't keep food around. That is - if they had been making enough. Which they were not.This is also the last time I will blather on about the difference in railroad plans and how it helped back the Confeds into a corner they built themselves.Don't invest in your people and pay attention to technology and you will be left behind. Especially if you are attempting to run your little corner of the world. It happened before, It's happening now - and it will happen again.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood
Transcribe →168 If Music Be the Food of Love, Are Drugs the Food of War?
Apr 2900:24:45Tap to summarizeHow long has America been dealing with Opiod Epidemics? If you said - since the 1860's you get a piece of Hardtack!Yes - just as war came up with more destructive weapons, the medical profession came up with the hypodermic syringe. While the ability to inject and extract things with this tool have been largely amazing, it also brought in the addictive rush of injected drugs. And one of the first injected drugs was opium.Even crazier than that was the fact the the US Government contracted with Chinese Immigrant farmers in Mexico to grow a large part of the supply of opium used in the war.America has always used drugs to make America go - has depended on the sale of drugs - nicotine and cafffeine for starters - to make American farmig profitable.Come find out about America's strange relationship with drugs - and how much we seem to not want to talk about it.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood
Transcribe →167 The American Civil War, Thanksgiving & Eating Our Feelings
Apr 2400:38:54Tap to summarizeYeah yeah - why a Thanksgiving Episode in April? Is this worse than Christmas in July? No, really, it makes sense. Especially becasue during the Civil War, when everything was an Agrairain Society, Thanksgiving planning was on the mind in April (well prboobly earlier)But follow along as to why Thanksgivng really came to National Attention during the Civil War either as something to get behind - or something to hate.And - look you have to start raising your Turkey in the Spring if you want one in Novenber (April is actually probobly too late - maybe?)Anyway - Here's the Link to Lincoln's Address. Johnson had to submit it b/c well, you know...Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving ProclamationMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood
Transcribe →166 Feeding the Sick and Injured in The Civil War: Apparently You Can't Run a War Without Women
Apr 1500:35:40Tap to summarizeIn the Last Big War we threw in America we still had "Camp Followers" to do the laundry, the nursing and a good amount of the cooking (not to mention helping with loading guns). And George Washington hated having these women around so much that Army practice - and new war philosophies got rid of most of them. But then, the American Civil War started producing injured guys in the 1000's.Suddenly having women around to do nursing and laundry was important. And they had to call the women back. To be fair - they did it more officially this time. To find out who these women were - and what they fed you - listen in.Also - Spoiler: Still better to be an officer.Books Referenced:A Mother's Work: Mary Ann Bickerdyke by Mary VangorderThe Big Burn by Timothy EganMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood
Transcribe →165 Is This Enough Food to Feed an Army? & What Were They Thinking?
Apr 800:30:28Tap to summarizeI am a producer on an Emmy Nominated Documentary. Check it out here:Women's Work - The Untold Story of America's Female FarmersThe Emmy Nomination!!!!!Why are military staffs so bad at predicting war length? And when they do boy-oh-boy does that mean things are going to go poorly for the people in charge of planning food. It goes even worse, when nobody on staff has cooked Gumbo for 80.Come listen to all the pitfalls facing the people planning for war food in the middle of the the 1800's.But also a whole bunch of links.A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry - the source documents for the Donkey ProblemThe Charge of the Light Brigade - that catchy verse that keeps getting people killed for dumb reasonsMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood
Transcribe →164 Feeding an Army: A History with a Lot of Holes - On Purpose
Apr 100:23:40Tap to summarizeThis week we get to look back at more of why War is Awful - and it's not JUST becasue of the food. We also talk about why war food was predictably awful for everyone everywhere for approximately 5000 years.Biology - and mainly the stupid microfauna of the Earth.Understanding what war food was before the Civil War helps inform how such crazy supply errors and choices were made during the Civil War - and you can start to see how this is going to change war planning - and food system planning going forward.Also also - here's where you can viewThe National Parks: America's Best IdeaLove your Library! Watch it on Kanopy(free with your Library Card)If your Library doesn't have Kanopy - PBS - With SubscriptionOther Options:Amazon - alas with an ad-onYou Tube - but for a priceMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood
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