Food

Smithsonian's picks for the best books about food of 2023 include Invitation to a Banquet, For the Culture: Black Women and Femmes in Food and More Than Cake.

The Ten Best Books About Food of 2023

Travel to Rome, Alaska, West Africa and beyond with this year’s best cookbooks, memoirs and historic deep dives

Castoreum, an edible, sweet-smelling substance, is found in the castor sacs of beavers.

Does Vanilla Flavoring Actually Come From Beaver Butts?

Despite internet claims, castoreum—a substance found in beaver glands—is rarely used today as a food flavoring

This is the only known first-class Titanic dinner menu of its kind from April 11, 1912.

Titanic Passengers Dined in Style Before Disaster Struck

A water-stained first-class dinner menu dated April 11, 1912 just sold for more than $100,000

The record-breaking Nightmare Before Christmas mosaic at Sunnyfields Farm is made from several types of pumpkins and squash in various colors.

'Nightmare Before Christmas' Pumpkin Mosaic Sets World Record

The Jack Skellington-inspired display is made from more than 10,000 gourds across 2,081 square feet

Green tea's enduring popularity is reflected in the "teacup without handle" emoji (left). The "hot beverage" emoji (right) takes its cue from another tea tradition: black tea.

What Emoji Tell Us About the History of Tea

From ancient China to 20th-century America, the aromatic beverage has undergone a dramatic evolution

Two bars that Hershey's devised for the U.S. military: Ration D, and the tastier (and more enduring) Tropical Chocolate Bar, which soldiers received as late as 1991.

When Hershey’s Crafted a Special Treat for the Troops

In the run-up to World War II, the chocolate company was tasked with creating a nutritious snack that, by design, wouldn't taste good

Preparation for Bobby Baker's 1976 An Edible Family in a Mobile Home, which is being restaged by Tate Britain next month

You Can Eat These Sculptures at Tate Britain

"An Edible Family in a Mobile Home" features life-size figures sculpted from cookies and cake

Researchers recommend limiting red meat consumption to about one serving per week, based on the results of a new study.

Eating Red Meat Is Linked to Type 2 Diabetes Risk, New Study Finds

Reducing daily intake of beef, lamb and pork could reduce your risk of developing the disease, researchers say

Alaska canceled its snow crab harvest for two seasons in a row.

Why Ten Billion Snow Crabs Disappeared Off the Coast of Alaska

The unprecedented die-off represents roughly 90 percent of the eastern Bering Sea population

Early humans in Europe snacked on seaweed and aquatic plants for thousands of years, though how they prepared and ate them is unclear.

Early Europeans Ate Seaweed for Thousands of Years

Researchers found biomarkers of seaweed and other aquatic plants in samples of dental plaque

Pepper X, the world's hottest pepper

The World Has a New Hottest Pepper

Pepper X is three times spicier than the previous record-holder, the Carolina Reaper

Peeps has indicated it would remove Red Dye No. 3 from its ingredients after Easter 2024.

What to Know About California's New Law Banning Food Additives, Including Red Dye No. 3

Already prohibited in multiple countries for its potential harmful effects in humans, the colorant's future is now in serious doubt in the United States

Travis Gienger attends the weigh-in for his 2,749-pound gourd at the 2023 World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. 

Minnesota Man Sets World Record With 2,749-Pound Pumpkin

Travis Gienger is a horticulture teacher who grows his award-winning gourds in his backyard

If you want to cut meat out of your diet but are having a hard time, a new study suggests your genetics may be responsible.

Maintaining a Vegetarian Diet Might Be in Your Genes

New research has identified three genes that are strongly linked to vegetarianism and 31 others that might also play a role in sticking to a meatless diet

Idaho produces nearly a third of all potatoes grown in the United States on more than 300,000 acres.

Eat Your Way Through the Idaho Potato Trail

The new trail, which winds through Boise, celebrates the top spud-growing state in the nation

Lab-grown chicken produced by GOOD Meat

Lab-Grown Meat Can Be Kosher or Halal, According to Religious Authorities

The approvals bring cultivated meat one step closer to becoming a feasible alternative to traditional meat for a wider audience

Left, a few of the ingredients used to build flavor throughout the mead making process at Charm City Meadworks in Baltimore, including honey, hops, comapeño peppers, oak chips, cinnamon sticks and juniper berries. Right, Lynn Pronobis, head mead maker at Charm City, must carefully oversee every step of the production process.

The Nectar of the Gods Is Coming to a Bar Near You

How mead, one of the world’s oldest alcoholic beverages, could become the drink of the future

Cows with the slick gene have sleek, short hair that helps keep them cool.

Farmers Are Breeding Cows to Withstand Heat Waves

A gene that occurs naturally in some cow breeds may be the key to helping cattle thrive as temperatures rise because of climate change

This year, the pumpkin spice latte, Starbucks’ most successful seasonal drink, turns 20.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte Turns 20

Since its launch in 2003, the seasonal drink has helped spawn a cultural phenomenon

Baklava consists of fine layers of pastry dough, often filled with nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey.

The Sticky History of Baklava

The sweet dessert is an important part of the culinary identity of so many places that people sometimes dispute claims to its origins

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