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Food and Think

A display of whole wheat bread at the Washington State University-Mount Vernon Bread Lab, in Blue Hill, New York

Ask Smithsonian 2017

What Makes Whole-Grain Bread So Hard to Bake?

We asked bakers for their tips on how to get consistently excellent whole wheat loaves

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What’s Eating Us About That “Hauntingly Beautiful” Chipotle Ad

Beyond the scarecrow and the conveyer belts, where is the line between truth and fiction in the viral video?

But… the rum’s gone!

How to Eat Like a Pirate on International Talk Like a Pirate Day

While we all have a communal sense of how pirates talked, our sense of how pirates ate lies, by comparison, in uncharted waters

Ben Jacobsen showing off his beloved flake salt

A Pinch of Salt Has Never Tasted So… American?

The fleur de sel has long been a trademark of French culinary craftsmanship, Oregon’s Jacobsen may have produced a salt crystal that competes with the best

The buttery belly meat of the bluefin is served as toro in sushi bars. The priciest menu item in many sushi restaurants, it is, in fact, rather disliked by traditional sushi connoisseurs.

From Cat Food to Sushi Counter: The Strange Rise of the Bluefin Tuna

The fish can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars each. But just 45 years ago, big bluefin tuna were caught for fun, killed and ground into pet food

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Top 10 Biggest Roadside Foods in America

Where is the world’s biggest pistachio?

The smokiness behind your favorite whiskey might all be thanks to chemistry.

How Chemistry Can Explain the Difference Between Bourbon and a Tennessee Whiskey

The unique flavor of a whiskey or scotch might be more than pure luck—it might be a science

The Ramos gin fizz gets its frothy top from several minutes of vigorous shaking.

Slurred Lines: Great Cocktail Moments in Famous Literature

Fancy drinks like the Gimlet and the Brandy Alexander have high class histories

Food service crew workers

Eating on the March: Food at the 1963 March on Washington

Organizing an event that large was a formidable task in and of itself. Tackling the issue of handling food for the masses was another issue entirely

Bottles of imported sake line the shelves at True Sake, in San Francisco. Soon, the small retail shop will begin carrying sake made in America.

Can You Taste the Difference Between American and Japanese Sake?

Sake has been brewed for thousands of years in Japan. Now, American brewers are starting to make sake—but is it any good?

This very bottle of beer lies in a shallow grave of redwood duff in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, in northern California. Can you find it?

Find The Beer: A Trail of Stashed Bottles From Alaska to California

Traveling the West Coast? Like beer? Then consider pulling over at these highway locations from Alaska to California and finding the bottles of beer

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What Caused the Death of American Brewing?

American breweries are back on the rise, after a near century long decline almost spelled their doom

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The Science of Champagne, the Bubbling Wine Created By Accident

There’s a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to the spirit’s trademark fizziness

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Your Guide to Tasting the Many Species of Pacific Salmon

From dogs to humpies to kings, the author tastes and discusses the five main species of Pacific salmon

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Sorry, Wolfgang, Fusion Foods Have Been With Us for Centuries

The banh mi, ramen and other foods considered national dishes that actually have cross-cultural beginnings

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Hangovers: The Driving Force Behind Our Favorite Foods

Overimbibing makes some people’s brains shut down, for others, it gets the innovative juices flowing

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When Lettuce Was a Sacred Sex Symbol

For nearly 3,000 years lettuce was associated with the Egyptian god of fertility, Min, for its resemblance to the phallus

The Perfect Food for Your Outdoor BBQ: Grilled Pizza

Next time you fire up the grill, try making your favorite pizza

Harvey Girls, circa 1926, in evening uniforms at the El Tovar Hotel.

How the West Was Won… By Waitresses

Harvey Girls helped settle the west and advance the stature of women in the workforce

A treasure! This beer lies hidden in the woods, six inches under, in Shasta County, CA. Can you find it?

Find the Beer! A California Trail of Ales

Go locate the hidden bottles and replace each with a selection of your own

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