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Arts & Culture / Food

Bartender making mint julep cocktail.

Are We Re-Entering a Golden Age of American Bartending?

At the turn of the century, America was a hotbed of cocktail innovation—then Prohibition happened. Now, bartenders are trying to reclaim the golden age.

Best Travel Destinations for Food Foraging

Forage for wild foods like truffles, herbs and scallops on these guided tours—feasting included

Midnight Snacking Is Bad for Your Brain

Experiments in mice show that misaligned eating patterns can mess with the brain’s ability to form memories and learn new tasks

The World of Chocolate

What Physics Tells Us About Making the Perfect Chocolate

Like carbon, the treat can take on many crystalline forms, so a master chocolatier must know how to temper it in just the right way

Chocolate Week

D.C.’s Artisan Chocolate Makers Show Off Their Sweet Labor of Love

Leaving no task undone, this husband-and-wife team demonstrate their process for producing chocolate

Is fine chocolate slipping through our fingers?

The World of Chocolate

How to Save the Chocolate Tree Without Sacrificing Flavor

Demand, disease and climate change are threatening cocoa, but a new breed of clones could keep the treat abundant and tasty

A chart of chocolate future prices since Valentine's Day, 2014

The World of Chocolate

The Economics of Chocolate

Before becoming a kiss, bar, or hot drink, cocoa gets shipped, stashed, smashed, and, most critically for producers and consumers alike, commodified

Noma, one of the best restaurants in the world, and a location some chefs would travel any distance to visit.

Ten Restaurants the Best Chefs Say Are Worth Traveling For

These establishments are always worth the trip, according to some of the top chefs in the world

The mouthwatering nature of chocolate is one constant no matter where you go.

Switzerland

Chocolate Destinations Around the World to Drool Over

These five places from Belgium to Hong Kong offer their own enticing takes on the confection

You can thank these Theobroma cacao flowers for your brownie sundae.

The World of Chocolate

You Wouldn’t Have Chocolate Without Invisible Flies and Extreme Yeast

It takes a wild and temperamental menagerie to bring the beloved candy to store shelves. Bon appétit!

Melts in your mouth, not in microgravity.

The World of Chocolate

The Rich and Flavorful History of Chocolate in Space

From vacuum-sealed pudding to Blue Bell ice cream, astronauts have been taking the treat into orbit since the dawn of the space age

The World of Chocolate

The World of Chocolate

Both within the Smithsonian and in the broader world, the story of chocolate has many fascinating morsels

In some parts of the country, this is what duck sauce looks like. In others, not so much.

Ask Smithsonian

What Exactly Is Duck Sauce?

Trying to get to the bottom of this Chinese food mystery sends our writer on a wild goose chase

Celebrate National Cheese Lovers’ Day With This Map of Cheese Found Around the World

This sharp interactive will make you feel gouda all over

Here is the artist's rendition of what a Tree of 40 Fruit will look like at 10 years.

Art Meets Science

A Tree Grows 40 Different Types of Fruit

What started as an art project has become a mission to reintroduce Americans to native fruits that have faded from popularity

You should definitely eat this pastrami before you die.

What Are the 1000 Foods to Eat Before You Die?

Written by a former New York Times restaurant critic, this tome will keep your appetite satisfied for a lifetime

As you pour your Champagne to celebrate the New Year, remember that the physics behind those bubbles has some real-world applications.

The Physics of Champagne Bubbles Could Help Power the Future

Studying the principles that govern bubble formation in sparkling wine could improve power plant boilers

The French often make a bûche de Noël, a chocolate cake baked to look like a Yule log, at Christmastime.

A Christmas Feast, Experienced With Dishes From Around the World

Experience an international Christmas without any travel by preparing these traditional foods

Great Lakes Brewery's Christmas Ale is one winter beer you should definitely try this season.

The Best Winter Beers to Try This Holiday Season

We spoke with hops and malts expert William Bostwick about the right quaffs to drink while the weather is cold

The first crop for Local Roots Farms to grow is lettuce.

Future of Energy

Turning Shipping Containers Into Urban Farms

In a clever recycling experiment, the startup Local Roots Farms is growing organic, hydroponic produce in America’s food deserts

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