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Food History

The Sturminster Newton Mill has stood on the banks of the River Stour in Dorset County since 1016.

Covid-19

One-Thousand-Year-Old Mill Resumes Production to Supply Flour Amid Pandemic

In April alone, the Sturminster Newton Mill ground more than one ton of wheat

Rutabagas are a cross between turnips and cabbages first described in 1620

France Is Slowly Bringing Back Its ‘Forgotten Vegetables’

Root vegetables like rutabagas and Jerusalem artichokes were ration staples during the Nazi occupation of Paris

The Leith glass factory's cone-shaped furnaces appear in the background of painter William Reed's Leith Races.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Remnants of Lost Scottish Wine-Bottle Glass Factory

The 18th-century Edinburgh factory once produced a million bottles a week

As many home bakers who have only recently taken up sourdough making have found out, some starters are, well, non-starters.

What Does Your Sourdough Starter Smell Like? Science Wants to Know

A citizen science project aims to chart the microbial diversity present in starters all over the world

This week's selections include The Women With Silver Wings, Tombstone and The Restaurant.

Books of the Month

A 2,000-Year History of Restaurants and Other New Books to Read

The fifth installment in our weekly series spotlights titles that may have been lost in the news amid the COVID-19 crisis

Farm workers loading apples onto a truck in an orchard, circa 1965.

Cool Finds

Ten Apple Varieties Once Thought Extinct Rediscovered in Pacific Northwest

The “lost” apples will help restore genetic, culinary diversity to a crop North America once produced in astonishing variety

"[W]e again have the collective opportunity to reduce usage of scarce items—both for the community at large and particularly for those on the frontline of this crisis," says curator Lora Vogt.

Covid-19

Cook These Quarantine-Friendly World War I Recipes

An online exhibition from the National WWI Museum and Memorial features recipes detailed in 1918 cookbook

Fragments of a large early Neolithic vessel that was likely used to process meat stew

Cool Finds

Traces of Millennia-Old Milk Help Date Pottery Fragments to Neolithic London

These dairy products are no longer edible, but they’re still valuable to researchers

The Puratos Sourdough Library in St. Vith, Belgium, uses refrigerated cabinets to slow the starters' fermentation process in order to preserve their original flavor.

Virtual Travel

Take a Virtual Tour of This Belgian Sourdough Library

Sourdough librarian Karl De Smedt has traveled the world to gather more than 120 jars of starters

Google searches for terms like "sourdough," "bread recipe" and "banana bread" skyrocketed in the middle of March.

The World’s Oldest Leavened Bread Is Rising Again

This is the story behind the breads you might be baking in lockdown

Hundreds of neatly piled beer bottles unearthed at the site of a long-gone inn in Leeds

Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Leeds Unearth 600 Lead-Spiked, 19th-Century Beer Bottles

The liquid inside is 3 percent alcohol by volume—and contains 0.13 milligrams of lead per liter

This porcelain pot with enamel decorations is one of 100 teapots on display in the Met's updated British Galleries.

A Story of an Empire, Told Through Tea

The Met has revamped its British Galleries, drawing on luxurious artifacts to highlight the country’s history of exploitation

Around half of the university's 100 "manuscript cookbooks" are now available online.

Education During Coronavirus

Dozens of Historic Mexican Cookbooks Are Now Available Online

The University of Texas San Antonio’s vast collection makes traditional Mexican and Mexican-American cooking accessible

A new analysis of 12,000- to 16,000-year-old pottery fragments suggests ancient Siberians navigated the harsh ice age climate with the help of "hot pots."

Siberian Hunters Cooked in ‘Hot Pots’ at the End of the Last Ice Age

Chemical analysis of the cookware reveals the diets of two ancient Siberian cultures

This 1948 ad for Cudahy's Delrich brand of margarine uses a "color berry" to color its margarine yellow.

How the Government Came to Decide the Color of Your Food

A business historian explains America’s commitment to regulating the appearance of everything from margarine to canned peas

Engineered with genes that boost its beta-carotene content, golden rice (top) comes with a yellowish hue that makes it stand out from typical white rice (bottom)

Golden Rice Approved as Safe for Consumption in the Philippines

The genetically modified crop could help combat the country’s vitamin A deficiency

One of the pig jaws analyzed for the study

People Trekked Across Ireland to Eat Pork at This Ancient Site

A new study suggests travelers brought pigs from far-flung locations to the ceremonial feasting hub of Navan Fort

Carbonized bread with Bay of Naples butter from the "Last Supper in Pompeii" menu at Dinner by Heston

Dine Like a Doomed Pompeiian at This Upscale Eatery

Starting early next year, Dinner by Heston in London will serve a menu inspired by ancient Roman fare

It’s all about having faith in the purity of the process.

How Crisco Made Americans Believers in Industrial Food

Crisco’s main ingredient, cottonseed oil, had a bad rap. So marketers decided to focus on the ‘purity’ of factory food processing

From Christmas to Chinese New Year to San Sebastián Street Festival, here are the beverages that people around the world will be sipping on this holiday season.

Nine Delicious Holiday Drinks From Around the World

Bored of eggnog? Sick of cider? Here are nine scrumptious end-of-year beverages to sip on from across the globe

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