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Food History

Stay cozy!

Marshmallow-Topped Hot Chocolate Will Keep You Warm This Long Solstice Night

Marshmallows and hot chocolate each have a long history, but their union only dates back about a century

Partridges, turtledoves, geese... you know the drill.

12 Facts About ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’

Amaze and astound your loved ones with these pieces of carol trivia

A federal tea taster at work.

The FDA Used to Have People Whose Job Was to Taste Tea

Literally, that was it

The tradition of decorative gingerbread dates back to the Middle Ages.

The Un-Christmassy Origin of Gingerbread Houses

This tradition dates back to the story of Hansel and Gretel

11 Cauldrons Found at Iron Age Settlement in England

The cauldrons, most of which were buried in a circle, appear to have been used in ceremonial feasts

The face of a dreamer.

Winston Churchill Imagined the Lab-Grown Hamburger

But he was off about the year when it would be created

A CARE package intended for West Germany in 1948.

How WWII Created the Care Package

Technically, the innovation was originally trademarked

The proof is in the lack of pudding.

Why You Won’t See Pudding on the Thanksgiving Table

The once-classic American dish has been widely replaced with the casserole—thanks in part to anti-immigrant sentiments

Forensic anthropologist Douglas Owsley (left) and APVA Preservation Virginia/ Historic Jamestowne archaeologist (Danny Schmidt) discussing the double burial of two European males. James Fort site, 1607.

What Did Virginia’s Jamestown Colonists Eat?

So far, researchers have found remains of horses, rats and snakes in a well that dates back to the Starving Time

The Ten Best Books About Food of 2017

Hungry minds would enjoy one of these illuminating books about the world of food and drink

A vintage Thanksgiving postcard featuring pardoned turkeys.

Presidents From Lincoln to FDR Kept the Thanksgiving Tradition Going

Lincoln started the process of making it a federal holiday in 1863, crystallizing something that had been around since the days of the Pilgrims

The marshmallows are essential, but the sweet potato is the heart of this classic dish.

How Marshmallow-Topped Sweet Potato Casserole Became a Thanksgiving Classic

Sweet potato pudding has been a part of American cuisine for a century

Headed for export?

Why Don’t We Eat Turkey Tails?

The strange story speaks volumes about our globalized food system—you’ll be surprised where the unwanted parts end up

An Eagle Brand Condensed Milk ad from 1891.

Like Condensed Milk? Try the ‘Meat Biscuit’

The meat biscuit was a practical idea but Gail Borden, also the inventor of condensed milk, never made it work

The History of Five Uniquely American Sandwiches

From tuna fish to the lesser-known woodcock, food experts peer under the bread and find the story of a nation

A familiar-looking image from the Uncrustables patent.

Can a Sandwich Be Intellectual Property?

This is the story of a patent war over PB&J

Take a bite of history on National Mincemeat Day

The History of Mincemeat Pies, from the Crusades to Christmas

Mentioned by Shakespeare, allegedly banned by Puritans, and enjoyed by many still, these traditional treats have a long history in English cuisine

Cool Finds

Stone Age Britons Feasted While Building Stonehenge

A new exhibit shows that the builders gorged on animals from as far away as Scotland

KoChix’s signature fried chicken

Winter Olympics

How Korean Fried Chicken, AKA “Candy Chicken” Became a Transnational Comfort Food

A new Smithsonian Folklife Project, Forklife, traces the journeys of immigrant food traditions taking root in the United States

A plantation kitchen in Georgia in 1880.

These Were the First Cookbooks Published By Black People in America

These cookbooks and domestic guides offer historians a window into the experiences and tastes of black Americans in the 1800s

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