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Food History

Portrait of Edward Winslow

The Plymouth Hero You Should Really Be Thankful for This Thanksgiving

Without Edward Winslow, we probably wouldn’t even be celebrating the holiday

A 5,310-year-old corn cob.

New Research

Lend Me Your Ears: A Tale of Evolution From a 5,310-Year-Old Corn Cob

Corn has come a long way since its grassy beginnings

The Story of How McDonald’s First Got Its Start

From the orange groves of California, two brothers sought a fortune selling burgers

Mmm, science.

Science Explains Why Chocolate Should be Savored, Not Scarfed

And other molecular secrets to digest while you’re digesting

Transcaucasian Trail

Armenia

A Taste of the Wild Side: Finding Local Flavor in Armenia’s Edible Highlands

Rick Bayless, whose innovative Chicago restaurants blazed the trail toward wider acceptance of south-of-the-border cooking, has much in common with the celebrated Julia Child.

Rick Bayless Preaches the Gospel of Modern Mexican Cuisine

The trail-blazing Chicago chef and cookbook author wins the second annual Julia Child Award and makes a donation to the Smithsonian

Are Pumpkin Beers, Thank God, Finally on the Way Out?

Some breweries are slowing production, as the trend may be fizzling

This golden goodness relies on a mathematical concept known as the silver ratio.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Using Math to Build the Ultimate Taffy Machine

A mathematician dives into taffy-pulling patents to achieve optimum confection creation

Chock-full of smoked meats and native vegetables like corn, plantains, and squash, ajiaco is a mainstay of Cuban cooking.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Cuba

Ajiaco, Cuba in a Cauldron

With origins in the island’s oldest culture, ajiaco is a stew that adapts to the times

Alfred Jacob Miller's "Buffalo Jump," 1859-1860

Cool Finds

1,600-Year-Old Feast Unearthed in Alberta

Archeologists at Head-Smashed-in-Buffalo Jump have excavated a rare roasting pit with the meal still left inside

Trending Today

After 80 Years, New York’s Iconic Carnegie Deli Is Closing for Good

The iconic jewish deli has served heaps of pastrami in Times Square for decades

The Sweet Home Cafe will take your taste buds on a trip across the country.

Breaking Ground

Two Hungry Reporters Dig Into the Sweet Home Café at the African American History Museum

We’re still digesting the rich narrative—but mostly, the Georgia shrimp and Anson Mills stone ground grits

A Louisiana staple, boudin can be bought at grocery stores, roadside stands and homegrown shops like Bayou Boudin and Cracklins in Breaux Bridge.

Find Out Why Boudin Is Louisiana’s Most Famous Sausage

The state is studded with shrines to the rice-filled pork treat

A 3,000-year-old clay pot with cheese residue found burnt to the bottom

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Find Ancient Pot With Traces of 3,000-Year-Old Burnt Cheese

This ancient mishap gives researchers a peek into Bronze Age life

Sugar companies have gotten themselves in a sticky situation.

New Research

Sugar Study Draws Attention to Food Industry’s Sour Secret

Food industries have long opened their wallets to snag a piece of the science pie

How did this double 'r' become so prevalent?

It’s Sherbet, Not Sherbert, You Dilettantes

The frozen treat has been mispronounced by generations of Americans

One of 5,200 wine labels from Maynard Amerine's collection

Cool Finds

Help Crowdsource the History of Wine

The University of California, Davis, is looking for online volunteers to help catalog and describe 5,200 wine labels

From unsavory beginnings to a refreshing treat, pink lemonade has remained a summer staple.

The Unusual Origins of Pink Lemonade

It’s a pretty scary story. It does involve clowns, after all

An ancient stone tool used to butcher a rhinoceros.

New Research

Ancient Hominids Used These 250,000-Year-Old Tools for Butchery

Traces of blood on the prehistoric tools, suggest our ancestors had a much more varied diet than once thought

Sample of Niku Udon.

Japan’s Most Mouthwatering Dishes Are Made of Plastic

Discover sampuru, the art of mind-blowingly realistic fake food

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