Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Food History

The village and vineyards of Dürnstein form part of Lower Austria's Wachau Valley.

Austria

For a Culinary Scene Steeped in Tradition, Head to Austria’s Wachau Valley

A new generation of chefs and vintners is seasoning this sleepy, vineyard-dotted valley with fresh ideas

Goulash began as a humble soup-stew, cooked over an open fire by Hungarian herdsmen. The addition of refined varieties of paprika from ground red chilies made the dish an international staple.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: The Danube

The Humble Beginnings of Goulash

The hearty soup-stew known around the world began as the everything-goes-in meal of Hungarian herdsmen

A box from Zuppardi's in West Haven, Connecticut.

Cool Finds

Chicago Is Getting a Pizza Museum

Hold the anchovies: This pop-up is a pizza-lover’s dream

Cacao beans drying in the Dominican Republic

New Research

The Secret Behind Your Favorite Coffee Could Be Yeast

Researchers find three unique strains of yeast that help ferment coffee and cacao beans and may give the treats their unique flavors

A fresco uncovered in a tavern in Pompeii shows patrons playing a game. Similar scenes probably took place in a Roman tavern recently unearthed in Lattara, an ancient port city in southern France

Cool Finds

2,100-Year-Old Roman Tavern Unearthed, Empty Cups and All

The proposed ancient bar and grill in southern France could shed light on the spread of Roman culture

Trending Today

Italy Thinks Its ‘Za Should Be a United Nations Cultural Treasure

Italy wants its Neapolitan pizza to be added to Unesco’s cultural heritage list

Your Guide to Everyone’s Favorite Winter Citrus: Clementines

Seedless, sweet, easy to peel, and portable. But where did clementines come from? And what are satsumas, mandarines, and tangerines?

The Super Cao Nguyen supermarket, founded by Vietnamese immigrants in 1979, offers fresh fish to landlocked seafood lovers.

Oklahoma City Is Becoming a Hotspot for Vietnamese Food

Southeast Asian immigrants are spicing up America’s fast-food capital with banh mi, curried frogs’ legs and pho

Cool Finds

British Monks Discovered a Curry Recipe in a 200-Year-Old Cookbook

The Portuguese brought the dish to Europe when they began colonizing India

Cool Finds

Take a Course on Taco Literacy at the University of Kentucky

Yes, the homework is delicious

Specialty serveware from the collection of Charles "Chuck" Williams, founder of Williams-Sonoma.

Cool Finds

Williams-Sonoma’s Founder Is Getting His Own Museum

The museum will feature the 4,000-plus pieces of cookware that the kitchenware impresario donated upon his death

The towering Saguaro is native to Arizona's Sonoran Desert and its juicy red fruit, which locals use to make jams and syrups, ripens in June.

What Makes Tucson Deserving of the Title of the United States’ First Capital of Gastronomy

The Arizona city joins Unesco’s growing list of “Creative Cities”

Much more recent tea.

New Research

Archaeologists Find World’s Oldest Tea in the Tomb of a Han Dynasty Emperor

No word on how it tastes, though it probably made a good cup 2,150 years ago

Trending Today

Grab Your Fork and Travel Back in Time With These Old USDA Dietary Guidelines

Wheels, pyramids and plates—dietary recommendations have come a long way in the last century

A women harvests millet in Arunachal Pradesh, India

New Research

This Ancient Grain May Have Helped Humans Become Farmers

Millet’s short growing season and low water needs might also benefit a modern world stressed by climate change

Does Altitude Affect Animals the Same Way it Affects Humans and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Cool Finds

A Brief History of Figgy Pudding

The dense, spicy dish has been giving good cheer for centuries

A spread of Russian zakuski or small dishes

Cool Finds

Dine Behind the Iron Curtain With Soviet Era Recipes

A new cookbook explores a time of food shortages and standardization, colored with some nostalgia

This 1789 illustration by W.D. Cooper recreates the protest of December 16, 1773.

Trending Today

For the First Time in 242 Years, British Tea Will Be Dumped Into the Boston Harbor

Drink up, patriots!

Cool Finds

Here’s What Happens When You Age Whisky

Hint: The barrel really does matter

Page 29 of 36