Food History

Farmer Robert Tomlinson harvests forced rhubarb by candlelight on his farm in Pudsey, near Leeds in northern England, in January 2022. 

The English Farmers Who Harvest Rhubarb by Candlelight

The secret to the world’s sweetest rhubarb? Sealed sheds, total darkness and a little old-fashioned flair

None

How Kids Cornered the Market on Lemonade

The tangy tale of how America’s children learned to squeeze life for all it’s worth

A new machine learning model may be able to help brewers save time and money on consumer trials, make more consistent products and improve their recipes, scientists say.

Can A.I. Make Beer Taste Better? Scientists Test a Model That Recommends New Flavors

Researchers spent three years developing a machine learning model that can predict how good beer will taste based on its chemical composition—and make suggestions for how to improve it

2,500 years after it was built, the Parthenon is still among the first places tourists go when they arrive in Athens.

The Thrills of Rediscovering Ancient Greece While Touring Modern Athens

The Mediterranean capital city savors its connections to antiquity—while reappraising its past

Waiters walked quickly through the streets of central Paris on Sunday while carefully balancing a tray on one hand.

Waiters Race Through the Streets of Paris While Balancing Trays of Coffee and Croissants

About 200 servers competed in the 1.2-mile race—a tradition that goes back to 1914

Not many home cooks are aware that pasta’s nutritional value is affected by its preparation.

Your Ten-Step Guide to Cooking the Perfect Pasta, Including How to Salt the Water

Following these pieces of advice from chefs will ensure tastier, more nutritional noodles for all

Camembert and other French cheeses may eventually disappear.

These French Cheeses Are at Risk of Extinction

A lack of microbial diversity could eventually spell the end of cheeses like Camembert

Partially buried dolia at a wine cellar in the town of Boscoreale, Italy

This Is What Ancient Roman Wine Tasted Like

New research shows that clay vessels known as dolia were essential to the drink's distinctive taste, flavor and texture

This 5,000-year-old ceramic vessel contains burnt food remnants that are helping scientists develop a more comprehensive understanding of food preparation in the region.

Archaeologists Discover Burnt Porridge Inside a 5,000-Year-Old Clay Pot

The leftovers shed new light on the dietary habits of residents of a village in Germany

Researchers discovered labels for Clemente Guardia chocolate at the site.

Archaeologists Discover 19th-Century Chocolate Factory in Barcelona

Housed in a medieval mansion, the workshop once produced sweets for Clemente Guardia, a thriving Catalonian chocolatier

The “Studentenkuss,” or Student Kiss, is a praline nougat on a waffle wafer covered in dark chocolate, about the size of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

How This German Chocolate Shop Created a Sweet Way for Young Admirers to Pass Love Notes

For more than 150 years, Heidelberg locals and tourists have enjoyed the "Studentenkuss," or Student Kiss—a praline nougat on a waffle wafer covered in dark chocolate

Tang yuan fill the bowls of Asian households worldwide during Lunar New Year celebrations, the white, spherical desserts serving as edible representations of the moon shining overhead.  

A Lunar New Year Staple, Tang Yuan Are a 'Dose of Luck and Sweetness'

The chewy rice balls ooze with indulgent filling and layers of symbolism

Remnants of the ancient wine shop discovered in Greece

Archaeologists Uncover Abandoned Ancient Wine Shop in Greece

The Roman-era structure, filled with pottery shards and coins, was destroyed by a sudden and mysterious disaster

Casts of the ancient chewing gum pieces, which were found in Sweden and date to between 9,540 and 9,890 years ago.

Prehistoric Chewing Gum Reveals Diet, Oral Health of Stone Age Teenagers

From preserved DNA, researchers identified which plants and animals the young people would have eaten or used for making clothing—and they found one case of a severe gum infection

This plate, depicting a banquet being prepared for Babur and his relatives, is one of 143 miniatures in a 1590 illustrated version of The Babur-nama.

Feast Your Eyes on the Stunning Islamic Art in This New Exhibition

A sumptuous new show in Los Angeles aims to leave museumgoers hungry for more

These fossilized teeth belonged to a Propliopithecus chirobates, a type of early primate that lived between 29 million and 35 million years ago.

Early Primates May Have Feasted on Soft, Sweet Fruits

An analysis of more than 400 fossilized teeth suggests the creatures weren't eating many seeds, nuts or other hard foods

Malus sieversii is a wild apple native to the mountains of southern Kazakhstan.

Saving the Apple's Ancient Ancestor in the Forests of Kazakhstan

Found in the Tian Shan mountains, <em>Malus sieversii</em> could hold the secret to making other species of the fruit more stress-resistant

Plov is a dish made of rice, beef or lamb, oil or animal fat, carrots (usually cut into matchsticks), and onions, cooked with cumin and salt in a large pot.

Rich or Poor, Uzbeks Eat Plov

The beloved medley of rice and meat is the national dish of Uzbekistan

Between Christmas Day in 1941 and April 1, 1946, North Platte Canteen volunteers met as many as 24 trains carrying 3,000 to 5,000 military personnel every day.

How the Women of the North Platte Canteen Fed Six Million Soldiers During World War II

Volunteers based out of a Nebraska train station offered American troops encouragement and free food, including birthday cakes and popcorn balls

A glass of homemade eggnog dusted with cinnamon is a mouthwatering prospect to some&mdash;and an abomination to others.

The Uniquely American History of Eggnog, Everyone's Favorite—or Least Favorite—Holiday Quaff

This Yuletide mainstay continues to warm cockles and ventricles everywhere

Page 1 of 31