We’re not just going to look into where Christmas cookies come from.
We’re also looking at the specific traditions of leaving cookies for Santa, and cookie swapping.
Tag Archives: food history
Difference between: shiitake mushrooms and porcini mushrooms
Both shiitake and porcini are earthy, full-flavor, meat-like mushrooms. And, they’re each often available dried.
Let’s check out the difference between these two popular fungi.
Continue reading Difference between: shiitake mushrooms and porcini mushrooms
Food history: eggnog
Food history: turducken
A chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey. What could be more festive?
Let’s find out where the turducken came from.
Food history: green bean casserole
Will you be making a green bean casserole for Thanksgiving next week?
If you love this staple but maybe want to switch it up a bit, we’ve got the classic recipe along with some variations at the end of the post.
I’ll admit it – it’s one of my favorite holiday meals. I love the contrasting textures of the green beans and french fried onions, with the creaminess of cream of mushroom soup.
Indeed, the history of green bean casserole does begin with Campbell’s.
Food history: afternoon tea parties
Today we are checking out the history of tea parties – not political ones, and not the ones with little girls and dolls and stuffed animals.
We’re talking about real, afternoon tea parties, British-style.
Food history: energy bars
Also known as snack bars or nutrition bars, let’s check out the history of energy bars.
And, are they really good for you, or are they just candy bars in disguise?
Food history: candy corn
It’s interesting how candy corn has become such a Halloween staple considering, A – It’s available year-round, B – many people hate it, and C – candy corn doesn’t come individually wrapped, making it a poor choice to hand out to trick-or-treaters.
Nevertheless, millions of pounds of the sugary treat are sold every year, about three-quarters of which are around Halloween.
I didn’t realize it when I chose this topic for today’s post, but today happens to be National Candy Corn Day.
Food history: salt water taffy
I associate salt water taffy with Cape Cod, where my parents used to buy it for me in the summer.
But, there’s another touristy East Coast spot where salt water taffy originated: the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
The history of salt water taffy is as small and sweet as the candy itself.
Food history: caviar
Considered a delicacy around the world, let’s investigate the history of caviar.
As with ketchup and coffee, there is an entire book on the history of caviar; we’ll cover what we can here.
