Love avocados? Thank the toxodon
The avocado survived ecological and cultural close calls that could have relegated it to extinction, but it persevered and prospered.
Author Archives: Jeffrey Miller
An ode to mac and cheese, the poster child for processed food
We love to bad-mouth processed foods – usually while our mouths are full of it. It’s also played an important role in kitchen science, wars and women’s liberation.
What every new baker should know about the yeast around us
With people confined to their homes, there is more interest in home-baked bread than ever before. And that means a lot of people are making friends with yeast for the first time.
Why does pizza taste so good?
There’s a reason why pizza is so popular. Humans are drawn to foods that are fatty and sweet and rich and complex. Pizza has all of these components.
3 questions about vodka, answered
Between 1950 and 1975, vodka went from being a statistical blip to America’s best selling spirit.
The Prohibition-era origins of the modern craft cocktail movement
One hundred years ago, on Jan. 16, 1919, Nebraska became the 36th of the country’s 48 states to ratify the 18th Amendment. Prohibition may be long dead, but the speakeasies and cocktails it spawned are still with us.
Three questions about tequila, answered
Debunking some myths and exploring some little-known aspects of the Mexican spirit that’s become a global phenomenon
A brief history of the s’more, America’s favorite campfire snack
Huddling around a campfire and eating gooey marshmallows and warm chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers may feel like primeval traditions. But every part of the process is a product of the Industrial Revolution.
From the Middle East to the Kentucky Derby, the mint julep has always been about staying cool
Since the 1930s, the drink – a mix of mint, syrup, bourbon, water and crushed ice – has been the traditional cocktail of the Kentucky Derby.
How the pretzel went from soft to hard – and other little-known facts about one of the world’s favorite snacks
It took advances in manufacturing and tweaks to the recipe to make the pretzel the global snack it is today.