A Taste of the Past

Heritage Radio Network

4.0 (404)
ARTS
UPDATED BIMONTHLY

Culinary historian Linda Pelaccio takes a journey through the history of food. Take a dive into food cultures through history, from ancient Mesopotamia and imperial China to the grazing tables and deli counters of today. Tune in as Linda, along with a guest list of culinary chroniclers and enthusiasts, explores the lively links between food cultures of the present and past.

JAN 23

The History of Mac ’n Cheese, from Ancient Rome to Modern America

Today, macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food, a staple of weeknight dinners, family gatherings, and Soul Food restaurants. Humble though the dish may seem, culinary historian Karima Moyer-Nocchi traces its history to Ancient Romans, Renaissance cardinals and popes and Thomas Jefferson’s kitchens from where it became an American tradition. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

53 min
12/12/2025

Politics in the Grocery Aisle with Marion Nestle

Marion Nestle, America’s preeminent nutrition and food activist joins Linda to discuss her new book, What to Eat Now, a rewrite of her 2006 groundbreaking book, What to Eat. In those twenty years food in America has undergone a radical change. Ultra-processed foods dominate the supermarket shelves, corporate control dictates product dominance as well as food policy, and online grocery shopping has changed how we shop. Marion discusses the aggressive lobbying campaigns that influence what ends up on your plate, and how to navigate the supermarket aisles for healthier choices. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

39 min
11/07/2025

Katie Parla on Roman Food Culture

Katie Parla is a Rome-based food and beverage writer, cookbook author, and culinary guide. She is known for her expertise on Italian food culture, having written or edited over 35 books. In her new book Katie has gone even deeper into the history and evolution of the food culture from ancient times through post-war periods to tell the story of how Romans have eaten, feasted, snacked, and survived from prehistory through today. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

46 min
03/19/2025

Immigrant Italian Women and the Birth of an Italian American Foodway

In this episode Linda talks with Lucinda Scala Quinn about the history of immigrant Italian women who came to America between 1880 and 1924, fleeing the poverty of their southern Italian homes. They cooked the food they knew, often substituting ingredients and embellishing recipes with the new found abundance of foods in America. These recipes represented their kitchens and evoked the flavors of their homes, thus founding an Italian American foodway. Recipes are discussed from Lucinda's new book, Mother Sauce: Italian American Family Recipes and the Story of the Women Who Created Them. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member! A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

53 min
02/15/2025

The Foodways and Cooking of Nigeria

Nigerian food writer and cookbook author Ozoz Sokoh describes the historical foodways and evolution of the cuisine of Nigeria and its regions. From her new book, CHOP CHOP:: Cooking the Food of Nigeria, Ozoz shares descriptions and background of many of the spices, ingredient combinations, and recipes of regional classics and contemporary dishes which have evolved over time. From indigenous nuts, seeds and salts to the colonial imposition of bouillon cubes, the author educates us on how the geography, and global and political events shaped the complex cuisine of Nigeria. Image excerpted from Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria by Ozoz Sokoh, copyright ©2025 by Ozoz Sokoh, photographs copyright ©2025 by James Ransom. Used with permission of Artisan Books, a division of Workman Publishing Co., Inc., a subsidiary ofHachette Book Group, Inc. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member! A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1h 3m
01/17/2025

Elysian Kitchens

Monasteries, temples, mosques, and synagogues around the world preserve not only the world’s religions, but also cultural and culinary traditions, And those who cook in the kitchens of those sacred places—the sacred kitchens-- are the keepers of the flame, if you will, preserving the culinary heritage by cooking the traditional recipes and foods from their respective places. And they are culinary innovators, as well, keeping up with modern methods and tastes that reflect the world today from within these religious sanctuaries. Author Jody Eddy visited these kitchens and speaks with us about the intersection of culture, spirituality, and cuisine. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member! A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

45 min
04/10/2024

Gastronomic Journey of Peru

Peruvian gastronomy is one of the most diverse cuisines in the world, consisting of an extensive variety of distinctive dishes characteristic of each city in the country, stemming from the bio diversity of their agriculture. Robert Bradley, author of Eating Peru, talks about the history of the cuisine. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member! A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

51 min
03/07/2024

Jewish Food Society: Preserving the Jewish Culinary Heritage from Around the World

From growing up in a Kibbutz, to a life in New York City where her work sits at the intersection of food, culture, community building, and art, landing her in a profile article in Vogue, Naama Shefi is a leader in promoting the foods of Israel and archiving the recipes of Jewish communities around the world. On this episode, we speak with Naama about her many projects, including the newest: a beautiful new book, The Jewish Holiday Table. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support A Taste of the Past by becoming a member! A Taste of the Past is Powered by Simplecast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

38 min

See All (412)

Linda Pelaccio

Host

4

out of 5

404 Ratings

Dim sum discussion disappoints

09/23/2022

bug🍀

A long general discussion with no descriptions of the actual food or individual dishes. I wanted to hear the history of how it came about what was originally served in a historical dim sum feast? These questions remain unanswered.instead you get broad explanations and don’t learn many hard facts. Ie. Dim Sum is like the English tea tradition? Rhubarb was used in ancient Chinese cuisine long before the English did. And something about sponge cake… that’s about all I learned here. Podcast needs more food and less fumbling rambling tangents. Next time, Delve deeper into the details of Dim Sum and why it tastes so good. Talk about dumplings etc…
Needs another host

12/02/2024

Food history lover

To be fair, I’ve okay listened to the Peruvian episode. But even being one episode in I know I won’t be revisiting. I loved the guest. He had incredible knowledge and sounded very excited to discuss immigrant history and its impact on food. And the host was trying to hurry him along, and redirect him to talk about the food, but his build up was great! I wanted to hear more about the immigrant history. I’m glad he continued with his story and then connected it to food. The host is also very bland, unapproachable, condescending and doesn’t seem to bring any energy, excitement or in-depth food knowledge.
Excellent podcast - ignore the crazy 1 stars

03/17/2024

unehistoiredeplage

This is a wonderful podcast if you’d like food and history. You will learn much. It’s unfortunate that some rather uneducated people have come here to post negative comments because they are obsessed with Gaza and have succumbed to propaganda, they cannot handle even mention of Israel or anything Jewish. If you don’t like a subject, you can skip it without trashing the entire podcast because you can’t think straight.
No more!

03/08/2024

Tara Pur

Loved this show, looked forward to new episodes. The content was good. (The host’s voice is snobby but it was charming somehow, like nerdy snobby.) Then they dropped the most recent Zionist episode (March 2024). Unfollowing. Huge disappointment.

Culinary historian Linda Pelaccio takes a journey through the history of food. Take a dive into food cultures through history, from ancient Mesopotamia and imperial China to the grazing tables and deli counters of today. Tune in as Linda, along with a guest list of culinary chroniclers and enthusiasts, explores the lively links between food cultures of the present and past.