Gastronomic History

Mary Portas and Annie Gray - Cirencester History Festival The History & the Future of the High Street.

Mild Monday Pimpathon: next week I am in Cirencester for a Past/Future of the High St discussion, with Mary Portas, as part of Cirencester History Festival (I am getting a hair cut for this, because Portas still has really good hair).

cirencesterhistoryfestival.org/event/mary-p...

The Science of Quince and a jumpsuit, in soft quince

The #foodscience of #quinces: 'The clusters of tannins in the fruit are made up of pigments called ‘anthocyanins’. When you heat tannins, anthocyanins are released. Anthocyanin is from the Greek ‘antho’ meaning flower, and ‘cyan’ for blue.' lindsaycameronwilson.substack.com/p/the-scienc...

Most of the recipes for membrillo I've run across mention time in the oven to make it dry out. It also has the added effect of making it a deep red. It's a long, fiddly process that's worth the effort.

In Nourish's new field scan, authors Jared Qwustenuxun Williams & Fiona Devereaux explore the interconnected barriers that continue to obstruct widespread uptake of Indigenous foodways - and the strategies needed to overcome those barriers. 🫎🌱 #IndigenousFoodways #Reconciliation shorturl.at/JKCPh

The dust has begun to settle on the first @serveitforthfest.bsky.social and what a day it was.

Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and for your kind words @mrssbilton.bsky.social @deliciouslegacy.bsky.social @alessandrapino.bsky.social and I are so glad you enjoyed the day.

Second year of making #membrillo, or #quincepaste. Rather chuffed with the results, too. #foodhistory

No Whiskey Wasted - Offrange Every gallon of bourbon produces 10 gallons of waste called “whole stillage,” traditionally converted into animal feed or spread on farm fields. We need somewhere else to put it.

'Every gallon of bourbon produces 10 gallons [~38 L] of waste called “whole stillage” traditionally converted into animal feed or spread on farm fields. We need somewhere else to put it.' ambrook.com/offrange/sus... #bouron #sillage #waste #drinkhistory

Brain activity reveals how we taste flavours from smell alone Researchers have revealed what happens in the brain when certain smells are interpreted by the brain as tastes or flavours.

'Researchers have visualised what happens when certain smells or aromas are interpreted by the brain as taste, helping to explain why things like flavoured waters are perceived as sweet despite containing no added sugar.' cosmosmagazine.com/health/body-... #foodscience #taste #aroma

Women do the most cooking at home. So why do men get to hog the BBQ? There’s no evidence men are wired to use fire any more than women – yet, across cultures, it’s common to find bands of blokes bonding over the barbie.

'The genderisation of food remains strong in the retail industry, and extends to advertising and marketing. When did you last see an ad that showed a woman in charge of the BBQ?' theconversation.com/women-do-the... #foodstudies #foodhistory #gender #barbecue

I ran across this fabulous old postcard of a friend's family's restaurant from back in the day. I've been hearing about this part of #VancouverRestaurantHistory for so long, and it was great to run across a picture of the place. #foodhistory #dininghistory #ArmandosRestaurant

Meet the 2025 Ig Nobel Prize winners The annual award ceremony features miniature operas, scientific demos, and the 24/7 lectures.

My fave @IgNobel prize this year: 'Italian physicists came to the rescue with a foolproof recipe based on their many scientific experiments, according to a new paper published in the journal Physics of Fluids.' arstechnica.com/science/2025... #CacioEPepe #foodstudies #foodscience

The curious history of the FORK And what it reveals about your social class!

@Lucy_Worsley on The Curious History of the Fork lucyworsley.substack.com/p/the-curiou... #foodhistory #dining #utensils

a farewell to neilson jersey milk chocolate bar fieldnotes on canadian chocolate discontinuations

#AnthroDish laments the end of the late, great #Canadian #chocolatebar, #NeilsonJerseyMilk (made by @CadburyWorld). sarahduignan.substack.com/p/a-farewell... #foodhistory #nostalia #foodstudies #confectionery

A hand holds a plastic bottle repurposes as a sausage funnel. A turgid sausage skin is visible emerging from the bottom. It is a bit obscene.

Two pale brown sausages sit on a plate. There is sad evidence from the currants around them that their companions might have burst and that these are the only two left.

I'll be on the Beeb tonight trying not to say that the whole DEATH OF THE BRITISH PUDDING thing might be a little bit contrived so that English Heritage can publicise a baking book. On the other hand... entirely coincidentally I made C17 white puddings. They were not entirely a success.

A pudding basin with a pudding cloth on is suspended from a string handle above a cluttered worktop.

More pudding content. This one's lamb steak and kidney and was very nice thank you yes please none of this death of the pudding crap around here.

I'm very pleased with this new acquisition: a butter churn made by Waide of Leeds. It's in good working order but I need to get the wood wet so that it swells and closes the little gaps in the wood before I use it.

Any advice using this contraption is most welcome!

Either way, clafoutis of the food of the gods and I always make a portion for 10 and then eat chunks of it cold for breakfast. I mean, it's essentially solid custard with fruit in. What's not to love?!

The two are verrrry close - my mirabelle is the classic yellow one but there are red ones. I *think* - that mirabelles tend to be sweeter. So I'd call mirabelle, but I'm much better at cooking than growing (!)

This is not unhelpful www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/trees/mirabe...

So @dranniegray.bsky.social what do we think? Mirabelles?

This remains one of my favourite #XKCD cartoons of all time. #Brassicas #foodhistory #foodstudies #agriculture #botany

Meat Protects Against Cancer, Suggests Controversial Study. Here's The Catch. For years, health authorities have warned against red meat consumption, with the World Health Organization's cancer research arm classifying it as "probably carcinogenic to humans".

The media actually picking up on some bad science - good work!

www.sciencealert.com/meat-protect...

It's rather telling that my 81 year-old father, who still lives in the US and isn't all that up on pop culture references, commented about how he didn't imagine he would be living the plot of Idiocracy.

Crown Royal dethroned in Canada as whisky company shifts some operations to US Owners of top Canadian whisky company spark backlash after plan to close one of its plants in Ontario and shift bottling operations south amid US-Canada tariff war

'Production has remained in #Canada for decades, but last week, #Diageo said it would shift its bottling operations to the US in February. The move will cost 200 jobs...' www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s... #drinkhistory #CrownRoyal #tariffs #trade #foodandbeverage #tradewar

No fines for big grocers that promoted imported food as Canadian | CBC News The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has identified 12 complaint-driven cases where grocers engaged in "maple washing," a practice where companies use Canadian branding to promote imported food product...

#maplewashing #tariffs #groceries www.cbc.ca/news/busines... #foodstudies

Ultra-processed foods might not be the real villain in our diets – here’s what our research found Chocolate and porridge are both popular but only one gets binged. Why? Our psychology plays a bigger role in overeating than food labels alone.

'Liking is about taste. Hedonic overeating is about continuing to eat because the food feels good. They’re related, but not identical.' theconversation.com/ultra-proces... #food #diet #humannutrition #foodhistory #foodprocessing #foodperceptions

Mmmmmm....#Tajin on fresh avocado. Always brilliant. That is all.

The Highs and Lows of Vancouver’s Air Travel-Themed Restaurant Vancouver’s Sky Diner was a product of its time, when air travel was new and exciting. The restaurant reflects a shifting postwar culture.

I somehow managed to miss this fascinating bit of #Vancouver #restauranthistory. montecristomagazine.com/community/th... #foodhistory #dining #Canada #airtravel

Season 9 is being sponsored by Fruitpig & they have a special offer for listeners to the podcast! Find out more here:

britishfoodhistory.com/2025/07/09/s...

Sticky end? The British pudding faces extinction, English Heritage warns Not just boiled or steamed desserts in danger, charity finds, households also rarely make fruit pies and crumbles

The British pudding in danger?

Nah, we still love them, but we're not *making* them, but then, you could say that about pretty much all traditional cooking/cooking from scratch.

Sticky end? The British pudding faces extinction, English Heritage warns -
www.theguardian.com/food/2025/au...

Glad I work for an Open Access journals group.