A true sponge cake is more air than anything else. Unlike butter cakes, sponges rely on whipped eggs for their rise, creating a structure of tiny bubbles that results in an airy crumb. The cake’s origins are entwined with the discovery in 17th‑century Europe that beaten eggs could act as a leavening agent. Genoese bakers […]
The coconut is a study in versatility—simultaneously fruit, nut and seed, offering food, drink, fiber and fuel. National Coconut Week, observed during the last week of August, honors the tropical palm tree that has sustained island cultures for millennia. Coconut palms likely originated in the South Pacific and drifted on ocean currents to tropical shores […]
The Cuban sandwich—pressed bread stuffed with roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard—is a story of migration and cultural mingling. Its roots lie with the Taino people of the Caribbean, who made flatbread from cassava called casabe. When Spanish colonists arrived, they introduced pork, cured ham and cheese, and the sandwich began to take […]
Pie is one of America’s most enduring desserts, and peach pie is arguably its summer queen. Peaches, with their fragrant flesh and rosy skins, reached North America via Spanish settlers and quickly took to southern orchards. Early American cooks prized pies for their ability to preserve fruit and provide portable meals. By the 19th century […]
The waffle has travelled an impressive journey from medieval pious fare to brunch favourite. Medieval Europeans cooked unleavened communion wafers in patterned irons, and by the 13th century artisans began to sell thicker street waffles seasoned with honey and wine. Waffle irons with elaborate designs—coats of arms, biblical scenes and lattice patterns—were prized household possessions. […]
A well‑made whiskey sour is a lesson in balance. The drink likely evolved from sailors’ grog—spirits mixed with citrus juice and sugar to ward off scurvy. By the mid‑19th century, bartenders in the United States were combining whiskey, lemon and sugar with ice and shaking them to a frothy chill. One popular origin story credits […]
Green Goddess dressing is a testament to how the theatre can influence cuisine. In the 1920s San Francisco’s Palace Hotel hosted the actor George Arliss, who was starring in the play The Green Goddess. To honour him, the hotel’s chef, Philip Roemer, created a dressing as vibrant as the title. He blended mayonnaise with fresh […]
On a summer afternoon in 1904, David Evans Strickler, a 23‑year‑old apprentice pharmacist at Tassel Pharmacy in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, decided to liven up the soda fountain menu. He split a banana lengthwise, nestled three scoops of ice cream between the halves, drizzled them with chocolate and strawberry sauces, sprinkled crushed nuts on top and finished […]
Charcuterie is the craft of curing, smoking and preserving meat, a tradition that dates back to at least 15th‑century France. The word comes from ‘chair cuite’, meaning cooked flesh, and referred to shops that sold sausages, pâtés and rillettes. French guilds regulated production, and regional specialities evolved—think saucisson sec in the Auvergne, jambon de Bayonne […]
The Popsicle owes its existence to an 11‑year‑old boy’s forgetfulness. In 1905, San Francisco resident Frank Epperson mixed powdered soda pop with water and left his cup, stirring stick and all, on the porch overnight. Temperatures dipped below freezing, and he awoke to find a sweet ice block on a stick. Epperson dubbed his accidental […]
Bananas are so ubiquitous in grocery stores that it’s easy to forget their exotic origins. The fruit likely originated in Southeast Asia, where wild bananas were first domesticated more than two thousand years ago. These early bananas were filled with hard seeds; farmers selectively bred plants for their creamy, seedless flesh. Arab traders carried bananas […]
Pots de crème—literally ‘pots of cream’—are small French custards baked in individual cups. Their history stretches back to the 17th century when custards were prized at Versailles for their smooth texture and rich flavour. While early versions were encased in pastry shells, the dessert evolved into a standalone pudding cooked slowly in a water bath. […]