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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
National Crackers Over The Keyboard Day is one of those quirky celebrations invented to make us chuckle. The day was dreamt up by Thomas and Ruth Roy, a husband‑and‑wife acting duo who have created dozens of ‘special’ days through their company Wellcat Holidays. This one encourages workers and students to break one of office etiquette’s […]
There’s something about banana pudding that feels like a hug from the inside. Maybe it’s the layers: the soft slices of ripe banana, the rich vanilla custard, the nilla wafers that soften to a cake‑like texture and the cloud of whipped cream or meringue on top. Maybe it’s the way the flavors meld after a […]