National Sponge Cake Day
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
