Rachel Laudan

Down on my knees grinding pineapple. A breeze compared to grains. Well, I talked about grains and cities at Postopolis 10.  About why Mexico had particular problems with its chosen grain, maize. And the revolution in the last half century, particularly in the last twenty years or so, in the way maize has been processed [...]

You know, you read in cookbooks that this or that is the real or the best or the most authentic recipe for a certain dish.  Then the more you poke around, the more you realize that there are all kinds of variants on the basic recipe.  Indeed I am not sure that is even the [...]

Ok, what do I mean by culinary history?  Culinary (from the Latin culina, kitchen) history traces the history of the (guess) the kitchen or more generally, the techniques used to turn plants and animals into food. Thesis. 1492 (or the Columbian Exchange) is a complete non-event in culinary history. Why?  Well, the kitchens and techniques [...]