Proof

The Cricket World Cup started this week, and fans in New York are celebrating the wickets, the fast bowlers, and biryani. How did the rice dish become the meal of the match? Journalist Kunwar Khuldune Shahid reports. (100 Proof will be back on June 20.)

Make Biryani at home with our tested recipe. 

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Where does the word "cocktail" come from? Who invented it? We explore these questions and the backstories of two drinks from America's early days as a nation: The Mint Julep and the Sazerac. (Special thanks to Joe Gitter and Yiorgos Tsivranidis for their voice acting in this episode.)

Try making our Mint Julep and Sazerac recipes at home!

Further Reading:

"A Brief History of Bitters" Smithsonian Magazine by Peter Smith

Difford's Guide for Discerning Drinkers

Drink & Learn

"The Ice King was a Tudor" Wall Street Journal by Eric Felten

Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs & Juice - Cocktails from Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks by Toni Tipton-Martin

"NEW ORLEANS: A TIMELINE OF ECONOMIC HISTORY" Tulane University by Richard Campanella

The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails (Edited by David Wondrich & Noah Rothbaum)

Travels of four years and a half in the United States of America by John Davis

Whenham Great Pond by John C. Phillips from The Peabody Museum, Salem, Massachusetts

"Who Is the Real Father of the Cocktail?" The Daily Beast by Philip Greene

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This week, we kick off Proof's first-ever miniseries. Episode 1 explores how we got to our modern cocktail renaissance. Why were cocktails in the 90s and early 2000s shells of the well-crafted drinks we see today? It took a renegade group of bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts to resurrect drinks from the cocktail's heyday. Hosted by Cook's Country Editor-in-Chief Toni Tipton-Martin, and reported by Proof's managing producer, Yumi Araki.

Looking for a new cocktail shaker? We've tested over a dozen types to find the best options that will fit your home bar.

Further Reading:

A Proper Drink by Robert Simonson

Difford's Guide for Discerning Drinkers

Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs & Juice - Cocktails from Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks by Toni Tipton-Martin

Straight Up or On the Rocks - The Story of the American Cocktail by William Grimes

Ted Saucier's Bottoms Up - Ted Saucier

"The born-in-Detroit cocktail that has spawned countless variations," Washington Post by M. Carrie Allan

The New Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Think Like a Master Mixologist by Dale DeGroff

The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails (Edited by David Wondrich & Noah Rothbaum)

Special thanks to the following recording studios:

Brooklyn Podcasting Studio

Signature Sound Studios

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Even before the Stone Age, our ancestors were thinking about what happens when we combine one flavor with another, both in the primordial kitchen and behind the prehistoric bar. Fast-forward to today, and the carefully crafted cocktail is all around us. But what if we told you it wasn’t always this way?

Welcome to Proof's first-ever miniseries: 100 Proof: The Journey of the American Cocktail. Over six episodes, we’ll look at the rise and fall--and subsequent resurgence--of the American cocktail, and contemplate what forces led to our modern cocktail renaissance. We'll also share some recipes along the way. Hosted by Cook's Country Editor-In-Chief Toni Tipton-Martin, and reported by Proof's managing producer, Yumi Araki.

Episode 1 drops May 23.

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Can saliva change the way our food tastes? Does it affect our cooking? In our Season 16 finale, reporter Jacklyn Kim digs into the unexpected ingredient that we end up adding to every meal.

Proof will be back later in May with a 6-part miniseries on the history of cocktails! 

Until then, stimulate your taste buds and break out the cast iron with the Test Kitchen recipe for Cast Iron Margherita Pizza. 

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In 1951, the Explorer's Club hosted an extravagant banquet that had 250,000-year-old woolly mammoth on the menu. The dinner raised eyebrows back then as it does now. What does it mean to seek out "exotic" foods? Why do we do it? And was it really wooly mammoth that was on the menu? Reporter Doug Mack digs in.

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We're headed to the riverbanks of the Magdalena River to experience a Colombian tradition of eating stew, called the paseo de olla. Journalist Camilo Garzón shares how the mighty river and the stew have been at the center of Colombia's past and present. 

Hear more of Camilo's work at Cuentero Productions.

Invite some friends over to enjoy Colombia's signature three-meat stew, Sancocho at home with our tested recipe. 

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What happens when you have to boycott your favorite food? Reporter Makepeace Sitlhou travels to her home to North East India to confront this reality with her favorite dish: The Manipuri Thali.

Heads up: This episode includes descriptions of violence.

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We kick off Season 16 with a new episode that traces Horiatiki, or the Greek salad's journey from Athens to American tables. Our reporter digs into how tax evasion shaped the humble Horiatiki, and how a star ingredient wasn't incorporated until much later than you might think.

Check our top picks for Feta Cheese to make your own Horiatiki at home. 

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Before we return next week with new episodes of Proof, we're sharing an episode of Your Mama’s Kitchen, a podcast about cuisine and culture, ingredients and identities, and the meals and memories that make us who we are. In this episode, host Michele Norris interviews TV’s funniest redhead, Conan O’Brien. The comedian talks about how he first learned to be funny at the kitchen table. We also learn about why Halloween is his favorite holiday, and he reveals his favorite childhood meal: fried ham. Learn more about Your Mama’s Kitchen here.

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This week, we're bringing you the first episode from a new, four-part series from our friends at The Sporkful. Host Dan Pashman shares the inside story of creating his first cookbook, Anything’s Pastable — from the highs and lows of recipe testing, to a research trip across Italy, to the agonizing decisions over the design of the cover. By the end, you'll never look at a cookbook the same way again. Episode 2 is available in The Sporkful feed right now! 

See if Dan is visiting a city near you on his tour of book signings and live podcast tapings with special guests. And follow Dan on Instagram to see photos and videos from the Anything’s Pastable journey!

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We wrap up awards season with our Signal Award-Winning episode that asks: Will hot-boxing a lobster before it's cooked alleviate its pain? Science reporter Sarah Vitak takes us to a lobster shack in Maine to find out. 

Bring a taste of Maine home and make your own New England Lobster Rolls.

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Author Hannah Kirshner takes us on a captivating journey into the woods of rural Japan alongside boar hunter, Sakura Yoshida. In our IACP Award-winning episode, Hannah shares her experience and the history of meat eating in Japan.

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Reporter Jason Strother shows us what it’s like to navigate the supermarket while visually impaired. Listen to our Signal award-winning episode to learn what a more navigable world might be like.

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Chartreuse, a beloved liqueur among bartenders, defies the test of time. We recount the history of this drink that wouldn't die in our 2022 IACP Award-Winning episode on this potent elixir created by Carthusian Monks.

Ready to shake or stir? Read our Review Team's recommendations for best cocktail shakers. 

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The plan: To extract dormant yeast from the nooks and crannies of ancient Egyptian pots stored in the vaults of the world’s most prestigious museums and bake bread with it. Can it be done? Find out on this week’s episode from our archives. (New episodes will be back in April!)

Make your own sourdough loaf at home (without the need for ancient yeast!) with our fail-proof recipe.

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Pulitzer-prize winning author Dr. Marcia Chatelain returns to share the story of Brady Keys, a former NFL star and Black entrepreneur whose franchise, All-Pro Chicken, was hailed as the gold standard for Black capitalism in the 1960s. 

Try making Batter-Fried Chicken at home with our fail-proof recipe. 

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Pulitzer-prize winning historian and fast food detective Dr. Marcia Chatelain explores the cases of three American franchises that disappeared from the American landscape without a trace.

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This week, we replay our award-winning episode inspired by the food in FX's "The Bear". We get to the meat of the matter on how family can be the secret ingredient to creating (what we think) is the world’s greatest Italian beef sandwich.

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Try making an Italian beef sandwich at home with our foolproof recipe.

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How did the Philly Cheesesteak make its way to Lahore, Pakistan? Journalist Kunwar Khuldune Shahid traces the transcontinental journey.

Try Ayesha Sarwar’s recipe for Desi Philly Cheesesteak or America's Test Kitchen's version of the classic Philly style.

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We're spilling the tea on the origins of boba, or bubble tea. Cookbook author Clarissa Wei reports.

Did this episode make you thirsty? Try making our Matcha Fauxba Tea Smoothie, inspired by boba tea!

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The Gullah Geechee community on Sapelo Island, Georgia, is in a battle against time. Every year, storms, salt water, and construction threaten the land. But Sapelo resident Maurice Bailey is fighting to protect the island by reviving Geechee agriculture. Will he succeed? Claire Reynolds reports.

To learn more about Maurice Bailey’s efforts on Sapelo Island, go to saveourlegacyourself.org.

Try our recipe for Hoppin' John.

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ABC, or almond boneless chicken, is a popular Chinese-American dish from Detroit. But it's not as well known outside the Motor City. In this episode, author Curtis Chin investigates whether or not his grandmother's claim of having invented the dish, is true.

Try making Almond Boneless Chicken at home with our tested recipe.

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How far would you go to ensure the hops in your fresh hop IPAs are as fresh as humanly possible? The answer for one Denver-based brewery? Take advantage of the brewers’ pilot licenses. It’s a race against time in this week’s episode of Proof. Kate Bernot reports.

Have an extra can of beer at home? Use it for dinner tonight to make a Grill-Roasted Beer Can Chicken.

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Despite its rich coffee and cafe culture, Italy doesn't produce its own coffee beans. One man is trying to change that, against all odds. Producer John Last reports.

Thirsty for some coffee? Check out ATK's recommended Espresso Machines.

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Why aren't Italians drinking Italian coffee? What's the story behind ABC--a.k.a. almond boneless chicken? How did Philly Cheesesteaks become a popular sandwich in Pakistan? Find out the answers to these questions and so much more on Thursday, November 9 when the new season of Proof from America's Test Kitchen drops!

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In the last 'Best of Proof' episode of the year, we bring you a story from 2021 that gives new meaning to the question: How did host Kevin Pang's father end up becoming an unlikely YouTube star? Today, the duo are the stars of Hunger Pangs and authors of A Very Chinese Cookbook, but it didn't start out that way.

Want to try a Pang family recipe? Check out this sticky, crispy spare rib recipe.

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Preparing for doomsday might not be as crazy as we think. This week, we bring you an episode from 2019 that takes you inside the culinary minds of people who are ready and prepped for the worst.

Stockpiling wheat at home? Try making ATK’s recipe for Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread.

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It’s apple-picking season, and one man, Tom Brown, is on a mission to find an elusive variety called the Junaluska before it’s too late. Will Tom succeed? Claire Donnelly reports.

Gone apple picking? Check out ATK’s recipe for Classic Apple Pie.

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What is nixtamalization, and why is it so important when preparing corn-based dishes like tortillas and pupusas? Navajo reporter Andi Murphy walks us through her journey of nixtamalizing blue corn, and embarks on an Indigenous information exchange with chefs, scholars, and poets in the process.

Want to make your own corn tortillas? Check out ATK’s recipe for Homemade Corn Tortillas.

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This week, we’re starting autumn off right with one of our all-time favorite episodes: Fair Foods. Chris Siege reports.

Craving that sugar cream pie from the Indiana State Fair? Check out ATK’s recipe for Hoosier Pie.

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For hundreds of years, Japanese soy sauce was made in wooden barrels, but now, most are made in steel tanks. And some argue: It’s made it less delicious. Can a group of brewers and carpenters save the art of traditional brewing? Hannah Kirshner reports.

Curious about all the different varieties? Check out ATK’s reviews on Soy Sauce.

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In Pakistan, alcohol is banned for Muslims, who make up around 97% of the population. But, people drink, and there’s even a renowned beer brewery. How do they get around the ban? Kunwar Khuldune Shahid reports.

Looking for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink options? Check out ATK’s collection of recipes from How to Cocktail.

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The Proof team presents bite-size stories on snacks and snacking.

Want a snack while you listen? Check out ATK’s reviews on potato chips.

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Proof contributor Eliza Rothstein heads to Broadway to get a behind-the-scenes look at how the pies from Sweeney Todd are made. We hear from the actor playing Mrs. Lovett, and dive into the history of food props.

Want to learn how to make one of the best pies in town? Check out ATK's recipe for Natchitoches Meat Pies.

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The Butter Cow draws enormous crowds every year at the Iowa State Fair.  But who came up with the idea to sculpt with butter in the first place? Des Moines Register reporter Courtney Crowder uncovers the forgotten history of the woman who pioneered the art of butter sculpting.

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Want to know the best way to store butter? Check out our reviews on butter storage containers.

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Reporter Sarah Baik explores the history of Koryo Saram cuisine (Korean Soviet cuisine) and learns about the importance of morkovcha--a carrot dish--to one Koryo Saram family.

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Former Comedian Nick Lavallee is on a mission to make Manchester, New Hampshire the chicken tender capital of the world. Will he succeed?

Read reporter Caleb Jagoda's original article from New Hampshire Magazine.

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Hungry for some tendies? Make your own Puritan Backroom–Style Chicken Tenders.

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How did the U.S. military create a pizza that warfighters could eat on the battlefield? The Proof team follows the 5-year journey to create the world's most shelf-stable pizza.

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Craving pizza now? Check out ATK's reviews on Frozen Pepperoni Pizza.

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How does beer thrive in a country that bans it? Who's behind the worst pies in London? What does a Danish tale of a blind princess have to do with America's first butter sculptor? The answer to these questions and much, much more on Season 14 of Proof from America's Test Kitchen. Episode 1 drops Thursday, August 3!

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For the Season 13 closer, we bring you two stories on the theme of fusion food. We look at a JamAsian specialty--Jamaican Pepper Steak--and ask: How did a dish with Chinese roots become a celebrated Jamaican staple? We then head to Vietnam where MasterChef France winner Khanh-Ly Huynh falls hard for the banh mi. (Dionne Reid wrote the story on Jamaican Pepper Steak, and you can find her recipe for it online and in Cook's Illustrated magazine. Reporter Rebecca Rosman reported on Khanh-Ly Huynh's journey and the history of the banh mi.)

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In 2017, an iconic brand of Argentina's de facto national dessert, the alfajor, was on the brink of disappearing. New management threatened to stop production of El Grandote, or 'The Big One,' but the workers at La Nirva factory refused. Reporter Facundo Iglesia follows the workers' journey as they fight to keep El Grandote--the alfajor of the people--alive.

The original version of story, Revolución on the Cookie Factory Floor, was reported by Facundo Iglesia and Sofía Kuan for Narratively.com.

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What did dining out look like in 1906? We put the question to reporter Doug Mack, who dug through the New York Public Library’s “What’s on the Menu” database for answers. Mack encounters items like flaming omelettes, vichy with buttermilk, and calf brains on toast on the menu of one New York-based restaurant chain, Bristol's Dining Rooms. While these dishes may appear bizarre to our modern taste buds, Mack discovers that there may be more to it than meets the eye. 

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Fumiaki Matsuura had just started his job as the toji, or brew master of his family's sake brewery in Ishikawa, Japan, when he noticed a strange smell. A lot was riding on his reputation as the new face of the brewery, but this odor was quickly jeopardizing the business. Will Matsuura get to the bottom of this sake mystery? Story reported by Hannah Kirshner.

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ESPN's Baxter Holmes was always told: If it weren't for his family's apple pie, he wouldn't be here. The adage takes on a whole new meaning in this heartfelt episode about origins, love, and loss. (This episode is an adaptation of a story reported originally at Esquire.com. You can also read Baxter’s James Beard Award-winning piece about the NBA’s obsession with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at ESPN.com.)

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Beef noodle soup is Taiwan's national dish, but its existence is surprising, given that eating beef was taboo on the island not too long ago. Today, there's an annual beef noodle contest where chefs from around the nation duke it out to see who makes the best bowl. How did this happen? Reporter and cookbook author Clarissa Wei investigates. (Clarissa’s forthcoming cookbook, Made in Taiwan, is scheduled for release on September 19, 2023.)

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What if you knew you were quickly losing your sight? That’s something reporter Jason Strother has thought a lot about. In this episode, Jason takes a crash course at the Colorado Center for the Blind to navigate what cooking or grocery shopping might be like while blind. (Jason’s reporting was supported by the 11th Hour Food and Farming Journalism Fellowship at UC Berkeley. This episode was previously called "Cooking School for the Blind.")

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The month of Ramadan is here, and James Beard Award–winning writer Ahmed Ali Akbar is a new dad. He wants to pass down his family's traditions to his newborn daughter, but he wonders: How do you navigate fasting and nourishment and as a sleep-deprived parent? Ahmed talks to experts, nutritionists, and other families as they navigate Ramadan together.

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On lucky season 13 of Proof, we travel to Argentina where workers are fighting hard to save their national desert: The alfajor. We follow one reporter’s attempt at improving routines and mealtime during the month of Ramadan. We learn how to grocery shop while blind, and we also hear about one man’s quest to find the truth behind a family legend: Was he really born all because of an apple pie? All that, and so much more on Season 13 of Proof from America’s Test Kitchen.

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Kevin gives City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran a behind-the-scenes look at the making of our Proof episode on the World’s Greatest Italian Beef. Catch City Cast Chicago every weekday and wherever you get your podcasts.

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One of the hottest TV shows of the past year was FX’s The Bear, about a fine-dining chef who takes over the family Italian Beef sandwich business in Chicago. Host Kevin Pang is a former food critic in the Windy City, having consumed hundreds of Beefs. In this episode, Kevin attempts to engineer the World’s Greatest Italian Beef sandwich. 

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Reporter Halley Bondy came upon an autobiography written by her grandfather, who she called Poppop. His life was astonishing: Poppop grew up in the grips of Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, escaping fascism to create a new life for his family. As part of his new life in America, Poppop brought over a semi-sweet braided bread called vanocka eaten every Christmas Eve. In Proof's holiday episode, an amazing story about family, war, escape, and a very special bread.

Proof will be back in January with the last episode of Season 12. In the meantime, please vote for us for Best Arts & Culture podcast and Best Food & Drink podcast for the Signal Awards People's Choice Awards!

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America's Test Kitchen PR Director Brian Franklin's job? Spread the good word about the delicious food the company creates. There's just one problem: Brian has the palate of a 5-year-old (his words!). On this episode, the producers of Proof stage an intervention.

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A breakfast cereal created by religious leaders. Chicken wings, infidelity, and revenge. In this episode, two foods we know and love born from accidents.

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Travel writer Doug Mack felt trapped. Winter was approaching in Minnesota. Another surge of lock-downs and travel restrictions loomed. Staring at his blank passport pages, Doug turns to his keyboard and encounters a Twitter post about ... strawberry bon bons. In this episode, we take a trip into the colorful world of old-timey candies.

Voice acting by: Darlene from The Voice Realm, Kevin Pang, and Jon McCormack. The “King William” recording is from the John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection at Lyon College.

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We think long and hard about what we feed our families. What about our canine friends? In this episode, reporter Varud Gupta goes on a quest to feed his Jack Russell Terrier mix, Luna. Not satisfied with standard dog food, Varud wants to know: Should I cook for Luna? He talks to eccentric dog parents, dog chefs, vets, and pet influencers to navigate the dizzying world and history of pet food.

(Please consult a vet before making any decisions about your dog or pet’s diet.)

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In Season 12 of Proof from America's Test Kitchen, we're bringing you stories from wartime Czechoslovakia to an Italian beef shop in Chicago. Meet eccentric dog owners and pet personalities as we investigate whether or not we should cook for our dogs. We search for connection down a rabbit hole of old-fashioned candies. The Proof staff stage an intervention to expand an America's Test Kitchen's colleague's food repertoire. All that, and so much more on the new season of Proof. Episode 1 drops on Thursday, November 10.

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This week, we bring you a story of a major scandal in 2003 at a Texas chili cook-off. A newcomer turns in a cup of chili to the judges filled with samples of everyone else’s chili mixed together. And then, he wins first place.

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This week, we bring back another all-time favorite episode about a fungi and its critical role in one of the fastest growing economies in Central Africa. Set in the thriving tech hub of Rwanda, oyster mushrooms are at the center of this story. 

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This week, we bring back a listener favorite that dives into the consequences of a legislation that tried to prohibit young white women from eating at chop suey houses. This episode tells the story of an organized effort to wipe out Chinese eateries altogether and how these restaurants survived in spite of it.

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This week, we bring back Proof's very first episode, which takes a deep dive into the former “it” vegetable of the Victorian era: Celery. Before it was relegated to a bloody Mary garnish, celery was considered a status symbol and displayed proudly on restaurant menus and well-to-do families’ tablescapes. So what caused the vegetable’s fall from grace? And is it poised for a comeback?

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What's actually going on in our bodies when we experience a hangover? In this last episode of the season, host Kevin Pang takes you through a Bill Nye The Science Guy-esque journey.

Got an idea for a story you want us to cover in a future episode? Got a suggestion? Let us know by filling out our Season 11 survey! https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6979373/Proof-Season-11-Survey

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Bigma's Blackberry Pie. A warming bowl of chicken pho. Diner coffee, and a nostalgic meal at a Chinese restaurant in Japan. On this episode of Proof, the staff bring you stories of their ultimate favorite foods and meals.

We here at Proof are always thinking of ways to make our show better. Got an idea for a story you want us to cover in a future episode? Got a suggestion? Fill out our Season 11 survey here!

https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6979373/Proof-Season-11-Survey

Proof listeners will get 10% off their order when they go to saffifoods.com/proof. Get their Zero-Waste line of artisanal vinegars and oils that are trusted by professional chefs around the country.

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Ever wish you could settle--once and for all--the question of whether triangular-shaped pizzas are better than square-shaped pies? The Court of Historical Review in San Francisco once decided pressing cases on pop culture, sports controversies, and of course, food. Where was the fortune cookie created? Does the San Francisco bagel live up to its rival, the New York bagel? Reporter Eliza Rothstein talks to judges, experts, and plaintiffs as the gavel hits the sounding block.

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What does it mean to be a dapperqueer homesteader? Author M Shelly Conner explores this question as she recounts her move from the city life in Chicago, Illinois to Conway, Arkansas, where she begins her journey of living off the land.

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Host Kevin Pang takes a trip to the Southside of Chicago to tell the story of Chicago's most famous culinary exports--and it's not about deep-dish pizza or hot dogs.

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Ever wish you could spend the day immersed in the fantasy worlds from your book, show, or game? Meet the characters, travel the land - or if you’re like most of us at Proof - eat the food? From the Legend of Zelda to Dungeons and Dragons, reporter Sarah Vitak talks to the fan cookbook authors who are transforming pixelated foods into irl dishes you can serve on your plate.

Check out Aimee’s cookbook, The Unofficial Legend of Zelda Cookbook.

Learn more about Ashley and Isaac's Dungeons and Dragons cookbook, Fantasy Feasting, at the Fantasy Feasting Kickstarter.

Listen to Eric's podcast, Imaginary Worlds.

Learn more about Marisa’s work as a folklorist.

See some of Janice’s creations in Feeding Hannibal: A Connoisseur's Cookbook.

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Leafcutter ants have been a traditional Colombian food for millennia, long predating Spanish colonization. But the ants, eaten by Colombians since the indigenous Guane peoples inhabited the area of Santander, are now in peril. What does the future hold for this ancient food source? Reporter Camilo Garzón reports.

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As one of the most commonly consumed berries in the world, strawberries are a beloved household snack. But this soft, sweet fruit has a rocky history. From immigration to incarceration, Japanese Americans are integral to the California Strawberry origin story. Through three generations of Japanese strawberry farmers, reporter Hannah Kirshner brings us a story of ingenuity and resilience.

To learn more about Japanese Americans and Strawberry farming, read:

• A Taste for Strawberries, by Manabi Hirasaki with Naomi Hirahara
• Strawberry Days, by David Neiwert

For more about Japanese American history, check out:

• Japanese American National Museum
• Densho.org
• Nature Behind Barbed Wire, by Connie Y. Chiang

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This season, we’re bringing you food stories from all over--from South America to the South Side of Chicago. We travel to Colombia to find out why leaf cutter ants–a common snack in the country–are disappearing. We drive around Chicago in search for one of the city's most famous culinary exports (and no, it's not deep-dish pizza or hot dogs). And we ask: Why does a Dungeons and Dragons recipe book have almost as many positive reviews as America’s Test Kitchen’s best-selling title? All that, and so much more on Season 11 of Proof from America’s Test Kitchen.

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This week, we're bringing you a collection of some of our favorite Proof episodes. Our friends at Hark Audio curated this list so you can relive or be introduced to some of the best moments from our feed. Hark editors pick and choose these compelling podcast moments and transform them into one-of-a-kind playlists--kind of like creating a special mixtape of all of your interests in podcast form. Download the Hark app and check out our host Kevin Pang's Harklist on the origins of fast food chains. You can also check out the Forbidden and Dangerous Foods, Cocktail Histories, or Little Known New York Food History Harklists.

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Here’s a special preview of Not Lost, a new podcast about finding yourself in places you’ve never been from our friends at Pushkin Industries! Host Brendan Francis Newnam takes us around the world, learning about new places by getting invited to a stranger’s house for dinner. From Montréal to Mexico City, Brendan and his guests drink, dance, and eat, learning as much about themselves as the places they visit. In this preview, Brendan and his friend Danielle Hendersen head to the Big Easy and discover that it’s anything but. Carousel bars, gospel choirs, voodoo readings, and a visit to a slavery memorial plunge the duo into conversations about the good life with local luminaries like jazz-great Kermit Ruffins, voodoo priestess Madame Cinnamon, and a chef who dreams about gumbo.

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For the season finale, we're bringing you three short stories on the theme: One person's trash is another person's treasure. Reporter Stephen Calabria digs into the story of a famous half-eaten piece of toast, ATK assistant editor Eden Faithful goes dumpster diving, and reporter Eliza Rothstein traces the life cycle of a pastry that turns into a spirit. Proof will be back for Season 11 late July, and in the meantime, we'll post other exciting content in our feed!

You can view what items Christie's auctioned off from Sue Houghton's Beatles collection here. And if you’re curious about what Misadventure's vodka tastes like, head to misadventure.com and use the code PROOF2022 for 15% off vodka bottles.

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Baskets of bok choy, galangal, collard greens, epazote. We often take these United Nations of produce for granted, but it’s the deliberate work of farmers cultivating heritage seeds that ignites the growing diversity of fruits, grains, and vegetables. In this episode, reporter Jean Trinh chronicles the lives of three farmers who have made it their mission to plant seeds that sow a sense of home, cultural preservation, and belonging.

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The McDonald’s vegan cheese slice. Botanical flavors for your next latte. A patent to cure meats with...celery juice. Many of the next it-food innovations are engineered by a company you’ve probably never heard of but touches almost food product you know: The Kerry Group. Reporter John Ringer goes behind the scenes at this food factory and lab, as he traces the history of Kerry’s humble roots as an Irish dairy cooperative to a worldwide ingredients company.

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Black Americans have deep historical connections and ownership over vegan and plant-based cuisines. But after the Great Migration, many left farms and the Jim Crow South to cities where urbanization and the advent of fast food changed the landscape of accessibility to fresh foods. In this episode of Proof, writer Gabrielle Lawrence-Cormier reconnects with their family's pre-Great Migration gardening traditions and reclaims their plant-based culinary roots.

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Many of us have family recipes that have been passed down for generations. For reporter Anh Gray, it's her late mother's piping hot bowl of beef pho. But what do we do when we need to amend these recipes? Is something lost when we make substitutions, or can we iterate and build upon that which is sacred? Anh dives in.

Thanks to our sponsor, Naked Lunch. It's a new podcast hosted by Phil Rosenthal of Netflix's Somebody Feed Phil, and music journalist David Wild. Listen and subscribe to Naked Lunch wherever you get your podcasts.

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Who were some of the first people ever to make wine? Images of ancient people of the Caucasus or France might come to mind. But what if we told you that wine was being made in ancient Japan, around the same time--or even earlier--than it was in the Caucuses? And even before sake was being made in Japan? Reporter Hannah Kirshner investigates.

You can read Hannah's article on the history of winemaking in Japan for Food & Wine, and her latest book is Water, Wood, and Wild Things: Learning Craft and Cultivation in a Japanese Mountain Town. Eric C. Rath’s latest book is Oishii: The History of Sushi. Edward Slingerland’s is Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization.

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Welcome to Bear Grass, North Carolina, where moonshine, tobacco, and bootlegging were once king. Today, a storied dish called chicken mull is a staple of the town's identity and for years, Bear Grass held an annual chicken mull-making contest to see who made the best mull. What happens though, when this humble dish almost tears the small, close-knit community apart? Reporter Allison Salerno reports.

Interested in making chicken mull? Find our Cook's Country recipe here.

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Black walnuts are probably nature's toughest nut to crack. But one man--television producer and newbie farmer Mike Trinklein--is determined to prove that it's a crop worth farming for. In this episode of Proof, Mike walks us through the history and benefits of these nuts, and shares his own scheme to get rich...slow off the land.

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Proof from America's Test Kitchen returns Thursday, April 21st! We kick off Season 10 by traveling to the midwest in search of a tough-to-crack crop. We ask: Who has the right to tweak a national dish? We also try to solve the mystery of The Beatles' George Harrison's piece of toast. All that, and much more on the new season of Proof!

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Muhidin Libah was living in Syracuse, New York when he received a call from a Somali Bantu community in Maine. They wanted his help setting up a non-profit organization that would run a farm aimed to serve the growing Somali Bantu émigré community in the Pine Tree State. As Muhidin answered the call, he wondered whether they should stick to setting the organization up with a strictly for-us-by-us mentality, or whether they needed allies in a place that had shown hostility to his people. What does it mean to set up a farm--for and by a minority community--in a predominantly white region? Reporter Ashia Aubourg digs in.

This story is based on Ashia's story in Cuisine Noir. Visit the Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine's website to find out more.

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What does it look like when you uproot yourself from a familiar culinary place to an unknown city? The Moth performer and writer Aaron Pang dives in with this audio diary that chronicles his move from San Francisco to Iowa City.

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One day in 2012, Proof host Kevin Pang received an email from his father, urging Kevin to watch a video on YouTube that he'd just sent. Reluctantly, Kevin opened it to discover that somehow, his retired father had created a YouTube cooking channel that had nearly a million views. This would kick off a series of events that would forever change Kevin's relationship with his father. This week's episode is a story about family, what happens when immigrants move to a new country, and how Kevin's dad became an unlikely YouTube star. (This story is based on Kevin Pang's article in the New York Times Magazine.)

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Around the world and throughout history, we’ve celebrated the departed with rituals that involve food. Pharaohs were buried with feasts. We pour out drinks in honor of fallen friends and family. But the precision and thought that Zoroastrian priest Marziban Hathiram puts into preparing meals for the departed is in a league of its own. Author Varud Gupta takes us through the intricacies of the stum death ritual in Gujarat, India, and walks us through what foods are--and aren’t--appropriate for the afterlife.

Read more of Varud's journey in his book, Bagwaan Ke Pakwaan: Food of the Gods.

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Charlotte Gill was anguished by the way the lobsters at her lobster pound died a slow death in vats of boiling water. ‘There must be another way,’ she thought. ‘How about getting them high?’ In this episode of Proof, science reporter Sarah Vitak tracks Gill’s quest, invokes David Foster Wallace, and considers the lobster.

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Jewish delis are a staple of many American cities and neighborhoods. But even before the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the restaurant industry, Jewish delis were already on the decline. In 1931, there were an estimated 2,000 delis in the Big Apple. Today--almost a century later--there’s fewer than a few dozen. So what accounts of this deli decline? Reporter Rebecca Rosman samples delis across the United States in search for answers.

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We kick off the new season by asking: Why are Jewish delis disappearing? We consider the lobster, and the most humane way to treat them before we eat them. We look at literal soul food--food that's served to the departed, and you'll hear a story from host Kevin Pang about how his dad became an unlikely YouTube cooking star. All that, and much more on Season 9 of Proof from America’s Test Kitchen.

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Today we have a special episode from our friends over at Mystery Recipe, a podcast from America's Test Kitchen Kids for young chefs ages 4-10. This episode features Proof host Kevin Pang! If you like Mystery Recipe, you can find their fourth season anywhere you get your podcasts.

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Old Bay Seasoning is a hallmark of mid-Atlantic food culture. The yellow and red branding has stood the test of time, and remained unshakably present in grocery stores across the country. It's sprinkled on seafood, fries, and even used in ice cream. But despite its renowned fame and recognition, very few people actually know the man behind this iconic seasoning and his battle with the spice industry. Reporter Claudia Rosenbaum digs into the the David-and-Goliath origins of Old Bay Seasoning, and how the spice blend has endured today.

Take our season 8 survey to get a 30% off coupon code at the America's Test Kitchen online shop.

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Get high quality cured meats and charcuterie in stores and online at Veroni USA.

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How we speak, what we wear, and what we eat are influenced by our upbringings, our cultures, and our roots. But what happens when we peel the curtain back on all the things we thought we knew about ourselves? What would we find? In this episode, reporter Sheila V Kumar interrogates her own vegetarianism and asks what consequences our food choices have in the political sphere and in our own lives. Take our Season 8 survey here.

A note from our sponsors:

Get high quality cured meats and charcuterie in stores and online at Veroni USA.

Use code ATK15 for 15% off on OXO.com.

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Few drinks have gone through the ringer the way Chartreuse has. Since the 1700s, a silent group of monks in the Southeast of France have produced and protected this elixir-turned-liqueur through evictions, natural disasters, and other trials and tribulations of history. Today, Chartreuse is a crucial ingredient that helped spur the modern craft cocktail movement. Proof's managing producer and self-professed "pro-sumer" of cocktails, Yumi Araki, digs into the history of the spirit that just wouldn't die. Take our Season 8 survey here.

For further reading on the history of Chartreuse: Chartreuse the Liqueur.

A note from our sponsors:

Listeners get 15% off of their first order at porterroad.com/proof.

Get high quality cured meats and charcuterie in stores and online at Veroni USA.

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The smell of certain foods imprint themselves in our brains and can transport us to different places and our past. One scent in particular--the smell of za'atar--brought two Palestinian women together through social media. Nadia Tommalieh and Lulu Abura instantly shared a bond over their love for the herb and the spice blend that reminds them of their homeland. Reporter Haley Gray reports. Take our Season 8 survey here.

Follow Nadia Tommalieh on Instagram here.

Follow Lulu Abura on Instagram here.

A note from our sponsors:

Get high quality cured meats and charcuterie in stores and online at Veroni USA.

Use code ATK15 for 15% off on OXO.com.

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On a cold night in January 2017, five comedians gathered around a table in the back of a cramped restaurant in New York’s Greenwich Village called the Olive Tree Cafe. The comedian weren't scheduled to perform at the downstairs Comedy Cellar that night, but they had come to hang out at a place they called home: a family dinner around the most important table in American stand-up comedy. This restaurant--and the famous comedian's table--have long served as home base for comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, Aziz Ansari, and Dave Chappelle--the five comedians who ended up performing at what would be remembered as the Billion Dollar Comedy Night. Reporter Stephen Calabria digs into the history of the Olive Tree Cafe and how it fuels some of America's most famous stand-up comedians.

A note from our sponsors:

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June Pinks. Candy Stripes. Leather Britches, and Fall Roses. These are the names of just a few apple varieties that have been lost to time. But one man, Tom Brown, is on a mission to find them—and especially one variety called the Junaluska—before it’s too late. Will Tom Brown succeed? Claire Donnelly reports.

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Pineapple cakes. Pork-wrapped pineapple. Pineapple bento boxes, and beef pineapple noodle soup. Reporter Kai McNamee started seeing the spiky fruit everywhere—at restaurants, at convenience stores and at bakeries—after China banned pineapple imports from Taiwan earlier this year. A pineapple-related hashtag also took social media by storm. So what was the #FreedomPineapple campaign all about? Kai investigates in this episode of Proof.

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Ethereal, contained, and rife with ingredients like cottage cheese, whipped cream, and fruit. The Jello salad was a mainstay of many American households throughout the 1950s and the '60s. They were a feast for the eyes, with mixed results about whether they were a feast for the stomach. Still, housewives made them, until a shift happened that upended the way women--and men--thought about cooking. In the season eight premiere of Proof, producer Karen Given tells us about the rise and fall of Jello and gelatin. It’s a story that begins in the Middle Ages, features handsome door-to-door gelatin salesmen on horseback, and goes all the way to Julia Child.

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This season, we're back with a new lineup, and a new host, Kevin Pang! We kick off the season with a story about gelatin and the heyday of Jell-O. We ride along an apple hunter’s journey in search of a lost apple variety. We look at the place--and the food--that’s nurtured some of the best comedians in America, and how a drink made by a silent group of monks has survived over centuries, against all odds. All that, and more on season 8 of Proof from America’s Test Kitchen.

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In the town of Yamanaka in Western Japan, wild boars are a threat to local farming. With the extinction of natural predators, the boars run rampant, leaving hunters like Sakura Yoshida to patrol the area. This pits boars against humans, but Sakura approaches the boars with veneration and a deep understanding of the ecosystem they both inhabit. In this episode of Proof, author Hannah Kirshner takes us along for a ride with Sakura and recounts the history of meat eating in Japan.

This episode draws on the "Year of the Boars" chapter in Hannah Kirshner's Water, Wood, and Wild Things.

For further reading about human-wildlife relations in Japan, read The Lost Wolves of Japan by Brett L. Walker and Waiting For Wolves in Japan by John Knight.

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Our five senses--sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell--can feel intrinsically linked to who we are. But when aspiring chef Molly Birnbaum lost her sense of smell in a traumatic accident, she resolved to get it back through smell training and learning how our olfactory systems are connected to the brain. In this episode of Proof, Editor-In-Chief of ATK Kids Molly Birnbaum, walks us through her journey, and talks to others who lost their sense of smell--from Covid-19 and other causes--along the way.

Read Molly's book, Season to Taste: How I Lost My Sense of Smell and Found My Way.

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Hospitality and and serving others were at the heart of Damián Diaz and Othón Nolasco's bar consulting business in Los Angeles. When the pandemic hit, the duo noticed that undocumented workers, who serve as vital back of house staff at restaurants and bars, weren't eligible or able to get the help that they needed. The two decided to start a nonprofit organization and called it No Us Without You. In this episode of Proof, reporter Jean Trinh talks to two individuals who have been helped by No Us Without You and chronicles how Damián and Othón resolved to serve those who have served us for years.

A version of this story was originally reported in The Washington Post.

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Baloney is one of the most well-known--and divisive--meat products in the United States. Many synonymize it with "fake" or "synthetic," but there are some who defend the maligned meat to its core. What makes this iconic American food so controversial, and how did it fall from its former glory? In this episode of Proof, Reporter Rebecca Rosman travels to Bologna, Italy to trace the origins of the city's namesake meat, and talks to the people in the United States who are at the forefront of revitalizing the meat's reputation.

Take our show survey here: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6274752/Proof-Season-7-Survey

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Tortillas, tortilla chips, and tamales—these are all foods that are easy to enjoy but not as easy to make from scratch. There's a process called nixtamalization that occurs, which unlocks nutrients from corn and makes it ready to use in the foods we love. Nixtamalization is a crucial step, yet it's not well-known. It's a testament to the ingenuity of Indigenous science, which has been subject to erasure throughout history. In this episode of Proof, Navajo reporter Andi Murphy walks us through her journey of nixtamalizing blue corn, and embarks on an Indigenous information exchange with chefs, scholars, and poets in the process.

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For many of us, food and family are an intertwined bridge of our identity. We can trace so many things about ourselves and personalities to our family members and the meals we’ve shared. There are the dedicated feeders of the family, the thankful eaters, and the confusing neithers--they neither eat nor feed. Writer Ahmed Ali Akbar was a neither. At an early age, he didn’t eat or prepare much of his family’s Pakistani food. However, an unexpected meal changed his entire perspective. In this episode of Proof, Ahmed confronts his pickiness while solidifying an undeniable connection he shared with a beloved feeder.

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The Food Timeline has been a valuable resource for food professionals and laypeople alike. The website chronicles the origins of everything from emmer grain (which, dates back to 17,000 BC), to the modern-day cake pop. Most impressively, the Food Timeline was the creation of one single individual: Lynne Olver. In 2015, however, the future of the Food Timeline suddenly becomes uncertain. In this episode of Proof, we go back in Internet history to witness the Food Timeline's birth and learn about the amazing woman behind it.

Explore the Food Timeline for yourself here: http://foodtimeline.org/

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Canned foods are an essential part of our pantries. From pasta sauce, to pumpkin puree, to corn and beans, these ready-to-open options give cooking more ease. That is exactly what Nicolas Appert wanted when he invented the airtight art of food preservation. During the 19th century, this French chef identified ways to hold nature’s greatest gifts in bottles year-round. Yet, after this transformative discovery, Appert’s legacy is still unknown by the majority of the world. In this episode of Proof, we unpack the story of Appert’s non-perishable contributions to society.

Read Malcolm Summers' biography of Nicolas Appert here.

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Who was the man who helped revolutionize the way we eat? What does it mean to be an ambassador of a food culture and a pickiy eater at the same time? Why is a boar hunter in Japan conflicted? Tune in to find out on Season 7 of Proof beginning April 22.

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Dan Pashman is on a mission to make--and sell--a new pasta shape. Our friends at The Sporkful have a new five part series on Dan's journey (and in this episode, find out why he hates Spaghetti). You can find the rest of the series in The Sporkful feed wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Our friends a Transmitter Media have a body-positive and unapologetically food-positive show that is about breaking up with diet culture. Host Virgie Tovar talks to amazing ‘rebel eaters’ who will change the way you think about food and your body. Their second season just launched and features great conversations with guests like Francis Lam from The Splendid Table, as well as fascinating stories about why we eat what we eat. Listen now in your favorite podcast app or at rebeleatersclub.com

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Nichols Electronics has a monopoly on the ice cream truck music box market. When you hear the familiar sound of ice cream truck music ringing through your neighborhood, chances are extremely high that it’s coming from a box that Mark and Beth Nichols created. For decades, they’ve been in the business of evoking nostalgia and happy memories. Until recently, when it was revealed that one of the most popular songs on their boxes has a dark history. Today on Proof, we tell the story of how one small family business faced the biggest controversy to rock the ice cream truck industry.

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When you see “not from concentrate” on a carton of OJ, you might assume it’s healthier than other brands. But actually, that’s a relic of a decades-long juice brand battle and deceptive marketing that sold customers the promise of a "balanced breakfast." In fact, the behemoths behind orange juice popularity have constantly shape-shifted and reinvented themselves in order to bring our favorite breakfast juice to the proverbial table. In this episode of Proof, we chronicle Minute Maid and Tropicana’s decades-long tête-à-tête, that firmly solidified orange juice as a permanent fixture of the American diet. 

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The color blue doesn’t really occur naturally in food. Think about it: when was the last time you ate something blue? Maybe a piece of candy or an ice pop that was “blue raspberry” flavored. Food marketing teams have steered their companies away from blue labels and blue colored foods (except in a few cases), often citing studies on the psychology of color and perception of taste. But one popular study might not be all it’s cracked up to be. This week we teamed up with Slate’s Decoder Ring podcast to dig deeper and find out why blue isn’t a common color on our plates.

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Our friends at This Old House have a new podcast "Ask This Old House". The show features home enthusiasts around the country, who ask questions about the toughest projects in their homes.

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When Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee and her family moved to America from Korea in the 1980s, they were immersed in a whole new world. New schools, friends, jobs, and new food. None was more remarkable than the salad bar at Sizzler, with its small yellow cubed pieces of cheese and Thousand Island dressing. In this memoir, Cecilia and her siblings recall their first few years in the US, and how food shaped their family’s pursuit of the American Dream.

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Hervé Garnier owns a small vineyard in the tiny French town of Beaumont making wine from hybrid Franco-American grape varieties. But this fruity, floral, rich red wine he makes… is illegal. According to outdated French and EU law, the wine made from these hybrid vines is dangerous, that it induces madness. But they also claim the wine just doesn’t taste good enough to be sanctioned as “French Wine.” Hervé calls these excuses absurdités. For decades, he has fought the restrictions to no avail. So, what is French Wine? And who gets to say?

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Modern personal injury lawsuits are now considered frivolous, at best. But 66 years before the infamous spilled McDonald’s coffee, May Donoghue drank a ginger beer in Paisley, Scotland and changed personal injury law forever. May, a humble shopkeeper, discovered a snail in her drink and decided to sue. No such lawsuit had ever been won before. She was slandered in the press, and criticized in court, but to the surprise of many, she won. In Proof’s first ever docu-drama episode, we explore the unspoken trust between consumer and seller through a dramatized retelling of May Donoghue’s story.

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Illegal wine, food color psychology, a snail in a soda, and an immigrant family's food story. We're back with more of the food stories you love. Tune in for Season 6 of Proof beginning December 3.

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Our friends at GBH and Antiques Roadshow have a new podcast called Detours, where you'll get some insider info on objects you've never seen before, and why. We're excited to share their first episode with you: The Hardest Fact I Ever Checked.

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The Trader Joe's subreddit is a place for friendly conversation and helpful tips for how to use Trader Joe's products. But what happened when a villain caused trouble in the online community?

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Becky Krystal of The Washington Post joins Bridget to talk about what Thanksgiving has looked like in the past during times of crises like the World Wars, economic disasters, and more.

Read Becky's article The Washington Post.

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Our friends at Food52 have a great new podcast about the uncut gems of their weekly "Genius Recipes" column and video series. Bridget talks with host Kristen Miglore before playing an episode of the show.

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Bridget speaks with Dr. Danielle Reed from the Monell Chemical Senses Center about the genetics of taste perception. To learn more about the Monell Center’s research, visit monell.org.

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Ashley Lecker, Author of the Serial Killer Cookbook, joins Bridget to talk about Famous Death Row Meals. Warning: this episode may not be suitable for children. You can purchase Ashley's book here: https://ulyssespress.com/books/the-serial-killer-cookbook/

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In this special episode of Proof, Bridget Lancaster talks with America’s Test Kitchen Executive Editor Elle Simone Scott about Elle’s new podcast, The Walk-In. Then, food historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris steps into The Walk-In with Elle. 

Food historian, author, and educator Dr. Jessica B. Harris gives Elle advice only an Auntie can. They talk about growing up as an only child, the magic of HBCUs, and how the pandemic has changed Dr. Harris' perspective.

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A new branch of crime has emerged in central California under cover of mass almond groves: the theft of beehives. Why? Because they’re really valuable. The American honey economy has crashed, leading beekeepers to find other sources of income for their bees. The burgeoning US Almond industry was just the key. But it's a dangerous gig for the bees, making their hive rental fees steep and a perfect target for organized crime. 

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After Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination in 1968, Civil Rights leaders, fast food corporations, and the Nixon administration began an unlikely collaboration: to promote “Black Capitalism” in the fast food industry. The idea was this: promoting Black franchise business ownership in Black neighborhoods could improve the quality of Black life in America. Brady Keys was the king of Nixon’s Black capitalism. He received upwards of 9 million dollars in federal money to develop his fast food franchise, All-Pro Chicken, and collaborated with KFC and Burger King in ground-breaking franchise deals. Keys’ story is a case study of Black business ownership in the ‘60s, when the path to Civil Rights was paved with profits.

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Historian/Fast-food Detective Marcia Chatelain is our guide as we explore the cases of American fast food franchises that once were, until they vanished without a trace. The Mid-century was the height of fast-food franchising: McDonalds, KFC, White Castle. But what about the chains that didn’t survive? From pyramid schemes and copycats to acquisitions and fish wars, we explore the culprits in the cases of the disappearing franchise.

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Dr. Yamei Kin was orphaned by her parents at a young age, and adopted by missionaries. She became one of the first Chinese women to receive a medical degree. In the 1910s, the USDA hired Dr. Kin to research high-protein foods in light of World War I shortages. But she was never able to position tofu as a respectable ingredient in the American diet. Why wasn’t the West ready for Tofu?

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A collaboration with Business Insider’s Brought To You By. In this three-part story, we tell the history of the Biscuit Wars of the early 1900s. Then, we learn of one woman’s relationship with Oreos as an expression of rebellion to her Jewish roots’ Kosher rules. Lastly, we also uncover the real story behind Mr. Oreo, the man who somehow got credit for inventing the current Oreo cream filling. 

Read Marjorie Ingall's essay about the Oreo

Stella Parks, BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts

Read from Business Insider: How the Oreo cookie went from unknown knock-off to the world's most popular cookie, as a result of a sibling rivalry between baker brothers

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In John Birdsall’s 2014 article, "America, Your Food is so Gay," he describes a particularly indulgent cheese burger as "unflinchingly queer." For reporter Chad Chenail, this sparked a journey of self-discovery through queer theory, all in an attempt to answer the question: What is the Queerest food?

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Queer food, beehive theft, Nixon-sponsored fast food, and searching for Mr. Oreo. We're back with more of the food stories you love. Tune in for Season 5 of Proof beginning August 20.

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According to cocktail expert Dan Zucarello, the basic Daiquiri might be the queen of all cocktails. Learn these cocktail fundamentals, and your summer will be filled with delicious drinks.

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Some new wines and spirits are being created in the lab, not the cask. Using flavor technology, companies are able to replicate artisan wines and spirits at a fraction of the price. But, is there art in that too?

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Creating a sourdough starter can be difficult during a pandemic. Sourdough Guru, Andrew Janjigian is here to help.

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Science Diction host Johanna Mayer joins Bridget to talk about the history of Umami and MSG.

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While we work on our next season, here's another podcast to check out: Brought To You By from Business Insider. Jack Daniel’s is the top-selling whiskey in the world. For more than 150 years, it’s been made using time-honored methods that go back to when Jack Daniel made the whiskey himself. (Yes, he was a real person.) But who taught “Mr. Jack” how to make that whiskey? Nearest Green, a formerly enslaved man. Unlike Jack Daniel, though, most people don’t know his name, so one woman has made it her mission to tell the world his story one sip at a time.

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The restaurant industry has been especially hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. 8 million restaurant jobs have disappeared around the country and some are projecting $80 billion in lost revenue in March and April alone. But behind the numbers and headlines are real people. This is the story of one family, struggling to save their bagel cafe in Boston. 

Take our Season 4 survey!

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In 1947, the Peek Freans bakery of Bermondsey made a beautiful royal wedding cake for Queen Elizabeth’s nuptials to Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh. It was a showstopper: 6 feet tall, 6 tiers, and covered in beautiful white royal icing and exquisite decorations. The Peek Freans bakers were so proud of the cake, that they immediately made a replica, which sat on display for decades. Queen Elizabeth’s replica wedding cake would end up in a museum. Until one day in 2015, when it was destroyed by vandals. They turned it upside down, splashed it with red paint, and marked it with “A” for anarchy. But that wasn’t the end of the story. Over the next two years, hundreds of people would come together to make yet another replica of the replica royal wedding cake: For the Queen, for craft, or for Bermondsey.

Take our Season 4 survey!

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For competitive chili cooks, the ultimate accomplishment is taking home first prize at the Original Terlingua International Frank X. Tolbert-Wick Fowler Memorial Championship Chili Cook-off. The Terlingua chili cooks are a tight-knit group. And in 2003, they were suspicious of newcomer Don Eastep. And it turns out, they were right to be. Because Don didn’t cook chili at that cook-off. Instead, he turned in a cup of chili to the judges, filled with samples of everyone else’s chili mixed together. And then, he won first place. The 2003 Terlingua Cook-off would go down as the most scandalous event in the history of chili cooking. After the chili cheater was revealed, Don was banned from Terlingua, the Eastep family name was scorched, and the chili-cooking community was forced to answer the question: Can the ultimate chili crime be forgiven?

Take our Season 4 survey!

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How did the nem, a Vietnamese Spring Roll, become a prominent feature on Senegalese restaurant menus in New York City? The Journey of the nem is one of war, love, hardship, and chasing a dream. Over the last century, the nem has traveled thousands of miles, from Vietnam, to Senegal, and eventually, to find its new home in New York. The diaspora and the collective knowledge that traveled with it, shared over generations and across international cities, helped propel spring rolls from foreign novelty to everyday snack.

Take our Season 4 survey!

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The Plant Patent Act of 1930 is cited in a landmark Supreme Court case that extended patent rights to genetically engineered plants, animals, and bacteria. But it all started with Luther Burbank, aka the “Wizard of Horticulture.” Burbank rose to fame in the early 20th century for his plant inventions like the Russet Burbank Potato. But, unlike his friends Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, Burbank was never able to patent his creations. After Burbank’s death, his supporters would push a controversial bill through Congress legalizing patents on plants. But have these laws had unintended consequences in the modern age?

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Bryce has put his blood, sweat, and tears into building his business, a Williamsburg restaurant called Black Flamingo. This plant-based Latin-inspired restaurant is home to a basement disco, and widely celebrated tacos and cocktails. So when Tanya leaves a scathing Yelp review about her bad experience at the restaurant, Bryce is discouraged. A Yelp rating is proven to affect restaurant profit, which can make even one bad review devastating to a business owner like Bryce. When the Yelp platform does little to help facilitate resolution, is Bryce and Tanya’s only hope of reconciliation to take their dialog “offline” and come face to face?

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Seamus Blackley is the creator of the Xbox. He’s also an ancient Egypt enthusiast and baking hobbyist. Yes, you heard that right. Via Twitter, he assembled a rag-tag team of specialists: an archeologist (Dr. Serena Love) and a biologist (Rich Bowman). Together, they created a grand scheme: extract dormant yeast from the nooks and crannies of ancient Egyptian pots stored in the vaults of the world’s most prestigious museums and bake bread with it.

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In 1927, more than 50 years before the first GMO crop hit the market, a scientist named Louis Stadler shot X-rays at barley. The result was a random mutation—a change in the color of the plant. While not particularly useful, it showed that with radiation, scientists could roll the genetic dice, press fast-forward on natural selection, and with enough rolls, maybe even uncover something new- a useful mutant. The Atomic Age would inspire a generation of scientists to blast crops with Cobalt-60 radiation. Even civilians got in on the action. But today, this type of breeding is all but forgotten. Is the possibility of an “Atomic Garden of Eden” worth the nuclear gamble?

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4,500 year old yeast, atomic peanuts, and a cheating scandal at a chili cook-off. Season 4 goes even deeper to reveal what’s on our plates and how it got there. Tune in for Season 4 of Proof beginning April 9.

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We want to share with you a podcast from our friends at The Bitter Southerner called "The Ways of Waffle House" that attempts to answer a large question: How could a 2,000-store restaurant chain become, to Southerners, something more than just another place to eat?

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Mystery Recipe is a new podcast from America's Test Kitchen Kids! With new episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, this short-form podcast will help kids AND their grown-ups uncover the fun, fantastical, and fascinating sides of food. Each week will have a different ingredient theme, which builds to the grand finale: a mystery recipe cook-along. Get excited about cooking (and eating) by digging into the deliciously silly and unexpectedly educational.

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Our friends at This Old House have a new podcast called Clearstory. Hosted by Kevin O'Connor, Clearstory is a podcast that sheds light on the surprising stories behind our homes. The episode we bring you today, "Wood: Dead in the Water?", is all about old-growth wood found at the bottom of riverbeds that's used for beautiful furniture and flooring.

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In Rwanda 26-year-old Christian has turned his mom’s backyard into an oyster mushroom cultivation lab, with mushrooms sprouting here and there. And he’s not alone. For a country still known internationally for its 1994 genocide, Rwanda’s booming mushroom industry reflects hope for a brighter future. In Rwanda, is a better tomorrow just a mushroom farm away?

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In part two of this investigation, reporter Ahmed Ali Akbar explores the underbelly of the secretive mango distribution industry. He uncovers the historical and economic reasons that importing mangoes from Pakistan has been so difficult — from regulation to irradiation. And he finally traces product to supplier.

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Pakistani-American communities in the U.S. rely on dealers on WhatsApp to gain access to their most coveted treasure: Pakistani mangoes. And they pay a premium for it. In part one of this two-part investigation, reporter Ahmed Ali Akbar searches for answers. Why are Pakistani mangoes so hard to find? And why is the Pakistani community resorting to deals on WhatsApp to procure them?

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In 2015, Will Harris, a farmer in southwest Georgia, partnered with Spanish entrepreneur father and son to bring Iberian pigs to the United States. The climate would be different (from hot, dry Spain to wet, humid Georgia) and so would the pigs' diet (they would eat Georgia pecans instead of acorns), but Harris figured this expensive gamble could pay off. Can jamón ibérico can be reduced to a simple formula (pigs + pasture + acorns), or is there more to the story?

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Reporter Kayla Stewart attempts to trace Gulf Coast dish Jambalaya back to its rumored roots in West Africa’s Jollof Rice. Kayla’s journey to find a connection between the two dishes takes her from her mother’s Houston kitchen to the streets of Accra. But instead of a link, she finds that the history of African American food ways cannot be separated from the influences of slavery and colonialism.

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A South African Entrepreneur, Leah Bessa, discovers that processing Black Soldier Fly larvae produces a milk-like substance, dubbed Entomilk. Can Leah’s entomilk ice cream succeed as a dairy-alternative? Although South African populations have a traditional history of bug-eating, can modern society overcome its ick-factor to take advantage of all bugs have to offer?

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In a deep dive into “prepper” culture, we learn what makes up the ultimate survival cuisine. We investigate the motivation of this subculture that stocks up on non-perishables for the end-of-times. Should the desire to survive be reduced to a quirky paranoia, or is the quest to prepare for survival in dire circumstances more noble than we give it credit for?

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Mezcal has recently enjoyed a spike in popularity, which brought a welcome surge to the Oaxacan economy, the southern Mexican state where Mezcal is produced. But is the demand for Mezcal outgrowing the supply? What can be done to ensure it survives for years to come without sacrificing the agave plants and land that sustain it? Can mezcal avoid becoming the next tequila?

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An underground mango industry, the hidden costs of your favorite Mezcal, and ice cream made from bugs. Season 3 goes deep to challenge our ideas about what we eat and uncover where it comes from. Tune in for Season 3 of Proof beginning November 7.

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: does eating ice cream slower prevent a brain freeze?

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: do pistachios spontaneously combust?

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: If I was stranded on a deserted island, what's the best food to wish for?

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: What are the weirdest things US presidents ate?

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: If you flung a cookie dough ball into space, how long until it bakes into a cookie?

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: why is ranch so addictive?

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: In a world fraught with food fraud, how do you know what you're buying?

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: How much kombucha would it take to get you drunk?

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: Is cereal soup?

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: Why are some flavor pairings divine (chocolate + coffee) and others horrible (orange juice after toothpaste)?

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Chinese restaurants are an essential part of the American landscape -- even more ubiquitous than McDonald’s. But a century ago, they were almost extinguished by legislation passed around the country that barred young white women from eating at chop suey houses. This is the story of an organized effort to wipe out Chinese eateries altogether and how these restaurants survived in spite of it.

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“Ugly Food” subscription boxes propose to solve a very big problem: nearly half of all the food produced in the United States is being wasted, even while many struggle to put food on the table each day. But can delivering a box of three-legged carrots and misshapen squash really address the root causes of food waste? Or is the Ugly Foods movement actually doing more harm than good?

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Makgeolli is a quintessentially Korean alcohol, but few people outside of the Korean peninsula have ever heard of, much less tasted it. Even within Korea, it’s mostly known as an overly sweet, low quality drink available at every corner convenience store. But the real version of Makgeolli is the product of centuries of traditional Korean brewing techniques -- an elegant, complex, and balanced brew easily made in any home kitchen with only three ingredients: water, rice, and a fermentation starter called nuruk. How did Korean history shape Makgeolli production? And can a new generation of brewers revive the lost art of the “true” Makgeolli?

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Eliza Tibbets was ahead of her time. She was a suffragist, an abolitionist, held regular seances in her home, and lived in a utopian community. And in Riverside, California, she was also considered the unofficial queen of the orange industry. As local legend has it, every navel orange tree in the Golden state can be traced back to cuttings from the two parent trees in Eliza’s front yard. This is the little known story of how an amateur farmer with utopian dreams launched an entire industry.

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Great wine begins with high quality grapes, careful fermentation, deft blending techniques, and, in Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe, a group of puritanical Russian immigrants called the “molokans.” Learn how this region’s earliest settlers escaped from religious persecution in tsarist Russia and how a culture of innovation and experimentation has transformed this humble strip of land near the Pacific coast into one of the most fawned over and exciting wine destinations in the world.

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The snakehead has been described as one of the ugliest fish in the world. It has a thick neck and razor-sharp teeth. It's been rumored to bite little kids and walk on land. It’s also an invasive species that’s been plaguing the Potomac river system for nearly two decades. Can turning this monster into a local delicacy save the Potomac? 

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Probiotics are everywhere, but the science that explains the mechanism of the gut-brain connection still isn't there. Harvard PhD candidate Cary Allen-Blevins is researching everything from breast milk to kombucha to better understand the role of probiotics in gut health. This episode is a collaboration between Proof and Veritalk from Harvard's Graduate School for Arts and Sciences. The original version is part of a series on food that Veritalk produced recently. Check it out at: https://gsas.harvard.edu/veritalk*

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In the 1970s, the Miracle Berry was poised to become the sugar replacement of choice. It was hailed as the solution to the diabetes epidemic, and was preferred to every other sugar alternative in blind taste tests. The fruit contains a taste-altering protein, miraculin, that makes sour foods taste sweet. So why haven't you heard of it? Did "big sugar" engineer its downfall? And can modern food entrepreneurs reposition the miracle berry as the future of sweet?

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An FDA conspiracy, an invasive species threatening our waterways, and an emerging wine region that shouldn't work. If you thought Season 1 changed the way you thought about food, stay tuned. Season 2 of Proof starts May 23rd.

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A conversation with culinary historian Michael Twitty about the history of American Barbecue.

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Jack Bishop discusses the history and unique flavor of celery tonic.

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You've seen them on labels, but what are natural and artificial flavors anyway? Reporter Sara Joyner explains.

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How do the test cooks at America's Test Kitchen manage their cravings? Jack Bishop heads into the kitchen to find out.

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Ketchup isn't just a popular condiment, it's also scientifically fascinating. Bridget sits down with Jack Bishop to talk about the physics of ketchup.

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Zeppoles are a staple of the San Gennaro street fair in New York city. Jack Bishop has a special connection to the Italian fritters.

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Do burgers need ketchup? The birthplace of the burger, Louis’ Lunch, doesn’t think so. The family-run business has maintained a strict no-ketchup policy since they opened in 1895. We infiltrate this notorious ketchup resistance cell to try to understand why ketchup is such a polarizing condiment.

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We are living through a fascinating moment in culinary history: the swift and relentless takeover of the [blank] bowl. These days, you can go an entire week of eating all of your meals in bowl form and never overlap once. Why are we bowl happy and how (or when) did adding the word bowl to everything from grain to breakfast become a thing? In this episode, we do a deep dive into bowl culture.

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State fairs have become the site of a novelty fried foods arms race, with vendors clamoring to outdo themselves (and each other) every year. We set out to learn why the adrenaline-seeking foodie in each of us wants to try deep-fried kool-aid at the fair, even if we eat sensibly in our real lives.

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In part 2 of our Beanboozled story, we go inside Givaudan, one of the largest flavor houses in the world, to uncover how stinky sock flavored jelly beans are made.

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Jelly Belly's popular "Beanboozled" game is an edible version of Russian roulette. You might score a tutti frutti bean, or you might get stuck with a stinky sock-flavored bean. But how in the world did Jelly Belly distill these disgusting flavors into a tiny, innocent looking candy? This curiosity leads us into the strange hidden world of commercial flavor chemistry, secret societies of flavorists, and so-called flavor artists. This is part 1 of an engrossing journey into the weird science of flavor.

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Wait... the mai tai was invented in Oakland?! We follow the popular cocktail on a historical journey through the rise and fall of tiki culture in America.

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We've all been there - the moment when an overpowering food craving descends upon you and takes possession of your body, mind, and wallet. But where do food cravings come from? Are they cultural, genetic, gender-specific? We find out if science has the answer.

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Celery was the "it" vegetable of the Victorian era - celery tonics claimed to cure everything from overstrained nerves to a sluggish liver, and upper-class Victorians had special dishes for serving and displaying their celery. So how did celery go from fashionable to forgettable? We trace celery's fall from grace and ask the important question: is it poised for a comeback? 

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Proof is the flagship narrative podcast from America's Test Kitchen, where we take ATK's inquisitive and relentless approach to telling unexpected, funny, and thought-provoking stories about food and drink. It's not a recipe show. And it's not a show about celebrity chefs. Proof plunges into history, culture, and science--through the lens of food--to reveal more about our world. Hosted by Kevin Pang.

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