The Fantastic History Of Food – Details, episodes & analysis

The entire experience of eating a fancy meal these days is no longer just about the food itself. For decades, chefs like Heston Blumenthal have been creating entire culinary experiences to delight all of your senses at once, pairing sounds, smells and textures along with the already delicious flavours of their food.

But while this trend has taken off again more recently, this is by no means a modern practice. In fact, as far back as the early 1600’s an innovative chef by the name of Robert May was creating similar sensory dining experiences all around Elizabethan England.

Today, we’ll discover just who this man was, and how he went about revolutionising banquets into what would come to be called his "Spectacle Feasts".

-------------------

Thank you to my all of my supporters! We're just one away from 30 Supporters, and it could be YOU!

You can support me on Patreon for just $2 a month: patreon.com/foodhistorypod

-------------------

Sources for this episode's research:

• https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-aaron-mahnkes-cabinet-of-c-29519194/episode/chefs-table-172173292/
• https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-fantastical-feasts-of-englands-first-celebrity-chef
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_May_(cook)

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-fantastic-history-of-food--3591729/support.

It’s well into the northern european winter season at the end of 1939. Five hundred thousand Russian Soviet Soldiers are making a collective push northwards, swarming the countryside as they go. They are armed to the hilt with tanks, explosives, machine guns, grenades and a staggeringly overwhelming number of troops.

But there is one thing that they didn’t count on, one thing that threatened to derail their entire military offensive altogether. And that one thing, was the humble sausage.

-------------------

Thank you to my brand-new supporters:

• Josh Lovetere
• Zachary Hedden

You too can support me on Patreon for just $2 a month: patreon.com/foodhistorypod

-------------------

Sources for this episode's research:

• https://www.history.com/news/the-bizarre-sausage-war-that-inspired-hitler
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Varolampi_Pond
• https://www.finlandatwar.com/the-sausage-war-an-army-marches-on-its-stomach/
• https://sofrep.com/news/sausage-war-when-hunger-got-the-best-of-the-soviets/
• https://short-history.com/sausage-war-733d71767317
• https://pennytyrrellmcqueen.wixsite.com/togetherapart/single-post/2016/10/26/sausage-war

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-fantastic-history-of-food--3591729/support.

WW2 was raging onwards, with men fighting and dying each and every day. It was so delicately poised that there seemed to be no end to the fighting in sight.

Weeks and months dragged on into years, and with them came more and more plots of how to win the war. Some were impractical, some were impossible, and some were downright insane.

But every now and again, one of these plots would be just insane enough to work.

And so, out of this think tank came possibly one of military history’s greatest-ever schemes.

What if we turned Adolf Hitler into a woman?

-------------------

Please support me on Patreon for just $2 a month : https://www.patreon.com/foodhistorypod

-------------------

Sources for this episode's research:

• https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-15/allies-planned-to-make-hitler-a-woman/2839874
• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hitler-estrogen-hormone-plot_n_927281
• https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/book-claims-allies-tried-to-turn-the-fuhrer-into-a-female-464589
• https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2025975/Hitler-hormone-plot-Bizarre-plan-British-spies-make-Fuhrer-fraulein.html
• https://theweek.com/articles/482449/bizarre-plan-turn-hitler-into-woman
• https://medium.com/the-collector/the-bizzare-plot-to-turn-hitler-into-a-woman-185bc837eba5
• https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/8701024/Revealed-sex-hormone-plan-to-feminise-Hitler.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler_Has_Only_Got_One_Ball
• https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/hitlers-psychological-profile-shows-feminine-side/72P2CQ6HYWXN6NHH57GO57FMRU/?c_id=2&objectid=10118222

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-fantastic-history-of-food--3591729/support.

There is a spice we use so commonly today that it's hard to believe that at one time, wars were fought, people were killed and entire civilizations almost wiped out, simply so that the strongest force could get their hands on this prized spice.

-------------------

Thank you to Four Sigmatic for being a sponsor for this episode.

To make it easy, Four Sigmatic is offering you 30% off anything in their range when you use promo code: FOODHISTORY at checkout.

Check out their range here: https://us.foursigmatic.com/

-------------------

Thank you also to Chemists In The Kitchen by LabX and the National Academy of Sciences.

In each episode, real scientists walk you through things like making your own pickles, the chemistry behind ceviche, the formula for perfect homemade pretzels, and much, much more!

Watch their YouTube Channel Here: https://bit.ly/3CVKz5E

-------------------

Please support me on Patreon for just $2 a month : https://www.patreon.com/foodhistorypod


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-fantastic-history-of-food--3591729/support.

If ever you’ve doubted food's integral place in history, today’s stories are sure to remind us all, that no matter what life and history in general, wouldn’t and in fact, couldn’t be the same without the daily rituals that food brings.

-------------------

Thank you to Athletic Greens for being a sponsor for this episode.

To make it easy, Athletic Greens will give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit www.athleticgreens.com/EMERGING to take ownership of your health and pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance!

-------------------

Thank you also to Chemists In The Kitchen by LabX and the National Academy of Sciences.

In each episode, real scientists walk you through things like making your own pickles, the chemistry behind ceviche, the formula for perfect homemade pretzels, and much, much more!

Watch their YouTube Channel Here: https://bit.ly/3CVKz5E

-------------------

Please support me on Patreon for just $2 a month : https://www.patreon.com/foodhistorypod

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-fantastic-history-of-food--3591729/support.

Many old food-based fortunes were light-hearted party games mainly played around Halloween time, but some of there were deadly serious, and their results were taken as gospel truth. And at the time, all you needed to tell the future, was a full pantry and a little imagination.


-------------------

Thank you to Athletic Greens for being a sponsor for this episode.

To make it easy, Athletic Greens will give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit www.athleticgreens.com/EMERGING to take ownership of your health and pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance!

-------------------

Thank you also to Chemists In The Kitchen by LabX and the National Academy of Sciences.

In each episode, real scientists walk you through things like making your own pickles, the chemistry behind ceviche, the formula for perfect homemade pretzels, and much, much more!

Watch their YouTube Channel Here: https://bit.ly/3CVKz5E

-------------------

Please support me on Patreon for just $2 a month : https://www.patreon.com/foodhistorypod

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-fantastic-history-of-food--3591729/support.

Today's stories aren’t just about the small-time pilfering of food here and there from your local grocery stores. No, today we’ll be talking about people stealing truckloads of the stuff at a time, not it seems to quell their stomach's callings, as much as to refill those empty wallets.

-------------------

Thank you to Athletic Greens for being a sponsor for this episode.

To make it easy, Athletic Greens will give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit www.athleticgreens.com/EMERGING to take ownership of your health and pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance!

-------------------

Thank you also to The Side Hustle Show, an award-winning business podcast you can actually apply. Find it on your favourite podcast app.

-------------------

Please support me on Patreon for just $2 a month : https://www.patreon.com/foodhistorypod

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-fantastic-history-of-food--3591729/support.

There are few things more universally loved than a good sandwich.

We as humans love the simplicity and deliciousness of having something to hold all of our favourite fillings together.

But there was a time in our history when the venerable sandwich was used not for sustenance, or delight in a tasty meal, but rather as a loophole with which to get around some rather limiting laws.

-------------------

Thank you to Athletic Greens for being a sponsor for this episode.

To make it easy, Athletic Greens will give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit www.athleticgreens.com/EMERGING to take ownership of your health and pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance!

-------------------

Thank you also to Heal Nourish Grow: A podcast that provides practical keto tips and tricks that you can use to improve your keto experience.

-------------------

Please support me on Patreon for just $2 a month : https://www.patreon.com/foodhistorypod

-------------------

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raines_law
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandwich
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/raines-sandwich?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=b6ba86c80f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_09_20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f36db9c480-b6ba86c80f-74451350&mc_cid=b6ba86c80f&mc_eid=3a82d4ea19

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-fantastic-history-of-food--3591729/support.

As soon as people became wealthy enough not to have to spend every waking hour of their day, working, cleaning, hunting or cooking, they had enough to look in the mirror and decide what they didn’t like about themselves.

From the truly horrific and crippling footbinding practices in imperial china to modern day plastic surgery, people have been searching for ways to achieve their body goals. Victorian England, the initial setting for todays story, was possibly one of the craziest times in history when it came to the number of diet fads and body morphing practices. So what better place to dive in and see where the stories take us.

-------------------

Thank you to Athletic Greens for being a sponsor for this episode.

To make it easy, Athletic Greens will give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit www.athleticgreens.com/EMERGING to take ownership of your health and pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance!

-------------------

Thank you also to Startuprad.io - The Authority on German Startups for supporting this episode.

Startuprad.io is an English-only startup podcast with exclusive startup content, including regular news, and interviews. They are the international voice of the German-speaking startup scene. Find them on whichever platform you prefer to listen on.

-------------------

Please support me on Patreon for just $2 a month : https://www.patreon.com/foodhistorypod

-------------------

References:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-horrifying-legacy-of-the-victorian-tapeworm-diet
https://www.vice.com/en/article/xw5nnq/inside-the-lasting-legacy-of-tapeworm-diets
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20695743
https://www.historyextra.com/period/modern/weird-fad-diets-weight-loss-history-new-year/

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-fantastic-history-of-food--3591729/support.

Even the most famous and lauded among us still have a few tasty secrets up their sleeves, and today we’re going to dive into this fascinating side of one of modern cookings most famous gourmands: Julia Child.

-------------------

Thank you to Athletic Greens for being a sponsor for this episode.

To make it easy, Athletic Greens will give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit www.athleticgreens.com/EMERGING to take ownership of your health and pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance!

-------------------

Please support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/foodhistorypod

Find transcripts and sources on the website: www.foodhistorypodcast.com

-------------------

References:

https://allthatsinteresting.com/julia-child-spy
https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/julia-child-and-the-oss-recipe-for-shark-repellent/
https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/julia-child-cooking-up-spy-ops-for-oss/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/05/02/julia-child-hbo-oss-sharks/
https://www.history.com/news/julia-child-oss-spy-wwii-shark-repellent

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-fantastic-history-of-food--3591729/support.