food culture

Stu Haley's Grandma Monnette created a Thanksgiving side dish, dressing balls, to avoid using stuffing from inside the turkey.

Arts

When making Thanksgiving dressing, Grandma Monnette had one simple rule

11:24am November 20, 2022

by Wynne Davis

Rather than stuffing the turkey, Rebecca Monnette made dressing balls with a few simple ingredients that safely cook separate from the bird. Her grandson carries on the tradition.

Miriam Armendariz Piccolo shares her family recipe for Beef Picadillo.

Arts

Favorite family recipes and the stories that make them memorable

8:00am November 20, 2022

We all have that one dish that excites our palates and calls to mind special memories with Mom, Dad, Grandma or a favorite aunt who created delicious, comforting dishes.

Cinnamon and cardamon bun served in a Swedish cafe, often eaten at fika – a Swedish word that's often translated as "coffee and cake break."

#SwedenGate sparks food fight: Why some countries share meals more than others

4:04pm June 07, 2022

A Reddit user claimed that while visiting a friend's house in Sweden, he had to sit in another room while the family ate dinner. The story ignited a conversation about how the rest of the world eats.

Queue Listen Now

The 20-foot-tall bronze sculpture of a boat loaded with refugees and migrants is the work of Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz. Its bread-and-fruit motif encapsulates how food is interlocked with the history of human migration.

How One Small Bag Of Food On A Giant Sculpture Tells A Million Immigrant Tales

2:49pm December 10, 2019

by Nina Martyris

The theme of the work in the Vatican's St. Peter's Square is welcoming strangers. "The bag is a metaphor for nourishment ... the idea of bringing something to the table," says artist Timothy Schmalz.

Cherokee Nation Cultural Biologist Feather Smith-Trevino holds an unripe Georgia Candy Roaster Squash at an educational garden in Tahlequah, Okla., where traditional native plants are grown.

National

How A Seed Bank Helps Preserve Cherokee Culture Through Traditional Foods

11:32am April 02, 2019

by Tove Danovich

The seeds are free for any Cherokee, but recipients have been limited because demand is so high. Collecting the seeds has been difficult and emotional, but the program has helped unify the community.

A Colombian chef turned social entrepreneur, Leonor Espinosa has made it her mission to revive traditional agriculture, ancestral foodways and culinary know-how among rural, mainly indigenous and Afro-Colombian people.

After Years Of Violence, Chef Offers Colombian Farmers Pride And Profit

12:54pm March 19, 2018

by Nancy Matsumoto

A food activist aims to show the value of traditional agriculture to rural, mainly indigenous people and transform the way they plant, sell and prepare their goods — as well as capture the global eye.

A 19th-century scientist who told cooks to stop adding flour at the end of cooking traditional Norwegian porridge faced the wrath of a nation.

The Great Norwegian Porridge Debate, Or Tradition Vs. 'Science'

4:43pm March 09, 2018

by Deena Prichep

In 1864, a male scientist tried to "porridge-splain" how to make proper gruel to Norwegian women who had been making it for centuries. It caused quite a stir and didn't work out so well for him.

A still from the Netflix series Ugly Delicious.

World News

Chef David Chang Dishes On The 'Ugly' Side Of 'Delicious' Food

10:00am February 24, 2018

by Jeremy Hobson

David Chang's show, Ugly Delicious, delves into how various cultures approach comfort foods that have complicated back stories. "There's no universal truth about any food," says the chef.

Brick Lane is a street in the London borough of Tower Hamlets. It is famous for its many curry houses.

What's The Difference Between A Curry House And An Indian Restaurant?

6:10pm December 05, 2017

by Maanvi Singh

Curry may be Britain's unofficial national dish, but it's really more of a cuisine — and an entirely British invention. It's a testament to the innovation of Indian immigrants in the UK.

Rainbow trout on a grill. Yia Vang says that food played a central role in his home — his mother grew vegetables and his father cooked meat over a fire pit in the backyard.

National

In Minnesota, An Ambassador For Hmong Culture And Culinary Traditions

11:54am November 27, 2017

by Danielle Renwick

After his family fled Laos for America, Yia Vang was at first embarrassed by his family's home cooking. Then he learned to embrace it, and found that many others were willing to do the same.