historic food

The living-history museum in Virginia re-creates 18th-century recipes in its restaurants using ingredients grown in the traditional way onsite. But some modern palates aren't too keen on the taste.

When an Austin neuroscientist-turned-baker dove deeply into a box of Peruvian mesquite flour on a lark, he found a forgotten, flavorful and nutritious bean that was once vital to Native Americans.

Herring with mustard sauce, ham hocks, hog jowls: Sandy Levins re-creates the Founding Father's meals for America's historic houses. Just don't try to eat them; they're sculpted replicas.