Delicious History

From Slaves To Kings: Ecuador

The Spanish were known for cash cropping throughout their empire. When sugar and rice crops ended up requiring more labor, they turned to a dark option: slavery.

 

While the establishment of the Atlantic slave trade led to the suffering and death of millions of innocent victims, a group of 23 marooned slaves in Esmeraldas, Ecuador found an opportunity. Instead of being condemned to work in the sugar fields, they were going to write their own destiny. Their grit and determination developed into their own distinct culture and mark on the world.

Delicious History Season 2

Hello and welcome back! Delicious History is coming back with a vengeance, and this time it's personal! For this season, we'll be on the road, talking about some of the most important ways food has affected history on location! 

 

Starting in Ecuador, we'll take you to Colombia, Spain, France, Switzerland, a whole lot of Italy and ending up in New York! Why buy a ticket when you can just download the season?

The Great Emu War (Part I)

Who doesn't like a good story from Down Under? When the Australian government tried to kill two birds with one stone by helping World War I vets grow large amounts of wheat, they never anticipated the third bird: more than 20,000 emus.

 

Find out how farmers in Western Australia and the military got in over their heads with the Great Emu War!

A Meal Fit for a Colonist

Continuing with our theme of food and Italian fascism, we discuss how Futurists set the stage for the new political changes that were about to come. While most of Europe was starting to see their colonialist policies as something of a relic of the past, Italians felt that they had to catch up. How would they get the public on board? The only way they knew how: through their stomachs! 

 

Once again, we are joined by Dr. Diana Garvin, author of Feeding Fascism: The Politics of Women's Food Work and professor of Italian studies at the University of Oregon. This week she goes into great detail about how the Italian Futurists used the strange and wonderful foods of Eastern Africa to set the stage for the horrible atrocities that were to would come.

Fascism Fell While Rice Grew

When you think of Italian food, the first thing that probably comes to mind is pasta. But the truth is that Italian is extremely diverse and that diversity has played a huge part in its development, especially during the fascist regime of Mussolini. 

 

This week we are joined by special guest Dr. Diana Garvin, professor of Italian studies at the University of Oregon and author of Feeding Fascism: The Politics of Women's Food Work. She helps us to understand the role that Italian rice weeders played in changing hearts and minds during some of Italy's darkest days. Plus, how they filled people's stomachs with risotto!

The Great Tamale Incident of 1976

There's no denying it: American politics are weird. They make no sense and people have been trying to change it for years. Something as simple as the food a candidate eats on the trail can change history. From Garbage Plates in Rochester to crab cakes in Maryland and even tamales in Texas, what a candidate eats and how they eat it can make all the difference.

 

In this episode, we go over a mishap that befell President Ford while visiting the Alamo in the great state of Texas. How did a single tamale change American history? Find out on this episode of Delicious History!

The End of the World (Pt 2)

Look who's back! After going over the structure of the late Bronze Age in our last episode, we go over what toppled the house of cards that had been set up for centuries. 

 

What finally did it in? Was it the Sea People, food shortages or just own poor planning? We talk about that and more in this week's episode!

Announcement

We've reached a point where we need to catch up on our research to make sure that we can present the highest quality information possible. So, we'll be taking a month's break. But don't worry! We're upgrading our gear, bringing in guests and making Delicious History better than ever!

The End of the World (Pt 1)

While so many of us are worried about the world ending now, we forget that it already ended...about 3,000 years ago! The fall of the Bronze Age was one of the most historical events in the history of the world, forming much of what was to come. But how did it happen and how was food involved? Tune in to this week's episode to find out!

Revolutions Run on Coffee (Pt 2)

Putting our focus on Europe, how did coffee upset the social and political systems of the 17th and 18th centuries. Plus, what did that have to do with the United States or Haiti? Find out why rulers such as Charles II and Frederick the Great were so keen on outlawing coffee within their borders and why you should thank your morning brew for creating the world we live in today!