Stuffed! Arepas, Gorditas and Pupusas

What do arepas, gorditas, and pupusas have in common? Each is a golden pocket of corn masa — crisp on the outside, tender within — stuffed with everything from beans and cheese to meats and vegetables. In this episode, Eva and Maite explore the histories behind the Venezuelan and Colombian arepa, t…

Butter Me Up!

Butter is so ordinary we barely notice it — until you stop and ask how it’s made, who made it first, and why it once symbolized power, wealth, and even ritual life. In this episode, Eva and Maite trace butter’s story from its accidental invention to its central place in religious and ceremonial tra…

Bread and Today’s Battle for Justice

Eva and Maite opened the season with a series on revolutions, asking a simple but urgent question: what does it take for people to finally say, enough?  This week, Maite talks with Clémence de Lutz of Santa Monica’s Petitgrain Boulangerie about bread, strikes, and social responsibility. A baker an…

Dissecting the Salad

In this episode, Eva and Maite toss up the surprisingly juicy history of salads—from the invention of the Caesar salad on the U.S.–Mexico border to the rise of the Asian chicken salad. They dig into where the word salad comes from, the origins of France’s vinaigrette ratio, and how ranch dressing b…

From Forest to Feast: The Story of Mushrooms

Spoiler: mushrooms aren’t plants, they’re fungi! Eva and Maite dig into the history of mushrooms and why they exist on every continent on Earth. From the sacred mushroom ceremonies of María Sabina in Oaxaca to the ritual significance of huitlacoche, the Mexican corn fungus, and the global obsession…

The King of Fruits: A Brief, Juicy History of the Pineapple

From its origins in Indigenous South America to its rise as a global symbol of wealth and migration, Eva and Maite explore the surprising history of the pineapple. They trace its journey across the Atlantic, where it became a prized status symbol among European aristocrats—so rare it was sometimes …

Rewind: The History of Mexican Spirits

In Aztec mythology the fertility goddess, Mayahuel, is the personification of the agave plant - the source of some of the most delicious spirits in Mexican culture. Eva and Maite talk about the ritual significance of pulque, a fermented drink, to the introduction of distillation techniques post-con…

Hair of the Dog: New Year’s Edition

Ring in the New Year with Eva and Maite as they explore the story behind the classic “hair of the dog.” They trace where the phrase comes from, how it became a go-to hangover remedy, and why the Bloody Mary earned its place as the ultimate morning-after cocktail. From the rituals and traditions peo…

Kneading Community: Holiday Traditions and Immigrant Breads

This Christmas, Eva and Maite celebrate how bread—and the people who bake it—keep family, tradition, and community alive, even as this season looks different for many immigrant communities. They explore the bakery as a window into history, tracing the journeys of the baguette, pretzels, bagels, and…

The Art of Food Criticism

Who first decided that food deserved a critic? This week on Hungry for History, Eva and Maite dig into the origins of food criticism. From the earliest French tastemakers and the rise of the Michelin Guide to the influence of trailblazers like Duncan Hines, Barbara Hansen, and Jonathan Gold, this e…