The Fantastic History Of Food

Nick Charlie Key

Stories of the fun, bizarre and often ridiculous, history of food.

Join me as we explore The Fantastic History of Food.

Contact me on foodhistorypod@gmail.com

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59 episodes
Updated June 19

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Episodes59

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38 - The Great Goldfish Eating Craze of 1939
Not only were western cultures happily eating raw fish for ages, at one point they were uh, in fact eating it so raw as for it still, in fact, to be alive. That’s right, today we’re talking about the 1939 craze of college students competing to...
Aug 16, 2022 · 15 min
37 - Michigan Held A Funeral For 30 000 Pizzas
There is nothing quite like pizza. The variety is endless, the experience is magical, the taste is delicious and they can be found in almost every single country on earth with any number of local variations. Which makes todays story all the sadder,...
Jul 4, 2022 · 16 min
36 - Black Banquets & Funeral Feasts
There are quite a few stories from historical banquetry that weren’t of the presumed fun and hearty nature. Instead it seems that there was an occasional trend, in wealthy circles specifically, to up the ante so to speak and either trick their guests...
Jun 11, 2022 · 20 min
35 - How A Tea Craze Took Over Tunisia
We continue to follow the journey of tea as it makes its way to Europe and the Americas. We’ll see the large role tea tends to play politically amongst rival nations as well as internally in Turkey, and we’ll get to have a look at how this humble...
May 17, 2022 · 20 min
34 - Healed By Tea After Fighting A Dragon
The history of tea is as long and complex as its variety of flavours. It's a history quite literally infused with tales of spirituality and mysticism. It has evolved over the ages to become world renowned for it’s science backed health benefits, but...
Apr 22, 2022 · 23 min
33 - The Candy Bomber Of Berlin
This is the story of Gail Halvorsen, who was known to the children of Berlin as Der Schokoladen Flieger or The Chocolate Flier, Uncle Wiggly Wings or the most widely known of all, The Candy Bomber of Berlin. ------------------- Please support me...
Mar 26, 2022 · 18 min
32 - A Banquet On Horseback
In today's society, those who are able to, are always seeking out new and wondrous dining experiences. More than a hundred years ago, men and women with too much time on their hands and more money than they knew what to do with, were hosting equally...
Mar 6, 2022 · 14 min
31 - Using Onions To Heal Gunshot Wounds
Onions have been a part of human history since long before records began. It's played a vital part in our diets, but also in our mythology, representing eternal life to some cultures, as well as playing a part in the origin stories of the stars....
Feb 21, 2022 · 15 min
30 - Japan's Accidental Killer Rice
In the late 1800s in Japan, there was a disease that seemed to target not just inner-city dwellers in Edo, what we know as modern-day Tokyo, but it affected mainly the upper classes. Not even the emperor and his family were immune to this slow,...
Feb 5, 2022 · 20 min
29 - Food Obsessed Pirate William Dampier
Pirates weren’t known for their discerning tastes in cuisine. If movies and television are to be believed they seemed to subsist purely on rum alone. But it was out of this quagmire that one of food history's earliest pioneers arose. He was so...
Jan 20, 2022 · 19 min
28 - When Parmentier Tricked People Into Eating Potatoes
It’s almost unthinkable that just a few hundred years ago, potatoes were only eaten in a very small corner of the earth. They are now one of the most widely eaten vegetables around the globe and a lot of that has to do with the cunning and trickery of...
Dec 17, 2021 · 21 min
27 - The Nottingham Cheese Riot
The people of Nottingham don't take kindly to people fleecing them for their very own cheese. The time had come to stand up and fight the gouda fight. ------------------- Please support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/foodhistorypod and get...
Oct 15, 2021 · 17 min
26 - The Giant Frog Farming Swindle
Albert Broel was a man of mystery. Claiming to be the son of Polish nobility, he arrived in America during World War 1 and set out to make his fortune. After a few failed ventures in alternative medicine and matchmaking, he turned to raising and...
Oct 1, 2021 · 23 min
25 - Pushing A Peanut Up A Mountain With Your Nose
3 men, at different times, have all tried to push a peanut up Pikes Peak with nothing but their noses. This episode tells you all about their grueling efforts and what led them to attempt such an astonishing feat. ------------------- Please support me...
Sep 17, 2021 · 18 min
24 - The Eggnog Riot
What begins as just a little bit of seasonal fun, ends with smashed windows, bannisters ripped from stairways and a military barracks surrounded by rubble in a state of near ruin. By the end, our cast of characters are in a serious amount of trouble,...
Mar 19, 2021 · 22 min
23 - The Nazi's Exploding Chocolate Bar
Food inherently is meant to sustain life, but this has not always been the case, in fact, for as far back as history goes food has also been used as a vehicle, not for invigorating life, but for delivering death. In this episode, we’re looking at some...
Feb 25, 2021 · 18 min
22 - Leonardo da Vinci The Waiter, Chef & Party Planner
For many of history’s most famous characters, we all know, at the very least, the basics of what makes these men and women famous to begin with. And of history's most famous people, outside of religious figures, one of the most well known, revered and...
Feb 5, 2021 · 18 min
21 - Crazy True Stories About Ice Cream
From it's origins in ancient China, to the accidental discovery of the first ice cream cone, we take a journey to see how ice cream has influenced cultures all around the world. World War 2 plays a surprising role in the story as some navy men valued...
Jan 22, 2021 · 18 min
20 - Al Capone Once Ran A Soup Kitchen
Al Capone was a model student for most of his childhood, but he didn't take long to go from fresh-faced to scar-faced. The Great Depression had just hit and people were out of work and starving. The man who was known to the law as a gangster was seen...
Oct 2, 2020 · 17 min
19 - Tomatoes Were Blamed For Witchcraft & Werewolves
The past is a crazy place, and no matter how many times we go back there, there's always something new to surprise us. This episode we learn about a continental witch panic that just happened to coincide with tomatoes arriving in Europe. An...
Sep 19, 2020 · 16 min

The Fantastic History Of Food

Support the show

38 - The Great Goldfish Eating Craze of 1939

37 - Michigan Held A Funeral For 30 000 Pizzas

36 - Black Banquets & Funeral Feasts

35 - How A Tea Craze Took Over Tunisia

34 - Healed By Tea After Fighting A Dragon

33 - The Candy Bomber Of Berlin

32 - A Banquet On Horseback

31 - Using Onions To Heal Gunshot Wounds

30 - Japan's Accidental Killer Rice

29 - Food Obsessed Pirate William Dampier

28 - When Parmentier Tricked People Into Eating Potatoes

27 - The Nottingham Cheese Riot

26 - The Giant Frog Farming Swindle

25 - Pushing A Peanut Up A Mountain With Your Nose

24 - The Eggnog Riot

23 - The Nazi's Exploding Chocolate Bar

22 - Leonardo da Vinci The Waiter, Chef & Party Planner

21 - Crazy True Stories About Ice Cream

20 - Al Capone Once Ran A Soup Kitchen

19 - Tomatoes Were Blamed For Witchcraft & Werewolves