Exploring culture through food. Each week we serve up a new dish or ingredient, uncovering the rich layers of stories, traditions, and innovations behind it. From the origins and cultural significance to the science and economics of food, we explore how what we eat shapes and is shaped by our world. From humble street food to gourmet delicacies, discover the fascinating narratives that make every bite a story worth telling.
Latest episodes
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29 min
Iron Curtain cuisine — The foods the state couldn't standardise
Hundreds of millions of people lived behind the Iron Curtain, in the Soviet Union and in allied countries such as Bulgaria. The state controlled many facets of daily life, includin…
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28 min
The humble spud — Is the potato a hero or a dud?
Ask someone to name their top three vegetables and chances are the potato will make the cut. But why? On its own, a spud tastes of surprisingly little. And while it's now one of th…
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29 min
How vegetables lost their flavour (and how to get it back)
Why does so much supermarket veg taste of not much at all? Over the past century, vegetables have been bred for yield, shelf life and good looks, and flavour has often been the cas…
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28 min
Fufu for beginners — The rise of African food in Australia
Food is a great unifier. It brings us together as a multicultural community (who doesn't love a good feed?) and it can foster a deeper connection to our own heritage. Right now, th…
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29 min
How a kid from Newcastle made Michelin history
You'd be hard-pressed to find an Australian-born chef as successful as Brett Graham. His London restaurant, The Ledbury, is ranked among the best in the UK, and he is the first Aus…
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28 min
Donna Hay's recipe for success
Since her breakthrough as food editor for Marie Claire, and then going it alone with a magazine and numerous cookbooks under her own name, Donna Hay is now synonymous with Australi…
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29 min
The books that feed Australia
What makes a great Australian book? If your criteria include books that inspire, inform and instruct, then surely some of your flour-dusted, oil-stained cookbooks would be among th…
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29 min
Keep it simple with Yotam Ottolenghi
Yotam Ottolenghi, the man who inspired a generation of cooks to seek out obscure ingredients and commit to hours of prep time, has a new mantra: embrace the shortcut. While he once…
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29 min
Trust your gut — How to feed your 'second brain'
Trillions of micro-organisms are living inside you right now. For the most part, these microbes are working for us, breaking down food and producing chemicals that keep us healthy.…
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29 min
Waste not — The art of using everything
Every year, Australia wastes around 7.6 million tonnes of food at a cost of more than $36 billion, adding thousands of dollars to the average household budget. In this episode, we…
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29 min
A feast for the senses — Taste beyond the tongue
Guest presenter Matt Preston and three-Michelin-starred chef Kyle Connaughton of SingleThread consider how weather conditions, flowers in the room, colours on the plate, and even t…
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29 min
Wildflower power – Bringing petals to your pantry
As ABC Radio National prepares to crown Australia's most amazing wildflower for National Science Week, guest host Matt Preston is on the hunt for Australia's most DELICIOUS wildflo…
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29 min
Jo Barrett's future-focussed food
Guest presenter Matt Preston meets Jo Barrett, a world-renowned Australian chef and leading figure in sustainable food innovation. From humble beginnings in French-style bistros, J…
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29 min
A daily grind — The story of pepper
While pepper is now ever-present on dining tables around the world, there was a time when this unassuming dried fruit was one of the most valuable commodities on Earth. Its trade c…
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29 min
Why am I hungry? The science of appetite
What is appetite? Many happily succumb to it, while others struggle against it through willpower or even pharmaceuticals. But what are the biological, cultural and psychological me…
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29 min
Sourdough superstar Richard Hart
If you were to list the world's best bakers working today, Richard Hart's name would have to be near the top. After honing his craft at renowned bakeries in California, he teamed u…
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29 min
The taste of place — Australian native ingredients
What characterises Australian food? We're a nation adept at making first-rate versions of food drawn from all corners of the globe, but our palates are less familiar with the foods…
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29 min
Half an onion — The singular pleasure of cooking alone
Melt some butter in a hot pan, throw in a handful of diced onions and suddenly — even if it's a meal just for you — you are cooking. When you don't have a family to feed or anyone…
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29 min
Table for one — The singular pleasure of eating alone
Cooking and eating are often characterised as communal activities. To some, the idea of cooking or eating alone conjures images of loneliness, isolation — perhaps even wasted time.…
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29 min
Risk it for the brisket — How BBQ called KG from Cairo
An epiphanic encounter with Texas-style barbeque led Kareem "KG" El-Ghayesh to quit his lucrative finance career in Cairo and relocate to Austin to open a food truck. KG BBQ has si…