It is a truth universally acknowledged, that we all eat. Whether we’re considering the menus of last week or last century, food helps us to understand ourselves, our neighbours — and even our most treasured literary characters. When we read the novels of Jane Austen with an eye for the culinary, what might we discover?
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Sonic seasoning — How we eat with our ears
The sound accompanying your mealtimes could be affecting the flavour of your food. Several scientific studies have shown a link between what we hear and what we taste. Sound can even influence what we choose to eat. If you find that hard to believe, grab a snack and have a listen — we have an experiment you can try at home.
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Sami Tamimi's Palestinian garden
A home garden typically conjures a sense of comfort and of self-sufficiency, but what if that garden were in Palestine? The celebrated Palestinian-British chef and author Sami Tamimi has written a new book, Boustany, inspired by the food of home. It champions the food of all our homes — the food we can grow in a garden or forage nearby — but also the food of his homeland, which is becoming disconnected from its rich culinary culture under the shadow of war.
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A baker's delights — Helen Goh and the meaning of life
Longtime Ottolenghi associate Helen Goh fell into a career in cooking after first studying psychology. She draws on both aspects of her training in her first solo cookbook, Baking and the Meaning of Life. Helen argues that the inessential nature of sweet treats elevates the act of baking beyond quotidian cooking, and that sharing baked goods is a distillation of human generosity. We test her theory in the kitchen.
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Feta than ever — Australia's quest for greater cheese
Guest presenter Alice Zaslavsky takes a close look at Australia's maturing cheese culture. Thanks to adventurous cheesemakers and entrepreneurs in the 1970s and 80s, Australia's penchant for mousetrap cheddar has evolved to embrace a wide variety of cheeses. But is our homegrown cheese market as ripe as it could be?
Exploring culture through food. Each week Jonathan Green serves up a new dish or ingredient, uncovering the rich layer 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.
Australia