BackStory, an American history podcast produced by Virginia Humanities, is taking a break for the holidays and re–releasing “What’s Cooking? A History of Food in America.”
It’s the holidays — that time of the year when food is everywhere. So, Brian Balogh, Joanne Freeman and Nathan Connolly sit down to discuss some of America’s many homegrown culinary traditions and what the food we eat says about American identity.
Joining Balogh, Freeman and Connolly are Katharina Vester, Kelley Fanto Deetz, Dan Kraker,Pati Jinich and Laura Shapiro.
- Vester is assistant professor of history at American University. She specializes in cultural theory, transnational studies, and the dynamics of power in everyday practices.
- Deetz is a historian of the African Diaspora, archaeologist, public historian, museum consultant, historical advisor and author of “Bound to the Fire: How Virginia’s Enslaved Cooks Helped Invent American Cuisine.”
- Kraker is a Duluth, Minn. based reporter who covers northeastern Minnesota for Minnesota Public Radio.
- Jinich is a chef and host of “Pati’s Mexican Kitchen.”
- Shapiro is a journalist and culinary historian. She is the author of “What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women and the Food That Tells Their Stories.”
“What’s Cooking? A History of Food in America” publishes at 12 p.m. today. Find it and every episode of BackStory on the website (www.BackStoryRadio.org) or on popular podcatchers including iTunes, Spotify and Google. BackStory publishes every week at noon and is available for free.