Gastronomica

Jun 30 2024 50 ep. 40 mins 25
Gastronomica Podcast artwork

The Gastronomica podcast is where the academic field of food studies meets a public appetite for gastronomy and the culinary arts. Tune in to hear interviews with authors whose articles or books have recently been featured in the journal (published by University of California Press since 2001), as we showcase diverse voices in the food world, tackle complex questions about cooking, cuisine, culinary traditions, food justice and equity. Each episode is hosted by a member of the journal’s Editorial Collective, representing food scholars, perspectives, and disciplines from around the world. Gastronomica's theme song is by Robert T. Valgenti and mixed by Samuel N. Ortiz. ​ The photo, "A Wise Crack,” is by Carl Fleischhauer.

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A Celebrated Condiment and a Forgotten Past

Jun 30 2024 42 mins  
In this episode, Gastronomica’s Dan Bender talks with anthropologist Alyssa Paredes about the role that stories of celebration can play in remembering food history — and in eclipsing alternative narratives about the past. Spotlighting the case of banana ketchup, Alyssa shares competing stories about the production of this popular condiment and explains how it came to be a celeb

How American Food Writing Changed After 2020

Jun 23 2024 45 mins  
What do the stories we tell about food reveal about the moment in which they are written? Gastronomica’s Melissa Fuster is joined by literary scholar turned food studies scholar Julieta Flores Jurado in a conversation about American food writing and how it has changed in recent years. They discuss key shifts in food journalism and the role of the critic, where a focus on pleasure

What to Read Now: "The Climate Reality for Independent Restaurants”

Jun 09 2024 36 mins  
In this episode, Gastronomica’s Jaclyn Rohel talks with Dr. Anne E. McBride and Dr. Tara Scully about how climate change is impacting restaurants, the focus of their collaboration on a new report from the James Beard Foundation and the Global Food Institute, The Climate Reality for Independent Restaurants: A Deep Dive into the Supply Chain and New Economic Realities. Anne and Tar

Negotiating Dietary Change in a Time of Planetary Eating

May 12 2024 31 mins  
This episode offers listeners a peek into Gastronomica’s next issue. “Coproducing ‘Planetary’ Eating Futures from Dakar: Dietary Diffusionism and the (Geo)Politics of Nutrition Transition” is co-authored by Branwyn Poleykett, Ndiaga Sall, Fatou Ndow, and Paul Young. Branwyn joins the show and talks with Gastronomica’s Jaclyn Rohel about the concept of the planetary diet

Kangaroo, Cattle, and the Historical Legacies of Modern Food Systems

May 05 2024 34 mins  
In this episode, Gastronomica’s Bob Valgenti talks with Evelyn Lambeth about the rise of beef consumption and the historical legacies that continue to shape food systems in Australia. Contrasting cattle with kangaroos and wallabies, Evelyn explains how imperial power and regulation have defined notions of what’s edible – and what’s not. Bob and Evelyn discuss what this mean

The Meanings of Meat: Lab-grown Protein and Biological Time

Apr 07 2024 37 mins  
This week’s episode looks at lab-grown meat, climate change, and the possible futures of edibility. In conversation with Gastronomica’s Bob Valgenti, Hallam Stevens shares his new article about a mammoth meatball and what motivated him to explore the technological innovation of an un-eatable food. Connecting history, biology, technology, and ethics, Hallam discusses how cellula

Masculinity and the Making of “Assamese” Pithas

Mar 31 2024 31 mins  
In this episode, Gastronomica’s James Farrer talks with sociologist Pooja Kalita about gender and the labor of food provisioning in Assam, India. Taking the case of pithas – the steamed or fried rice cakes and roasted rice flour rolls that have been traditionally prepared by women – Pooja explores how men became involved in making and selling this everyday food item in the ur

What Food Studies Needs Now

Mar 24 2024 58 mins  
Where is Food Studies today, and where might it be tomorrow? Join Alyshia Gálvez in conversation with Jessica Carbone, Irina Mihalache, Krishnendu Ray, and Signe Rousseau of Gastronomica’s Editorial Collective as they weigh in on recent developments in Food Studies. They discuss some of their favorite pieces over the last year, reflect on directions in the field, and share what

The Confectionery Industry in the Japanese Empire

Mar 03 2024 31 mins  
In this episode, Gastronomica’s Jaclyn Rohel talks with author Lillian Tsay about her latest research on the rise of the confectionery industry in the early 20th century, from banana caramels to chocolate. Focusing on sweetness and power in Japan and colonial Taiwan, Lillian connects the early commercial success of Western-style confectionery to histories of empire, industrializa

The Meanings of Sweetness in Japan

Feb 25 2024 35 mins  
What is “sweetness,” and how does its meaning change in communities over time? In this episode, Eric C. Rath and Takeshi Watanabe introduce some of the sweet substances of Japanese history, the subject of a special section on “The Power of Japanese Sweets and Sweeteners” in Gastronomica’s latest issue. In conversation with Gastronomica’s Dan Bender, Eric and Takeshi exp