The surprisingly good food in one of history’s most notorious prisons: Alcatraz

A refreshing vinegar-based syrup that is wonderful in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and the history of vinegar beverages

The history of the Mai Tai, and the man who had never been to the tropics who created it.

The history of that most perfect of sandwiches and its main components

Texas chili from 1910, the history of chili, and the Chili Queens who sold all kinds of chili-flavored foods in the plazas of San Antonio

The great lengths that the U.S. Navy went to to provide its men with morale-boosting ice cream, and its recipe for a delicious banana nut flavor

Menus and first class breakfast on the Titanic, as well as more stories of the people on board

The history of school lunches and the lunch lady, along with recipes from a Depression Era school cafeteria cookbook

The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 and Boston brown bread

Al Capone’s soup kitchen and an Italian soup that could have been served there

The history of latkes and a recipe based on 20th century versions

Coffee’s checkered past and a coffee-less coffee-looking cocktail that would have been safe to drink during one of the several times the brew was banned

An overview of American WWII field kitchens and rations and a recipe for a classic dish straight from a manual written in 1944

The history of the Volga Germans and a stuffed bread roll recipe made from many 20th century sources

The history of ovens and stoves, and a retro recipe for fish pudding that I can’t, in good conscience, recommend

The story of the Titanic’s head baker, Charles Joughin, and a 1910 cocktail that he probably would’ve enjoyed

What a Civil War soldier ate and a recipe for one of the many ways to prepare hardtack

The sweet and sour valentines from the Victorian Era and a recipe for a lovely pink sweet and sour cocktail from 1910

The history of pecans from pre-Columbian indigenous peoples to the invention of Karo corn syrup, and a recipe for pecan pie before Karo

The eccentric real Johnny Appleseed and a 19th century recipe for a cozy apple toddy