The various versions of that nectar of the weary farmhand and congressman alike, popular in the 18th and 19th centuries

Hannibal Barca, the brilliant Carthaginian general of the Second Punic War, and Cato the Elder, who very much wanted Carthage destroyed

The history of the tagine, a brief look at my amazing and delicious trip to Morocco, and a sweet-and-spiced 14th century tagine.

Celtic table manners, food, and cooking methods, and a hearty stew they could have eaten

Delicious, creamy baked oysters and the oyster craze in 19th century New York City.

The recently uncovered fresco in Pompeii that depicts what could be a pizza, and Pompeiian breadmaking

The original fettuccine all’Alfredo and the showman chef who made it famous

The crucial role of coffee in a Civil War soldier’s life, and the alternatives they came up with for it

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

Victorian salmi de perdrix (partridge salmi) and the men who ate it inside an iguanodon

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

The energy bar of Ancient Greece and the citizen-soldiers who would have eaten them

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

Medieval tournaments and the extravagant feasts that went with them

The history of the Hawaiian luau, and Kepanipa’a makes kalua pork in the ground at the Marriott and Chef Ippy Aiona of Ippy’s Hawaiian Barbeque in Waimea makes it in the kitchen

Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation and the chicken dish that was created for it

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

French onion soup from 1651 and the history of onion soups, from ancient Greece to the 20th century