Honey seems like a simple, comforting food, slathered on toast, spooned down to soothe sore throats, and beloved of bears, both plush and real. In reality, this sticky combination of bee spit and evaporated nectar is a powerful and ancient ingredient. For much of history, honey was humanity’s main source of sweetness, as well as our first vehicle for getting ... Show More
Jan 13
Canned Tomatoes and the Myth of the San Marzano
Canned tomatoes are a perfect winter food. As you'll know from our tomato episode, the beautiful fruits in fresh aisle of the supermarket are mostly flavorless outside of the summer season—but the tomatoes that get packed in a can are cheap, readily available, and, most important ... Show More
50m 16s
Dec 16
Is Your Cinnamon Fake? Where Does Kefir Come From? Plus: Why Is Citric Acid In Everything? Ask Gastropod!
The season for holiday baking is upon us, and before you spice up your cookies and pies, you’ll probably want to know: is most of the cinnamon on grocery store shelves actually fake? That’s one question we’re investigating this week on behalf of you, dear listeners, in the latest ... Show More
42m 33s
Dec 2
Forget Plain Vanilla: You'll Never See The World's Favorite Flavor the Same Way Again
Today, 'vanilla' often means boring, and yet the edible seedpod of this Central American orchid is one of the most expensive spices in the world, not to mention one of the most popular flavors globally. So how did this coveted bean get such a ho-hum reputation? Listen in this epi ... Show More
50m 45s
Nov 2023
CLASSIC: Waging War With Hallucinogenic Honey
Honey is popular around the world, and for good reason. This addictively sweet substance is a common ingredient in hundreds of recipes, and people historically believe it has medicinal properties in addition to, well, being delicious! But in certain areas of the world honey is mu ... Show More
23m 55s
Jul 2022
Liquid Gold: The Wonder Of Honey
Honey bees know a lot about honey, and humans are starting to catch up. Scientists are now looking at how the chemicals in honey affect bee health. With the help of research scientist Bernarda Calla, Short Wave producer Berly Mccoy explains the chemical complexities of honey, how ... Show More
11m 40s
Jul 2021
Life lessons from the honey bee
When it comes to food, we have a lot more than honey to thank bees for - more than three quarters of the world’s food crops depend, at least in part, on pollinators. But bee populations, we often hear, are under threat, and that’s largely due to human behaviour.Emily Thomas speak ... Show More
29m 35s
Nov 2021
Bee Superfood: Exploring Honey's Chemical Complexities
Honey bees know a lot about honey, and humans are starting to catch up. Scientists are now looking at how the chemicals in honey affect bee health. With the help of research scientist Bernarda Calla, Short Wave producer Berly McCoy explains the chemical complexities of honey, how ... Show More
11m 39s
Aug 2022
027 Raw Honey: Too Much Sugar?
Too many times you hear out there, “stay away from honey, it’s all sugar,” but is it? Food Science and research would have you believe its made out of all sugar, and most health professionals would have you believe that as well, but honey isn’t just made up of just sugar. It’s a ... Show More
1h 23m
Jun 2024
Pourquoi un miel turc rend « fou » ?
<p>D'ordinaire, le miel est considéré comme une substance aux vertus curatives. Ainsi, il est recommandé d'en absorber en cas de toux ou de mal de gorge. Parmi les autres bienfaits qu'on lui attribue, figurent la protection contre les caries ou l'accélération de la cicatrisation. ... Show More
1m 55s