logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2016
26m 29s

Food Chain: The Musical

Bbc World Service
About this episode

What can our music tell us about our culinary and cultural heritage?

We explore the ways songs about planting, growing, milking and cooking reflect our lives and our livelihoods.

The BBC's Kent DePinto takes us through a sampler of music from around the world, all performed with one thing in mind - food. We'll interpret the rhythm of milking songs in northwest Scotland, visit the hey-day of Yiddish theatre in Manhattan's Lower East Side, dip our toe into an age-old culinary beef in Ghana, and hear how a samba about fish eggs pinpoints social inequality in Brazil.

Plus, we get a lesson in playing the leek from an orchestra that only plays vegetables.

(Image: A music sheet made of edible salad leaves. Credit: ShaunL/ Getty Images )

Up next
Sep 16
Is a healthy diet more expensive?
Is it more expensive to eat healthily? You might think the answer is simple: Yes of course, if you buy fruits, vegetables, beans and pulses and cook from scratch. But is it that easy? With the help of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, Ruth Alexander finds out where in t ... Show More
26m 29s
Sep 9
What do chefs eat?
Ever wondered what the chef is eating? Snacking on the finest produce or surviving on thin air and caffeine? In this episode Ruth Alexander speaks to three chefs about how they get through the day, and the importance of the ‘family’ or staff meal. She’s joined by Juliette Feller, ... Show More
26m 29s
Aug 19
The regulars
Do you have a local cafe, restaurant or bar that you go to all the time? Maybe the staff recognise you or know you by name, perhaps you even get special treatment. In this programme Rumella Dasgupta finds out why people like to return to the same place, and the commercial value t ... Show More
26m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2024
You Are What You Eat
Cooking a meal is often compared to creating a work of art. From the recipes that inspire you, to your palette of spices, to the smells and tastes that stir up emotions, all of it comes together on an edible canvas as an expression of the inner self. It’s no wonder so many cultur ... Show More
18m 57s
Jul 2018
Music and Food: Sounds Delicious!
Dan Saladino explores the relationship between tunes and taste with Andi Oliver on the link between Sam Cooke and roast chicken and chef Stephen Harris on food and The Buzzcocks. Produced and presented by Dan Saladino. 
28m 13s
Aug 2007
Food Songs
Songs about food, including: Mixed Salad, Tattie Soup, Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries and Cornfed.Performers include: Nick Lucas, Ted Lewis, Rudy Vallee and Lil Hardin Armstrong. 
27m 59s
Oct 2023
Ways of Eating
Based on years of observation, ethnographic fieldwork, and countless shared meals, mother and son Merry White and Ben Wurgaft explore how our foods reach our plates and how every bite is part of a complex web of social meaning and value. From the Venetian spice trade to the Colum ... Show More
41m 42s
Sep 2024
Tuning In
This week, we start with Donna Summer and finish with a Scotch Woodcock, as Milo Nesbitt goes in search of the future of music, and Roger Domeneghetti sings the praises of a little fish with a big flavour.'Futuromania: Electronic dreams, desiring machines and tomorrow's music tod ... Show More
43m 47s
Jul 2024
Kitchen Confidential
Let's dive into a couple of European curiosities today by focusing on music and food - and so much more.Join our Patreon for ad-free episodes!: https://www.patreon.com/grimandmildSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
10m 29s
Mar 2024
Breaking Boundaries, Breaking Bonds
This week on HRN we are examining how folks are changing the world of food and how food has always been a part of changing the world. We are traveling through space and time to bring stories of trailblazers and revolutionaries–those who are truly breaking bonds. First, we reflect ... Show More
23m 52s
Feb 2025
TED Explores: Food for the Future | TED Countdown
Food is culture, food is life — it’s part of who we are and the magic that binds us together. But here’s the twist: the way we eat is pushing the climate to the brink, with a third of global greenhouse gas emissions coming from the way we grow, process and waste food. Through TED ... Show More
23m 56s
Oct 2020
Ep #4 - Songs That Make You Hungry feat. Bon Appetit
Today’s hungry song is not just about food but the whole delicious buffet, prepped, cooked, garnished and served up for you to relish! And I’m gonna make you forget all about the song’s bizarre take on pies, with my Cherry Pie and a few other warm n gooey pie stories. Let’s dive ... Show More
8m 49s