Your pantry's sweetest ingredient has an extremely bitter history. The sap-producing grass known as sugarcane has been grown and enjoyed by humans for at least 10,000 years, but it was only relatively recently that it went from a luxury to an everyday ingredient—a change that also triggered genocide, slavery, and the invention of modern racism. In this episo ... Show More
Aug 4
Salad Days: A Story of Science, Sexism, and Jell-O
If leafy greens and a little vinaigrette is salad, and chicken with mayo is salad, and vegetables in Jello-O are ALSO salad… What exactly is salad?! That's the big question we're tackling this episode—and it takes us down some unexpected rabbit holes. Listen in now to hear how ‘s ... Show More
44m 31s
Jul 21
Where There's Smoke, There's...Whiskey, Fish, and Barbecue!
As anyone who’s spent time by a crackling campfire or a barbecue pit can attest, the scent of smoke is unmistakable—and surprisingly mysterious. Smoke clings to clothing but vanishes in the breeze. You see it, but you can’t hold it. It’s fantastic in whiskey and terrible in toast ... Show More
51m 5s
Oct 2023
106: The Dark History Of Sugar: Slavery, Diabetes, And Addiction
Welcome to the Dark History podcast. It’s October, which means, it’s the start of spooky season. With Halloween coming up, my mouth is watering just thinking about all of the candy I’m going to eat. But I always hear about how bad sugar is, so I wanted to find out why? Is sugar r ... Show More
54m 50s
Nov 2023
112: Real Life Willy Wonka: Freak Candy Disaster that Killed Dozens
Welcome to the Dark History podcast. Remember Augustus Gloop, the kid from Willy Wonka who drowned in chocolate? It turns out that happens in real life, too. Yep, candy has been responsible for MANY deaths. Think poisoned candy, a flood of burning molasses, and a chocolate Easter ... Show More
52m 18s