William Sitwell, author of A History of Food in 100 Recipes, joins Linda Pelaccio for this week’s episode of A Taste of the Past to talk about the evolution of the food industry over hundreds of years. Tune in to hear William talk about the initiation of fast food and supermarkets, and how the idea of self-service mechanized the business of eating. From Mesopotamia to Mario Batali, William highlights and reproduces important recipes in order to transport the reader to specific time periods. How do different foods denote status? Learn about William’s literary lineage, and how that inspired his writing. How did William decide to outline his book, and why does food history research require primary sources? Find out all of this and more on this week’s edition of A Taste of the Past! Thanks to our sponsor, Hearst Ranch, and thanks to Plexophonic for today’s break music.

“Food is a wonderful subject for journalists because it touches on so many aspects of everyone’s lives.” [3:30]

— William Sitwell on A Taste of the Past