![]() ![]() ![]() Forget decorative gourds: it’s officially Halloween candy season! But how did a 2,000-year-old Celtic festival marking the sun's death and the beginning of winter morph into a family-friendly sugar-fest? With the help of Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman, historians and hosts of the Vox Media Podcast Network show Now & Then, we explore the surprisingly recent introduction of trick-or-treating, and the all-American invention of Halloween as the ultimate candy-permissive, religion-free Frankenholiday. If you live in the U.S., chances are, your first hint of fall isn’t a russet-colored leaf landing on the sidewalk-it’s the orange-wrappered candies taking over the aisles of your local grocery and convenience stores. ![]() Listen to find out which one we liked best, and which ones were just plain offal! (Sorry, we couldn’t resist.) We learn about the culinary history of offal from cookbook author Jennifer McLagan, and butcher Sam Garwin comes over to help us prepare up a massive organ meat feast: a Norwegian heart and lung pate (yes, we scored some lung!) a Georgian testicle stew rabbit, chicken, and beef liver and onions and breaded, fried lamb brains. Jon’s wife, Anna Wexler, also an academic and a writer, joins us to impart the wisdom she’s gained from years as a judge at the World Testicle Cooking Championship (aka Test Fest). With the help of Jonathan Reisman, author of the new book The Unseen Body: A Doctor's Journey Through the Hidden Wonders of the Human Anatomy, we explore how the vital functions of various animal organs affect their flavor and taste. For much of history, offal (as organ meat is called) was considered the best part of the animal-so what happened? Why are brains banned in the UK and lungs illegal to sell in the US, and why are Scottish haggis-makers up in arms about it? And the question we’re sure you’ve all been pondering: What do testicles taste like? It’s pretty rare to find organ meat on the dinner table in most American households today, but 90 years ago, the earliest editions of The Joy of Cooking contained dozens of recipes for liver, sweetbreads, and even testicles. So how did palm oil go global? What does it have to do with the European colonization of Africa, soap for grimy factory workers, Girl Scout cookies, and Alfred Nobel of Nobel Prize-fame? How has growing demand for all things palm oil driven deforestation and peat fires in Southeast Asia-and what can we do if we want to rethink our destructive palm oil addiction? But palm oil wasn’t always so big, or so anonymous-in its West African homeland, it’s a fragrant red oil traditionally used in cooking and ceremonies. It's the most ubiquitous, most important, most interesting oil that most of us don't really know. palm oil, the hidden ingredient on just about every aisle of the grocery store. Here’s a little riddle for you: What’s all around you, but can’t be seen, smelled, or tasted? Hint: It’s in your Oreos, Nutella, instant noodles, dish soap, shampoo, lipstick, potato chips, pizza dough, packaged bread, chocolate bars, ice-cream, and biodiesel. ![]()
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