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2 weeks ago | 
abc.net.au | Jonathan Green |Kim Jirik |Matthew Crawford |Rhiannon Brown
If you were to list the world's best bakers working today, Richard Hart's name would have to be right near the top. After honing his craft at big-name bakeries in California, he teamed up with the world-famous Noma to open Hart Bageri in Copenhagen. His skills with sourdough are so well-known, he was even namechecked on The Bear. Richard recently published his first book. It's called Richard Hart Bread.
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1 month ago | 
abc.net.au | Jonathan Green |Kim Jirik |Matthew Crawford |Rhiannon Brown
If you took the sodium chloride out of human history, you would have a very different and strangely flavourless tale to tell. Salt has historically been one of the world's most valuable commodities. Its discovery, extraction and commodification has shaped the story of humanity. So, let's take a trip from the test tube to the kitchen, to salt tolerant plants that could revolutionise agriculture. This is an episode of Blueprint for Living, originally broadcast on March 24, 2018.
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1 month ago | 
abc.net.au | Jonathan Green |Kim Jirik |Carey Dell |Rhiannon Brown
The food we eat at school matters. Some Australian children get too much of the wrong thing, while others get not much of anything at all. In these early years, the food habits of a lifetime are being set, and study after study shows the link between nutrition, attention and learning. If almost every other high-income country in the world is providing free or subsidised lunches for school-aged children, why is Australia an outlier?
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1 month ago | 
abc.net.au | Jonathan Green |Kim Jirik |Riley Mellis |Rhiannon Brown
Where did the word 'curry' come from? Was the word used in the pre-colonial era? Spoiler: It wasn't. So, if curry is an impostor, overshadowing India's rich culinary history and its diverse range of regional expressions, how did so much of the world come to understand Indian food in such simple terms?
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2 months ago | 
abc.net.au | Jonathan Green |Kim Jirik |Matthew Crawford |Rhiannon Brown
Whether it is Nigella, Stephanie or Yotam on your shelf, there's a good chance that you and I are cooking from the same book. The two best-selling books in Australia in 2024 were both cookbooks — and they were both written by Nagi Maehashi, the founder of the website RecipeTin Eats. Her two books — Dinner and Tonight — have together sold one million copies worldwide. So, what is it about the floury, greasy pages of a cookbook that unite us and shape our conceptions of food?
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2 months ago | 
abc.net.au | Jonathan Green |Kim Jirik |Riley Mellis |Rhiannon Brown
The cost of living crisis is having a significant impact on the way we eat. Restaurants are struggling, and diners are changing their habits — skipping dessert or opting for water over wine. But it doesn't end there: for many Australians, affording a healthy home-cooked meal is a challenge. Yet, some fine dining restaurants are thriving — so, what's going on?
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2 months ago | 
abc.net.au | Jonathan Green |Kim Jirik |Angela Grant |Rhiannon Brown
Onions and their flavourful relatives feature prominently in cuisines across the globe, with a history of cultivation that goes back thousands of years. Onion recipes have even been found on the cuneiform tablets of Ancient Babylonia. So, what is happening under the skin of this many-layered bulb to make it such a versatile and essential ingredient?
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Jan 24, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Jonathan Green |Zoe Ferguson |Zoë Ferguson |Kim Jirik |Cathy Pryor |Angela Grant | +1 more
Is there anything you take more for granted in your kitchen than the cutlery drawer? We hardly give a second thought to the humble tools that carry food from plate to mouth. But maybe we should. There's history here, and stories of changing preferences and assumptions within cultures. Fork or fingers? Cut or tear? They say you are what you eat, but it turns out how you eat matters, too.
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Jan 15, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Jonathan Green |Kim Jirik
Exploring culture through food. Each week Jonathan Green serves up a new dish or ingredient, uncovering the rich layer of stories, traditions, and innovations behind it. From the origins and cultural significance to the science and economics of food, we explore how what we eat shapes and is shaped by our world. From humble street food to gourmet delicacies, discover the fascinating narratives that make every bite a story worth telling.
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Jan 13, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Michael Cathcart |Kim Jirik |Rhiannon Brown
Over the past 200 years, theatre has often been a lightning rod for social and political upheaval in the United States. Even the plays of William Shakespeare have been the subject of violent debate. This surprising history is examined in two recent books by James Shapiro: Shakespeare in a Divided America and The Playbook: A Story of Theatre, Democracy and the Making of a Culture War.
