Episodes

  • The Rise and Fall of Quinoa: From Incan "Superfood" to Buddha Bowl Basic

    The Rise and Fall of Quinoa: From Incan "Superfood" to Buddha Bowl Basic
    Mar 11 2025
    Quinoa is everywhere these days, the base for a million salads and grain bowls. But, until recently, barely anyone outside the nutritious seed's ancient's homeland—the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes—had ever heard of it. This week, we're telling the story of how a gorgeous spinach-like plant traditionally grown in a remote, high-altitude region of South America was transformed into one of the hottest foods on the shelves at Whole Foods. This is a tale that began with Coloradan hippies, the deliberate invention of a new Peruvian gastronomy, and beer, but truly took off when the United Nations declared that this so-called "superfood" was the secret to solving global hunger, adapting to climate change, and rescuing Andean farmers from poverty. So, did quinoa deliver? Listen in now for the story behind your next Buddha bowl. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • The Shocking True Story of the World's First Seed Bank—And The Scientists Who Sacrificed Their Lives to Save It

    The Shocking True Story of the World's First Seed Bank—And The Scientists Who Sacrificed Their Lives to Save It
    Feb 25 2025
    During World War II, the Soviet city of Leningrad was surrounded, cut off from food supplies for nearly two and a half years. People were desperate: they ate boiled leather, machine oil, toothpaste, and wallpaper paste just to stay alive. But, in the center of the city, a group of botanists spent their days surrounded by food that they refused to touch—nuts, seeds, and even a basement full of potatoes—even as several of them starved to death. The seeds for which these scientists were willing to sacrifice their lives formed the collection of the world's very first seed bank: a library of crop varieties that contained the genetic diversity future generations of plant breeders have relied on to feed the world. In this episode, the story of the almost unimaginable bravery that lies behind the food we eat today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    51 mins
  • No Buzz Booze: The History and Science of Going Low- or No-Alcohol

    No Buzz Booze: The History and Science of Going Low- or No-Alcohol
    Feb 11 2025
    Dry January may be over, but, for many people, drinking less alcohol or none at all is an increasingly common choice year-round. And, unlike in the past, when dealcoholized options were few and far between—and had a well-deserved reputation for tasting bad—there’s now a booming market for non-alcoholic beers, wines, canned cocktails, and even spirits for the so-called "sober curious." But how do they get the booze out of our favorite tipples—and why is hard to keep the flavor? Gastropod is here to investigate! Join us for the history of breakfast beer, worker’s wine, and Welch’s Prohibition-era roots, as well as the science behind the “spinning cone” technology that revolutionized the world of non-alcoholic beverages. Plus: our hosts and a few brave volunteers put their taste buds on the line to find out which of these new drinks is worth swapping for the hard stuff, and which they wish they'd left on the shelf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    56 mins
  • Moon Rocks Wanted (guest episode)

    Moon Rocks Wanted (guest episode)
    Jan 28 2025
    (Guest episode) On September 18, 1998, an unusual ad ran in USA Today — a company called John's Estate Sales was looking to buy a moon rock. But the phone number on the ad didn't lead to, say, a store front in a strip mall. Instead, the phone number belonged to Special Agent Joe Gutheinz at NASA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • Is My Dentist Scamming Me? (guest episode)

    Is My Dentist Scamming Me? (guest episode)
    Jan 14 2025
    (Guest episode) Matt wants to know how to tell if he’s being scammed by his dentist. To find the answer, we open up the surprising history of dentistry, ask why it seems so different from internal medicine, and drill down on why dental insurance doesn’t really feel like insurance. Explain It To Me's host Jonquilyn Hill talks with journalist Mary Otto and Dr. Lisa Simon, DMD, MD, to find the answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • Why Are Kids Dipping Cookies in Ranch, Are Food Comas Real, and What's Inside the Mummy's Stomach?

    Why Are Kids Dipping Cookies in Ranch, Are Food Comas Real, and What's Inside the Mummy's Stomach?
    Dec 17 2024
    Just in time for the holidays, Ask Gastropod is back with a plate full of listener questions for your listening delight! You came to us with mysteries both large and small, both ancient and eternal, and, honestly, all totally fascinating. Such as: What is up with ranch dressing, and how did a bottled salad dressing invented by a plumber and owned by a cleaning products company become *the* flavor of America? What did Europe's oldest human mummy, found frozen in the Alps, eat before his mountain trek—and why could no one find his stomach for twenty years? And, in news you can use this holiday season, why does a “food coma” make you drowsy and slow after a big holiday meal? We’ve got the answers to all of these fabulous listener queries in our latest installment, featuring murder in the Alps, a bathtub full of ranch, and more sea slugs than you might expect. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    55 mins
  • Hacking Taste (encore)

    Hacking Taste (encore)
    Dec 10 2024
    Taste is the oldest of our five senses, and yet perhaps the least understood. It's far more complicated than salty versus sweet: new research is dramatically expanding our knowledge of taste, showing that it's intimately connected to obesity, mood, immunity, and more. In this episode, we get into the science of how taste works, why we taste what we do, and what makes supertasters unique. And finally, we hack our taste buds—for fun, but, in the future, maybe for health, too. (encore) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    46 mins
  • The Curiously Strong Story of Mint

    The Curiously Strong Story of Mint
    Dec 3 2024
    What’s the coolest flavor of the holiday season? It's peppermint, obviously, and it’s showing up in everything from coffee to chocolate and cookies to ice cream right now. But while standing in line for a peppermint mocha is a standard feature of the holiday season today, there was a time when this garden-standard herb was seen as so special—even powerful—that it made three American entrepreneurs rich enough to be crowned the "Peppermint Kings." This episode, the story of the forgotten American mint monarchy, plus the fascinating science behind why mint cools your tongue and maybe really does cure all. Join us to jingle all the way through peppermint heists, the surprising link between mint essence-peddlers and the abolition movement, and the true stories behind your favorite mint candies—including the disputed origins of the iconic candy cane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    51 mins