Category Archives: Food History

Food history: coleslaw (and why it has a bad rep)

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I think coleslaw is almost making a comeback.

It is undoubtedly still a shoved-aside side item at picnics and diners: “It’s always there but rarely thought about.”

On the other hand, there are many exciting variations of coleslaw springing up, such as broccoli slaw. Broccoli slaw can come in its own bag, or you can shred your own broccoli. 

Of course, traditional coleslaw’s main ingredient is shredded cabbage. Let’s find out where coleslaw originated.

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Food history: Florida tomatoes

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This is a little bit of a different kind of Food History post. 

I was inspired to write about Florida tomatoes (sorry to pick on you, Florida) from a fascinating book that came out just three years ago, Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit, by Barry Estabrook.

Estabrook, a former editor of Gourmet and founder of Eating Well, explains how the majority of supermarket tomatoes are being created with the intention of being able to survive long journeys from the farm to the store – flavor and nutrients are sacrificed for the sake of longevity and durability.

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Food history: eggs Benedict

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In the movie Runaway Bride, Julia Roberts’ character realizes that she has “liked” her eggs however her fiance-at-the-time liked them. In one fantastic scene she makes every type of egg there is to determine what her true preference is.

The verdict? “I love eggs Benedict. I hate every other kind.”

That may be taking it a bit too far, but I do absolutely adore eggs Benedict. Next to the Reuben sandwich, I would say it’s actually my favorite meal of all time.

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