The Sporkful

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We obsess about food to learn more about people. The Sporkful isn't for foodies, it's for eaters. Hosted by Dan Pashman, who's also the inventor of the new pasta shape cascatelli. James Beard and Webby Award winner for Best Food Podcast. A Stitcher Production.

1 DAY AGO

How To Export Coffee In A War (Pt 1) (Reheat)

Mokhtar Alkhanshali was a doorman in San Francisco when he saw a statue that changed his life. The statue was of an Arab man holding a cup of coffee, and it led Mokhtar to learn about the origins of coffee, in Yemen, where his family is from. While coffee’s roots in Yemen run deep, Mokhtar learned that present-day Yemeni coffee was hard to source, and the quality was inconsistent. But when it was good, some experts said it was the best they had ever tasted. Mokhtar saw an opportunity to start his own coffee company, and help Yemeni farmers in the process. But just as he was getting started, war broke out in Yemen, and Mokhtar found himself stranded there. This episode originally aired on October 3, 2022, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. Editing help from Devon DiComo. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder. Every Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at hello@sporkful.com, and include your name, your location, which episode, and why. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com. Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

31 min
5 DAYS AGO

Can Kolaches Be Bigger Than Texas?

In parts of Texas, a kolache is about as common as a donut — but it’s relatively unknown outside the Lone Star State. The kolache is a traditional Czech pastry made with a sweetened, yeasty dough and filled with either fruit, cheese or sausage. It got a foothold in Texas after a wave of Czech immigrants came to the state more than a century ago. This week, Alexa Lim, a producer on The Atlas Obscura Podcast, explores the Kolache Triangle, an area between San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas where you’ll find some of the oldest and most popular kolache bakeries. Then, Dan heads to Brooklyn to meet a husband and wife duo who are bringing kolaches to the Big Apple with their bakery, Kings Kolache. And Dan brings along the most hardcore Texan he knows, to find out how these kolaches rank with the ones from back home. If you want to try some traditional Czech style kolaches, check out Helli’s Goodies — they ship anywhere in the US! The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kameel Stanley, Jared O'Connell, and Giulia Leo. Publishing by Shantel Holder. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com. Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

30 min
30 MAY

“The World Eats Here:” Stories From The Queens Night Market (Reheat)

This was supposed to be the Queens Night Market’s big summer... When the open-air market debuted in 2015, the crowds were massive. Founder John Wang selected food vendors who represented more than 90 countries. And he had one rule for them: no item could cost more than $5. That way the market would be accessible to nearly everyone, and big businesses would stay away. In 2019 the market set a new record for attendance, and finally started to turn a small profit. In 2020 they planned to release a cookbook. Instead, because of coronavirus, the market never opened. This week, to understand some of what we’ve lost to the pandemic, we share a vivid reminder of what we had. This episode originally aired on September 7, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, edited by Tracey Samuelson, and engineered by Jared O'Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Giulia Leo, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder. Every Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at hello@sporkful.com, and include your name, your location, which episode, and why. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com. Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

32 min
26 MAY

Sebastian Maniscalco’s First Stage Was At The Dinner Table

Sebastian Maniscalco is one of the top-grossing comedians in America, beloved for his stories about the food-obsessed family he grew up in, and his constant irritation at just about everyone around him. And in 2021, he parlayed his love of food into a new Food Network show, Well Done. Sebastian talks with Dan about what it’s like going from a working-class upbringing — during which he torched hams to earn a little extra cash — to selling out Madison Square Garden many times over. Plus, Sebastian shares his rules for being a good dinner party guest. This episode originally aired on December 13, 2021 and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, and Andres O’Hara. It was edited by Tracey Samuelson. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com. Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

34 min
23 MAY

New Jersey's Pork Roll-Taylor Ham Wars (Reheat)

A 150-year-old blood feud over processed meat... When the New Jersey State Legislature tried to designate an Official State Sandwich, a fight broke out. Should it be pork roll, egg, and cheese — or Taylor ham, egg, and cheese? Thing is, pork roll and Taylor ham are the same food. New Jerseyans just can't agree on what to call it. And this debate has its roots in a 150-year-old blood feud. We talk with a bunch of locals, a pork roll historian, and comedian Chris Gethard to find out: What is this food? Why does it matter so much to the people of New Jersey? And why can't they stop fighting about it? This episode originally aired on May 3, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Shoshana Gold, editing from Dan Charles, engineering from Chase Culpon, Bill O’Neill, and Irene Trudel, additional reporting for this episode by Kyrie Greenberg. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder. Every Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at hello@sporkful.com, and include your name, your location, which episode, and why. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com. Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

25 min
19 MAY

How the Jalapeño Lost Its Heat

Food critic Brian Reinhart fell in love with spicy Mexican cuisine as a teenager in Texas, but over the years he started to notice that the jalapeños he’d buy in the grocery store were less and less hot. So he called up an expert who studies chili pepper genetics, and she shared a shocking revelation. In this episode from our friends at the Slate podcast Decoder Ring, host Willa Paskin tells the story, then talks with Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano, who puts the jalapeño in the context of an age-old cycle in the American obsession with Mexican food. Brian Reinhart’s article about the jalapeño ran in D Magazine. Gustavo Arellano’s book is called Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America. This episode was produced by Evan Chung. Follow Decoder Ring wherever you listen to podcasts. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kameel Stanley, Jared O'Connell, and Giulia Leo. Publishing by Shantel Holder. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com. Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

33 min
16 MAY

What Makes Some Seltzers Sparkle? (Reheat)

How to judge seltzers, plus the science of carbonation... Over the past decade, seltzer has exploded. Sales have doubled, and companies like Coke and Pepsi are buying up brands and creating their own sparkling waters. So in a crowded field, with a drink that doesn't have much flavor to begin with, how do you tell which one is best? We talk with the hosts of the podcast Seltzer Death Match to find out. Then we nerd out on the science of carbonation: What exactly is it, how does it affect the taste experience, and how do you get the best results from home carbonation systems? Dan Souza, editor-in-chief of Cook's Illustrated, has the answers. This episode originally aired on May 17, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, and Sam Lee. Edited by Tracey Samuelson. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder. Every Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at hello@sporkful.com, and include your name, your location, which episode, and why. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com. Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

34 min
12 MAY

How Much Should You Tip For One Muffin?

Are the vibes at a restaurant more important than the food? Would you rip a bagel and drag a piece through cream cheese, instead of slicing and spreading? Do you tip less when you get bad service? We get into these questions and a lot more in this edition of The Salad Spinner, our rapid fire roundtable discussion of food news and trends, live at SiriusXM headquarters in New York City! We’re joined by Mamrie Hart, actor, comedian and co-host of the podcast This Might Get Weird — Her new cookbook is All I Think About Is Food: A Vegetarian Cookbook That'll Keep the Party Going. And we’re joined by Deena Shanker, a reporter for Bloomberg and Bloomberg Businessweek who covers food, health, and the personal care business. They share their thoughts on the rise of “functional sodas,” whether unsalted pretzels deserve to exist, and more! The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell, with production by Manolo Morales. Publishing by Shantel Holder. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com. Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

46 min

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TRAILER

Trailer: Welcome to The Sporkful

This podcast isn’t for foodies, it’s for eaters. We have a ton of fun obsessing about food to learn more about culture, science, history, and most importantly—people. In every episode of The Sporkful you’re going to learn something, feel something, and laugh. Winner of the James Beard and Webby Award for Best Food Podcast. Hosted by Dan Pashman, inventor of the pasta shape cascatelli. Subscribe, follow, or favorite now and join us!

01/01/2020

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3 min

We obsess about food to learn more about people. The Sporkful isn't for foodies, it's for eaters. Hosted by Dan Pashman, who's also the inventor of the new pasta shape cascatelli. James Beard and Webby Award winner for Best Food Podcast. A Stitcher Production.