We'd Like to Teach The World to Slurp: The Weird and Wonderful Story of Ramen's Rise to Glory

We'd Like to Teach The World to Slurp: The We...

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Ripe for Global Domination: The Story of the Avocado

We’re coming up to AvocadoFest 2026, otherwise known as the Super Bowl, when Americans get fully a fifth of their annual avocado allocation. But how did this humble fruit, originally named after testicles, get from its Mexican forest home to a tattoo on Miley Cyrus's upper arm? T ...  Show more

Canned Tomatoes and the Myth of the San Marzano

Canned tomatoes are a perfect winter food. As you'll know from our tomato episode, the beautiful fruits in fresh aisle of the supermarket are mostly flavorless outside of the summer season—but the tomatoes that get packed in a can are cheap, readily available, and, most important ...  Show more

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Noodles: The World's Convenience Food
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Nissin Chikin Ramen (日清チキンラーメン), the first marketed brand of instant noodles, launched in Japan on 25th August, 1958. The product was created by Momofuku Ando, who developed the production method of flash frying noodles after they had been made, thereby drying them and extending ...  Show more

Instant Noodles
Patented: History of Inventions

In the year 2000 Japan was asked what its greatest invention of the twentieth century was. They had a LOT to choose from. The Walkman. The bullet train. Digital Cameras. Pokemon. But the winner was Instant Noodles. Today Dallas learns about Momofuku Ando, the inventor-cum-tax-eva ...  Show more

694: Japanese home cooking with Ivan Orkin and Chris Ying
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We are talking about Japanese home cooking this week, and not ramen or sushi! Think curry, omelets, and quick fried noodles. Tomoko Imade Dyen, culinary director of Japan House in Los Angeles, shares the everyday foods enjoyed by Japanese families. Sonoko Sakai, author of ...

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Episode 329: Eat With Your Eyes: "Moritsuké," Japanese Arrangement of Food on the Plate
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Have you ever marveled at the delicately complex beauty of a plate of Japanese food? A dish is considered well-harmonized in Japanese when it is peaceful to look at. This arrangement of food on the plates in Japan or at Japanese restaurants is largely dictated by the rules of mor ...  Show more