Sarah's on summer break this week, so Beth sits down with chef, culinary historian, and seventh-grade history teacher Mica Chavez to trace how food actually built the world we live in — from the Columbian Exchange and the science behind corn, to slavery, immigration, and the industrial food system we're stuck with today.
Topics discussed:
The Columbian Exchange: how corn, chili, potatoes, and tomatoes reshaped diets on both sides of the Atlantic
The science of nixtamalization — why New World corn didn't wreck teeth the way Old World wheat did
How chili peppers spread across the globe via birds
The Irish potato famine's surprising link to New Mexico settlement history
Indigenous and Spanish foodways merging in the Southwest: acequias, sheep, and companion planting
How mechanization and post-WWII food policy created the mass-produced, processed food system
Precision farming, AI, and the tension between efficiency and sustainability
What to cook this summer (hint: it's pie)
Speaking of good food and good company — the Minneapolis live show after party has both! Get your tickets here.
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