A memory of madeleines — The cake Proust almost forgot

Marcel Proust's epic novel In Search of Lost Time is perhaps best known for its evocation of memory triggered by the senses — particularly in a scene involving a madeleine. The shell-shaped sponge cake whisks the narrator into a detailed recollection of his childhood, and this familiar sensation continues to fascinate philosophers, neuroscientists and other scholars today. So, how does this kind of memory operate? Why might a madeleine be the perfect catalyst? And what surprisingly basic food featured in Proust's original draft?

Guests: 

• Barry C. Smith, Director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London
• Trevor Gulliver, restaurateur and co-founder of St. JOHN
• Hyo Ju Park and Rong Yao Soh, founders of Madeleine de Proust and authors of Madeleines: Simple Bakes for Every Mood

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This episode of Every Bite was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.