Haunted Restaurants, Freaky Ferments, and Lots of Candy: A Halloween Playlist
Carve your jack-o-lanterns, put on a scary movie, and eat as much candy as you can! That’s what Halloween is about, right? Kick off spooky season right here with tales of haunted restaurants, talk of zombies’ eco-friendly diets, freaky ferments, and plenty of sweets. Plus, we’ve got a history of the holiday that covers trick-or-treating, superstitions, and the lesser known tradition of Halloween cakes.
A Taste of the Past Episode 152: Halloween History: Host Linda Pelaccio welcomes historic gastronomist and blogger, Sarah Lohman, and together they talk about the history of Halloween: trick-or-treating, superstitions, costumes, Halloween cakes, and more! Learn more about the origins behind the Halloween tradition as Sarah takes us through the history from the very beginning. Also tune-in to learn about trick-or-treating, and how the custom has changed in recent years. Lastly, find out how those small treats known as candy corn (which Sarah makes at home) have become a tradition, and even how to make a batch for yourself!
Meat and Three Episode 94: Witches, Brains, Ghosts, and Rats: The Halloween Episode: We’re embracing the spooky spirit of Halloween. From zombies to witches, we’re exploring the odd… the occult… and the taboo in the world of food. First, we’ll delve head-first into real-life brain eating with organ meat expert, and cookbook co-author Michael Harlen Turkell. Then, we’ll learn about the New York rat infestations spurred by Covid-19 with rodentologist Dr. Bobby Corrigan. Ryder Bell takes us into the mysterious world of ghost kitchens and we travel back in time with Tash Kimmell to uncover what might have been the real culprit behind the Salem Witch Trials.
The Food Seen Episode 315: "Candy is Magic" with Jami Curl of Quin Candy: Baker turned candy maker Jami Curl, knew that "Candy is Magic" (the title of her current cookbook) since the day she broke the tedium of cookies and cakes by making a batch of Oregon Sea Salt Caramel. That's the day Quin Candy was born. Many lollipops, marshmallows and gummy candies later, Curl spreads the doctrine of good ingredients: pure granulated cane sugar, GMO-free glucose, non-powdered dairy products (preferring instead fresh cream and butter), and all-natural extracts and coloring derived from fruits and vegetables. That's how you craft core flavors like Strawberries with Lemon, Cherry with Almond, Roasted Peaches with Ginger, build bases like Popcorn Cream, Coffee Syrup, and innovate sweet with Doughnut Magic Dust. So go suck on a Sour Apple or Pinot Noir lollipop, chew on some Honey + Hazelnut Caramels, or savor a Smoked Cola Gumdrop, because candy isn't just for kids anymore.
Life’s a Banquet Episode 144: HOLY SHEET!”- The GHOSTisode!: Boo folks!! We are very scared of today’s episode, and you should be too! Boo! That’s right, we are talking ghosts! Nic holds a flashlight under her chin and tells us all about earth's most haunted fast food restaurants, and Z has got Venice’s most evil locals, because ya know, Italy has food right?? So throw on some chains and leave wet footprints in your neighbor's bedroom, it’s Life’s a Banquet the mother fucking haunted ass podcast!! Boo!
Time for Lunch Episode 24: Pumpkins!: What’s big and orange and can weigh up to two thousand pounds? This week HRN’s podcast for kids is all about pumpkins! Hannah and Harry speak with Ron Wallace, who specializes in growing pumpkins of record-breaking size, learn the recipe for a tasty autumn snack that goes hand in hand with jack-o-lanterns and helps cut down on food waste, and explore a new perspective on an iconic scary story.
A Taste of the Past episode 162: Is Candy Food?: Host Linda Pelaccio interviews Samira Kawash, author of Candy: A Century of Panic and Pleasure. Samira explains to us how difficult it was to make candy back in the 1800s, and how technological innovations allowed the candy industry to boom. Later, she and Linda discuss society's perception of candy, how many other foods and beverages are less healthy, yet candy can be an easy scapegoat.
Fuhmentaboudit Episode 182: Freaky Ferments: Halloween Special!: Mary, Chris, and Rachel tell us about "freaky ferments" including hoppy brown ale, homemade candy corn kefir, and Brett brux.
Meat and Three Episode 131: Demystifying Halloween: Chasing Ghosts and Eating Frankenfoods: We’re taking a look at all things spooky. First, we’ll learn about the history of the holiday and how candy became so integral. Then we’ll learn about haunted inns, and why Frankenfoods aren’t really that scary. We’ll also explore Día De Los Muertos and some foods associated with the holiday.
Life’s a Banquet Episode 40: "CANDY MAN, CANDY MAN, CANDY MAN!" The CANDY episode!: In this sticky sweet episode, Bretton and Z are getting ready for Jesus' homecoming by talking all things CANDY! It's colorful, it's sweet, your grandmother always has the worst kinds, it will rot your brain! Everyone has a favorite, and more importantly a least favorite kind, typically the one that cuts the roof of your mouth. We unpack the insane highs and lows of the most famous candy movie of all time, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, plus Bretton eats Pop Rocks and drinks a Coke and explodes and dies on the air!
Meat and Three Episode 53: Freaky Foods and Frightful Farms: Happy Halloween to all you Gastro Ghouls and Goblins out there! This week, we’re telling you spooky stories from history, film, and beyond. First up, we hear from Jess Krainchich about the bygone practice of “sin eating” at Victorian era funerals. Then, Nicole Cornwell delves into the genre of agri-horror, to explain why you see so many farmhouses in horror movies. We learn about the banana industry’s frightening backstory, as H Conley talks with nature and science writer, Dan Koeppel, about the spotted past of America’s favorite fruit. Finally, we hear from apple-grower and cider-maker, Eric Schatt, as well as operations coordinator at Turtle Tree Seed, Jordan Walker, about the mysterious practice of biodynamics. Let’s go bury some cow skulls down by the river!
