Food and Recipes

Here is a place for you to play with your food -- literally: enjoy, have fun with and celebrate food -- but don't worry, we'll still help you get dinner on the table every night.

Learn More / Page 6

The national dish of Scotland (popular at New Year's Eve and Burns Night) is banned in America because it contains a certain outlawed ingredient. But whose idea was it to stuff a sheep's stomach bag and boil it? And what does it taste like?

By Alia Hoyt

The wonderfully thick, dark syrup called molasses has been used in cooking for centuries and is still prized around the world today for its smokey sweetness.

By Patty Rasmussen

Some form of marzipan can be dated back to ancient Egypt. But today this sweet confection is as traditional a holiday treat as they get.

By Stephanie Vermillion

Advertisement

There's really no shortage when it comes to milk alternatives. But oat milk seems to stand out. Why is it so hot right now? And how do you make it?

By Jeremy Glass

Green bean casserole is a staple at many Thanksgiving dinner tables. But who developed this recipe that has become such a holiday classic?

By Jeremy Glass

You could call pancetta Italian bacon, but it's so much more than that. Think of it as bacon maxed out. So how do you use it? And how does it differ from prosciutto?

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

A favorite treat in British children's stories of the past, Turkish delight might be an unfamiliar taste to American readers. So, what is it like, and how do you make it? We get insight from the Culinary Institute of America.

By Alia Hoyt

Advertisement

You might have seen lychees at an international farmers market and not known they were lychees. The dark red tropical fruit looks a little like raspberries and are packed with potassium — and sugar.

By Stephanie Vermillion

Men at Work sang about the stuff in their 1981 hit 'Down Under.' But what is this thick, black spread anyway?

By Stephanie Vermillion

This 180-year-old sauce can be used to add zing to just about any dish. But what's in it? And why is it so effective? And, most of all, how do you pronounce it anyway?

By Alia Hoyt

Eggs might just be nature's perfect food. But they don't last forever. Do you know how to tell if eggs are bad?

By Jeremy Glass

Advertisement

Paprika comes from the dried Capsicum annuum variety of red peppers, and can range in flavor from sweet to very hot.

By Patty Rasmussen

Shallots belong to the same family as onions, leeks, scallions and garlic. They look like small, elongated onions but have a sweeter, milder flavor.

By Tara Yarlagadda

Say it ain't so. The cult-favorite McRib is back for the last time. Or this is just more of the "McPlan" that's worked so well for decades?

By Jeremy Glass

Capers are actually the flower buds of the caper bush. So where does all that flavor come from?

By Stephanie Vermillion

Advertisement

Is that pepper too hot to handle? See where it falls on the Scoville scale.

By John Donovan

Heart of palm, with a similar taste and texture to artichoke heart, is a staple in Central and South America and a healthy addition to almost any menu.

By Tara Yarlagadda

We usually equate the Masters golf tournament with azaleas blooming in the South. But this year, the tournament got us thinking about that pimento cheese sandwich, which it's also famous for.

By Alia Hoyt & Stephanie Vermillion

The Chicken of the Woods mushroom is jam-packed with protein and easy to spot with its bright orange color and ruffled edges.

By Katie Carman

Advertisement

This starchy, staple fruit that grows in the tropics has the potential to provide food security to millions. So what exactly is it and who's eating it?

By Stephanie Vermillion

If Subway's bread is legally not bread, then what in the heck is it?

By Jeremy Glass

You don't have to fry your food when you can get the same crispy results with hot air.

By Stephanie Vermillion

Coffee is one of the world's most popular drinks. But what's the best way to brew the stuff? That depends on who you ask.

By Jeremy Glass

Advertisement

China banned export of the fruit in 2004, so you'll likely never try it fresh. But you've probably already had versions of its extract and didn't even know it.

By Stephanie Vermillion

Canada isn't a country known for its cuisine. But there is one sandwich from Halifax with a cultlike following that you just have to try to believe.

By Jeremy Glass