HowStuffWorks Newsletter
Food Facts is a listing of articles that teaches you how all types of foods, drinks and diets work.
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Nothing adds heat to a dish quite like hot sauce. Think you're hot sauce savvy? Take this quiz and prove it!
By Alia Hoyt
The café Alice Waters opened in Berkeley, California, in 1971 launched California cuisine and the farm-to-table movement. Fifty years later Chez Panisse is still one of America's most influential restaurants.
Some of your favorite "international" foods might not have roots outside of America. Instead, they may have been created in the good old U.S.A. Think you know which dishes were first cooked where?
By Alia Hoyt
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It's a "controversial" condiment if there ever was one. But what is liquid smoke anyway and why do some people hate the stuff?
By Jeremy Glass
Coca-Cola decided to change the recipe of its popular Coke Zero to make it taste more like the regular version. But fans are already up in arms. Dare we say another New Coke?
By Sarah Gleim
Frozen yogurt is fine, but everyone knows that ice cream is where the flavor's really at. How much do you know about this beloved chilly treat?
By Alia Hoyt
Bitters are high-proof alcohol infused with spices, fruits and herbs, and they're key ingredients in cocktails like the Manhattan, Old-Fashioned and whiskey sour. So if you want to mix great drinks at home, you need to know your angostura from your Campari.
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Ah, food. It's different all over the world, and what's strange to you is totally mundane to someone else. Come along as we discover some interesting breakfast options from around the globe.
By Jeremy Glass
In a country with a radically altered economic landscape due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public libraries across the nation are partnering with local food banks help keep hunger at bay.
By Noah Lenstra
Congee is simple comfort food at its best. This rice dish dates all the way back to ancient China, but its roots aren't based solely in Chinese food. Have you tried it?
A bar cart can be a gorgeous decorative element in your home. But it better be well-stocked if it's going to function as your bar. Otherwise, it's really just a pretty cart.
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The already heated chicken sandwich wars just keeps getting hotter. Will a winner ever emerge in this fast food fight?
By Jeremy Glass
This banana chicken casserole defined Swedish cuisine in the 1970s and is still a beloved classic today.
By Jeremy Glass
Originally created for England's King George IV, A.1. sauce is still beloved by connoisseurs all over the world, though it isn't just for steak anymore.
By Jeremy Glass
These eight foods are banned in at least some, if not all, of the states in America. Have you tried any of them?
By Alia Hoyt
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The Swedish tradition called Lördagsgodis is a celebration of all things sugary – and it happens every single weekend.
By Jeremy Glass
Amateur mycologists abound and do-it-yourself mushroom growing kits are all the worldwide rage today. Find out how you too can get started growing your own edible mushrooms.
By Jeremy Glass
If you do this tonight, you'll be all set tomorrow morning with a healthy and delicious breakfast.
Aspic might not be the most crave-worthy of culinary creations, but it does inspire a sort of cultlike devotion among ardent supporters.
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Uh-oh! The boba supply chain is the latest to dry up during the pandemic, and that's bad news for those of us fond of the delicious Taiwanese tea-based drink.
By Jeremy Glass
You know both names but do you know how they're different?
Tired of cooking every meal at home every day? We get it. And are here with ways to make dinnertime simple again.
It is raw beef, after all, so there's a natural tendency to shy away from eating steak tartare. But don't be afraid. You can eat it.
By Jeremy Glass
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Nuts are born, dry roasted and salted, in a can on the grocery store shelf, right? Not exactly. You might be surprised at what they look like before humans get ahold of them.
A beloved ingredient in British children's literature, treacle has a long, sweet history. Let's dip in.
By Alia Hoyt