*The traditional (basic) recipe for churros has 3 ingredients: flour, salt, and water. *Mexicans eat shorter, thicker churros coated in cinnamon, sugar, and often dipped in chocolate sauce. *One theory claims that churros originated in China with the “Chinese cruller” or you tiao (bel

Churros. Who was first to savor these yummy treats? It’s a long, messy history with lots of versions. While many of us believe churros came from Mexico, its colorful story reaches way back in time. Churros are deep-fried dough. Food historians report that evidence of fried dough can b

*Gelato is the common word in Italian for all types of ice cream. *One of the first gelato desserts was called fior di latte and served at the court of Catherine de Medici in the early 1500s. *Café Procopio was opened in 1686 by Procopio dei Coltelli, an Italian chef, and the man cred

Close your eyes. Savor creamy frozen sweetness. It’s heavenly. Gelato. There are hundreds of flavors, gelaterias, and even prepackaged pints around the world. Think American with chocolate brownie or Italian with pistachio. Check out Israel’s salted caramel. Go classic with stracciate

  *The word crêpe comes from the old French crespe which means crispy or wavy. *Sweet crepes often include chocolate, preserves, powdered or granulated sugar, maple syrup, whipped cream, fruit spreads, sliced fruit, or ice cream. *Common savory crepe fillings are cheese, ham and

Crepes. The world loves these elegant “pancakes” that can be sweet or savory, street food, gourmet dining, or simply home-made. According to Pamela Vachon in Salon, “nearly every culture on Earth lays claim to some kind of pancake made from a liquid batter on a hot, flat surface.” The

*The name “sour dough” refers to its leavening properties not taste. It’s only sour if you want it to be baked that way. *Sourdough can be used for a lot more than bread like bagels, pancakes, rolls, cookies, muffins, cakes, cobblers, and fritters. *The Israelites used sourdough to ma

  The world was on fire. It was the morning of April 18, 1906. Northern California was hit with a massive earthquake. Devastating fires broke out in San Francisco – 80% of the city burned. Half of the city’s 400,000 residents were left homeless. Louise Boudin fled for her l

*Humans can distinguish about 100,000 different flavors. *Taste buds on the tongue send messages to the brain about food flavors, what you like, and what you don’t like. *You need saliva. It carries chemicals to taste receptor cells on the tongue. *There are up to 10,000 taste buds in

Imagine a gooey chocolate layer cake. How about vanilla ice cream dripping with hot fudge? Maybe a bowl of sweet red strawberries topped with whipped cream? Which would you choose for dessert – sweet carrot cake or bitter kale? Where does taste come from? Dr. Ainsley Hawthorn, author,