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What is Tasting History?
Tasting History is a cooking show and history project that pairs historical research with recreated recipes. Its own description frames it as "the cooking show for history lovers and the history show for food lovers," covering food from Ancient Babylon to WWII. Episodes combine context—who ate a dish, when, and why—with a version you could cook yourself.
What an episode typically includes
- A specific time, place and culture, such as 16th-century Mexico, WWII Italy, or the British Isles in the 18th century.
- The story behind the food: trade, warfare, preservation, class, or myth-busting.
- One or more recipes adapted from historical sources, sometimes in multiple versions so you can compare eras.
Who it suits
- Home cooks who want a project with context rather than a quick weeknight dinner.
- History readers who prefer material culture—what people actually ate—over battles and dates.
- Teachers, club hosts and dinner-party planners looking for a themed menu with a story attached.
Trade-offs to expect
Historical recipes can call for unfamiliar ingredients, long preservation steps, or techniques that need planning. That is part of the appeal, but it makes the site better for a weekend experiment than a rushed meal. If you want a low-effort starting point, pick an episode built around an ingredient you already cook with, like the history of mustard or salsa, rather than a preservation method such as potting meat.
A practical next step: browse the episode list, choose one dish tied to a period you already know something about, and read the recipe through once before shopping—then decide whether you want the historical version or the modernized one.
How can I watch Tasting History episodes?
You can watch Tasting History directly on its own site. The homepage presents the show as a cooking show for history lovers and a history show for food lovers, and it includes a "Watch Now" option alongside its episode list. Episodes are organized by date and tagged with place and era, so you can browse recent releases or jump to a period that interests you.
Tasting History
What to expect when you browse
The latest episodes cover a wide span, from ancient Babylon to WWII. Recent examples include the Aztec origins of salsa, Italian WWII garrison rations, 2,000 years of mustard, 18th-century potted meat, the piña colada's disputed invention, and an ancient date cake tied to a shady copper merchant. Each entry pairs a historical overview with a recipe or two, so the show works both as entertainment and as a starting point for cooking.
A practical next step
If you are new, pick one episode whose era or region you already enjoy, watch it, then try the recipe. That gives you a low-effort way to test whether the format suits you before committing to a longer run. If you prefer reading, the site also points to a companion cookbook, available through booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and offers a newsletter signup for updates on new episodes.
Where can I buy the Tasting History cookbook?
The Tasting History cookbook can be bought through the retailer links on the Tasting History website itself. The site's homepage states that the cookbook is available now and provides purchase options pointing to Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
For the most current buying options, go directly to Tasting History and use the cookbook purchase links there. That way you see the retailers the author currently recommends rather than relying on a stale listing.
A quick note on choosing between the two: Amazon is convenient if you already have an account and want fast shipping, while Barnes & Noble may appeal if you prefer supporting a bookstore chain or are already a member. Either way, checking the official site first is the safest next step, since availability and editions can change.
What recipes are covered in the Tasting History cookbook?
The site does not list the cookbook's contents. The homepage only confirms that The Tasting History Cookbook exists and is available, with purchase links to Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but it does not enumerate recipes, chapters or historical periods included in the book. The episode archive shows the kind of material the series covers — for example salsa with an Aztec version and an 1831 dried-chile recipe, Italian WWII garrison rations, mustard recipes from Ancient Rome, Medieval France and Victorian England, 18th-century potted meat from a 1747 recipe, piña colada variations, and an ancient date cake linked to the copper merchant Ea-Nāşir — but that is the show's episode lineup, not a confirmed cookbook table of contents.
How to find the actual recipe list
- Check the cookbook's official retail listing pages (Amazon, Barnes & Noble) for the publisher's description, "Look inside" preview or table of contents.
- Look for a dedicated cookbook page on Tasting History, which may carry a fuller description than the homepage.
- If you want a specific dish, search the episode archive first: many recipes appear as episodes, and the cookbook often expands on dishes already covered on the show.
Practical decision criterion
If your interest is a particular era or region — say Roman, medieval European or 20th-century American — verify that the book covers it before buying, since the show's range (Ancient Babylon to WWII) is broader than any single volume is likely to be. If you mainly want to cook along, the free episode archive already provides tested recipes and historical context; the cookbook is the better choice if you want a curated, self-contained reference to keep in the kitchen.
How do I sign up for the Tasting History newsletter?
Sign up using the newsletter form on the Tasting History homepage: scroll to the section labeled "Sign up for the Newsletter" and enter your email address there. The site's own pages are at Tasting History.
A practical note: after submitting, check your spam or promotions folder for the confirmation email, since newsletter signups often land there first. If you don't see a confirmation, try again with the same address rather than a different one, to avoid duplicate subscriptions.
If you mainly want the content rather than email updates, the homepage's Latest Episodes list is a reasonable alternative — it shows recent topics such as the history of salsa, WWII Italian rations, and 2,000 years of mustard, so you can browse without subscribing.
What historical recipes are featured in the latest episodes?
The latest episodes on Tasting History pair a historical topic with one or more period recipes, spanning ancient Mesopotamia to 20th-century Italy and the Caribbean:
- The Aztec Origins of Salsa — an Aztec version of salsa alongside a recipe using dried chiles from 1831.
- What Italian Soldiers Ate in World War II — two recipes from the Italian garrison ration at the start of the war.
- Making 2,000 Years of Mustard — recipes from Ancient Rome, Medieval France and Victorian England.
- Potted Meat: How to Preserve Leftovers in the 18th Century — a potted meat recipe from 1747.
- Who Invented the Piña Colada? — two recipes showing how the drink changed over time.
- History's Worst Copper Merchant & His 4000 Year Old Cake — an ancient date cake tied to the story of Ea-Nāşir.
- What Grocery Shopping Was Like in the Middle Ages — a 15th-century Italian recipe that would require shopping in the medieval manner.
How to choose one
If you want a single dish to cook tonight, the salsa or piña colada episodes give you a modern-comparable result with a historical twist. If you are more interested in technique and preservation, the mustard and potted meat episodes show how cooks worked with ingredients before refrigeration and industrial condiments. The WWII ration episode suits readers curious about military logistics rather than home cooking.
A useful next step: pick the episode matching an ingredient already in your kitchen, then compare its historical method with a modern recipe for the same dish — the differences usually reveal what technology, trade or taste changed.
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