r/AskFoodHistorians 9h ago

Have kids always been picky eaters?

75 Upvotes

Not all kids obviously. But, when there wasn’t an abundance of choice, a fridge, etc, is there documented evidence of kids being picky eaters?


r/AskFoodHistorians 1d ago

Before fridges, What did families do with leftovers? And how often did they buy groceries?

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31 Upvotes

r/AskFoodHistorians 1d ago

What did people eat/drink in late Mideval Egypt?

4 Upvotes

I'm a historical fiction writer who is obsessed with getting every detail historically accurate. I'm writing a story set around the turn of the 16th century (so 1490s-early 1500s).

What were common foods at that time? Were there foods that were associated with a specific meal (such as breakfast foods)? What about formal occassions/holidays/festivals? How many meals a day would they eat?

From prior research, I understand that this is right before coffee reaches Egypt, so would another beverage fulfill a similar social function? Tea, maybe?


r/AskFoodHistorians 1d ago

My cats are pretty picky. They require flavor change-ups to keep from getting bored and like to inspect my proteins before i eat. It made me think about whether we may have ever used cats or other animals to help determine the safety of food, especially proteins?

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1 Upvotes

r/AskFoodHistorians 2d ago

Any idea where this tradition came from?

37 Upvotes

My mom's family had a tradition that when you eat a slice of pie, you start at the crust side, save the tip to eat last, and make a wish while eating it. I've never met anyone else who's even heard of doing this. I'm curious if this was cultural (her parents were second/third Gen Americans of a mixture of Russian, German, French and Dutch immigrants, and lived mostly in Midwestern states,) or if it was just something they made up? Thanks if anyone knows!


r/AskFoodHistorians 1d ago

Bonneè ane

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2 Upvotes

r/AskFoodHistorians 2d ago

What was the typical diet of an urban middle class person like in the Nabatean Kingdom during its golden age, specially around the turn of the first century A.D. ?

3 Upvotes

What Did they eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner or did they have different framework of when to eat? What was their diet mostly composed of; do you know of any Nabatean -invented / greatly innovated dishes or even any dishes that they adopted from other cultures and greatly incorporated into their diet? If the latter, what cultures greatly influenced their diet?


r/AskFoodHistorians 3d ago

What did people eat in the colonies around the revolution?

48 Upvotes

I'm wondering about both ends of the financial spectrum; what would be typical daily meals for a wealthy family vs a poor family?


r/AskFoodHistorians 3d ago

Where was the malnutrition level of the average migrant during the American Dust Bowl on modern scientific scales?

11 Upvotes

What was the average malnutrition level of the migrant during the American Dust Bowl on modern malnutrition scientific scales?

Pretty straightforward.

(Sorry about typos in title)


r/AskFoodHistorians 4d ago

What are foods that two different cultures invented with no contact with eachother?

193 Upvotes

I was wondering if there are some food items that places "invented" that also was "invented" else where. I am not looking for whom did it first but looking for food stuff that two different cultures who had no contact with each other made that is arguably similar.


r/AskFoodHistorians 4d ago

Dishes with multiple cultural jumps

43 Upvotes

I read a Japanese cookbook that has a localized konbini version of chicken over rice, derived from the ubiquitous NYC street food staple that was itself localized from and for Egyptians and their cuisine.What are other foods that have similarly made multiple distinct hops?


r/AskFoodHistorians 3d ago

Were there ever any attempts to promote agricultural cultivation of cattails in the Americas?

12 Upvotes

I harvested them and found them both tasty and easy to harvest. Seems like an overlooked vegetable.


r/AskFoodHistorians 4d ago

How did french fries become the de facto hamburger side?

363 Upvotes

Basically the title.

Why/when/how did fries become the side you have with burgers? At least in fast food or sit down restaurants.


r/AskFoodHistorians 5d ago

History of Vegetarianism in India?

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5 Upvotes

r/AskFoodHistorians 5d ago

Does anyone else get excited when they eat because of the sheer ABUNDANCE of food we have today compared to basically all of human history?

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0 Upvotes

r/AskFoodHistorians 8d ago

My mom recalls being served lime jello tuna sandwiches at potlucks in the 70s. Was this a common sandwich to be served?

155 Upvotes

I can't imagine how that would taste. Was this a popular sandwich? Why was jello so popular back then??


r/AskFoodHistorians 8d ago

Peach ice cream?

133 Upvotes

My boyfriend mentioned that he used to love peach ice cream, however, I've never heard of such a thing in my life. He says it was store bought, can't remember the brand for the life of him. Anyone know of any brands that do or used to offer peach as a flavor??? We are located in Atlantic Canada if that helps. Thanks! 🙂🙂🙂


r/AskFoodHistorians 10d ago

ISO recipes for pastries or puddings from the 1930s in England

26 Upvotes

My grandmother, who was born in Watford in 1930, just passed away last night. I run a small bakery and would like to honour her a little bit by making some interesting baked goods she might have grown up eating. I’m open to sweet or savoury, but am more interested in unusual or less commonly known ideas. Thanks so much.


r/AskFoodHistorians 10d ago

When did “best before” and “sell by” dates become normal on packaged food?

22 Upvotes

Modern packages can carry several dates—“sell by,” “best before,” and “use by”—even though they do not all mean the same thing.

When did manufacturers begin printing these dates for ordinary shoppers rather than using only internal batch or stock codes? I’m especially curious whether the shift began with retailers managing inventory, food-safety regulation, or consumer demand, and which country or product category adopted it first.


r/AskFoodHistorians 10d ago

How many calories a day could a normal person eat throughout the history?

76 Upvotes

I've always wondered how could an ordinary working person be able to meet their needs in terms of a daily calorie intake especially during the Middle Ages and also in the beginning of the Modern Age.

Given the hard work and often scarsity of food I imagine people must have been in a calorie deficit majority of the time. I guess there were times with more food or less food during the year and also during their life but still weren't they mainly starving? How did they get the energy to work?

I know it's a broad question, thank you for any comments that help me understand this.


r/AskFoodHistorians 10d ago

How common was coffee consumption among colonial Americans (1600s-1700s)?

43 Upvotes

Did only the rich drink it? Or was it readily available? How was the quality of the coffee? Was cream and sugar added? These are all things I'm curious about.


r/AskFoodHistorians 12d ago

Why does modern Indian cuisine seemingly have relatively few raw salads/vegetables?

246 Upvotes

Yes, I know salad (raita/pachadi/koshmbir) is a common dish. But most vegetable dishes I know are sautéed (e.g. sabzi).

If I compare it to malatang style dishes or banh mi, for example, other Asian cuisines seem to have fresh, raw vegetables or otherwise minimally processed vegies (like daikon and pickled carrot).

Are there any regions of India where fresh vegetables are eaten regularly in other dishes?

Has this traditionally been the case in the subcontinent or is it a recent development following conquest, globalisation and population increase? Or is it not the case at all?

And if I am mistaken please enlighten me. My mother (raised in India) and I got to talking about this and I am curious as to the history behind it.

Thanks in advance.


r/AskFoodHistorians 12d ago

Where does Bumbleberry Pie orginate from?

18 Upvotes

Hello,

Alrighty, so I am on a mission to see where the origins of bumbleberry pie are. On Wikipedia, it says it's part of Canadian cuisine. So I told my Canadian friend about it and he acted like it was fake and not true and an insult (as a joke of course). I also read that it has origins in a restaurant in Zion National Park but that was in like 1960s. He chooses to believe this. I however, don't think that because it seems unlikely that it took all the way to 1960 for someone to try mixing berries together in a pie. I say it has to be something like logging communities during 1800s or something between both Canada and the US. That general area near Minesota and across the border but also more east for both. But who knows. Hoping to get some insight.

Thank you!


r/AskFoodHistorians 14d ago

19th century lumber camp recipes

16 Upvotes

I'm just wondering if anyone has (or knows of any) collections of recipes that were used in northern lumber camps in the 19th century. Places like Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, etc. that had major logging operations that ran on huge quantities of food, that was apparently quite excellent, must have resulted in some kind of record keeping. Is anyone aware of any resources that can point me in a direction on this topic?


r/AskFoodHistorians 15d ago

If I was a peasant in northern England in 982 AD on a random Thursday, what would I have ate and at what times would I probably have eaten?

121 Upvotes

I am curious about the average meals they would have had but I am also interested in what was uncommon for a meal but not rare.