The Sporkful

Why Won’t Anyone Invite Michael Pollan To Dinner? (Reheat)

You know that friend of yours who rails against the evils of high fructose corn syrup? The one who’s obsessed with where every single morsel of their food comes from? Wri

After His Father’s Murder, Carlos Frías Found Solace In Miami’s Ventanitas

Fernando Frías was a successful cafe and restaurant owner in Havana. But when Fidel Castro came to power, the government nationalized Fernando’s businesses and imprisoned

"No Murder, Yes Pork Chops," Says Comic Negin Farsad (Reheat)

Negin Farsad loves to negotiate. And when it comes to negotiating, nothing is off-limits — even religious law. "I feel like Allah would be like, 'Get the pork chop but do

Does The World Need A Better Tomato?

In New Jersey, the tomato is king. Almost a century ago, a scientist at Rutgers University developed a variety that became the tomato that lined grocery store shelves for

The Single Mom Who Changed Myrtle Beach Dining Gets Her Due

When Dan had to plan his mom’s big 80th birthday dinner, he knew just where to take the whole family: Myrtle Beach, SC. The group of ten celebrated at Hook and Barrel, a

Why Are People Hooked On A Fake Food Delivery App?

Can “functional” candy be delicious? Why are people ordering from a fake food delivery app? And should tomatoes be banned from sandwiches? We cover all of these questions

Marcus Samuelsson Says French Cuisine Isn't The Gold Standard (Reheat)

Chef Marcus Samuelsson was taught in culinary school that French cuisine is the gold standard of cooking. One day, he realized, “somebody lied." Samuelsson, a black Swede

Who Killed The Florida Orange?

Like palm trees, the Everglades, Disney World, and “Florida Man,” the orange is a classic symbol of the Sunshine State. But maybe not for much longer. Production has decl

The Rise, Fall, And Redemption of Belgian Waffles (Reheat)

At the 1964 New York World's Fair, Belgian waffles were introduced to America. They became a sensation. But a half-century later, the woman who sold those waffles says he

This Rare Condition Causes Extreme, Insatiable Hunger

The Rao family in Maryland knew that something was different about their younger daughter, Ayoni, almost as soon as she was born. But it took them until she was five to g

Meat Pies In Sweeney Todd On Broadway! (Reheat)

The musical Sweeney Todd is about a barber who goes on a killing spree and disposes of his victims by baking them into meat pies. In an off-Broadway production, they serv

How Do You Prep For The Hardest Beer Test In The World?

Mandy Naglich is an award-winning home brewer who also writes and teaches about beer. Now she wants to become a Master Cicerone — basically the beer equivalent of a maste

This Is Your Brain On Cheesesteak (Reheat)

Why do our brains go crazy for the melted cheese on Philly's iconic cheesesteak? What is it about scrapple’s crispy fried goodness? How does surface-area-to-volume ratio

The Ice Cream Truck Kingpins Of Southern California

Is there anything better than hearing the sound of an ice cream truck approaching? Today we’re bringing you two stories of ice cream trucks, past and present. First, Spor

Carla Hall Isn't Going Back To The Frozen Food Section (Reheat)

Carla Hall is known for her quirky, energetic personality on TV. But in some ways she’s very different today from the woman who first appeared as a contestant on Top Chef

2 Chefs And A Lie 2026 With NPR’s Rachel Martin

We’re back with our annual game show: Two Chefs And A Lie! This year our contestant is Rachel Martin, host of the NPR podcast Wild Card and an old friend of Dan’s. The ga

The Man Who Made 5 Million Burritos (Reheat)

Is the perfect burrito a feat of engineering or art? We debate burrito construction and the Los Angeles/San Francisco rivalry with Jesse Thorn (founder of Maximum Fun and

Can You Be On A GLP-1 And Still Love Food?

Recent studies say that somewhere between 12 and 16 percent of Americans have used GLP-1s like Ozempic, Wegovy, or Zepbound. Many people who take these drugs report that

The Great Office Coffee Election (Reheat)

“The time has come for us to change the coffee brand that we offer and we want your input!” The email came from Myiesha Gordon in the HR Department at WNYC. Like many oth

Does McDonald’s Want Their Soft-Serve Machines To Stay Broken?

McDonald’s soft-serve machines break down so often that a corner of the internet is awash in memes and videos about their unreliability. Enter Jeremy O’Sullivan and Melis