The wok appeared over 2,000 years ago during the Han dynasty and arrived in the United States during the mid-19th century.
Stories
The Case for Canned Tomatoes
Cooked tomatoes hold a soft spot in my heart. Their rich aroma simmering over a stovetop conjures specific, warm memories from throughout my life—from my mother carefully blowing on a spoonful of hearty stew before handing it off to me, to making a delicious (and messy) homemade pizza sauce with my partner as an adult.
Mangal: Smoldered Russian Magic
Whether you’re having a casual meal with family or friends, celebrating a special occasion, or simply dining at your summertime country house, if there’s meat on the menu, it will be roasted on a mangal.
A Simple Guide to Food and Tea Pairing
You’ve probably seen someone elaborately snorting and swishing wine or know some guy with a hipster mustache who’s really, really into coffee.
Pelmeni: Eurasian Pillows of Childhood
A chilling burst of winds rolls in from the Kazakh Steppe, rattling the thin metal walls of the marketplace. I stride through the maze of crudely disassembled shipping containers that hold clothes, toys, and industrial products.
The Universal Expansion of the Dried Pepper
Festive bundles of red pepper hang ubiquitously on storefronts and roadside stands of New Mexico, where they’ve been grown since 1600.
Pebre: The Chilean Salsa for Bread
Dad hurries to the grocery store after work. It’s rush hour, or la hora del taco, in Chile. The store is packed, and only a few discs of pan amasado remain, but fresh bread is a must for once—the Chilean afternoon teatime.