Category Archives: Culinary Historians of Chicago

Bev-O-Metrics

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Taste-Profiling Beverages with Spectroscopy
Presented by
Subda Das, PhD

Come explore the basics of taste and taste perceptions and then focus on flavor profiles of liquids, from morning java to cooling afternoon soda to crisp evening wine. Spectral data from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) can detect specific analytes but offers also a broader window into the overall profile of these drinks. This presentation will examine how these profiles relate to genomics and metabolomics and how these complex profiles can be determined and used under real world conditions for education and enjoyment. And put theory to delicious practice — with taste tests. Continue reading →

Aye, there’s the rub!

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Chicago’s Bold BBQ History
Presented by
Jared Leonard
Pit professor, Rub BBQ, Chicago

Come on down to our tasty talk to hear one of Chicago’s rising pit masters give us the skinny on ribs. Jared Leonard will regale us with his rub on different aspects of BBQ history: its historical significance to American culture, its regional differences, and how BBQ has evolved in our toddlin’ town over the past 100 years. Continue reading →

Let’s Get Canned: A Homey History of Preserving

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Presented by
Sherri Brooks Vinton

“May God bless whoever invented canning.”

Come join us and learn how canning got its start and changed civilization and the culinary world forever. Our speaker will tell us a tale of preservation heritage and share a number of tips on modern home canning that she offers in her new book, Put ‘em Up! Fruit.  Continue reading →

Agroterrorism: Food Poisoning Brought to a New Level

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Presented by
Jerrold Leiken, MD
Nationally Acclaimed Poison Expert

Poison expert Dr. Jerrold Leikin, will reveal the history and nature of agroterrorism, or how the human food supply has been used as a weapon to launch a multitude of toxins. Gather round as Dr. Leikin talks about our vulnerabilities, and describes some horrific biological, chemical and radiological food contamination events. And he will tell us of the numerous valiant food employees who have been “the first non-clinical professionals to identify and respond to incidences of agroterrorism.” Continue reading →

The Old Girl Network: Charity Cookbooks and the Empowerment of Women

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Presented by
Janice Bluestein Longone
Curator of American Culinary History,
University of Michigan’s Special Collections Division

The Culinary Historians of Chicago had its first meeting in 1993, and we’re celebrating our 20th anniversary this year with a special lecture:  Before mass media, communication and transit, the first wave of the women’s movement was already active via the most ordinary of objects – the lowly cookbook. “Charity cookbooks,” a legacy of the Civil War, championed many causes: suffrage, education, temperance, prohibition, equal rights, working conditions, welfare, immigration, and legal rights and responsibilities, while benefiting churches, schools, sororities, the homeless, and others in need. The effort required to create, publish and distribute the books created networks of communication, which nurtured fledging political movements that transformed American culture.  Continue reading →