Raw garlic can punch you in the face. Roast that exact same garlic and suddenly it’s sweet, mellow and spreadable. So what the heck happens in between?

In this episode, we’re following garlic from its ancient roots in Central Asia through thousands of years of food, medicine and some very persistent global issues. Then we’re getting into the science (of course) around what happens when you chop, crush, grate and cook garlic and why the way you treat a clove can completely change what it brings to your food.

Then we’ll end with how I process garlic at home as someone who refuses to only add 2 cloves to a recipe.

In this episode:

• Where garlic came from and how we have cultivated it for thousands of years
• Ancient beliefs about garlic, strength and medicine
• How garlic became embedded in cuisines around the world
• What actually happens inside a garlic clove when you cut or crush it
• Why garlic sometimes turns blue or green
• Whether you really need to remove that green germ
• Why garlic breath can survive brushing your teeth
• How (and why) I process my garlic

Connect with Noha:

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
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• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
  

References mentioned/used in the episode:

• Rivlin, R. S. (2001). Historical perspective on the use of garlic. The Journal of Nutrition, 131(3S), 951S–954S.
• Totelin, L. M. V. (2015). When foods become remedies in ancient Greece: The curious case of garlic and other substances. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 167, 30–37.
• Borlinghaus, J., et al. (2014). Allicin: Chemistry and biological properties. Molecules, 19(8), 12591–12618.
• Block, E. (2010). Garlic and other alliums: The lore and the science. Royal Society of Chemistry.
• Mirondo, R., & Barringer, S. (2016). Deodorization of garlic breath by foods, and the role of polyphenol oxidase and phenolic compounds. Journal of Food Science, 81(10), C2425–C2430.
• Scheffler, L., et al. (2019). Detection of volatile metabolites of garlic in human breast milk. Metabolites, 9(5), 102.

It’s Never Just Food is a Foodies in the kitchen podcast, hosted by Noha Gerges and operated by 17928238 Canada Inc.

This podcast is for general educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical, nutritional or professional advice.

Why does a curry, stew or pot of chili sometimes taste better the next day…while leftover fries are basically a punishment?

In this episode, we’re looking at leftovers from the beginning: how people preserved and reused food before modern refrigeration, how the rise of the icebox and refrigerator changed what “leftovers” even meant, and why saving food became tied to thrift and wartime conservation.

Then we get into the actual question: what really happens to food overnight? We’ll look at flavour redistribution, sensory adaptation, texture changes, starch retrogradation, resistant starch and why some foods genuinely improve while others absolutely do not.

In this episode:

• How people reused and preserved food before modern refrigeration

• How iceboxes and electric refrigerators changed household eating habits

• Whether flavors actually “marry” overnight

• How sensory adaptation may explain why food can taste better the next day
• Why certain foods tend to hold up well while others don't
• Exploring resistant starch
• Leftovers vs meal prep

Connect with Noha:

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
• Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

References mentioned/used in the episode:

• Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Leftovers and the History of Refrigeration.
• U.S. Food Administration historical materials on food conservation during World War I.
• Good Housekeeping (1930). Leftovers Shouldn’t Be Left Over.
• Health Canada. Food Safety Tips for Leftovers.

It’s Never Just Food is a Foodies in the kitchen podcast, hosted by Noha Gerges and operated by 17928238 Canada Inc.

This podcast is for general educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical, nutritional or professional advice.

Chili peppers feel so deeply connected to cuisines around the world that it’s hard to imagine Indian, Korean, Thai, Chinese, Hungarian, African and countless other food traditions without them.

Except…until about 500 years ago, none of those places had chili peppers.

In this episode, we follow the chili pepper from its origins to its journey around the world, before getting into our modern obsession with making peppers hotter and hotter, the surprisingly fun science behind the burn, and, of course, how understanding chilies can make us better cooks.

In this episode:

• Where chili peppers originated and how long we have been eating them
• Why bell peppers, jalapeños, poblanos and many paprika peppers are all members of the same species
• Why chili peppers got their name from

• How the original Scoville test used human tasters to measure chili heat and our modern obsession with superhot peppers

• What capsaicin actually does to make your mouth feel like it’s burning
• Why birds can eat hot peppers without experiencing the same burn we do
• What the hottest part of a chili (it’s not what you think)
• Whether you can build up your spice tolerance

• How to use flavour-packed ingredients like chilies and chili condiments to create variety from the same meal-prepped components

Connect with Noha:

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
• Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

References mentioned/used in the episode:

• Kraft, K.H. et al. (2014). Multiple lines of evidence for the origin of domesticated chili pepper, Capsicum annuum, in Mexico. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
• Perry, L. et al. (2007). Starch fossils and the domestication and dispersal of chili peppers (Capsicum spp. L.) in the Americas. Science.
• Tewksbury, J.J. & Nabhan, G.P. (2001). Directed deterrence by capsaicin in chilies. Nature.
• Tewksbury, J.J. et al. (2008). Evolutionary ecology of pungency in wild chilies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
• Szent-Györgyi, A. (1937). Nobel Lecture, Oxidation, Energy Transfer, and Vitamins. Nobel Prize.
• Fattori, V. et al. (2016). Capsaicin: Current Understanding of Its Mechanisms and Therapy of Pain and Other Pre-Clinical and Clinical Uses. Molecules.
• Antonio, A.S. et al. (2018). Research on capsaicinoid biosynthesis and distribution in Capsicum fruit.
• Guinness World Records. Pepper X dethrones Carolina Reaper as world’s hottest chilli pepper (2023).

It’s Never Just Food is a Foodies in the kitchen podcast, hosted by Noha Gerges and operated by 17928238 Canada Inc.

This podcast is for general educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical, nutritional or professional advice.

What do Parmesan, tomatoes, kombu, mushrooms, miso and soy sauce have in common? They’re all connected by one of our five basic tastes: umami.

In this episode, we’re going back to Japan in 1908 to explore how umami was identified, how we have been making umami-rich foods long before we understood the science behind them and what’s really happening when certain ingredients make food taste so much better.

Of course, we’re also talking about MSG; what it actually is, how it became so controversial and what the evidence says about its safety.

Most importantly, we’re taking all of that science into the kitchen to figure out how understanding umami can make you a better, more intuitive cook.

In this episode:

• How Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda identified umami in 1908

• Why foods like Parmesan, tomatoes, mushrooms, miso and soy sauce can add so much depth to a dish
• How to tell when your food needs more umami and not just more salt
• What MSG is
• The origins of the MSG controversy and the infamous term “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”
• What current evidence says about MSG safety
• How understanding what ingredients do can make you less dependent on recipes

Connect with Noha:

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com

• Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

References mentioned in the episode:

• Ikeda, K. (1909). New seasonings. Journal of the Chemical Society of Tokyo.
• Kurihara, K. (2015). Umami the Fifth Basic Taste: History of Studies on Receptor Mechanisms and Role as a Food Flavor. BioMed Research International.
• Zhang, F. et al. (2008). Molecular mechanism for the umami taste synergism. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
• Nelson, G. et al. (2002). An amino-acid taste receptor. Nature.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Questions and Answers on Monosodium Glutamate (MSG).
• Kwok, R.H.M. (1968). Chinese-Restaurant Syndrome. New England Journal of Medicine.

It’s Never Just Food is a Foodies in the Kitchen podcast, hosted by Noha Gerges and operated by 17928238 Canada Inc.

This podcast is for general educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical, nutritional or professional advice.

Why are cucumbers individually wrapped in plastic? Why is half your bag of chips seemingly filled with air? How can milk sit unrefrigerated on a shelf for months?

Food packaging sounds like it should be boring...until you realize just how much science, history and technology is hiding inside the stuff we rip open and immediately throw away.

In this episode, we're going from ancient food containers to Napoleon-era food preservation, the invention of canning, cellophane, aseptic milk cartons and the tiny engineered environments inside salad bags. We’ll also look at how packaging can influence what we expect food to taste like, why vacuum-packed beef can look purple, and the surprisingly complicated environmental trade-off between packaging waste and food waste.

And yes...we're finally figuring out why the hell we're putting plastic on a cucumber.

In this episode

• How we stored and transported food before modern packaging existed
• Why the French military helped kick-start modern food preservation
• Nicolas Appert and the invention of heat preservation in sealed containers
• How the metal food can developed in the early 1800s
• How prepackaged foods changed the way people shopped
• Jacques Brandenberger, cellophane and the commonly told spilled-wine origin story
• Ruben Rausing, Tetra Pak and the strange little tetrahedron cream cartons of the 1950s
• How modified-atmosphere packaging changes the environment surrounding food
• Why vacuum-packed beef can look purple and then turn bright red after opening
• Why chip bags contain nitrogen and how some of that seemingly empty space actually has a job
• How packaging color, texture, shape and other sensory cues can influence our expectations about food
• The environmental trade-off between packaging waste and food waste
• The cucumber experiment: what happened when researchers compared shrink-wrapped and unwrapped cucumbers

Connect with Noha

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
• Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

References mentioned in the episode:

• Robertson, G. L. (2013). Food Packaging: Principles and Practice (3rd ed.). CRC Press.
• Robertson, G. L. (2019). The paper beverage carton: Past and future. In Reference Module in Food Science. Elsevier.
• Sandhya. (2010). Modified atmosphere packaging of fresh produce: Current status and future needs. LWT – Food Science and Technology, 43(3), 381–392.
• Dhall, R. K., Sharma, S. R., & Mahajan, B. V. C. (2012). Effect of shrink wrap packaging for maintaining quality of cucumber during storage. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 49(4), 495–499.
• Mancini, R. A., & Hunt, M. C. (2005). Current research in meat color. Meat Science, 71(1), 100–121.

It’s Never Just Food is a Foodies in the kitchen podcast, hosted by Noha Gerges and operated by 17928238 Canada Inc.

This podcast is for general educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical, nutritional, or professional advice.

Why does mozzarella give us that glorious cheese pull while halloumi can sit in a screaming-hot pan and somehow keep its shape? And…why does American cheese melt SO well?

In the final episode of our three-part cheese series, we're taking everything we've learned about cheese and bringing it into the kitchen. We're digging into the science of melting and stretching, why your homemade pizza sometimes turns watery, what makes cheese sauces split, whether American cheese is actually cheese, why some cheeses smell like feet, and the cooking mistakes that can make perfectly good cheese behave very badly.

We finish with a rapid-fire round of cheese myths and a look at just how far humans have pushed cheesemaking, including the surprisingly complicated science of making cheese from ‘exotic’ milk.

In this episode

• Why some cheeses melt beautifully while others hold their shape
• The science behind mozzarella's famous stretch
• Why halloumi and paneer behave so differently under heat
• What pre-shredded cheese contains and why freshly grated cheese can give you a smoother melt
• Why cheese sauces become grainy, oily or split
• Why combining different cheeses can make a better grilled cheese, mac and cheese or pizza
• Why Parmesan melts differently from mozzarella
• The truth about American cheese
• Why some cheeses smell like feet
• Rapid fire myth busting round
• Exotic milk cheese

Connect with Noha

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
• Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

References mentioned in the episode:

• Fox, P. F., et al. (2017). Fundamentals of Cheese Science (2nd ed.). Springer.
• McSweeney, P. L. H., Fox, P. F., Cotter, P. D., & Everett, D. W. (Eds.). (2017). Cheese: Chemistry, Physics and Microbiology (4th ed.). Academic Press.
• Johnson, M. E. (2017). A 100-Year Review: Cheese production and quality. Journal of Dairy Science, 100(12), 9952–9965.
• McSweeney, P. L. H. (2004). Biochemistry of cheese ripening. International Journal of Dairy Technology, 57(2–3), 127–144.
• Hailu, Y., et al (2018). Rheological and sensory properties and aroma compounds formed during ripening of soft brined cheese made from camel milk. International Dairy Journal, 81, 122–130.

It’s Never Just Food is a Foodies in the kitchen podcast, hosted by Noha Gerges and operated by 17928238 Canada Inc.

This podcast is for general educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical, nutritional, or professional advice.

How can one simple ingredient (milk) be transformed into more than 4,000 completely different cheeses?

In part 2 of this cheese series, we're diving into the science, history and craftsmanship behind one of the world's most beloved foods. From creamy burrata and buttery Brie to tangy feta and bold blue cheese, you'll discover how small changes in milk, bacteria, moisture and aging create an incredible diversity of flavours and textures.

Along the way, we'll explore why monasteries played such an important role in the evolution of cheese, why geography shaped regional styles, how burrata is literally cheese stuffed with cheese, and why those crunchy crystals in aged Parmesan are something to celebrate rather than avoid.

By the end of the episode, you'll never look at a cheese board (or the grocery store cheese aisle) the same way again.

In this episode

• Why the Middle Ages changed the future of cheese
• How geography shaped regional cheese traditions
• The 5 variables that create thousands of different cheeses
• Fresh vs. aged cheeses
• How burrata is made and why it's so indulgent
• Brie vs. Camembert: what's the difference?
• Why aged cheeses develop crunchy crystals
• Why authentic Greek feta is unique
• Traditional brined cheeses from the Levant: Akkawi and Nabulsi
• How blue cheese gets its signature veins
• Why intentional mold is safe to eat

Connect with Noha

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
• Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

References mentioned in the episode:

• Fox, P. F., et al. (2017). Fundamentals of Cheese Science (2nd ed.). Springer.
• McGee, H. (2004). On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Scribner.
• Kindstedt, P. (2012). Cheese and Culture: A History of Cheese and Its Place in Western Civilization. Chelsea Green Publishing.

• Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano. Parmigiano Reggiano: Production Regulations and Quality Standards.
• Consorzio Tutela Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO. Traditional Mozzarella Production.

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Milk and Dairy Products in Human Nutrition.
• Johnson, M. E. (2017). A 100-Year Review: Cheese Production and Quality. Journal of Dairy Science, 100(12), 9952–9965.
• Tamime, A. Y. (Ed.). (2006). Brined Cheeses. Blackwell Publishing.

It’s Never Just Food is a Foodies in the kitchen podcast, hosted by Noha Gerges and operated by 17928238 Canada Inc.

This podcast is for general educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical, nutritional, or professional advice.

Who invented cheese?

It turns out...we don't actually know.

In this first episode of a new cheese mini-series, we're traveling back roughly 8,000 years to explore one of humanity's oldest processed foods.

From the first domesticated sheep and goats in the Fertile Crescent to archaeological discoveries in Poland, Ancient Egyptian tombs, Mesopotamian records and the Roman Empire, we trace the fascinating journey of how cheese likely came to be and how it changed human history.

Along the way, we also break down the basic science of cheesemaking, explain how milk becomes cheese and set the stage for why there are now thousands of cheeses enjoyed around the world.

In this episode:

• The leading theory behind how cheese was accidentally discovered
• Why the domestication of sheep and goats made cheesemaking possible
• The Fertile Crescent and the beginnings of dairy farming
• The oldest archaeological evidence of cheesemaking in Neolithic Poland
• Ancient Mesopotamia's written records of cheese production
• The 3,200-year-old cheese discovered in Egypt
• Cheese in Ancient Greece and Homer's Odyssey
• The Romans and their connection to cheese
• The basic science behind how milk becomes cheese
• Why thousands of different cheeses exist today
• A preview of Part II, where we'll explore blue cheese, mold, aging, lactose and the incredible diversity of cheeses around the world.

Connect with Noha

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
• Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

References mentioned in the episode:

• Evershed, R. P., et al. (2008). Earliest date for milk use in the Near East and southeastern Europe linked to cattle herding. Nature, 455(7212), 528–531.
• Salque, M., et al. (2013). Earliest evidence for cheese making in the sixth millennium BC in northern Europe. Nature, 493(7433), 522–525.

• Greco, E., et al. (2018). Proteomic characterization of the ancient cheese found in the tomb of Ptahmes (13th century BCE, Saqqara, Egypt). Analytical Chemistry, 90(16), 9673–9679.
• Pliny the Elder. Natural History (Naturalis Historia), Book XI and Book XXVIII (1st century CE). English translations available through the Loeb Classical Library and the Perseus Digital Library.
• Homer. The Odyssey. (Traditionally dated to the 8th century BCE.) Various modern scholarly translations.

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Gateway to Dairy Production and Products.
• International Dairy Federation (IDF). Cheese production and dairy processing resources.

It’s Never Just Food is a Foodies in the kitchen podcast, hosted by Noha Gerges and operated by 17928238 Canada Inc.

This podcast is for general educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical, nutritional, or professional advice.