How Ottoman dolmas made their way to Sweden via the military defeats of King Charles XII, and a recipe from 1765

The life and death of Commodus, one of Rome’s wickedest emperors, and an ancient recipe for the beef that might have killed him (minus the poison)

The origins and evolution of the tomato soup cake, and a from-scratch recipe from 1934

The history of Neapolitan pizza, the well-circulated but debunked story of the margherita pizza’s origin, and a recipe inspired by writings from the mid-19th century

A quick overview of the history of rye whiskey in America, and the making of a milk punch as described in a letter from Benjamin Franklin

How to travel in medieval Europe, and a recipe for 15th century candy that would be perfect on a journey

The reasons behind the Boston Tea Party, and a warm drink made using one of the kinds of tea that was thrown into the harbor

The heyday of pocket soup when it was a staple in the navy and on cross-country expeditions, and a recipe from 1694

The plain eating preferences of Nikolai Romanov, the last tsar of Russia, and a recipe for simple Siberian pelmeni from 1861

Hammurabi and his lesser-known laws, and a lamb stew written around when he ruled

Theories as to where Welsh rarebit got its name, if it’s Welsh, and if there ever was rabbit in it, and a recipe for it from 1861

What it was like to fly and dine aboard Concorde, the supersonic airliner that operated from 1976 to 2003, and recipes inspired by the menus and chefs of Concorde

Benjamin Franklin’s changing views on food throughout his life, and a recipe for anchovy and parmesan toasts from 1759

The stories claiming to tell of the origins of mayonnaise, and a French recipe from 1828

The demanding job of medieval butchers, and a dish of stewed meat and onions with a spiced sauce from 1430

The abysmal conditions and food of the steerage class of steamboat passengers in the 19th and early 20th century, and an extremely bland meal made from their rations

The history of shepherd’s pie, and a recipe from 1894 when it didn’t matter if you used beef or lamb

The almost-forgotten reign of Hatshepsut, a woman who was pharaoh, and a recipe for the ancient sweet zalabiya using ingredients available in ancient Egypt

The eccentric eating habits of Nikola Tesla, and a recipe based on a dish that, like so many other things, he invented

What we know (and are still learning) about Stonehenge, and a recipe based on archaeological findings for what they might have eaten there