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

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

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

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

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

A boiled down version of the complex origins and history of gumbo, and a recipe for shrimp and crab gumbo from 1885

A tiny Christmas truce in the midst of the Battle of the Bulge, and a recipe for mincemeat pie from the US army in 1946

Christopher Ludwick’s extraordinary contributions to the American Revolution, and a gingerbread recipe he might have baked

The history of a largely forgotten American dessert, and a recipe for it from 1829

The pre-Depression origins of water pie, and a delicious recipe from 1908

The food and dining in Folsom Prison, and an early 20th century meal from a combination of the military cookbooks they used and a commissary report

The disputed origins of the key lime pie, and one of the first recipes for it with graham cracker crust from 1933

The origins and spread of SPAM, and a recipe from a marketing campaign in 1951

The sad tale of Typhoid Mary, and a recipe for peach ice cream, one of her specialties that may have contributed to the spread of typhoid fever

Eating and cooking on US submarines in World War II, and two recipes from the 1945 Cook Book of the United States Navy

The extreme extravagance of gilded age feasts, and an 1877 recipe for a Gilded Age gelatin dessert

The chuck wagons, food, and cooks of the golden age of cowboys and cattle drives, and recipes from 1896 for cowboy staples

The First Battle of Bull Run and a recreation of what the spectators who picnicked there might have eaten

The important and distinct hobo culture of the late 19th century and early 20th century, and a 1940 recipe for a hobo staple: mulligan stew

The history of sloppy joes from fashion to Manwich, and the American school cafeteria recipe from 1988