Hungry for History with Eva Longoria and Maite Gomez-Rejón

Eva and Maite explore how cooking shifted from open flames to enclosed heat, tracing ovens from communal hearths and clay domes to cast-iron and white enamel ranges, Easy-Bake Ovens, microwaves, and the sleek stainless-steel kitchen aesthetic. Once sites of ritual and gathering, ovens migrated into private homes, reshaping daily life and defining who controlled heat, food, and time. These changes cast fire as clean, modern, orderly...

The Industrial Revolution didn’t just remake factories and cities, it transformed how the world eats. In this episode, Eva and Maite trace its origins in England and its uneven spread across the United States and Latin America, shaping labor, extraction, and global trade in very different ways. They explore how these industrial systems laid the groundwork for today’s climate crisis, then zoom in on tuna and tinned fish....

Breakfast hasn’t always been sweet, crunchy, or aimed at children. In this episode, Eva and Maite trace the surprisingly strange history of cereal: from its origins as a moral prescription and digestive aid in the 19th century, to the rise of sugary cartoon mascots, toys in boxes, the nostalgia of Saturday-morning cartoons, and the modern return to ancient grains. Join them for a crunchy look at how breakfast reflects our shi...

What do arepas, gorditas, and pupusas have in common? Each is a golden pocket of corn masa — crisp on the outside, tender within — stuffed with everything from beans and cheese to meats and vegetables. In this episode, Eva and Maite explore the histories behind the Venezuelan and Colombian arepa, the Mexican gordita, and the Salvadoran pupusa, and ask a bigger question: why do stuffed foods taste so good?

Along the way,...

Butter is so ordinary we barely notice it — until you stop and ask how it’s made, who made it first, and why it once symbolized power, wealth, and even ritual life. In this episode, Eva and Maite trace butter’s story from its accidental invention to its central place in religious and ceremonial traditions. They explore how butter became one of the earliest globally traded foods, prized for its portability, shelf l...

Eva and Maite opened the season with a series on revolutions, asking a simple but urgent question: what does it take for people to finally say, enough? 

This week, Maite talks with Clémence de Lutz of Santa Monica’s Petitgrain Boulangerie about bread, strikes, and social responsibility. A baker and activist, Clémence reflects on food as a political act and how our everyday choices carry real weight. It&rsqu...

Spoiler: mushrooms aren’t plants, they’re fungi! Eva and Maite dig into the history of mushrooms and why they exist on every continent on Earth. From the sacred mushroom ceremonies of María Sabina in Oaxaca to the ritual significance of huitlacoche, the Mexican corn fungus, and the global obsession (and hunt for) truffles, they uncover how fungi have shaped food, medicine, myths, and culture.

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From its origins in Indigenous South America to its rise as a global symbol of wealth and migration, Eva and Maite explore the surprising history of the pineapple. They trace its journey across the Atlantic, where it became a prized status symbol among European aristocrats—so rare it was sometimes rented for dinner parties instead of eaten!

The story then moves to Hawaii, where plantation agriculture turned the pineapple into...

In Aztec mythology the fertility goddess, Mayahuel, is the personification of the agave plant - the source of some of the most delicious spirits in Mexican culture. Eva and Maite talk about the ritual significance of pulque, a fermented drink, to the introduction of distillation techniques post-conquest and the first mezcal, all while drinking margaritas! Ivan Vasquez, owner of Madre Restaurant in Los Angeles, shares his thoughts o...

Ring in the New Year with Eva and Maite as they explore the story behind the classic “hair of the dog.” They trace where the phrase comes from, how it became a go-to hangover remedy, and why the Bloody Mary earned its place as the ultimate morning-after cocktail. From the rituals and traditions people lean on to recover from last night’s celebrations to the science of why hangovers happen (and whether “hair ...

This Christmas, Eva and Maite celebrate how bread—and the people who bake it—keep family, tradition, and community alive, even as this season looks different for many immigrant communities. They explore the bakery as a window into history, tracing the journeys of the baguette, pretzels, bagels, and pan dulce, and how immigrant communities shaped neighborhood bakeries in the U.S. Along the way, they reflect on the histor...

Who first decided that food deserved a critic? This week on Hungry for History, Eva and Maite dig into the origins of food criticism. From the earliest French tastemakers and the rise of the Michelin Guide to the influence of trailblazers like Duncan Hines, Barbara Hansen, and Jonathan Gold, this episode explores how food writing transformed from simple taste-testing into a rich, cultural conversation. Discover how critiques of wha...

Restaurant history tells the story of who we are, what we value, and how culture moves. In this week’s episode of Hungry for History, Eva and Maite explore the impact the French Revolution played in the birth of restaurants and why French Cuisine became the culinary standard. They dive into the contributions of key figures like Auguste Escoffier, who organized the kitchen and standardized culinary techniques, the cultural sig...

Tierra y Libertad: Food and the Mexican Revolution

In Mexico, revolution was as much about reclaiming the land as it was about reclaiming the kitchen. Over a century after the French Revolution, the Mexican Revolution of the early 20th century drew inspiration from ideas of liberty and equality, showing how food could be political. Indigenous ingredients — dismissed as lower class during the entire Colonial period — bec...

Revolution on the Table: The American Fight for Independence and the Birth of National Identity

Before independence was won on the battlefield, it was declared in the kitchen. From boycotts of British tea to the brewing of “Liberty Tea” made from native herbs, Americans turned everyday meals into acts of protest. Taverns became centers of political debate and rebellion, while dishes prepared with local ingredients came ...

Liberté, Égalité… Gastronomie: The French Revolution and the Birth of Modern Cuisine 

The French Revolution wasn’t just fought in the streets, it was fought at the table. As bread riots shook Paris and hunger fueled rebellion, the collapse of the aristocracy also dismantled an entire culinary world. Former royal chefs opened the first public restaurants, feeding citizens instead of kings and r...

What do sacred crops and chips have in common? Turns out, more than you’d think! In this episode, Eva and Maite uncover how Latin America’s native ingredients - corn and potatoes - went from offerings to the gods to the cornerstone of billion-dollar snack industries. They talk about how the Mexican American company Siete Foods is redefining what it means to “know your worth” in the snack aisle, and why honor...