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A is for Apple: An Encyclopaedia of Food & Drink

A is for Apple: An Encyclopaedia of Food & Drink

By: Sam Bilton Neil Buttery & Alessandra Pino
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Summary

 A is for Apple is an encyclopaedia of food and drink that takes a deep dive into food and drink culture letter by letter. Written and presented by Sam Bilton, Neil Buttery and Alessandra Pino.Copyright 2026 Sam Bilton, Neil Buttery & Alessandra Pino Art Cooking Food & Wine Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • S3E4 C is for Caraway, Curry & Cinnamon

    S3E4 C is for Caraway, Curry & Cinnamon
    May 4 2026
    C is for Caraway, Curry & CinnamonIn this episode of A is for Apple, we turn to aromatics and ask what these ingredients carry with them beyond flavour.From the binding qualities of caraway in early modern folklore to the layered histories of curry and its place in Britain, and the enduring warmth of cinnamon, we explore how spices move, adapt, and settle. Along the way, we think about trade, migration, memory, and the ways in which taste is shaped over time.And somewhere along the line… did we get a little carawayed?What we discussCinnamonWhat is the difference between cinnamon and cassia, and does it matter?Why is cinnamon so strongly associated with comfort and memory?How has it been used historically, both in cooking and in medicine?CurryIf one dish tells the story of Britain, is it chicken tikka masala?Can food ever belong to one place once it starts to travel?What do curry houses reveal about adaptation and taste?Is “authenticity” a useful concept, or does it obscure more than it reveals?We also draw on insights from Allie’s previous conversation with Mallika Basu on A Curious Appetite with Dr Alessandra Pino, her new podcast, particularly around migration, flavour, and the politics of naming.CarawayFrom comfits to cupboards, how has caraway been used in cooking?Why was it once believed to prevent loss, theft, or even wandering lovers?What does this tell us about the symbolic life of everyday ingredients?Useful links amd further readingCarawayAnderson, I. (2023). The History and Natural History of Spices: The 5,000 Year Search for Flavour. The History Press.Brears, P. (2012). Cooking & Dining in Medieval England. Prospect Books.Davidson, A. (1999). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press.Hieatt, C. B., & Butler, S. (1985). Curye on Inglysch: English culinary manuscripts of the fourteenth century. Oxford University Press.Mason, L. (1988). Sugar-Plums and Sherbert: The Prehistory of Sweets. Prospect Books.CurryCollingham, Lizzie. Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.Dickson Wright, Clarissa. A History of English Food. London: Random House, 2011.Glasse, Hannah. The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy. 1803.Huxley, Aldous. Jesting Pilate. 1926.Panayi, Panikos. Migrant City: A New History of London. 2020.Panayi, Panikos. Spicing Up Britain. 1995.Sukhadwala, Sejal. The Philosophy of Curry. 2023. Empire Podcast – “Inventing Curry: The British Taste for India”Cinnamonhttps://www.britannica.com/plant/cinnamonHow cinnamon is harvested:https://youtube.com/shorts/4LINdKpRmpM?si=dYt_TS0Ny9KqJQo-https://youtu.be/fNguphwF_hI?si=1jS0qWsyseRQGVFRGet in touchIf there’s something you’d like us to think with, a food, a memory, a question, do write in. We’d love to hear what you’re curious about.You can get in touch with us via Bluesky @AisforApplepod. You can also Tweet us at A is for Apple Pod and we’re on Instagram at A is for Apple Pod_ and you can find a group dedicated to the podcast on Facebook. Or you can email us at 📩aisforapplepod@gmail.com.
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • S3E3 C is for Cod, Cockles & Caviar

    S3E3 C is for Cod, Cockles & Caviar
    Apr 20 2026
    Things get wet and wild in this episode as the team explore fish and seafood. Allie explores the world of caviar, bumps and all. Sam introduces the gang to cockle bread and Neil asks whether there is any real point to cod?Don’t forget to email us at aisforapplepod@gmail.com or tag us on Instagram or BlueSky if you have any suggestions for future episodes. You may also want to subscribe to the A is for Apple Substack where we publish recipes and extra audio content.Sources/Useful LinksCocklesNorth Atlantic Seafood by Alan Davidson (1980)First Catch Your Peacock: The Classical Guide to Welsh Food by Bobby Freeman (1996)In Search of Wales by H. V. Morton (1944)Domestic Life in Wales by S. Minwel Tibbott (2002)Welsh Fare by S. Minwel TibbottCockle gathering at Penclawdd in the 1930s on YouTubeRemembering the Cockle WomenMarine Stewardship Council information on cocklesCaviarInga Saffron, Caviar: The Strange History and Uncertain Future of the World’s Most Coveted Delicacy (2002) –https://archive.org/details/caviarstrangehis00saffIUCN Red List – Sturgeon (Acipenseridae) species accounts –https://www.iucnredlist.orgWorld Sturgeon Conservation Society – https://www.wscs.infoNOAA Fisheries – Sturgeon species overview – https://www.fisheries.noaa.govAdam Olearius, The Voyages and Travels of the Ambassadors (1647) –https://archive.org/details/voyagestravellso00oleaJonas Hanway, An Historical Account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea (1753) –https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.31214John Perry, The State of Russia under the Present Czar (1716) –https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_the-state-of-russia-und_perry-john_1716Cavi-Art (official site) – https://caviart.com/Daniel Pauly et al., “Fishing Down Marine Food Webs,” Science (1998) –https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.279.5352.860Stanley Tucci eats caviar: https://fb.watch/FA1F4UtvRf/What is a Caviar Bump?CodEnglish Seafood Cookery by Rick Stein (1988)Jane Grigson’s Fish Book (1986)The River Cottage Fish Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Nick Fisher (2007)French Provincial Cookery by Elizabeth David (1960)You can follow the A is for Apple Podcast on Instagram and BlueskySam Bilton also hosts the award winning Comfortably Hungry Podcast and is the author of First Catch Your Gingerbread, Fool’s Gold: A History of British Saffron The Philosophy of Chocolate and Much Ado About Cooking: Delicious Shakesperean Feasts for Every Occasion (written in collaboration with Shakespeare’s Globe). You can find her on Instagram and BlueskyDr Neil Buttery also hosts the British Food History Podcast and is the author of A Dark History of Sugar, Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald Britain’s Most Influential Housekeeper as well as Knead to Know: A History of Baking and The Philosophy of Pudding with another book in progress. You can find him on Instagram and BlueskyDr Allie Pino produces and hosts the Curious Appetite Podcast and the Fear Feasts Podcast with Vanessa Baca. She is also the co-author of A Gothic Cookbook and is currently working on a new book. You can find her on Instagram and Bluesky
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • S3E2 C is for Cradock, Cook & Castelvetro

    S3E2 C is for Cradock, Cook & Castelvetro
    Apr 6 2026
    Today’s theme is PEOPLE! Allie, Neil and Sam bring some guests with them to this episode (metaphorically speaking). One is renowned for her flamboyancy; another is an avid champion of fruit and veg and the last has a very large bone to pick with one of history’s most renowned cookbook authors. But can you guess who they are?(Well of course you can because their names are in the title, but indulge us by playing along!) Don’t forget to email us at aisforapplepod@gmail.com or tag us on Instagram or BlueSky if you have any suggestions for future episodes. You may also want to subscribe to the A is for Apple Substack where we publish recipes and extra audio content.Sources/Useful LinksFanny CradockFear of Fanny - BBC 2006Keep Calm and Fanny On! By Kevin GeddesBritish Food History Podcast EpisodeFanny Cradock with Kevin Geddes - The British Food History PodcastGwen Troake and Fanny Cradock (1976)Fanny Cradock Cooks for Christmas (1975) | BBCAnn CookProfessed Cookery by Ann CookA Cook’s Perspective byClarissa F. Dillon & Deborah J. PetersonThe Art of Cookery Made Plain & Easy by Hannah GlasseBook review of A. Cook’s Perspective by Neil on British Food: a HistoryNeil’s disastrous attempt at cooking Hannah Glasse’s Christmas Pie on Neil Cooks GrigsonBefore Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper by Neil ButteryIvan Day’s 22-stone Yorkshire Christmas PyeGiacomo CastelvetroThe Fruit, Herbs & Vegetables of Italy by Giacomo Castelvetro (1614)Profitable insructions [sic] for the manuring, sowing, and planting of kitchin gardens Very profitable for the common wealth and greatly for the helpe and comfort of poore people. Gathered by Richard Gardiner of Shrewsberie. (1603)You can follow the A is for Apple Podcast on Instagram and BlueskySam Bilton also hosts the award winning Comfortably Hungry Podcast and is the author of First Catch Your Gingerbread, Fool’s Gold: A History of British Saffron The Philosophy of Chocolate and Much Ado About Cooking: Delicious Shakesperean Feasts for Every Occasion (written in collaboration with Shakespeare’s Globe). You can find her on Instagram and BlueskyDr Neil Buttery also hosts the British Food History Podcast and is the author of A Dark History of Sugar, Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald Britain’s Most Influential Housekeeper as well as Knead to Know: A History of Baking and The Philosophy of Pudding with another book in progress. You can find him on Instagram and BlueskyDr Allie Pino produces and hosts the Curious Appetite Podcast and the Fear Feasts Podcast with Vanessa Baca. She is also the co-author of A Gothic Cookbook and is currently working on a new book. You can find her on Instagram and Bluesky
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    1 hr and 12 mins
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