Shows / It's Never JUST Food!
It's Never JUST Food!
It’s Never JUST Food is for people who love to eat & ask, “but WHY is it like this?” I'm your host Noha, a corporate escapee turned meal prep coach. As a lifelong self-proclaimed foodie, I love everything about food. Here we talk the whats, whys & hows behind it: why we crave certain eats, how some recipes came to be, what’s cultural & why some of our choices run on autopilot. Some episodes get science-y. Some are story-driven. Some are pure history and curiosity. Most will combine all of…
Episodes
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 22: Vanilla, AKA the ’boring’ spice and why it got that reputation
In this episode of It's Never Just Food, we're going from vanilla's origins in Mexico to its rise in Madagascar, exploring the science behind its unmistakable…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 21: Garlic and how it can taste like 10 different ingredients!
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…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 20: Why do leftovers sometimes taste better the next day?
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…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 19: Chili peppers. How one plant conquered the world
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…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 18: Exploring umami, the science behind savory food and MSG
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…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 17: Food packaging and the science behind the things we throw away
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…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 16: Cheese, part 3. Why does cheese melt, stretch or refuse to cooperate? The science behind the deliciousness.
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…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 15: Cheese, part 2. How one ingredient became thousands of cheeses
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…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 14: Cheese, part 1. The accidental invention that changed food forever
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…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 13: Hawaiian Shave Ice. History, kakigori & global ice desserts
After a short podcast hiatus and a trip to Hawaii, Noha is back with an episode on Hawaiian shave ice: what it is, where it came from and how it's related to…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 12: Honey...the ancient sweet made by bees (and why it’s one of the most faked foods on earth)
Episode Description Honey is one of the rare foods we eat that’s essentially a finished, shelf-stable product made by another species. Bees do the work, we…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 11: Kimchi. History, fermentation science and why it’s more than “spicy cabbage”
Episode Description Kimchi is often treated like a trendy fermented side dish, but it started as a practical survival food and became a cultural cornerstone…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 10: Pizza and its 1000 years of evolution
Episode Description Believe it or not, pizza didn’t start as a global “fast food.” It started as practical street food in Naples, then became a craft, then…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 9: The fascinating world of ultra-processed foods, Part 2
In Part 2 of this ultra-processed foods series, we go behind the curtain. Not the boring org chart stuff. The unexpected roles and design choices that shape…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 8: The fascinating world of ultra-processed foods, Part 1
Ultra-processed foods are everywhere, but most people don’t fully know what the term means. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we start from the beginning: how…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 7: Why cilantro tastes like soap to some people!
Coriander is either fresh, citrusy, and full of bursts of happiness or it tastes like soap and ruins your entire meal. There seems to be no in-between. In this…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 6: Rice vs potatoes - why different cultures experience them differently!
One of my listeners, Emily, shared a question that sent me down a nerdy rabbit hole. She grew up in Canada eating potatoes as a staple and can eat a lot of…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 5: Chocolate wasn't meant to be sweet!
Today, we're exploring everything chocolate which wasn't something that ever started out with an intention to be used in sweet concoctions! In this episode…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 4: Sushi started as WHAT?
If you think sushi started in the same format you know and love today, you’re not alone but, its origins are totally different. Tune in to learn more! In this…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 3: The delicious world of dumplings
Dumplings are everywhere, and people love arguing about what counts, what doesn’t, and what the “best” dumpling is. So, today we’re covering these delicious…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 2: Bread, the 14,000 year old bite!
Every time you bite into bread, you’re taking part in something ANCIENT. In this episode, we go deep on bread as the ultimate “never just food” food. We’re…
- It's Never JUST Food!
Episode 1: WHY do we eat?
Meet Noha and learn about WHY we eat the way we eat. In Episode 1, I’m breaking down 5 reasons food is never JUST food. I'll cover reasons spanning biology…