Forever foods

Forever foods

Author: BBC World Service September 12, 2024 Duration: 26:28

Ruth Alexander learns about ‘forever’ foods - stocks, soups and sourdough starters that can be replenished again and again and used for weeks, months or even years.

Ruth hears about a beef soup in Bangkok that has been maintained for 50 years, and she bakes a loaf of sourdough bread using a 69-year-old starter that has been kept going by Hobbs House Bakery in the south-west of England.

Cookbook writer Fuchsia Dunlop in London, UK, talks about the tradition of cooking with an ‘everlasting’ broth in Chinese cuisine.

Annie Ruewerda in New York in the US was charmed by the idea of a perpetual stew, she kept hers going for two months and it became an online hit – bringing hundreds of strangers to her local park to try the stew and add ingredients.

Lee-Ann Jaykus, distinguished professor emeritus and food microbiologist at North Carolina State University in the US explains the food safety rules you need to know if you want to try a perpetual dish at home.

Martha Carlin, distinguished professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the US helps unravel the claimed historical origins of perpetual stew.

And our thanks to World Service listeners David Shirley and Mark Wood for telling us about the oldest dishes they have eaten.

Producer: Rumella Dasgupta and Beatrice Pickup Additional reporting by the BBC’s Ryn Jirenuwat in Bangkok, Thailand

(Photo: A huge pot of beef soup in that has been added to over 50 years at a restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. Credit: David Shirley/BBC)


There’s a story behind every meal, and The Food Chain from the BBC World Service goes out to find it. This isn’t just a series about recipes or restaurant reviews; it’s a deep and often surprising exploration of how food shapes our world. Each episode follows a single thread, whether it’s the economic forces that decide what grows in a field, the hidden science in your kitchen, or the profound cultural traditions carried in a family dish. You’ll hear from farmers, chefs, economists, historians, and scientists, all contributing pieces to a larger picture about our global relationship with what we eat. The conversations reveal the complex journey from source to table, unpacking the labor, innovation, and sometimes the controversy, involved in feeding communities. Tuning into this podcast feels like joining a well-reported global conversation, one that changes how you think about the next thing you’ll eat. It connects the personal act of eating to vast systems of business, culture, and science, making the everyday subject of food endlessly fascinating.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Food Chain
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