It's Never JUST Food!

Episode 18: 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, we’re going back to Japan in 1908 to ex...

2026-09-09

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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 months? Food packaging sounds like it should...

2026-08-31

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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 melt SO well? In the final episode of our ...

2026-08-22

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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 science, history and craftsmanship be...

2026-07-29

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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 explore one of humanity's oldes...

2026-07-15

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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 other shaved ice desserts around the w...

2026-07-04

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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 take the credit. Join me as we dive deep ...

2026-05-09

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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 long before it hit Western grocery stores....

2026-05-05

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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 became a symbol and eventually became a mas...

2026-04-26

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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 the experience of eating ultra-processed fo...

2026-04-04

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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 the modern ultra-processed food concept...

2026-03-22

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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 episode, we unpack what coriander is, w...

2026-03-15

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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 them with no problem but rice makes her full...

2026-03-08

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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: Where chocolate originated and ...

2026-02-28

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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 episode: Sushi’s origin story What c...

2026-02-22

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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 bites, but with one rule: this is not a co...

2026-02-15

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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 talking what early bread looked like, how...

2026-02-07

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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, cravings, stress, culture and the mod...

2026-01-31

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It's Never JUST Food!

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