Cultural Plates

Brussels sprouts have spent decades being politely ignored, and Thanksgiving is usually their annual audition for relevance. More often than...

Macaroni and cheese began as a Renaissance comfort food—baked pasta layered with butter and Parmesan served in the courts of...

Salade Landaise is one of those French salads that looks rustic at first glance, but the more you make it,...

Salade Niçoise is one of those dishes that looks simple from the outside—fresh vegetables, tuna, anchovies, olives, eggs, vinaigrette—but the...

The first time I tasted a Salade Lyonnaise was not in Lyon—but in a tiny bouchon-inspired restaurant in London. I...

The first time I ordered a Salade Parisienne was in a quiet bistro near Saint-Germain. I expected a simple mixed...

Pasta alla Siciliana’s Arab origins trace back to a time when North African emirs ruled parts of Sicily. The dish,...

The Roman Empire’s Obsession with Fish Sauce In ancient Rome, a certain fish-based liquid transformed how people seasoned their meals....

Parisian Cafés and Intellectual Eating: A Cultural Revolution in Every Cup In 19th-century France, the Parisian café became a powerful...

Bistro Culture: A Post-1870 Tradition That Changed How France Eats Bistro culture began to take shape after 1870, and it...