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Climate Change
Agriculture
Food Security
Rice
Klamath River
Shrimp
Dentistry
Corn
Vanilla
David Fairchild
Interstitium
Bagels
Salmon
French Fries
Pizza
Yogurt
Avocado
Food Culture
Jewish Cuisine
Yurok Tribe

Food with a side of science and history. Every other week, co-hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley serve up a brand new episode exploring the hidden history and surprising science behind a different food- or farming-related topic, from aquaculture to ancient feasts, from cutlery to chile peppers, and from microbes to Malbec. We interview experts, visit labs, fields, and archaeological digs, and... more

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes298Founded12 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
FoodArtsScience

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Artwork for Gastropod

Latest Episodes

There’s nothing more American than apple pie—or is there? We might prescribe an apple a day and call our largest city the Big Apple, but this legendary fruit originally hails from the mountains of Kazakhstan. This episode, Michael Pollan (something o... more

Move over protein, it's time to fibermaxx! Fiber has always been the neglected stepchild of nutrients: it's never been seen as essential, and some of its earliest enthusiasts were poop-obsessed oddballs. Take the inventor of cornflakes, John Harvey K... more

For tens of thousands of years, North America was bison country. Millions of these giant, shaggy animals—also known as buffalo—roamed from the far north to the Gulf and from the east coast to the west. They defined the land and its people: the animal... more

Cow milk is out, and plant milk reigns supreme. At least, that's how it feels in the supermarket these days, where the refrigerated section is full of "milk" made from oats, almonds, peanuts, coconuts, soy, macadamia nuts, pistachios, and even peas, ... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Michael Pollan
Author of The Botany of Desire and other books
Episode: The Big Apple Episode
Amy Traverso
Author of The Apple Lover's Cookbook and senior food editor at Yankee Magazine
Yankee Magazine
Episode: The Big Apple Episode
Soham Bhatt
Co-founder and cider maker at Artifact Cider Project
Artifact Cider Project
Episode: The Big Apple Episode
Dan Bussey
Apple historian and author of The Illustrated History of Apples in the United States and Canada
Episode: The Big Apple Episode
Maria Kennedy
Folklorist at Rutgers University who studies cider
Rutgers University
Episode: The Big Apple Episode
James Crowden
Author of Ciderland and other books about cider
Episode: The Big Apple Episode
Emily Leeming
Nutrition and gut microbiome researcher
King's College London
Episode: Fibermaxxing FTW: Meet the Neglected Nutrient That's the Key to Health
Julian McClements
Professor of Food Science
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Episode: Plant Milk Proliferation: Oat, Soy, Almond, and More, But Which Is Best?
Wendy Fu
Historian and author of The Other Milk
The Other Milk / academic historians
Episode: Plant Milk Proliferation: Oat, Soy, Almond, and More, But Which Is Best?

Hosts

Cynthia Graber
Host of Gastropod and co-host with a focus on historical and scientific context around food topics.
Nicola Twilley
Co-host and co-creator, known for interdisciplinary exploration of food history, science, and culture.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 6.7k ratings
  • Love gastropod

    Love this show. A great blend of science and history. Would love to learn more about microbiome and mental health. Been reading about some linkages …only thing I don’t like are the loud ads!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Sharon in Davis
    United States12 days ago
  • You can boil lettuce.

    It’s called lettuce soup! And it’s delicious.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    aubgrowsfood
    United States3 months ago
  • Problematic

    Enjoyed this podcast until they casually shared a joke from a comedian about buying property in the Golan Heights. Yikes.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    OrdinaryBlues
    Canada3 months ago
  • Disappointed

    I used to love listening to this podcast until they started inserting their politics. Maybe you could do an episode on what foods to eat to cure TDS!

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Kcaeleanor
    United States3 months ago
  • Best podcast ever!

    I’ve listened to every episode in the backlog, and finally get to listen to them as they come out!!! This podcast has kept me company on long car trips and commutes for years. I know I eat healthier because of it, and I know so much more about the world, now!

    Thank you so much for making fantastic episode after fantastic episode!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    TechyTrickster
    United States4 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise wide-ranging topics and accessibility of complex ideas.
A few comments note audio style or ad pacing as irritants.
Guests bring depth; production is polished and professional.
Some listeners critique political insertions or accents; content quality remains strong.
High-quality research and engaging storytelling across topics.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Spotify
#44
United States/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#5
United States/Arts/Food
Apple Podcasts
#19
United States/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#3
Canada/Arts/Food
Apple Podcasts
#12
Canada/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#13
United Kingdom/Arts/Food

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Big Apple Episode
Q: What does cider have to do with the true story of the invention of champagne?
James Crowden describes a 1653 account of adding sugar to cider in bottles to encourage a second fermentation. The episode presents this English cider technique as predating the method later associated with champagne.
The Big Apple Episode
Q: How many thousands of varieties of apples used to grow in America, and why are there only a handful left in grocery stores today?
Around 1900, records counted about 14,000 American varieties. Prohibition damaged cider orchards, while commercial growing and shipping favored a smaller number of large, red, durable apples over variety and flavor.
Where There's Smoke, There's...Whiskey, Fish, and Barbecue!
Q: What is barbecue, exactly, and where did it come from?
Barbecue originated from a fusion of indigenous, European, and African culinary practices rather than a single origin. Virginia and broader American barbecue developed through enslaved Indigenous peoples and African Americans, with regional adaptations over time becoming a central cultural and social practice.
Feel the Beet: The Most Fascinating Woman You've Never Heard Of
Q: What sparked the push to develop beet sugar in Europe?
A mid-1700s scientist purified sucrose from beets, launching a competition to establish a domestic sugar source, which accelerated breeding for higher sugar content and eventually made beets a major economic crop in Europe.
Feel the Beet: The Most Fascinating Woman You've Never Heard Of
Q: How did beets transition from a foliage crop to a major root crop used for sugar?
The episode explains that ancient sea beet leaves were valued, but over centuries breeders selected for larger, fleshier roots and higher sucrose content, with a turning point in the late 1500s and onward that set the stage for modern beet sugar.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Gastropod

What is Gastropod about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Listeners consistently encounter a thoughtful blend of food history, science, and cultural analysis, with episodes ranging from the gendered origins of salad and the science of smoke to the social politics of dietary guidelines and iconic foods like bacon, lobster, and avocado. The show tends to ground conversations in historical context, interviews with scholars and practitioners, and accessible experiments or demonstrations, making complex topics approachable for a curious, educated audience. A notable strength is the range of guests—from culinary historians and nutrition scientists to farmers and industry insiders—paired with a steady, narrative-driven style that keeps history and science engaging for listeners who enjoy deep dives into ... more

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How many listeners does Gastropod get?

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How many subscribers and views does Gastropod have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Gastropod has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Gastropod?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Gastropod:

1. The Sporkful
2. Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio
3. The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters
4. Radiolab
5. 99% Invisible

How many episodes of Gastropod are there?

Gastropod launched 12 years ago and published 298 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Gastropod?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on Gastropod?

Recent guests on Gastropod include:

1. Michael Pollan
2. Amy Traverso
3. Soham Bhatt
4. Dan Bussey
5. Maria Kennedy
6. James Crowden
7. Emily Leeming
8. Julian McClements

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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