The Food Historian

Sarah Wassberg Johnson, M.A.

Studying the intersecting histories of food, agriculture,
women, ethnicity, and rural communities in America.

Upcoming Programs & Events

The Food Historian is currently accepting requests for speaking engagements for 2020. Make a request.

Friday, January 31, 2020 | 10:00 AM | On the air with Taylor Sterling on WTBQ - stream live at wtbq.com.

POSTPONED Sunday, March 15, 2020 | 1:00 PM | National Temple Hill Association Dinner, Cornwall, NY - "Food Will Win the War: Food Conservation on the WWI Homefront"

Friday, March 27, 2020 | 8:00 PM EST | Livestream on Facebook: "Food History Happy Hour" Watch the finished video here

Friday, April 3, 2020 | 8:00 PM EST | Livestream on Facebook: "Food History Happy Hour"

Friday, April 10, 2020 | 8:00 PM EST | Livestream on Facebook: "Food History Happy Hour"

Friday, April 17, 2020 | 8:00 PM EST | Livestream on Facebook: "Food History Happy Hour"

Monday, May 18, 2020 | 2:00 PM | Palisades Free Library, Palisades, NY - "When Sugar Was Good For You: The Development of Nutrition Science in America"

Sunday, September 20, 2020 | 2:00 PM | Tappan Free Library, Tappan, NY - "Cooking by the Book: Celebrity Chefs, Cookbookery, and the Changing Landscape of American Cuisine"

Wednesday, December 3, 2020 | 7:00 PM | New Paltz Historical Society, New Paltz, NY - "Cooking by the Book: Celebrity Chefs, Cookbookery, and the Changing Landscape of American Cuisine"

In the Media

Sarah Wassberg Johnson has been interviewed and featured on the following television shows:

"The Food That Built America" miniseries, The History Channel

In the following articles:

"Looking for Blood" Eater.com
"Why President Coolidge Never Ate His Thanksgiving Raccoon" Atlas Obscura
"After WWII, Mutton Fell Out Of Favor In The U.S. Can It Make A Comeback?" NPR
"American History as Told By 7 Vintage Pies" Matador Network
"Pass Along Traditions With a Family Cookbook" NextAvenue
"The New Definition of American Cuisine" Well+Good
"Why Bear Fat Makes for Better Baking" Atlas Obscura
"I tried vintage recipes from a '50s cookbook and I see why Jell-O salads aren't popular anymore" Insider.com
"Why Lunch Is Even More Important Than Dinner for Healthy Eaters" Well + Good
"How an Accidental Invention Changed What Americans Eat for Breakfast" History.com
"What the 'milkshaking' zeitgeist says about our relationship to politics" Abc.net.au
"It's 7/11 Day" CNN.com
"In Memoriam: The Trashy Mall Food Court Smoothie of the 90s" Vice
"Is Alt-Milk Still Milk? Inside the Food Lexicon Debate the FDA has Final Ruling On" Well+Good
"An Oral History of Iconic American Fast Food Chains" Fashionbeans.com
"Why We Love Avocado Toast: How a Healthy Food Trend Gets Made" Well+Good

On the following podcast/radio programs:

"Eggs vs. milkshakes - the history of protest foods" - Blueprint for Living, Radio National Australia

"The Pretty Big Problem of Ugly Food" - Proof, America's Test Kitchen

Latest Episode of History Bites

Book Reviews

Capitalist Pigs: Pigs, Pork, and Power in America by J.L. Anderson

Sowing the Seeds of Victory: American Gardening Programs of World War I by Rose Hayden-Smith

Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food & Longing by Anya von Bremzen

Thesis

Sarah Wassberg's Master's thesis: "Preserve or Perish: The Orange County Food Preservation Battalion and Food Conservation Efforts in New York State During the Great War, 1917-1919" is now available on Proquest.com for purchase or you may interlibrary loan a hard copy from the University at Albany library.