In the Media

Sarah Wassberg Johnson is an author and frequent interviewee of journalists. Want to interview her? Make a media request.

PUBLICATIONS

"From the Church Basement: Scandinavian Baking Traditions Fit for a Saint" High Plains Reader
“Classic 1920s Orange Drop Cookies” TheKitchn.com
“1930s Vintage Pinwheel Cookies” TheKitchn.com
“Honey Cookies with Lemon and Nutmeg (1940s)” TheKitchn.com
“Classic Spritz Cookies (1950s)” TheKitchn.com
“The Original Peanut Butter Blossoms (1960s)” TheKitchn.com
“Classic Moravian Christmas Cookies (1970s)” The Kitchn.com
“Classic 1980s Seven Layer Bars” TheKitchn.com
“Simple Espresso Shortbread (1990s)” TheKitchn.com
“The Original Chocolate Brownie Cookies (2000s)” TheKitchn.com
“Classic Salted Caramel Thumbprints (2010s)” TheKitchn.com

TELEVISION

"Eat Me, or Try Not To" Curiosity Stream
"Consumers spending more at the grocery, reversing decades of increased restaurant spending" ABC Denver News Channel 7
"The Food That Built America" miniseries, The History Channel, seasons 1 & 2
"The Rise and Fall of Jello" Business Insider

RADIO & PODCASTS

"Paul Janeway: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese" - Your Last Meal podcast
"Sarah Wassberg Johnson Interview" - Main Street, Prairie Public Radio
"Sarah Wassberg Johnson (The Food Historian)" - the Well-Seasoned Librarian podcast
"The Food That Built America" podcast, OZY & The History Channel
"Baloney Deserves Respect" - Proof, the America's Test Kitchen Podcast
"What Makes Midwestern Food Unique?" - Eat Your Heartland Out, Heritage Radio Network
"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

PRINT & DIGITAL

February 17, 2022: "How do you follow up an online cookbook with 15 million downloads?" Input Magazine
February 1, 2022: "I Used To Hate Breakfast—Until I Did This" Yahoo!Life
November 22, 2021: "Cranberries, stuffing and turkey: Why do some Thanksgiving foods divide the dinner table?" USA Today
July 28, 2021: "San Francisco chefs are bringing back this much-maligned 1950s dish" SF Gate
July 2, 2021: "Bake Victory Cake, the Simple, Inspiring Treat of Wartime America" Gastro Obscura
June 27, 2021: "What we learn from the study of diets of previous wars and pandemics" The Indian Express
April 1, 2021: "The Untold Truth of Grape-Nuts" Mashed.com
November 26, 2020: "Why there was no pumpkin pie at the first Thanksgiving - and other Thanksgiving pie myths debunked" Yahoo!Life
November 25, 2020: "Thanksgiving's most popular side is surprising — and a 50s childhood favorite" Yahoo!Life
November 23, 2020: "Why Everyone’s Suddenly Hoarding Mason Jars" Medium.com
August 28, 2020: "Classic American Recipes Through the Decades" Thedailymeal.com
August 26, 2020: "How did vanilla come to mean boring? Blame colonialism" Mic.com
August 2, 2020: "Which hot dog are you? The enduring appeal of regional food in the global digital age" Salon.com
July 22, 2020: "How hot dogs became a pandemic staple as Americans faced the uncertainty of the coronavirus" Yahoo!Life
June 25, 2020: "22 Things You Didn't Know About Jell-O" Cheapism
June 12, 2020: "Just Cook From the Back of the Box" Eater
April 29, 2020: "In 1950, Americans Had Aspic. Now We Have Dalgona Coffee" The Atlantic
April 16, 2020: "How Banana Bread Became the Unofficial Baked Good of COVID-19" Well + Good
February 13, 2020: "Looking for Blood" Eater.com
November 26, 2019: "Why President Coolidge Never Ate His Thanksgiving Raccoon" Atlas Obscura
November 26, 2019: "After WWII, Mutton Fell Out Of Favor In The U.S. Can It Make A Comeback?" NPR
November 21, 2019: "American History as Told By 7 Vintage Pies" Matador Network
November 13, 2019: "Pass Along Traditions With a Family Cookbook" NextAvenue
October 17, 2019: "The New Definition of American Cuisine" Well+Good
September 20, 2019: "Why Bear Fat Makes for Better Baking" Atlas Obscura
August 27, 2019: "I tried vintage recipes from a '50s cookbook and I see why Jell-O salads aren't popular anymore" Insider.com
August 27, 2019: "Why Lunch Is Even More Important Than Dinner for Healthy Eaters" Well + Good
August 5, 2019: "How an Accidental Invention Changed What Americans Eat for Breakfast" History.com
July 26, 2019: "What the 'milkshaking' zeitgeist says about our relationship to politics" Abc.net.au
July 11, 2019: "It's 7/11 Day" CNN.com
May 14, 2019: "In Memoriam: The Trashy Mall Food Court Smoothie of the 90s" Vice
March 8, 2019: "The Scientific Reasons Why Sweet-and-Salty Foods Turn Us Into Snack Monsters" Well+Good
January 30, 2019: "Fact: the Healthiest Foods Are Now Found in the Freezer Aisle" Well+Good
October 22, 2018: "Is Alt-Milk Still Milk? Inside the Food Lexicon Debate the FDA has Final Ruling On" Well+Good
October 9, 2018: "Why We Love Avocado Toast: How a Healthy Food Trend Gets Made" Well+Good
"An Oral History of Iconic American Fast Food Chains" Fashionbeans.com (sadly this article has been removed!)