Sarah's on summer break this week, so Beth sits down with chef, culinary historian, and seventh-grade history teacher Mica Chavez to trace how food actually built the world we live in — from the Columbian Exchange and the science behind corn, to slavery, immigration, and the industrial food system we're stuck with today.

Topics discussed:

• The Columbian Exchange: how corn, chili, potatoes, and tomatoes reshaped diets on both sides of the Atlantic
• The science of nixtamalization — why New World corn didn't wreck teeth the way Old World wheat did
• How chili peppers spread across the globe via birds
• The Irish potato famine's surprising link to New Mexico settlement history
• Indigenous and Spanish foodways merging in the Southwest: acequias, sheep, and companion planting
• How mechanization and post-WWII food policy created the mass-produced, processed food system
• Precision farming, AI, and the tension between efficiency and sustainability
• What to cook this summer (hint: it's pie)

Speaking of good food and good company — the Minneapolis live show after party has both! Get your tickets here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices