The history of conclaves that lasted years, the food that was served at them, and a recipe for baby back ribs that was served at the conclave of 1549

Rationing and food shortages before, during, and after WWII in Italy, and a recipe from a delightfully quirky 1942 cookbook

The history of gnocchi being made from everything from cheese to cake to truffles to potatoes

The amazing research on prehistoric Ötzi the Iceman, and my take on what his last meal could have been

The real-life story of Chef Boyardee and a likely recipe for his original spaghetti with meat sauce

The original fettuccine all’Alfredo and the showman chef who made it famous

The history of French toast-like dishes from ancient Rome to the 20th century, and a medieval Italian version made with saffron and rose water

Al Capone’s soup kitchen and an Italian soup that could have been served there

Facts versus fictions about Leonardo da Vinci, and a 15th century vegetarian dish from a cookbook he owned

The history of Carnival and Mardi Gras and a recipe for medieval meat and cheese ravioli

The origins and evolution of panettone and an 1891 non-yeasted recipe that only takes a couple of hours to throw together

The history of jack-o-lanterns and an extremely delicious recipe for what is essentially a crustless 16th century pumpkin cheesecake

The history of pizza and a 16th century recipe that is nothing like what we think of pizza today