Restaurant history tells the story of who we are, what we value, and how culture moves. In this week’s episode of Hungry for History, Eva and Maite explore the impact the French Revolution played in the birth of restaurants and why French Cuisine became the culinary standard. They dive into the contributions of key figures like Auguste Escoffier, who organized the kitchen and standardized culinary techniques, the cultural significance of brasseries, and the role chefs play in shaping restaurant culture.

We also sit down with Chef Rico Torres of Mixtli, the groundbreaking Michelin-starred restaurant in San Antonio, known for turning Mexican culinary history into an elevated, narrative-driven experience. Together, we explore how menus become archives, how tradition becomes innovation, and how the restaurant world is shifting as more diverse culinary voices take center stage.

Learn more about Mixtli: https://restaurantmixtli.com

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Tierra y Libertad: Food and the Mexican Revolution

In Mexico, revolution was as much about reclaiming the land as it was about reclaiming the kitchen. Over a century after the French Revolution, the Mexican Revolution of the early 20th century drew inspiration from ideas of liberty and equality, showing how food could be political. Indigenous ingredients — dismissed as lower class during the entire Colonial period — became emblems of resistance and unity. Corn, beans, and chile spoke for the people in ways politics could not. Artists and intellectuals celebrated these humble ingredients as the foundation of Mexican identity.

In this episode, Eva and Maite trace how the Mexican Revolution elevated native foods into a symbols of pride, power, and belonging, connecting the fight for justice on the battlefield with cultural identity at the table.

This is part 3 of a 3 part series called, How Eating Shapes History! Haven't heard the first two episodes? Go back and listen from the beginning starting with The French Revolution.

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Revolution on the Table: The American Fight for Independence and the Birth of National Identity

Before independence was won on the battlefield, it was declared in the kitchen. From boycotts of British tea to the brewing of “Liberty Tea” made from native herbs, Americans turned everyday meals into acts of protest. Taverns became centers of political debate and rebellion, while dishes prepared with local ingredients came to symbolize freedom and self-reliance, and act traced in early cookbooks.

In this episode, Eva and Maite explore how the American Revolution transformed eating into an expression of resistance and how food helped shape a distinctly American identity. They discuss France’s influence on American Independence, and how Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson brought French recipes and dining customs home, forever changing the nation’s culinary culture.

This is part 2 of a 3 part series called, How Eating Shapes History!

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