Diana Hubbell's User Profile - Atlas Obscura

Diana Hubbell

I'm a James Beard Award-winning journalist covering food, culture, and travel. I'm the Associate Editor, Places at Atlas Obscura, although you'll also find my bylines in The Guardian, The Washington Post, Eater, Condé Nast Traveler, Esquire, Architectural Digest, Travel + Leisure, VICE, and Playboy, among others. I'm currently based in Brooklyn, but have also called Bangkok and Berlin home.

http://dianahubbell.com

2021
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great depression foods

This Depression-Era Science Trick Transforms Water Into Pie

How resourceful home bakers managed to make dessert from practically nothing.

ice cream shops

The All-American Dairy Bar Still Thrives in Arkansas

The inspiration for Dairy Queen lives on in mom-and-pops across the state.

The Immigrant Women Who Forever Changed the Way Americans Eat

In his debut book, 'Taste Makers,' Mayukh Sen wants us to radically rethink culinary history.

Inside LA's First Mexican Food Museum

Or how to channel 5,000 years of history into one exhibit.

historical recipes

This Depression-Era ‘Magic Cake’ Has a Secret Ingredient

Hit with hard times, American bakers turned to tomato soup.

This Startup Is Transforming Used Chopsticks Into Beautiful Furniture

Humans throw out more than 80 billion pairs a year.

February 25, 2022

This Torres Strait Islander Chef Wants You to Cook With Wattleseeds and Bush Tomatoes

Mabu Mabu, Nornie Bero’s first cookbook, is a celebration of Aboriginal culinary traditions.

February 18, 2022

How to Grow Your Own Wondrous Fruits

Ever dreamed having a peanut butter fruit tree in your garden?

February 8, 2022

When Groundhog Was on the Menu in Punxsutawney

From picnics to club dinners, the critter has a long culinary history in Pennsylvania.

February 1, 2022

The Once-Extinct Aurochs May Soon Roam Europe Again

After a decade, scientists are getting close to bringing back the massive wild cattle.

January 26, 2022

Inside the Decades-Long Effort to Build a Barbecue Trail

The Southern Foodways Alliance is documenting the oral histories of pitmasters.

January 21, 2022

One of the Most Famous Victorian Dishes Is a Hilarious Lie

Brown Windsor soup was reportedly a favorite of the Queen. The only problem? It may not have existed.

January 12, 2022

Wanted: The Future King and Pub Manager of Piel Island

The tiny Cumbrian island’s next monarch will be crowned with lots and lots of beer.

January 7, 2022

Ancient Cookies, Medieval Mead, and Our Other Favorite Recipe Stories This Year

Bake, brew, and stir-fry your way through history.

December 21, 2021

The 'Rock Food' Feast That Looks Good Enough to Eat

Welcome to the world of rockhounds, pebble puppies, and a bizarre art installation almost 40 years in the making.

December 17, 2021

historical recipes

Make the Crystal-Clear Milk Cocktail Loved by a Spy and a Founding Father

Upgrade your punch game with a 400-year-old science trick.

December 16, 2021

Americans Once Celebrated Thanksgiving with Tricks, Treats, and Mayhem

Ragamuffin Day looked a whole lot like Halloween.

November 23, 2021

The ‘Torture Orchard’ Is a Testing Ground for the Coming Climate Crisis

Which trees will live and which ones will die?

November 18, 2021

For Enslaved Cooks, Persimmon Beer Combined Ingenuity and Joy

A conversation with Michael Twitty about the powerful history behind a centuries-old beverage.

November 12, 2021

The Debonair Restaurateur Who Inspired the First Chinese-American Cookbook

Chin Foin forever changed America's relationship with Chinese food.

November 10, 2021

Europeans Once Drank Distilled Human Skulls as Medicine

"Corpse medicine" created a booming market for craniums, especially mossy ones.

October 22, 2021

It Takes a Village to Feed Cambodia’s Ravenous Ghosts

When the gates of hell open on Pchum Ben, communities gather to feed returning ancestors with sweet and savory rice cakes.

October 14, 2021

Resurrecting the Spudnut, America's Forgotten Halloween Treat

Bake the recipe remnant of a potato doughnut empire that once stretched from the United States to Japan.

October 7, 2021

The Curious Task of Digitizing Darwin’s Beans and Butterflies

From squeaky beans to arsenic scares, conservation is full of surprises.

September 22, 2021