This is a transcript of the Gastropod episode, The Big Apple Episode, first released on November 10, 2020. It is provided as a courtesy and may contain errors.
SOHAM BHATT: Ok. So welcome to Pine Hill Orchards. This is a multi-generational apple farm in Colrain, Massachusetts. I like to start in here, because not only is this smell something that’s just beautiful and hard to describe in words.
CYNTHIA GRABER: Can you describe it?
BHATT: You know, every time I come in here, I get hit with… Well, the obvious notes, it’s like ripe apples. But also underneath that is a sweetness and a floral almost rose-like smell. Years and years of apple juice in every corner. And apples kind of ripening in here have like, imprinted the whole space with this aroma.
GRABER: It probably won’t surprise you listeners that in honor of the fall, we are celebrating with an episode about apples!
NICOLA TWILLEY: Which our listener Soham Bhatt, who you just heard waxing lyrical about apple smells, has been campaigning to get us to make for years now. We, of course, are Gastropod, the podcast that looks at food through the lens of science and history. And I am Nicola Twilley, lover of good apples.
GRABER: And I’m Cynthia Graber, and we are also going to be tasting some amazing ciders this episode. As much as Nicky loves apples, that’s how much I love cider! The alcoholic kind, of course. The other kind is just cloudy apple juice.
…More →
This is a transcript of the Gastropod episode, The Great Gastropod Pudding Off, first released on May 6, 2019. It is provided as a courtesy and may contain errors.
TOM GILLIFORD: I’m Tom. I’m from the Great British Bake Off once upon a time, many years ago. What year? 2016, I think, which was the last one that was on the BBC.
SELASI GBORMITTAH: My name’s Selasi. I’m making spotted dick and I was on 2016 Bake Off.
YAN TSOU: My name is Yan.
CYNTHIA GRABER: What year were you on?
TSOU: So the UK, I believe it’s series 8 and in the US I believe it’s series 5. See I’m blushing already. This is why—it’s a face made for radio.
NICOLA TWILLEY: OH MY GOD. Tom. Selasi!
GRABER: Yan!
TWILLEY: Yan!
GRABER: It was really hard not to fangirl excessively.
TWILLEY: I was like a schoolgirl meeting the Beatles. It was overwhelming.
GRABER: Yes, we are huge fans of the Great British Bake Off here at Gastropod.
TWILLEY: And so imagine our delight—and by delight, I mean sheer unadulterated ecstasy—when three of our favorite Bake Off stars agreed to take part in the first ever Great Gastropod Pud Off!
GRABER: That pud, if it’s not totally obvious, it’s short for pudding. And we right now are freaking out so much we haven’t introduced ourselves—
…More →
This is a transcript of the Gastropod episode Crantastic: The Story of America’s Berry, first released on November 7, 2017. It is provided as a courtesy and may contain errors.
LINDA BURKE: These are fairly small ones but you can see. Right in there—that opening there—you can see where the cranberries are.
CYNTHIA GRABER: Don’t—I think I’m going to sit as I uh…
NICOLA TWILLEY: Oh I see, I see.
GRABER: Oh yeah.
TWILLEY: Just little. It’s not very spectacular. I hate to complain. And also I think because the bushes are so dense.
…More →
This is a transcript of the Gastropod episode Cork Dork: Inside the Weird World of Wine Appreciation, first released on February 28, 2017. It is provided as a courtesy and may contain errors.
BIANCA BOSKER: Robitussin, freshly molded dildo, peppered raspberry, white raspberry, red raspberry, black raspberry. I don’t know what the difference between all those things are, if they even exist, but they evoked it for someone. You get burnt hair, plum, cow shit…
NICOLA TWILLEY: I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I actually have a good sense of what freshly molded dildo smells like. Maybe I need to live a little.
CYNTHIA GRABER: I’ve been stuck on that since Bianca mentioned it in her list of wine descriptions she’s heard. Yes, those are all words people have used to describe the flavor notes they’re getting in a glass of wine.
…More →