Hosted by Nick Charlie Key

Strange. True.Deliciously ridiculous.

The fun, bizarre and often completely absurd stories hiding in the history of what we eat.

The Fantastic History of Food cover art featuring Leonardo da Vinci eating spaghetti
Stories worth savouring
Food fightsRoyal feastsAccidental inventionsEdible disastersFood fightsRoyal feastsAccidental inventionsEdible disasters

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Feasts & dining

The Sublime Society of Beefsteaks

In Georgian Era London, some of Britain’s most powerful men formed an exclusive dining club devoted almost entirely to eating enormous steaks, drinking heavily and celebrating the virtues of beef. They took their society so seriously that they even appointed their own bishop and when the Prince of Wales told them that he’d like to join their club, they simply told him they had a strict 24 seat policy, and all 24 seats were already full. This is the strange story of The Sublime Society of Beefsteaks.

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About the show

History is better when it comes with snacks.

The Fantastic History of Food explores the strange but true stories from history that, in some way, involve food.

Written, hosted and produced by Nick Charlie Key, each episode turns a remarkable piece of food history into a compact story that is entertaining, surprising and easy to devour.

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