FoodFood

KQED Food is your home for stories about all of the Bay Area’s vibrant food cultures: the taco truck, omakase counter, grocery co-op and driveway pupusa stand. Our news stories, essays, shows and features document the food scene’s latest trends and changemakers—and help guide you to your next delicious meal.

Latest StoriesLatest Stories

The Railroad's Surprising Impact on Food and Civil Rights in California

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A woman on the beach bundled up in a raincoat and winter beanie smiles as she gazes out toward the sea.

Meet the San Francisco Influencer Getting Gen Z Girls Excited About Crab Fishing

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Children in winter coats enjoy artificial snowfall at an outdoor festival.

The Fillmore Holiday Night Market Wants to Bring Back SF’s Old ‘Harlem of the West’

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A woman holds up her cellphone to film a young man shucking oysters on the beach.

How I Fell in Love With the Oyster, One of the Bay Area’s Great Multicultural Treats

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11 cookbooks, laid out in two rows.

Cooks We Love: 11 Cookbooks From 2024 Recommended by NPR Staff

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San Francisco’s Snack Sensei Dishes on Journey From Rapper to Food Influencer

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Illustration: Two men devour several plates of soul food: gumbo, a fried seafood platter, smothered pork chops.

This Soul Food Spot in San Leandro Serves Some of the Tastiest Gumbo in the Bay

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A tray of barbecue includes a dino beef rib, a slice of brisket, a sausage, and a cardboard try of fried rice.

The Best Dishes I Ate in 2024

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Feeling Stuffed at Thanksgiving? Walk It Off

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Beyond The MenuBeyond The Menu

Host of Beyond the Menu, Cecilia Philips is holding a giant paper mache pretzel pretending to eat it. The text on the image reads 'Who Invented Pretzels?'

How Pretzels Went From Human Sacrifice To Beer Gardens

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A young light-skinned black woman stands in the foreground holding a bottle of chamoy. In the background, a large bottle of chamoy sauce is squeezed onto half an orange.

It’s Mexican, Asian, a Candy, a Sauce…It’s Chamoy

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A young light-skinned black woman with long hair holds chile peppers in two outstretched hands. There is a bowl of spicy chile paste behind her.

This Fiery Hot Sauce Uses a Pepper Lost To History

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A plate with a piece of fried chicken sitting on top of a waffle next to the show's host, Cecilia Phillips

Chicken and Waffles: from Amish Country to Harlem

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A close-up of a metal serving dish with rocky road ice cream scoops topped with marshmallow fluff next to a woman holding a jar of mini marshmallows and almonds in each hand.

The Chilling History of Ice Cream

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A close-up of a bag with store-bought corn tortillas next to a woman tearing up a tortilla with her hands.

Your Corn Tortilla Sucks…Science Can Fix It

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A smiling woman holding a samosa is positioned against a backdrop that is a closeup of a bowl filled with crispy triangular samosas

Samosas aren’t from India…Wait, what?

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A close-up of a birria taco with cheese next to the show's host, Cecilia Phillips.

Your Birria Taco Is Ancient History—Here’s Why

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A smiling woman is standing in the kitchen in front of four different sweet buns that each have a flag from their country of origin next to them.

Hong Kong’s Most Popular Treat Has A Surprising Backstory

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Check, Please! Bay AreaCheck, Please! Bay Area

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: ROOH, The Barn, Kusan Uyghur Cuisine

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Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Cicero's Pizza, Cafe Soleil, Tony's Seafood Restaurant

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Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: World Green Açaí Bowl & Juice, Dalida, Villa Corona

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Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: The Hideout Kitchen, Tostadas, Pixiu Mala Hongtang

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Check, Please! Bay Area Is Back in November With a Fresh Menu of New Episodes!

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Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Orchard City Kitchen, HiroNori Craft Ramen, Las Cazuelas

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Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Eggy's Neighborhood Kitchen, La Gare, Lao Table

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Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Town Fare, La Traviata, Piglet & Co.

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Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: LITA, Simurgh Bakery and Cafe, Porterhouse

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RecipesRecipes

Young bearded Filipino man wears a green Super Mario Brothers hat. On the left is a plastic skull covered in deli meat slices. Molinari Delicatessen sign in the background.

Creep Out Your Halloween Party Guests With These "Horrors d'oeuvres"

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A smiling woman is standing in the kitchen in front of four different sweet buns that each have a flag from their country of origin next to them.

Hong Kong’s Most Popular Treat Has A Surprising Backstory

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A big bowl of green pea soup with chives in the background. Jacques pepin stands in the foreground in a blue plaid shirt

Get Cozy with Jacques Pépin's Pea Pod Soup Recipe

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A triptych image with a close up of rocky road ice cream on the left, a tray of oatmeal cookies on the right, and a young bald Filipino man with glasses standing over a chocolate ice cream sandwich in the middle

We Recreated an It's-It Ice Cream Sandwich at Home — With an Oakland Twist.

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One poached egg, one hard boiled egg, one oueff mollet with brilliant yellow yolks on a plate. Jacques Pepin in foreground looking at the camera.

Jacques Pépin's Tips for Perfectly Cooked Eggs

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A baked apple cake with spatula removing a slice

Spiced Apple Upside Down Cake is a Gorgeous and Delicious Holiday Recipe

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Slice of savory tart with sweet potato, chard, and a jar of hot honey

This Sweet Potato Galette with Hot Honey is a Cozy Fall Treat

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Slice of French toast casserole with whipped cream and pecans

This Baked Pecan Praline French Toast Will Impress Your Brunch Crew

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Spicy chicken sandwich on a croissant

Spicy Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe

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Golden State PlateGolden State Plate

Bay Area Foodie Culture Goes Way Further Back Than California Cuisine

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How Rice-A-Roni Became The San Francisco Treat

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Golden State Plate: Sriracha’s Journey From Southeast Asia to Southern California

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Golden State Plate: Rocky Road Ice Cream's Bumpy History

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Golden State Plate – The Backstory Behind California-Born Food and Drinks

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Yes, Your 'Tropical' Mai Tai Was Invented Here in Oakland

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An Island Drink With California Roots: The Mai Tai Turns 75

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Unwrapping the California Origins of the Fortune Cookie

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Golden State Plate: Santa Maria Barbecue, It's Not Just Tri-Tip

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