As a writer and researcher, I’ve always been interested in context and attribution. As someone who cooks a lot, I wanted a better understanding of the food I consume, beyond the recipe notes: Why are certain ingredients used, and where do they come from? Who thought of it first?

In this newsletter, I make and trace recipes back to their cultural and historical origins.

Some of my favourites:

• On expensive Chinese food

• On why names matter

• On cooking as intimacy