About Gary Allen

Gary Allen teaches food writing and various food and culture courses at Empire State College and has been vice president, newsletter editor, and webmaster for the Association for the Study of Food and Society. His books include The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food and Drink Industries, the anthology Human Cuisine, and his most recent title, Herbs: A Global History, a volume in The Edible Series of Reaktion Press. He’s currently at work on another book for the same series—on sausage. Visit him at his website, On the Table, and blog, Just Served.

Burrata Cheese

Burrata di Andria Cheese

All hail the queen! Of Italian cheese, that is: Burrata di Andria. A kind of cream-filled mozzarella, it rules a plate like no other cheese. Gary Allen explains.

An upclose shot of a chicken head.

The History of Chicken Fingers

Chicken fingers—that favorite meal of kids—have an interesting history, filled with thrift and greed. Who knew a kids’ snack could be so profitable?

Vintage drawing of a woman holding up a glass of absinthe

The Green Fairy Flies High

Absinthe, also known as the green fairy due to its hallucinogenic properties, is basking in the glow of a revival of interest among discerning drinkers.

Crazy for Salt Cod

Our food history editor, and sometime science guy, Gary Allen, helps a reader understand how to keep and care for salt cod.

A New York–style cheesecake in a springform pan on a wire rack with a dirty bowl, spoon, spatula, and paddle attachment lying beside it.

New York Cheesecake Stands Alone

Food history editor Gary Allen takes on the task of defending the superiority of his native New York cheesecake and finds it’s a cheesecake that stands alone.