On the surface, food doesn’t seem like a natural subject for a podcast. At least with T.V., even if you can’t taste or smell a fresh-baked apple pie, you can at least see it and infer that it’s tasty as hell. Not so with podcasts, obviously. Over the past few years, however, a handful of shows have busted such assumptions, largely by bypassing recipes and kitchen tips and instead diving deep into little-known stories behind our favorite fare. Here are a few of the top programs about all things eating. —J.R. Sullivan

1. Pizza City
Host Steve Dolinsky picks the brains of the best minds in pie, including Justin Bazdarich of NYC’s Speedy Romeo.

2. Spilled Milk
Comedians Molly Wizenberg and Matthew Amster-Burton riff on flip-lid yogurts, movie candy, and other questionable fare.

3. Proof
Get the scoop on a ketchup controversy, the rise of the food bowl, and other curious culinary backstories.

4. Gravy
The Southern Foodways Alliance explores Southern history through food, such as a catfisherman’s fight for racial justice.

5. Pantry Raid
Food writer Hannah Messinger dishes no-nonsense tips on chickpeas, leftovers, and miso, among other confounding foods.
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