Interest in grits is rising because of heirloom corn varieties and the backing of master chefs. But the Southern staple has deep roots that wind through economics, race, politics — and nostalgia.

Millennials are drinking less, spurring beverage companies to create alternatives to traditional cocktails — using herbs, spices, citrus and veggies to craft unique flavors for nonalcoholic drinks.

From sandwich bags to paper towels, food prep and storage is rife with products destined for the landfill. Here's how one food writer cut back on waste without sacrificing modern conveniences.

While some bakers believe that soft wheat flour, found primarily in the American South, is the best for making light, flaky biscuits, others say the key to better biscuits comes down to technique.

Tiny working gingerbread clock gears, meticulously hand-painted playing cards, scenes that tell stories — all comes into play at the annual National Gingerbread House Competition in North Carolina.

Artist Julie Green, who also depicts the final meals of death row inmates, is now painting first meals of exonerees. The food is celebratory, but nothing compared to all those lost years, she says.

While there have been big changes in the restaurant business in the last few decades, a new documentary on female chefs and work-life balance explores how little it has changed for women.

Dried Manchurian scorpions? Think softshell crabs. Crickets? They're not far from crawfish. A new series aims to showcase the flavors of edible insects — prized ingredients in parts of the world.

The store will be in Washington D.C., and will not only focus on hiring employees fluent in American Sign Language, but also on lighting and design that makes it easier for the deaf to communicate.

Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke are just two of the characters David Bowie created for himself. The innovator explored music and identity, and his art exhibition inspires chefs and mixologists.

When a Malaysian contestant was booted off the cooking show because her take on chicken rendang, a classic Malay dish, wasn't "crispy" enough, it sparked a controversy highlighting cultural ignorance.

An ancient Greek shopping list that reads like a modern text. Broken eggs that signal a "ruined" woman. The food depicted in the Met's collection is ripe with hidden references.

To help humanize and bring historical perspective to the issue of immigration, the "No Irish Pub" turned away people based on two criteria: being Irish or wearing green to celebrate St. Paddy's Day.

It was only a matter of time before fans of the Broadway hit sought out culinary tributes to their most treasured folk hero. Here are historically minded ideas to eat like the Founding Father.

The 2004 movie about an obsessive wine snob helped boost California's pinot noir production by 170 percent. And merlot? The wine so famously maligned in the film has finally bounced back.

Breweries and distilleries are collaborating with artists and fashioning their drinks after influential people to try to better connect with customers or bring attention to the drink's origin.

Container kits, designed for urban living and planted with recipes already in mind, are appealing to people who are interested in home cooking, food-sourcing and the environment.

In ancient Rome, food was a bargaining chip for position for slaves and nobles alike. At the center of Feast Of Sorrow is real-life nobleman Apicius, who inspired the oldest surviving cookbook.

Cigar sommeliers are becoming increasingly popular in fine restaurants and hotels, pairing the nuanced flavor of tobacco with beverages, and using tart candies like Skittles to cleanse the palate.

Leave it to the Italians to take a holiday steeped in women's rights and turn it into Festa Della Donna, when women leave menfolk behind to celebrate each other with flowers, wine and above all, cake.