The hottest Food & Drink Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Food & Drink Topics

The Best Shawarma and Döner in London

Vittles • 148 implied HN points • 05 Dec 25
🍲 Food & Drink Restaurants Street Food Dining Culture
  1. Much of London’s shaved-meat scene feels identikit and often relies on bought-in or uninspired döner. There are, however, a few spots putting real craft into their wraps and standing out from the crowd.
  2. Pasha Shawarma in Willesden serves yaprak döner and iskender with clear Ottoman influence and can deliver excellent texture and bold flavours when it’s on form. It does suffer from some inconsistency in portioning and carving, but when it hits the mark it really stands out.
  3. Star ratings and review sites don’t always reflect what a place actually tastes like, so tasting for yourself matters more. Doing a proper crawl and comparing multiple spots gives a much clearer picture of where to find the best shawarma and döner.

Champagne-like Viagra

Snaxshot • 259 implied HN points • 13 Jun 24
🍲 Food & Drink Food Trends Food news
  1. The post discusses topics like a 'Millennial viagra' and 'single fruit universes', showcasing unique and unconventional ideas.
  2. It hints at trends such as GenZ preferences and upcoming color palettes in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG).
  3. The content is part of a reader-supported publication without advertising, encouraging support from paid subscribers.

Issue 08 – Bar Soap

Unbox Inbox • 852 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
🍲 Food & Drink Ingredients Design Gifts History
  1. Bar soap can be a fun and thoughtful gift for people who appreciate design and aesthetics.
  2. Bar soap packaging can offer creative ways to engage customers with typography and design.
  3. Bar soap comes in a wide range of shapes, colors, and scents, making it a versatile and creative product to explore.
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The Myth of Sisyphus

Vittles • 189 implied HN points • 19 Nov 25
🍲 Food & Drink Restaurants Chefs Hospitality Labor Food culture Careers
  1. People often romanticize being a chef and assume it’s a calling, but many cooks don’t actually love cooking and do it primarily to earn a paycheck.
  2. Professional kitchens are often harsh and unglamorous workplaces with stress, rough behavior, and pragmatic shortcuts rather than constant culinary passion.
  3. Outsiders expect vocational passion, but inside the industry practical reasons like survival, visas, or steady work usually explain why people join and stay in kitchens.

Adobo to Bring, Rice to Eat

Vittles • 156 implied HN points • 01 Dec 25
🍲 Food & Drink Cuisine Food culture Labor Rights Migration Public Space
  1. Weekly outdoor gatherings are essential for migrant domestic workers as places to rest, eat, and reclaim social and culinary life when they have little privacy or control at home.
  2. Workers face low pay, restricted rest days, and tight control over what they can eat, while also being excluded or harassed in many public spaces — so these picnics push back against structural control and discrimination.
  3. The picnics create real solidarity: people share food, recipes, skills, emotional support and practical advice, and they want safe, officially recognized spaces to meet and commune.

For the love of CHAINs

Snaxshot • 359 implied HN points • 14 May 24
🍲 Food & Drink Restaurant Industry Cultural impact Event Planning
  1. Chains like fast food and casual restaurants play a significant role in American culture and economy.
  2. Fast food chains have an impact globally, spreading Americana culture and becoming iconic in various countries.
  3. The collaboration and creative events by companies like Chain are reshaping how brands connect with consumers and innovate in the fast food industry.

The culinary language of Catalunya

Longer Tables with José Andrés • 707 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🍲 Food & Drink Cuisine Language Recipes Ingredients Culture
  1. Catalan language has unique food-related words like 'Pà' for bread and 'Mar i muntanya' for 'sea and mountains'.
  2. Catalan is spoken in various regions beyond Catalonia, like Valencia, Balearic Islands, Andorra, Italy, and France.
  3. Learning some Catalan food words can enrich your culinary experience, like 'Botifarra amb mongetes' for sausage with white beans.

Leek and Squash Mini Galettes

Susanality • 687 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🍲 Food & Drink Recipes Cooking Food Photography Meal preparation Ingredients
  1. Recipe for Leek and Butternut Squash Galette that can be served as a main dish or appetizer.
  2. Changes to the newsletter: Free subscribers get less emails with one recipe per month, paid subscribers get bonus content in weekly emails.
  3. Tips for making the galette: Use pre-peeled squash for convenience, make the pastry dough and prep ingredients in advance, and adjust flour choices to suit your preference.

Three Things

Dinner: A Love Story • 1297 implied HN points • 17 Oct 23
🍲 Food & Drink Recipes Kitchenware Books
  1. Make a delicious chocolate mousse with a twist by topping it with freeze-dried strawberries.
  2. Enjoy easy comfort food dinners like Chicken-Apple Sausage with Onions and Cabbage or Artichoke Dip Pizza.
  3. Invest in a set of fun, durable mixing bowls like the melamine set from MoMA.

Why Doesn’t Anyone Want to Make French Wine Anymore?

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 612 implied HN points • 28 Jul 25
🍲 Food & Drink Wine Agriculture Tradition Economics Culture
  1. Many French winemakers are nearing retirement, and there aren't enough young people interested in taking over their businesses. This could lead to a loss of a long-standing tradition in winemaking.
  2. One case highlights a family vineyard with generations of history, but the current generation decided against continuing the tradition. They found it too complicated and not profitable enough.
  3. The future of French wine is uncertain, and without new interest and investment from younger generations, this aspect of cultural heritage may decline.

Tools: Seed Oil Supply by Country Visualizer

Experimental Fat Loss • 106 implied HN points • 24 Dec 25
🍲 Food & Drink Nutrition Food Supply Agriculture Public Health
  1. Seed oil availability has risen a lot over the decades — in the U.S. it climbed from roughly 270 kcal/person/day in 1961 to about 715 today, so seed oils now make up a large share of average daily calories.
  2. The dataset reports food "supply," not what people actually ate, and it has harmonization and reporting problems across countries, so absolute numbers and direct comparisons should be treated cautiously.
  3. Different seed oils have very different linoleic acid content and countries use different mixes, so potential health impact varies; some countries have stopped or reversed the rise (e.g., Japan, France) while many others saw rising seed‑oil supply alongside increases in obesity.

Tasting Color: a Seven Senses feast

Seven Senses • 299 implied HN points • 03 May 24
🍲 Food & Drink Culinary Arts Event Planning
  1. There will be a unique dinner experience called 'Tasting Color' that combines food and art themed around the color green. It's designed to engage all seven senses.
  2. The event features a three-course meal prepared by a chef with notable experience, and all elements, from food to decor, will focus on the color green.
  3. Tickets are limited and there’s a discount for paid subscribers of the newsletter, making it a special opportunity for the community.

KP+: Black sesame and Yuzu Milk Buns

Kitchen Projects • 609 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🍲 Food & Drink Recipes Baking Ingredients Events Community
  1. Yuzu is a popular ingredient with a unique floral acidity, sometimes hard to find but worth seeking out for its flavor.
  2. The process of making black sesame and yuzu milk buns was revisited after years, resulting in a successful comeback with added yuzu curd.
  3. Two different shaping methods were shared for the buns, both yielding delicious results especially enhanced with the yuzu curd.

Getting back to the root of coffee

Longer Tables with José Andrés • 628 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🍲 Food & Drink Coffee Agriculture Ethics Culture Community
  1. Cxffeeblack founders aim to honor the roots of coffee and shift the industry's narrative to support communities of color.
  2. Renata and Bartholomew highlight the importance of recognizing the African heritage of coffee to preserve the future of the crop and support indigenous farmers.
  3. Consumers are encouraged to find gratitude in their coffee consumption, embrace peace, and consider the deeper stories behind the products they consume.

Millennial Metamucil

Snaxshot • 259 implied HN points • 03 Jun 24
🍲 Food & Drink Nutrition Beverages Lawsuits
  1. Millennials have found a way to make fiber more appealing and trendy
  2. The discussion includes the landscape of ready-to-drink prebiotics and the revelations from the Poppi lawsuit
  3. The post is reserved for paid subscribers, offering exclusive insights and content

New Year, New News

Wordloaf • 746 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
🍲 Food & Drink Baking Bread Cooking History Community
  1. Amy Halloran is taking over the Wordloaf newsletter for a few months while the original author works on a book
  2. Amy is knowledgeable about bread, baking, and grain, making her a great fit for the newsletter
  3. Regular features like the Monday Mix and Friday Bread Basket will be on hiatus during this period

[REVIEW] Prime: the Amazon restaurant

12challenges • 685 implied HN points • 01 Jul 25
🍲 Food & Drink Restaurants Cuisine Dining Trends Gastronomy
  1. There’s a new science fiction review about a restaurant by Jeff Bezos, set in 2040. It's written by a food critic who has a quirky sense of humor.
  2. The launch of a project called The Box has gained a lot of attention after being featured on a popular website, leading to many new views and subscribers.
  3. The team believes in bringing creativity and fun back to technology through their projects, making it more enjoyable for everyone.

no. 85: a life in spatulas

let them eat cake • 319 implied HN points • 19 Apr 24
🍲 Food & Drink Food Writing Desserts
  1. Choosing the right spatula is crucial in the kitchen as they are tools of the trade and require deliberate consideration.
  2. Different spatulas serve different purposes - from nimble and architectural ones for delicate tasks to more resolute ones for heavier jobs.
  3. A good silicone spatula, like the Mastrad all silicone, is essential for its versatility and durability in various cooking tasks.

Nothing Better About These Buns

Snaxshot • 399 implied HN points • 17 Apr 24
🍲 Food & Drink Food Quality Food Industry Food Tech Product Reviews
  1. There is controversy surrounding Better Brand's product misrepresentation, causing disappointment among customers and raising questions about company integrity.
  2. The company's growth and valuation do not seem to align with the quality of its products, leading to skepticism and disappointment among consumers.
  3. Issues like false advertising in the food industry showcase a disconnect between company growth goals and product quality, emphasizing the importance of maintaining honesty and quality in consumer products.

The French Farmyard Comes Alive

Kate Hill's Gascon Year Journals • 659 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🍲 Food & Drink Cooking Local Food
  1. Embrace a modified approach to raising your own food by incorporating a kitchen-sized farmyard without the whole farm for a sustainable food source.
  2. Focus on basic ingredients and slow-cooking techniques like braising and roasting to create flavorful, farm-fresh meals that highlight the value of homegrown and locally sourced produce.
  3. Explore the joy of cultivating your own garden and foraging in your local surroundings for fresh and seasonal ingredients, allowing you to savor the simplicity of farm-to-table living.