Ingredipedia

It’s time to talk about one of the greatest ingredients in the entire world: figs. Yes, they’re out of season so Em had to ask her talented sister to paint a picture of them because they are unavailable in ALL THE STORES. What do figs have to do with genitals? Ben looks into that. Why is Maggie Beer burnt fig, salted caramel and honeycomb ice-cream the best flavour ever? Em looks into that. Plus: a theory into why Australian athletes didn’t perform so well at the recent Olympics, and a fail-proof plan on how they can do better next time.

We return for SEASON TWO! (Did we mention Season One was over? No? Soz.) Em has been on holidays and brought back an exotic fruit/vegetable…the tomato! But does the Italian kind taste better? Where do you keep your sauce? What is the number one tomato soup recipe? And why is it called ketchup? All will be answered in a brand new Ingredipedia.

For the very first Ingredipedia live event as part of the Emerging Writer's Festival, we chose the big one. The avocado - the world's most Instagrammed ingredient (probably). We cooked it, blended it, got to the bottom of conspiracies and traced it around the world. Find out what you missed.

It's the giver of life and perfect for a tradie-style smoko. But what's its history, when did it stop get it delivered, is it really in chocolate and most importantly, can it be mixed with gin?

We figured it was time to add some culture to our podcast. SEE WHAT WE DID THERE? But seriously, we look at why it is spelled 37 different ways, how it's advertised and why it may be the perfect work snack.

Saffron, the forbidden spice. Sure it tastes pleasant and makes things yellow but saffron is so dang expensive that it's basically cocaine. Find out how it's faked, smuggled and where to find it on the dark web.

Egg yolk, oil, something acidic. That's what goes into the creamy, rich joy that is mayonnaise. Or is it? We deconstruct it, construct it again, put things in it, explore why it's loved, hated and mixed with green jelly. Also, expert help from Ben's mum Gail.

It can be as beautiful as a shimmering gem, as ugly as a beer belly on a rat and as beguiling as a Mexican psychotropic drug. It's corn. And we got an expert, food writer and Masterchef graduate Anna Webster, to tell us all about it.

It inspires great art, makes a handy postal service and makes questionable toys, but what the hell do you call it when it's sliced into discs and deep fried?

We should make it clear that we don't hate capsicum. It's just a stupid, pointless vegetable that makes lousy snacks, makes you sick, costs too much and makes Pixar re-cut their movies. That's all.

For the chocolate episode we use the power of Excel spreadsheets, the powerful testimony of Augustus Gloop and the harrowing screams of Aztec sacrifice to crack beneath its glossy, delicious, sugary surface.

It's the breakfast food that sustains us all, but WHY is it a breakfast food? And what exactly IS it? And how does it make bombs? And is it good for babies? And can I eat it raw? (Sort of) answers to all of these things lie herein.

It's a staple food for billions, but is it an ancient grain? We find this out, as well as why it isn't thrown at weddings any more, how it can make babies cuter and what 'McMiracle Rice' is.

Taste the minty freshness of the mint episode, where we explore discontinued confectionery, herbal remedies, brain trickery, toothpaste and the world's creepiest ever commercial.

The episode where we go bananas for bananas. From their fake origins to the very real things we can learn from monkeys, with two separate references to Neighbours in between, we peel the skin off the banana.