Utah State University Libraries to Open 'Eating the Past: Cookbooks in the Archives' Exhibit Sept. 17

LOGAN — Utah State University Libraries will open “Eating the Past: Cookbooks in the Archives” Sept. 17 in the Merrill-Cazier Library atrium, featuring rare and historic cookbooks from Special Collections & Archives. The exhibit celebrates five years of Eating the Past, a food history podcast on Utah Public Radio.

An opening reception will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 17 in the atrium. Visitors can meet the podcast’s hosts, sample historic treats and explore the exhibit before it closes Nov. 23. The event is free and open to the public.

The exhibit examines how cookbooks document culture, community, health, innovation, and everyday life. Historic cookbooks appear alongside photographs, menus, advertisements, and other archival materials that show how food traditions have changed over time. Selections range from early medicinal and home economics guides to community cookbooks and modern food trends.

Eating the Past debuted in 2021 as a video series before becoming a weekly radio program on Utah Public Radio, hosted by USU faculty. Each episode explores the history behind the foods we eat through recipes, research, interviews, and personal stories. The program airs Sundays at noon before The Splendid Table.