Five-year-old Olive Boog adores Julia Child's apple tarts. Her mother is KCRW digital editor Caitlin Shamberg, and together they make the tarte aux pommes at home using the Julia Child iPad app. Olive even has parts of the recipe committed to memory: "You take apples and you put them around the tart and then put some glaze on it and eat it. I love apple tarts because they taste like apples."
Olive's love of apple tarts got us wondering what informs the eating habits of children. Why do some kids crave apples or coconut while others reach for peas or cheese and crackers? We called up food writer and historian Bee Wilson for some insight. Her new book is First Bite: How We Learn to Eat.
If you haven't got it memorized, here is Julia Child's tarte aux pommes recipe. You can also watch Julia make her famous tarte tatin on The French Chef.
Music: "The French Chef Theme" by John Morris and "On Shoulders" (instrumental) by Chef'Special