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    Back to Good Food

    Good Food

    The Story of Nashville Hot Chicken

    When writer and historian Rachel Martin returned to Nashville after an eight-year absence she was shocked to discover her hometown was famous for a dish she had never heard of. In " Hot Hot Chicken Really Happened ," she investigates Nashville's segregated past to find the origins of what has become the city's most famous dish.

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    By Evan Kleiman • Aug 7, 2015 • 1 min read

    When writer and historian Rachel Martin returned to Nashville after an eight-year absence she was shocked to discover her hometown was famous for a dish she had never heard of. In "Hot Hot Chicken Really Happened," she investigates Nashville's segregated past to find the origins of what has become the city's most famous dish.

    Music: "Sauce" by Chancha Via Circuito

    The full episode

    2 of 8
    Slutty Food, Hot Chicken, Will Nutrition Labels Get a Makeover?
    1. 0:00What is "Slutty Food?"
    2. 10:35The Story of Nashville Hot ChickenYou’re reading this
    3. 19:57Ten Years after Katrina, New Orleans Restaurants are Booming
    4. 28:25The Diet of a Sumo Wrestler
    5. 34:18Jonathan Gold Reviews Cassia in Santa Monica
    6. 35:00Talking Pie and Pi with LA Earthquake Czar Lucy Jones
    7. 43:48FDA Proposes a Daily Value for Sugar on Nutrition Labels
    8. 49:44Market Report
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Evan Kleiman

      host 'Good Food'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Gillian Ferguson

      Supervising Producer, Good Food

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Laryl Garcia

      Senior Director, Good Food

      CultureFood & Drink

    The full episode

    2 of 8
    Slutty Food, Hot Chicken, Will Nutrition Labels Get a Makeover?
    1. 0:00What is "Slutty Food?"
    2. 10:35The Story of Nashville Hot ChickenYou’re reading this
    3. 19:57Ten Years after Katrina, New Orleans Restaurants are Booming
    4. 28:25The Diet of a Sumo Wrestler
    5. 34:18Jonathan Gold Reviews Cassia in Santa Monica
    6. 35:00Talking Pie and Pi with LA Earthquake Czar Lucy Jones
    7. 43:48FDA Proposes a Daily Value for Sugar on Nutrition Labels
    8. 49:44Market Report
    Back to Good Food