Editorial Standards
The Foods That Shaped Us is an independent food-history and recipe publication. We explain how ingredients, dishes, and drinks shaped trade, migration, empire, preservation, agriculture, and cultural memory, and we develop original recipes that let readers cook with that history. Historical articles are grounded in cited sources. Recipes follow a separate measured development and editorial-review standard.
Research Scope
We focus on food origins, agriculture, trade routes, fermentation, migration, preservation, empire, cultural memory, cooking technique, and the ways ingredients, dishes, and drinks shaped human societies. We publish original recipes when they add practical value to that coverage. We avoid unsupported wellness claims, incomplete recipe filler, and trend coverage that does not strengthen food or cooking understanding.
Source and Citation Policy
Major historical claims should be supported by credible sources such as museum collections, university research, archaeological publications, botanical references, historical scholarship, official cultural institutions, and established food-history works. Article references are listed in a Sources & References section, and inline citation markers link to those sources when source data is available.
Article Update Policy
Article pages display published and updated dates. We refresh an updated date when a specific article receives meaningful editorial work, such as revised historical claims, improved references, better image accuracy, clearer headings, or stronger article-specific internal links.
Recipe Development and Review
Recipe Desk pages are measured editorial formulations based on established culinary methods and ingredient behavior. Before release, we audit quantities, timing, yield, storage, allergens, instructions, visual doneness cues, image accuracy, and internal consistency. Only complete recipes receive published status, enter our sitemaps, or emit Recipe structured data.
We do not publish invented ratings, reviews, nutrition figures, test results, or tester identities. Physical kitchen testing is disclosed only when a real preparation record exists. A substantial change to quantities, temperature, timing, yield, or core technique requires a fresh editorial consistency review.
Image Accuracy Policy
Food images should represent the article subject accurately. When a hero image is misleading, generic, reused for an unrelated food, or poorly described, we prioritize replacement with an accurate local, optimized image and descriptive alt text. Synthetic editorial recipe images remain identified through image provenance and must represent the intended dish or preparation step accurately.
Corrections Process
We welcome corrections, source suggestions, image accuracy notes, and reports about recipe quantities, timings, instructions, allergens, or storage guidance. Historical corrections are reviewed against cited evidence; recipe reports are assessed against the published formulation and may trigger revision or a documented kitchen test. Send editorial feedback to hello@thefoodthatshapedus.com.
Author and Contributor Transparency
Legacy and collaboratively maintained articles use The Foods That Shaped Us Research Desk byline. The site is published and edited by Mehdi Iarab. Named people are credited only when they are real, consenting, and relevant to the page. We do not publish invented degrees, awards, headshots, external profiles, or unverifiable credentials. Reviewer credits are limited to the topic scope stated on the page. To propose a commissioned article or source-led case file, please review our Contributor Guidelines.
Read the profiles for The Foods That Shaped Us Research Desk, Mehdi Iarab, Amine Naini and Ahmed Baakli for current publication roles, credentials, and review scopes.
Professional Background Input
Some articles may include background input from people working in food, hospitality, agriculture, retail, marketing, supply chains, or cultural fields. Professional input may inform modern practice, industry context, usage, consumer behavior, hospitality, production, or distribution.
Professional input is not used as the sole support for historical dates, origin claims, archaeology, health or nutrition claims, scientific claims, or legal claims. If contributors request privacy, names are not published. Historical claims remain checked against cited public sources.
AI-Assisted Editorial Workflow
AI-assisted tools may support research organization, drafting, metadata, and editorial workflow. AI tools do not replace editorial responsibility. Historical claims about origins, dates, trade routes, cultural context, and evidence are reviewed against cited sources before publication. AI output does not count as a recipe test, tasting result, nutrition analysis, rating, or food-safety verification.