In February 1972, five members of the United Red Army took a woman hostage inside the Asama-Sansō Lodge in the mountains of Nagano, Japan. What followed was a ten-day siege broadcast live across the country, with nearly 90% of Japan tuning in to watch negotiations, psychological tactics, and the final dramatic assault.

But viewers noticed something unexpected during the long winter standoff.

Outside the lodge, police officers waiting in the snow were repeatedly shown eating Cup Noodles, a brand-new convenience food that had launched just a year earlier. Those quiet moments on live television became an accidental national introduction to instant ramen.

In this episode of True Crime Culinary, we break down the ten days of the Asama-Sansō Incident, explore the origins of ramen and the invention of Cup Noodles, and look at how a hostage crisis helped turn a simple cup of noodles into a cultural icon.

If you enjoy stories where food, history, and true crime intersect, follow True Crime Culinary so you never miss an episode.

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Sources

CupNoodles Museum Osaka Ikeda — https://www.cupnoodles-museum.jp/en/osaka_ikeda/
Nissin Foods History — https://www.nissin.com/en_jp/about/history/
BBC Audio – The Asama-Sansō Incident — https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/w3cswsgt
Asama-Sansō Incident — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asama-Sans%C5%8D_incident
Unseen Japan – Red Army and Asama-Sansō — https://unseen-japan.com/red-army-asama-sanso-lodge/
Instant Noodles History — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_noodles

What does sparkling water have to do with one of the strangest disasters in modern history?

In 1986, a quiet volcanic lake in Cameroon suddenly released a massive cloud of carbon dioxide that suffocated 1,746 people and thousands of animals overnight.

In this episode of True Crime Culinary, we explore the haunting story of Lake Nyos and the science behind the bubbles. From Henry’s Law and volcanic lakes to European mineral water spas and the invention of carbonated drinks, we follow the surprising history of sparkling water from ancient springs to modern soda bottles.

Follow True Crime Culinary on IG and YT!

https://www.instagram.com/truecrimeculinary/

https://youtube.com/@truecrimeculinary

A tuna melt in Lake Tahoe sent me down a rabbit hole. How did a fish once harvested through ancient Mediterranean trap fisheries become a cheap pantry staple — and sometimes a luxury item worth thousands?

In this episode, we trace tuna’s journey from seasonal coastal ritual to industrial global commodity, uncover a real corporate price-fixing scandal involving major canned tuna brands, and explore how one simple sandwich connects migration, manufacturing, and modern convenience.

Your lunch didn’t get cheap by accident.

References:

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n.d.). Tuna fisheries and resources. https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/topic/14854

International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. (n.d.). Stock assessments and conservation measures. https://www.iccat.int/en/assess.htm

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries. (n.d.). Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus). https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/atlantic-bluefin-tuna

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries. (n.d.). Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax). https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/pacific-sardine

Smith, A. F. (Ed.). (2007). The Oxford companion to American food and drink. Oxford University Press.

Smithsonian Ocean Portal. (n.d.). Purse seine fishing. https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/purse-seine-fishing

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. (2017, May 8). Bumble Bee Foods LLC agrees to plead guilty to fixing prices of canned tuna. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/bumble-bee-foods-llc-agrees-plead-guilty-fixing-prices-canned-tuna

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. (2018, September 11). StarKist Co. ordered to pay $100 million criminal fine for participating in canned tuna price-fixing conspiracy. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/starkist-co-ordered-pay-100-million-criminal-fine-participating-canned-tuna-price

What do a collapsed gold mine in Tasmania and a Swiss breakfast classic have in common?

A single muesli bar.

In this episode of True Crime Culinary, we start nearly a kilometer underground at Beaconsfield Mine, where two trapped miners rationed one muesli bar while rescue crews drilled through unstable rock to reach them.

From there, we rewind to early-1900s Switzerland, where physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner first created muesli as a medical food for his sanatorium patients — part of a broader health movement shaped by tuberculosis, industrialization, and changing diets.

Along the way, we unpack:

🥣 how muesli went from clinic mash to global snack bar
⛏️ how modern mine rescues actually work
🧠 why oats, nuts, and dried fruit make surprisingly effective emergency calories

This isn’t a story about miracles.
It’s about engineering, nutrition, and continuity — and how a humble Swiss food quietly became survival fuel.

If you’ve ever wondered how breakfast cereal ends up underground, this one’s for you.

References:

Beaconsfield Mine collapse — Wikipedia overviewProvides a timeline of the mine collapse, survival of Brant Webb and Todd Russell, and rescue.🔗 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaconsfield_Mine_collapse

ABC News: Todd Russell survived 14 days undergroundFirst-hand account and detailed reporting on the 2006 collapse and rescue operation.🔗 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-21/beaconsfield-mine-disaster-todd-russell-i-was-actually-there/104245960

Beaconsfield miners rescued recounting muesli bar survivalMentions that the two miners survived with water and a shared muesli bar as rescue efforts continued.🔗 https://www.amsj.com.au/beaconsfield-miners-rescued/

History of muesli — WikipediaOutlines that muesli was introduced around 1900 by Swiss doctor Maximilian Bircher-Benner at his sanatorium as part of a health-focused diet.🔗 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muesli

About Switzerland: Muesli the world-famous Swiss breakfast classicProvides context on Bircher-Benner’s original recipe and health philosophy behind muesli in Switzerland.🔗 https://www.aboutswitzerland.eda.admin.ch/en/muesli-the-world-famous-swiss-breakfast-classic

Bio-Familia history — Swiss commercial muesli producerDescribes the industrial production of Birchermüesli beginning in 1959 and how Swiss brands helped spread muesli internationally.🔗 https://bio-familia.com/en/bio-familia/company/our-history

🔗 “Mine Rescue — an overview” (ScienceDirect Topics) — This overview explains how mine rescue teams are structured, trained, and equipped to respond to underground emergencies — exploring roles, procedures, and safety aims in real rescue operations.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/mine-rescue

In this episode of True Crime Culinary, Leah unpacks one of the most misunderstood legal moments in American history: the so-called “Twinkie Defense.”

In 1978, former San Francisco supervisor Dan White murdered Mayor George Moscone and civil rights icon Harvey Milk inside City Hall.

At trial, White’s attorneys argued diminished capacity, pointing to severe depression and sudden changes in behavior — including a reliance on junk food like Twinkies — as evidence of mental collapse. The media flattened that nuance into a headline-friendly myth: The Twinkie Defense.

But Twinkies didn’t cause murder.

So what really happened?

Leah explores the crime, the courtroom, the cultural fallout — and the surprising food history behind America’s most famous snack cake. Along the way, she reflects on mental health, adaptation, and why a soft yellow sponge cake became shorthand for something far heavier.

This isn’t just a story about dessert.

It’s about suffering, change, and what happens when we miss the point.

1. Cornell Law School — Twinkie Defense (legal definition & context)
   https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/twinkie_defense

2. Famous Trials — The Trial of Dan White (full case background + testimony)
   https://famous-trials.com/danwhite

3. Famous Trials — Dan White Chronology (timeline of events)
   https://www.famous-trials.com/danwhite/591-chronology

4. Wikipedia — Twinkie Defense (media framing + public reaction)
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkie_defense

5. The Spruce Eats — History of the Twinkie (food origin story)
   https://www.thespruceeats.com/the-history-of-the-twinkie-1328770

In this episode of True Crime Culinary, Leah tells the story of Emily O’Brien, a young Canadian entrepreneur whose life took a dramatic turn after being caught carrying drugs across a border. What followed was incarceration — and an unexpected turning point.

While serving time, Emily noticed how food became a rare point of connection inside prison. With limited resources and a small weekly allowance, she gravitated toward popcorn: inexpensive, customizable, and comforting. That simple snack sparked an idea that eventually became a gourmet popcorn business built around second chances and fair employment for formerly incarcerated people.

But popcorn’s role in this story goes deeper.

Popcorn itself has a long history as a survival food — cultivated for thousands of years and valued because it’s easy to store, simple to prepare, and transforms dramatically under heat. Long before movie theaters, people ate popcorn at home, sometimes even for breakfast, mixed with milk or sweeteners.

Its modern association with cinema emerged in the early 20th century, when popcorn vendors began selling outside theaters. During the Great Depression, popcorn’s low cost and high profit margins helped struggling movie houses stay afloat. Eventually, theaters embraced it fully, turning popcorn into the defining movie snack we know today.

This episode weaves Emily’s comeback story with popcorn’s cultural journey — from humble kernels to silver screens — exploring how pressure reshapes both people and food. It’s a story about consequences, resilience, and how something ordinary can become a pathway forward.

References:

Emily O’Brien’s story and founding of Comeback Snacks
Toronto Life — I Started My Popcorn Business From Behind Bars. It Gave Me a Second Chance at Life
https://torontolife.com/memoir/i-started-my-popcorn-business-from-behind-bars-it-gave-me-a-second-chance-at-life/

Why popcorn became a movie theater staple
Encyclopaedia Britannica — Why Do Movie Theaters Serve Popcorn?
https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-movie-theaters-serve-popcorn

Popcorn and cinema culture
Smithsonian Magazine — Why Do We Eat Popcorn at the Movies?
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-do-we-eat-popcorn-at-the-movies-475063/

Overview of popcorn’s long history
SeatUp — History of Popcorn
https://seatup.com/blog/history-of-popcorn/

Early household uses of popcorn (including breakfast myths)
History Myths — Revisited Myth #91: Popcorn Was the First Breakfast Cereal
https://historymyths.wordpress.com/2016/07/02/revisited-myth-91-popcorn-was-the-first-breakfast-cereal/

When police in New Jersey discovered more than 500 pounds of pasta dumped along a quiet creek, the case went viral — and nowhere. No charges. No answers.

From that bizarre crime scene, this episode of True Crime Culinary travels to Egypt, where pasta becomes part of koshary, the nation’s beloved street food and a UNESCO-recognized cultural tradition.

One story of waste. One story of survival.

Because food is never just food — it’s history.

SOURCE LIST

1. Old Bridge Pasta Dump Coverage (News Report)
   “No charges filed against man who dumped 500 pounds of pasta in Old Bridge” — ABC 7 New York (Eyewitness News). Real reporting on the pasta dump, official statements, and aftermath.

2. Pasta Dump Local Reporting (Detailed Account)
   “Hundreds of pounds of pasta dumped in New Jersey woods” — 6abc / WHYY. On-the-ground reporting about the discovery of the pasta piles and community reaction.

3. UNESCO Lists Koshary as Intangible Cultural Heritage
   “Egyptian dish koshary added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list” — The New Arab. Highlights the official inscription in 2025 and cultural significance.

4. UNESCO Official Entry for Koshary
   “Koshary, daily life dish and practices associated with it” — UNESCO Representatives List page. Details the dish’s ingredients, cultural practices, and heritage listing.

5. Koshary History Overview (Wikipedia)
   “Koshary” — Wikipedia page. A neutral encyclopedic overview of what koshary is, its composition, and a broad history including heritage status in 2025.

6. Origins & Cultural Context of Koshary
   “How Egypt’s National Dish, Koshary, Arrived In The Country” — Food Republic. Explores debated origins of koshary and influences from global cuisines.

7. Extended UNESCO Cultural Context
   “UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists” — Wikipedia. Provides placement of koshary among other heritage elements and explains what the list is.

In January 2017, 20-year-old Birna Brjánsdóttir disappeared after a night out in Reykjavík. The last confirmed footage shows her walking alone down Laugavegur, eating a falafel pita. Within days, Iceland launched the largest search in its modern history.

This episode of True Crime Culinary recounts the facts of Birna’s case and follows an unexpected thread: how falafel — a dish that began as fasting food in Egypt — became a common late-night meal in Iceland.

From fava beans to chickpeas, from religious kitchens to street food, this is a story about how food travels, adapts, and becomes ordinary in places far from where it began.

1. 📚 References

   • Falafel (Wikipedia). Overview of the dish’s ingredients, origins, variations, and cultural context. Wikipedia
     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falafel

   • Falafel: A Humble Vegetarian Staple in Middle Eastern Cuisine — Munchery. Article on falafel’s cultural role, classic preparation, and serving ideas. munchery.com
     https://www.munchery.com/blog/falafel-a-humble-staple-in-middle-eastern-cuisine/

   • The History of Falafel (CultureMap). Notes on falafel’s likely origins, the fava bean → chickpea shift, and global spread. The Culture Map
     https://theculturemap.com/history-of-falafel-and-best-countries-to-taste-it/

   • Murder of Birna Brjánsdóttir (Wikipedia). Factual timeline of the disappearance, search, and conviction. Wikipedia
     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Birna_Brj%C3%A1nsd%C3%B3ttir

   • The Murder That Devastated An Entire Country — True Crime Edition. Context and narrative details of Birna’s case. True Crime Edition
     https://www.truecrimeedition.com/post/birna-brjansdottir