For many people gathering around the table this holiday season, things feel a little different. Maybe it’s the cost of ingredients that’s on your mind, or cuts to USDA funding that have left your food bank running low. Or maybe it’s the simple reality of a packed schedule — there’s a lot to cook, and so little time. 

In this special from Marketplace, we bring listeners a collection of stories on the business and economics of food. Our reporters take us across the country to farms, home kitchens and restaurants. We visit a refugee farmer in Houston, a chocolate-making lab in California and stop for a bite at an award-winning restaurant in Portland. 

We also take a journey into the past — all the way to 1374, to be exact — when gelatin first appeared in a medieval cookbook. And we explore how it went from a dish for the wealthy, to the humble Jell-O cups of today. 

You’ll hear about how one woman is making meals on a budget with her “recession recipes.” How climate change is reshaping some of our favorite sweets. And why a simple dish, like hot dogs, could be the perfect holiday meal. 

Whatever your festive feasts look like, Marketplace breaks down what’s really shaping the food on your table. Plus, we bring a few recipes, cost-saving tips and a side of nostalgia. 

“Feeding the Family” was a station special hosted by Amy Scott, with reporting from Dylan Miettinen, Alice Wilder, Elizabeth Trovall, and Mitchell Hartman. Emma Condon produced this special. Editing by Caitlin Esch. Scoring and mixing by Brian Allison.