National Chemistry Week: The Hidden Life of Spices
Saturday, October 25, 2025 | 11am-2pm EDT
Science History Institute
315 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia
PA
19106
Celebrate the spice of life during the American Chemical Society’s National Chemistry Week: The Hidden Life of Spices!
During this family-friendly event, you’ll have a chance to
- find out how spices get their flavors from their chemical makeup
- see historic recipe books
- learn about food adulteration
- sample some black pepper brown sugar cookies adapted from a recipe from Martha Washington’s A Booke of Cookery and baked by Shane Confectionery
- learn about the making of spices and the spice industry with Penzeys Spices and take home some freebies
- talk to a spice scientist from the Society of Flavor Chemists to learn how spices are developed
Admission is free and reservations are not required.
More events
Othmer Library Tour
Curious about the other half of the Science History Institute? Step into the Othmer Library of Chemical History!
Philadelphia: Workshop of the World
Join us for March First Friday as we unveil Philadelphia: Workshop of the World, the latest exhibition from our A Closer Read series.
Stories of Science: Celebrating Women’s History
Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights strange and surprising stories from the history of science!