Although persistence of experience-dependent information is the major defining attribute of memory, only little is known about how long-term and remote memory are embodied in the brain. Two elements of the current textbook account are particularly relevant. One, that consolidation, the post-encoding process in which the memory trace becomes resistant to amnesic agents, occurs just once per item. Second, that long-term memory involves modulation of gene expression and growth processes culminating in synaptic remodeling and hence altered synaptic morphology. Most of the aforementioned conclusions are based on the investigation of simple models. But how do memories persist in the mammalian brain in real-life over weeks, months, years? Based on studies on taste memory in the rat cortex, I will present recent findings on memory consolidation, reconsolidation and persistence, which generalize to cast new light on brain mechanisms of long-term memory and on memory stability and veracity.