Food : NPR

Scottish master butcher Neil Watt and his haggis. Martin Cleaver/AP File hide caption

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Martin Cleaver/AP File

U.S. Haggis Lovers' Hopes Dashed

January 31, 2010 • It's still illegal to import haggis from Scotland, despite reports saying otherwise. There's been a ban on this concoction of sheep meat cooked in a stomach since 1989, when mad cow disease was in the news.

Lynda Balslev for NPR

Opinion

Kitchen Window

A French Culinary Love Affair

January 26, 2010 • While attending cooking school in Paris in her 20s, food writer Lynda Balslev fell in love with the unfussy comfort food of her neighborhood bistros. She returned to the U.S. years later with recipes that satisfy her enduring taste for the flavors of the French countryside.

National

FDA Bows To Pressure From Fans Of Raw Oysters

January 26, 2010 • Facing political pressure from the Gulf Coast oyster industry, the FDA has backed off a plan to require that raw Gulf of Mexico oysters be treated to rid them of a potentially deadly bacteria found in warm-water oysters. The plan had sparked anger in Louisiana — especially in New Orleans.

Must-See Science: Videos From Science Friday

What's In That Fish Stick? Give It A DNA Test

January 22, 2010 • Brenda Tan and Matt Cost, high school seniors from Trinity School in New York City, used a technique called DNA barcoding to find out what species were present in over 200 animal products. Their results suggest buyers should beware!

Officials Take Blame For Christmas Day Security Gaps

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano (L) testifies during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Hearing. Ann Heisenfelt/Getty Images hide caption

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Ann Heisenfelt/Getty Images

National Security

Officials Take Blame For Christmas Day Security Gaps

January 20, 2010 • In hearings on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Obama administration officials accepted blame for intelligence failures leading to the attempted attack on a Detroit-bound plane. Republicans questioned why the suspect is being tried in federal, rather than military, courts.

Spirited Cooking: Keep Some Liquor In The Kitchen

Kevin D. Weeks for NPR

Opinion

Kitchen Window

Spirited Cooking: Keep Some Liquor In The Kitchen

January 19, 2010 • Alcohol is a key ingredient in a fair share of holiday dishes, but there's reason to keep liquor in the kitchen the rest of the year: tequila-marinated chicken, for one, or vodka sauce for pasta. Aside from imparting its own flavor, alcohol can bring out the best in other ingredients.

Diversions

Pig Legs Bring Home Bacon For London Shop

January 18, 2010 • The world's most expensive ham goes on sale Monday at a posh food store in London. Each Albarragena ham leg is wrapped in a special apron made by a Spanish tailor. Given the $3,000 price tag, the hams come with DNA certificates — proving the meat comes from pigs fed on wild grasses, roots and acorns who roam freely in the fields of western Spain.

Indian-Chinese Cuisine: Of Spice And Zen

Monica Bhide for NPR

Opinion

Kitchen Window

Indian-Chinese Cuisine: Of Spice And Zen

January 12, 2010 • Combining the flavors and traditions of these neighboring nations, long a practice in India, is gaining popularity across America. The intriguing hybrids are high in flavor, easy to make — and always leave you wanting more.

A farmer displays two corncobs from bioengineered seed (right) and two non-GMO corncobs seized with vermin. Sven Kaestner/AP hide caption

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Sven Kaestner/AP

Science

Monsanto GMO Ignites Big Seed War

KCUR 89.3

January 12, 2010 • Monsanto's Roundup Ready gene inoculates plants against a herbicide that kills everything but the crop. Monsanto's critics claim that the company has used this technology to gain a monopolistic grip on the seed industry. The company has drawn lawsuits from competitors and investigations from state attorneys general and the Justice Department.

A Chinese Imperial Feast A Year In The Eating

Sea cucumber with swan goose meat. Xiao Kaijing for NPR hide caption

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Xiao Kaijing for NPR

Asia

A Chinese Imperial Feast A Year In The Eating

January 9, 2010 • China is experiencing a resurgent interest in things imperial. If you care to taste this fascination, there are restaurants in China that purport to recreate imperial feasts. Chef Sun Xiaochun charges just over $54,000 for his 268-dish feast — and his clients take up to a year to sample it all.

Chef Hopes To Make Carp A Popular Dish

January 8, 2010 • Asian carp may be a problem in the Great Lakes, but in Louisiana they are renaming it silver fin and promoting it as a delicacy. Chef Philippe Parola says the Asian carp's texture is a cross between scallop and crabmeat, adding its bones can be removed easily by steaming.

Nicole Spiridakis for NPR

Opinion

Kitchen Window

Going With Whole Grains

January 5, 2010 • Resolutions are so last decade. This year, share a New Year's revelation: Whole grains aren't just good for you — they taste great, too. And less familiar varieties like quinoa, bulgur and farro can help keep a wholesome new diet from becoming humdrum.

The markets of Aleppo brim with fresh vegetables and spices. Deborah Amos/NPR hide caption

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Deborah Amos/NPR

Middle East

Food Lovers Discover The Joys Of Aleppo

January 5, 2010 • Aleppo, in northern Syria, is one of the oldest cities in the world. Now, this Middle East gourmet capital is registering on the itineraries of food tourists. Its cuisine is the product of fertile land and location — along the Silk Road, an ancient trading route.

Going Organic Helps A Small Dairy Stay Afloat

After the morning milking, the cows head out to graze on the 146-acre farm. Kathleen Masterson/NPR hide caption

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Kathleen Masterson/NPR

Business

Going Organic Helps A Small Dairy Stay Afloat

January 3, 2010 • Up before dawn seven days week, Tim Maikshilo and Kristen Dellert still couldn't turn a profit off their conventional northern Vermont dairy farm. But after a couple of years with an empty barn, they gave it another go — this time, as part of an organic co-op.

Yogurt Dominated Palates In The Aughts

January 1, 2010 • There have been many fads in the American diet over the past decade: slow-food, low carb and locavorism. But what have Americans really been putting on their plates? Harry Balzer of the NPD, a consumer market research firm, says the aughts were the decade of yogurt.