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Food

U.S. Haggis Lovers' Hopes Dashed

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

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.

U.S. Haggis Lovers' Hopes Dashed

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Must-See Science: Videos From Science Friday

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

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!

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

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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

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.

Officials Take Blame For Christmas Day Security Gaps

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Diversions

Pig Legs Bring Home Bacon For London Shop

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.

Pig Legs Bring Home Bacon For London Shop

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Monsanto GMO Ignites Big Seed War

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

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.

Monsanto GMO Ignites Big Seed War

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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

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.

A Chinese Imperial Feast A Year In The Eating

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Chef Hopes To Make Carp A Popular Dish

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.

Chef Hopes To Make Carp A Popular Dish

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Food Lovers Discover The Joys Of Aleppo

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

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.

Food Lovers Discover The Joys Of Aleppo

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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

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.

Going Organic Helps A Small Dairy Stay Afloat

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Yogurt Dominated Palates In The Aughts

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.

Yogurt Dominated Palates In The Aughts

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