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Food

Science

Safeguarding the World's Chocolate Supply

Mars, the maker of M&Ms, is teaming with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and IBM to make chocolate give up its secrets. They're spending more than $10 million in an effort to sequence the genome of the cacao plant — from which chocolate is made.

Safeguarding the World's Chocolate Supply

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Diversions

New Orleans Declares Sazerac Its Cocktail of Choice

The Louisiana Legislature has proclaimed the Sazerac — a potent mix of rye whiskey, bitters and absinthe — New Orleans' official cocktail. A local bar chef explains the appeal and shares the secret to making the iconic drink.

New Orleans Declares Sazerac Its Cocktail of Choice

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London's Gardens: Allotments for the People

Sam Clark, chef and Manor Garden allotment holder. Kitchen Sisters hide caption

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Kitchen Sisters

Hidden Kitchens: The Kitchen Sisters

London's Gardens: Allotments for the People

London's "allotment" gardens are an unusual system of community gardens across the city. Tended by immigrants, retirees, chefs and fans of fresh food, they make up a kitchen community like no other.

London's Gardens: Allotments for the People

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Bryant Park Project Video

Raw Milk: Panacea or Poison?

Only eight states allow raw milk to be sold in stores for human consumption, but that hasn't stopped people across the country from drinking it. Fans argue that pasteurization kills good bacteria as well as bad, but experts are divided.

Raw Milk: Panacea or Poison?

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Kitchen Window

Breakfast Baking: Better Fast Food

Breakfast has long been touted as the most important meal of the day. It gives you energy and keeps your appetite in check until dinner. But who has time to eat it? One solution to the modern breakfast dilemma isn't faster fast food, but a mainstay of home baking — the quick bread.

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Cooking and Cookbooks

Nigella Lawson: Simple, Not Plain, Summer Fare

Now that summer is here, food lovers will be gathering outdoors for all sorts of celebrations. Most people like to keep it casual, but food writer and cook Nigella Lawson says there's room for a little bit of elegance, too.

Nigella Lawson: Simple, Not Plain, Summer Fare

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A Dash of Flavor and Culture from Afghanistan

Afghanistan's ambassador to the U.S. and his wife recently hosted a celebration at the embassy, where a private demonstration by the chef produced a traditional eggplant dish that is simple to make, yet dances on the tongue.

A Dash of Flavor and Culture from Afghanistan

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Diversions

'Baconhenge' Rituals Confound Historians

The exact origins of "Baconhenge" food sculpting are as murky as the history of the British stone monument which inspired the obscure breakfast art. Carin Huber, editor of AntiCraft magazine, probes the not-so-ancient pastime.

'Baconhenge' Rituals Confound Historians

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Diversions

Will Australia Swear Off Foul-Mouthed TV Chef?

Gordon Ramsay's cooking show has prompted Australia's parliament to consider new rules against profanity. He's known for swearing at restaurant staff. And some viewers thought it was a little excessive when he used a four-letter word 80 times in 40 minutes.

Will Australia Swear Off Foul-Mouthed TV Chef?

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Religion

How to Know Halal is Really Halal

Some Muslims want assurances that their meat was ritually slaughtered according to Islamic law. Following reports of unsanctioned practices at a kosher slaughterhouse, shoppers who buy meat processed according to religious law are worried.

How to Know Halal is Really Halal

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Essay

Tomatoes Not Chopped From This Menu

For NPR's Andrea Seabrook, tomatoes are not just a fruit or the main ingredient of spaghetti sauce and salsa. For Seabrook and her family, tomatoes are part of life. As such, they continue to eat tomatoes despite the salmonella scare.

Tomatoes Not Chopped From This Menu

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Environment

A Not-So-Sweet Lesson from Brazil's Cocoa Farms

A fungus that only attacks cacao trees swept through eastern Brazil in the late 1980s and early '90s, ravaging the area's cocoa industry. The blight set in motion a series of events that changed the ecology of the entire region, a devastating lesson in the laws of nature.

A Not-So-Sweet Lesson from Brazil's Cocoa Farms

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Health

Reacting to the Tomato Scare: Overdone or Not Enough?

The number of Americans becoming sick from eating tomatoes contaminated with salmonella bacteria is rising. Douglas Powell, associate professor for food safety, discusses whether people are overreacting — or not reacting seriously enough — to such foodborne illnesses.

Reacting to the Tomato Scare: Overdone or Not Enough?

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