food

Rows of potted cocoa plants from around the world. Before a cocoa variety from one country can be planted in another, it first makes a pit stop here, at a quarantine center in rural England.

The Fate Of The World's Chocolate Depends On This Spot In Rural England

1:49pm March 17, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

Cocoa is unusually susceptible to disease. Every year, a third of the crop is destroyed, even as the appetite for chocolate grows. That's why the world needs the International Cocoa Quarantine Centre.

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Looks Matter: A Century Of Iconic Food Packaging

1:49pm March 17, 2015

by Tove Danovich

Many of the boxes, bags and bottles that contain our edibles were once groundbreaking — both in their design and in how they changed our perception of what's inside. Designers tell us their favorites.

The bone stays in, the grease goes everywhere.

Arts

Sandwich Monday: Bone-In Pork Chop Sandwich

3:09pm March 16, 2015

by Ian Chillag

For this week's Sandwich Monday, we try a Chicago sandwich classic from Jim's Original. They leave the bone in — for flavor, and for danger.

Arts

The Elixir Du Jour: Bone Broth

11:03am March 15, 2015

Stock or broth? Whatever you call it, it's having its moment. Food commentator Bonny Wolf explains the hottest ancient trendy drink.

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Science

Pi Day Isn't Just Magical, It's Mathematics. And There's Pie!

10:04am March 14, 2015

by L. Carol Ritchie

Math geeks are excited about 3-14-15, this year's Pi Day. The San Francisco Exploratorium will celebrate with a pizza-pi-dough-tossing contest, a pi parade and special pie. Mmmm, pie. Or is it pi?

Science
Arts

Making Pies For Pi Day: Think Inside The Circle

6:03pm March 13, 2015

by Doreen McCallister

As math lovers know, it's almost Pi Day. And what better way to celebrate than by rolling out the dough? An NPR editor known for her experimental baking shares some of her favorite recipes.

Planet: bottom of a glass containing half-and-half, water and food coloring. Moons: bottom of a glass containing coconut milk, water and food coloring. Stars: salt, cinnamon, baking powder and Tums.

Science
Arts

Behold! The Cosmos Created From The Contents Of A Kitchen

12:13pm March 13, 2015

by Poncie Rutsch

From spices, flour, milk, water and food coloring, a photographer creates startlingly realistic-looking images of space. These photos are convincing enough to impress an astrophysicist.

Jack Bishop says it's the soy sauce in the Mushroom Bolognese that really makes it pop.

Books
Arts

'Test Kitchen': How To Make Vegetarian Dishes Pop With A Little Umami

11:46am March 13, 2015

Cooking with plant foods naturally high in compounds called glutamates can stimulate the same taste receptors that meat does. America's Test Kitchen explains in The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook.

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The cuisines of the classical world made use of cumin both as a flavoring and a drug.

From Ancient Sumeria To Chipotle Tacos, Cumin Has Spiced Up The World

11:44am March 13, 2015

by Adam Maskevich

Cumin has been popular since the dawn of written history: It's the only English word that can be traced directly back to Sumerian. Since then it has insinuated itself into cuisines around the world.

"Brewers in my district are about not only about the sort of art of brewing, they're about jobs," says Rep. Patrick McHenry, seen pouring a beer in his Capitol Hill office.

A Craft Beer Tax Battle Is Brewing On Capitol Hill

7:49am March 13, 2015

by Juana Summers

Craft beer is a rapidly growing industry, and Washington lawmakers have noticed. Two proposed bills would lower the federal excise tax for small brewers.

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