Modern science is an amazing thing. Scientists are working on coding the DNA sequences of just about everything, nowadays. You can add cacao to that list.
According to the BBC, the Mars Company, in conjunction with IBM and the US Department of Agriculture, is working on coding the DNA of cacao, which is the tropical tree that we get chocolate from. They're calling it the Cacao Genome Project, and it should take about five years to complete. Some of the aims of the project include finding ways to make the trees more disease resistant and less susceptible to water shortages, as well generally improving crop yields.
One thing about this research project that is particularly admirable is that all of the information will be publicly available as the information comes. Everything they learn will be put into the Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture, so researchers all over the world will have access to the information.
I'm sure we're all aware by now that there's a rice shortage going on. Lots of factors contribute, but the bottom line is that even in the first world there is some rationing going on. But what happens if it gets worse?
The BBC recently posted this article about some possible rice replacements. Quinoa, the native South American grain, was first on the list. I think a lot of people are aware of quinoa by now, but how many people have heard of fufu? That's a west African dish made from cassava, but apparently it's not well known outside of that region's population.
Most of the other grains in the BBC article are familiar, like millet and bulgur. I know there are plenty of other grains out there, and lots of edible plants that we just don't eat. Maybe we should start thinking about that kind of thing, now that we're having shortages of some of our staple foods.
It's April 1st and you know what that means: it's April Fool's Day! You'll probably be avoiding (or not) tricks all day. I bet nothing will top this one from the BBC.
A well respected news program called Panorama broadcast a story in 1957 about a great spaghetti harvest in Switzerland. The public fell for it hook, line, and sinker. The BBC fielded hundreds of calls from viewers asking how they, too, could grow a spaghetti tree, to which they answered "Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."
This is the first I had heard of this, but it is classic! The footage from the original story is quite nice, but I can't imagine anyone actually believing it. Ah well, I guess I come from a much more cynical and media savvy age, but it's neat to look back on a time when a hoax like this was possible.
It was fifty years ago that BBC first broadcast the famous "Spaghetti Harvest" episode on their television news show Panorama. In Ticino in southern Swistzerland near Italy, the British Broadcasting Company show Panorama covered the bumper Swiss spaghetti crop of 1957.
While scenes of harvesters working in the spaghetti orchards played on the screen, the show's anchor, Richard Dimbleby, discussed how a mild winter and less infestations of the "spaghetti weevil" allowed farmers to harvest a huge crop from the Spaghetti Bushes.
Dimbleby reported, "The spaghetti harvest here in Switzerland is not, of course, carried out on anything like the tremendous scale of the Italian industry, many of you, I'm sure, will have seen pictures of the vast spaghetti plantations in the Po Valley. For the Swiss, however, it tends to be more of a family affair."
Although some children will be quick to point out which foods are healthy ones to their parents, not all children have reacted so positively to the recent changes in school lunches. At least, they haven't in the UK. The BBC conducted a survey of secondary schools (middle and high schools) and found that at 60% of them, there had been a drop in the number of students that were opting to buy the school-provided lunch since the switch to a healthier menu. Only 10% of schools had an increase in the number of students taking lunch since the change.
It's too bad that there isn't any US data on this phenomenon after so many schools and school districts have placed restrictions on what types of food are appropriate for kids to have access to during the day, but it seems likely that the problem would be a similar one, especially with older kids who can easily leave campus or go out after school to get the fries and pizzas that they have always had access to at school until now.
The problem is one that will gradually go away over time, as the kids who were used to the "old way" of doing things graduate and the number of students who think that they are entitled to something greasy and unhealthy will decrease compared to he number of children who might actually look forward to a healthier lunch.
It's not a health warning this time, at least not for people.
It's a report from the WWF that is concerned about the population of fish, everything from cod to swordfish. According to BBC, the WWF says that "much of the fish sold in Europe is the product of illegal, destructive or wasteful fishing," and that the conservation organization has warned that "continuing to buy it will bring many fish stocks to the brink of extinction."
In order to mitigate the problem, the WWF recommends that consumers only buy fish that comes from sustainable and well-managed fisheries. This is marked on fish with a Marine Stewardship Council label.
MasterChef Goes Large is coming to BBC America this fall, giving food-loving US viewers a chance to check out a great British reality show. The show is a remake of an older, more subdued British show, simply called MasterChef, and is a culinary competition that challenges amateur cooks to face off against each other to see who is the Master Chef - sort of like Top Chef, only with a seemingly greater emphasis on sheer culinary skill, passion and talent and less on interpersonal conflicts. At least, as much as can be hoped for in any sort of reality show.
The number of contestant s narrows as the season goes on and the chefs face multiple types of cooking challenges. In the Invention test, each chef has less than one hour and a set of ingredients that must be used within the time gram to create a dish. The Pressure test puts the amateurs into real kitchens to see how they fare, as well as giving viewers an inside look at some great restaurants. And for the Final test, chefs are expected to put out their best 2 course meal for a review by the judges.
The show premiers on BBC America on October 2, but if you want to get in the mood to watch, blogger Maki of i was just really very hungry played along with the invention challenges when they aired in Europe earlier this year and tried to make 40-minute meals using the same ingredients that the MasterChef contestants were given to work with.
The BBC has launched its annual Food and Farming Awards. This is to award the people and organisations working to promote good food in Britain. There are several categories, as listed below, in which nominations are accepted. The closing date for entries is the 15th September.
Best 'Dinner Lady (or man) For the best cook offering healthy meals in an institution such as a school, hospital, care home etc. Local food must be cooked on the premises.
Best Take-Away Here they are looking for the very best Indian, Italian, Chinese, or good old fish and chips.
Best Local Food Retailer These are the very cream of local butchers, fish mongers, bakers and delicatessants.
Best Food Producer For producers of food from milk and meat through to cakes and drinks.
Farmer of the Year The Farming Today award for facing the challenges of farming in the 21st century.
Best Regional/National Retail Initiative For any chain of food shops or supermarkets supplying food on a large scale - ethical and sustainability are the keys here.
BBC Food Personality of the Year This is the award for TV chefs, broadcasters or writers.
The Derek Cooper Special Award For the individual or organisation that's done most to increase our understanding of good food and the vital role it plays in our lives.
When one sets out to create a list, it is important to set standards. What criteria will be used to rule
out inappropriate items? Why is this item on the list in the first place? The BBC's list of the top 50 things to eat before you die seems to
be lacking some of these standards. Apparently, viewers and readers voted on food items, which were narrowed to a field
of 50 based on the number of votes received. The top 10 were:
I'm sure we're all aware by now that there's a rice shortage going on. Lots of factors contribute, but the bottom line is that even in the first world there is some rationing going on. But what happens if it gets worse?
It's April 1st and you know what that means: it's April Fool's Day! You'll probably be avoiding (or not) tricks all day. I bet nothing will top this one from the 
It was fifty years ago that BBC first broadcast the famous 
Although some children will be quick to point out which foods are healthy ones 
It's not a health warning this time, at least not for people. 
The BBC has launched its annual 
When one sets out to create a list, it is important to set standards. What criteria will be used to rule
out inappropriate items? Why is this item on the list in the first place? The BBC's list of the 
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