food

Megan Walhood loves the unique toasty potato flavor of lefse. "There's something so comforting about soft, starchy things," she says.

World News

For Norwegian-Americans, Christmas Cheer Is Wrapped Up In Lefse

2:24pm December 22, 2014

by Deena Prichep

For many Norwegian-American families, the most anticipated Christmas treat isn't chocolate or sugar-dusted cookies. It's a simple potato-based pancake, spread with butter and sugar or jam.

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Panamanian tamales stuffed with chicken and wrapped in bijao leaves — one of hundreds of interpretations of the dish found throughout Latin America.

Pride And Prejudice: For Latinos, Tamales Can Taste Of Both

1:05pm December 22, 2014

by Maria Godoy

Tamales are a Christmas Eve tradition throughout Latin America, but there are hundreds of different versions. Whose is best? That's a question likely to elicit a fiercely partisan response.

An unmanned aerial vehicle films vineyards in France. Drones like this one are also being used in Califiornia, as part of a broader "precision farming" movement designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

In Wineries Vs. Weather, Drones To The Rescue?

1:43pm December 21, 2014

by Renee Morad

Rising temperatures have hastened harvest dates in Sonoma County — and they're changing grape-growing patterns around the world. Vineyards are responding with everything from sunscreen to sensors.

The author, Dr. Gavin Francis, arrived at Halley base on Christmas Eve 2002, at the height of the Antarctic midsummer, when 24-hour sunlight illuminates the vast swathes of empty ice.

Antarctic Holiday: A Christmas Feast In The Loneliest Spot On Earth

5:17am December 20, 2014

by Gavin Francis

For Dr. Gavin Francis, Christmas Eve marked the start of a year-long stay in an icy research base 8,700 miles from home. In this "empire of ice and isolation," he says, food is essential to morale.

World News

New Cuba Relationship Could Be A Boon For American Farmers

6:58pm December 19, 2014

by Jackie Northam

Two-thirds of the food Cubans eat is imported — but the reestablishment of ties with the U.S. could open opportunities for American farmers.

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A woman prepares a Japanese Christmas cake at the Patisserie Akira Cake shop on Dec. 23, 2011. The sponge cake is drenched in symbolic meaning.

Japan's Beloved Christmas Cake Isn't About Christmas At All

2:32pm December 19, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

The Japanese Christmas cake takes its name from the Christian holiday, but it actually symbolizes building a life of prosperity from nothing. And it's ubiquitous (it's even in your smartphone).

Science

How Peppermint Tricks Us Into Feeling (Deliciously) Cold

12:00pm December 19, 2014

by Maanvi Singh

We have the chemical menthol to thank for the wonderful mouth-feel of peppermint. Scientists now know that menthol fools the brain by activating receptors involved with sensing cold.

Sugar, coffee, fruit juice for babies, oil and salt inside a market subsidized by the government in Havana on July 11, 2013.

What The Change In U.S.-Cuba Relations Might Mean For Food

8:14am December 19, 2014

by Eliza Barclay

The decision to normalize relations is driving all kinds of speculation about American food companies opening up shop in Cuba. But analysts say: Don't expect to see McDonald's there anytime soon.

Arts

Beware The Tippling Point, And Other Cocktail Party Tips

6:35pm December 18, 2014

It's the season of holiday cocktail parties and Dan Pashman of the Sporkful podcast has tips for how to be a good guest and host. For instance, if you want to enjoy drinks and appetizers, buddy up.

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Damaged olives hang in the grove belonging to Augusto Spagnoli, an oil producer from Nerola, near Rome. Producers and experts declared Italy's 2014 olive harvest the worst in history, due to adverse climatic conditions that helped the olive fly proliferat

World News

Olive Oil Producers In 'Crisis' From Weather, Pests And Disease

6:15pm December 18, 2014

by NPR Staff

Global olive oil production is down. Italian groves have been especially hard hit by a disease that killed 1 million trees. Audie Cornish speaks with Curtis Cord, publisher of the Olive Oil Times.

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