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BBC World Service


The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.


The Food Chain

For 20 years Sandor Katz has been fascinated by fermentation - the breaking down of food and drink by microbes. Through his books and workshops he has helped thousands of people begin to experiment with flavours, fruits, vegetables, spices... and microorganisms. 

Dan Saladino travels to Sandor's forest home in rural Tennessee to meet Sandor, hear his story, and discover for himself the transformative potential of this culinary process.

Producer: Rich Ward

The Art of Fermentation

Which food do you associate with your favourite sport? 

Pie and chips at an English football match, biriyanis at the cricket in Pakistan or grilling meat in the parking lot outside an American football game – there are some tasty traditions which go hand-in-hand with sport across the world. 

Ruth Alexander hears how a traditional rice dish can bring two rival nations together over a game of cricket, and how a disappointing sausage roll before a football game led one man on a country-wide quest for better food for fans. 

Over a pile of warming chips on a frosty night in South Manchester, Ruth discovers how getting the food right off the pitch might help a team’s fortune improve on the pitch. 

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk 

Presenter: Ruth Alexander 

Producer: Hannah Bewley 

Additional reporting: Ben Derico

(Image: a box of chips with gravy and curry sauce held beside a football pitch. Credit: BBC)

Stadium food

Prosecco flavoured crisps? Eggnog chicken? Sticky toffee pudding trifle? 

The innovation for novelty Christmas products seems endless, but is there the appetite? 

Ruth Alexander lifts the lid on an industry churning out festive food hits, and flops, in the race for Christmas tastebuds. 

She visits the Good Housekeeping Institute in London to take part in an opulent dessert testing event, deciding which puddings are the best on the shelves this year. 

Eric Nummelin and Mike Vahabi from Hela Spice in Toronto, Canada, reveal the wacky inventions they have come up with for this year, and how inspiration can strike at any time. 

A former buyer for a large European supermarket chain talks about how to “win” Christmas with headline-grabbing products, and what happens when shoppers try things once and don’t go back for more. 

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk 

Presenter: Ruth Alexander 

Producer: Hannah Bewley 

(Image: Colourful Christmas treats and biscuits. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Has Christmas food gone mad?

When there are so many recipes available for free online, why does anyone still buy cookbooks? 

In this programme we look into the business of selling cookbooks, what future the format may have and hear about the treasured tomes you turn to time and time again. 

Ruth Alexander visits Books for Cooks, a specialist cookbook shop in London, to chat to Eric Treuille who cooks lunch for his customers from a different cookbook each day. 

She speaks to cookbook writers Mogau Seshoene in South Africa, author of ‘The Lazy Makoti’ books, and Joanne Molinaro in the US, author of ‘The Korean Vegan’. 

Doris Cooper tells Ruth what a publisher is looking for in a cookbook. She tells Ruth about her big hits and misses as editor-in-chief of Simon Element, a division of Simon and Schuster in New York. 

And listeners in Italy, Malta and the US tell us about their favourite cookbooks. 

If you would like to contact the programme email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk. 

Presented by Ruth Alexander. 

Produced by Beatrice Pickup. 

(Image: Ruth Alexander with her grandmother’s cookbook, which still holds her handwritten pastry recipe. Credit: BBC)

What's the point of cookbooks?

Rice is the main staple for over half the world’s population. 

The crop has problems though – it is vulnerable to climate change, whether that’s drought or flooding. It’s also a crop that contributes to climate change, as it uses more water than other grain crops and is frequently grown in flooded conditions. Rice production is also a big source of methane emissions. 

In this programme Ruth Alexander hears about the possible solutions to these problems. Dr Yvonne Pinto, Director General of the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines talks about their work developing new varieties of rice, and new more sustainable farming techniques. 

One rice company trialling these techniques is Tilda in the UK. General Manager Jean-Philippe Laborde explains what difference it’s made to water and fertiliser use as well as methane emissions. 

Given the problems with rice, should we just eat less of it? 

Jakob Klein, anthropologist at SOAS University of London explains the Chinese government’s attempts to convince people to eat more potato as a staple food. 

And we talk about the cultural importance of rice with listeners in the Philippines and Bangladesh. 

If you’d like to contact the programme email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk 

Presented by Ruth Alexander. 

Produced by Beatrice Pickup. 

(Image: a steaming bowl of rice with chopsticks above it holding a mouthful of white rice grains. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Should we eat less rice?

Around 100 countries have official dietary guidelines, and more are on their way. But who is following them? 

Ruth Alexander asks how realistic healthy-eating advice is as she explores how official recommendations are developed, what they’re trying to achieve, and the obstacles standing in our way. 

We hear from Fatima Hachem, Senior Nutrition Officer at the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, about how her team offers support to countries designing dietary guidelines.

Chiza Kunwenda, senior lecturer in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Zambia, tells us how he and a team of others drew up the latest dietary guidelines for Zambia and other countries in Africa.

In Argentina, as well as advice, the government has issued black octagonal warning labels on foods high in salt sugar, saturated fats and calories. Are people taking notice? 

And can people around the world afford to eat according to guidelines? Dr Anna Herforth co-directed the Food prices for Nutrition project at Tufts University in the United States, tells us what she found. We also hear from shoppers at a community food outlet in the North West of England, about how cost is barrier to healthy eating.

(Image: a plate of food showing suggested dietary guidelines. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

If you’d like to contact the programme, email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk. 

Producers: Hannah Bewley and Izzy Greenfield.

Is anyone following dietary guidelines?

Why do we enjoy foods that crunch? 

Listener Sheila Harris contacted The Food Chain with that question and asked us to find out if the food texture has any benefits. 

Ruth Alexander speaks to Danielle Reed, Chief Science Officer at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, US, who says that crunchy foods signal freshness and help our brains decide if a food is safe to eat. 

Paediatric dentist Ashley Lerman in New York, US says crunchy fruit and vegetables can act as a natural tooth cleaner. 

Anthropologist Professor Noreen von Cramon-Taubadel at the University at Buffalo in New York, US says that the texture of our diets can impact the shape of our faces. Her work has studied how jaw shape has changed as humans switched from hunter gatherer to farming diets. 

Ciarán Forde, Professor of Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour at Wageningen University in the Netherlands explains how crunchy and other hard textures could help us to eat more slowly and consume fewer calories. 

And could crunch make foods more palatable? Chef Dulsie Fadzai Mudekwa in Zimbabwe says the texture is key to convincing people to try edible insects. 

If you have a question for The Food Chain email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk 

Produced by Beatrice Pickup. 

(Image: a woman biting a stick of celery. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Crunch!

People have been eating out in restaurants and bars for hundreds of years, and some of those early establishments are still open today. 

This week Ruth Alexander meets the people running some of the world’s oldest restaurants. When so many close within the first 12 months of opening, what’s the secret to centuries-old success?

Antonio Gonzales Gomez runs Botin, in the Spanish capital Madrid. The restaurant is judged as the oldest by the Guinness World Records, and he tells us how he and his family have kept it going for so long.

Ruth heads to the east of England to Nottingham, where the battle to claim the title of 'world's oldest pub' is fierce. Buildings archaeologist Dr James Wright explains what evidence he's found to declare the winner.

We hear how a 200-year-old tavern in Missouri, in the United States, has been battling to stay open, and the man who runs the "oldest sausage restaurant in the world" tells us why being located of an historic German town boosts business.

The world's oldest restaurants

We find out the secret recipe that goes into some of the TV food shows watched by millions around the world. 

From hiring snake wranglers in South Africa to fending off flies in Sweden, three top producers lift the lid on what it takes to serve up a feast of culinary entertainment. 

Seasoned professionals Avril Beaven (Great British Menu), Irene Wong (Man Fire Food) and Jane Kennedy (Masterchef South Africa and My Kitchen Rules South Africa) explain the people skills needed to manage big personalities. And open up about the gruelling schedule that goes into creating televised cooking shows. 

If you would like to get in touch with the programme, email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk. 

Presenter: Ruth Alexander 

Producers: Sam Clack and Hannah Bewley 

(Image: Jane Kennedy, Irene Wong and Avril Beaven)

How to make a TV cooking show

What motivates someone to dedicate years of their life to learning one skill?

Ruth Alexander finds out what it takes to master a craft, the exacting standards one must meet, and why it's all worth it.

Sushi chef Eddie Chow tells us how it took more than ten years to achieve the title of 'master sushi chef', and the pain of getting there.

What does it take to become an illustrious master butcher in Germany? Claus Bobel explains the importance of tradition, and his daughter Yulia tells us why she's following in his footsteps.

And 'Lady of the Ham' Cati Gomez describes the process of becoming a cartadora, and why ham carving is getting more and more popular around the world.

Masters of the craft

Taste, it turns out, is not a matter of opinion. Scientists have discovered that your perception of taste is informed by your genetics. 

When we eat or drink something, we may be having an entirely different experience to the person we’re sharing a meal with, or the chef who has prepared it, or the critic who has recommended it. 

In this programme Ruth Alexander explores her likes and dislikes and how they might be informed by biology. 

Ruth meets Laura Kent of the Yorkshire Wine School in the UK who helps her learn about her sensitivity to acidic and bitter flavours. Ruth speaks to Anne Fadiman, writer and Professor of creative writing at Yale University in the US, who dislikes wine, despite her wine critic father loving it. Danielle Reed, Chief Science Officer at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, US, explains the science. Tim Hanni, Master of Wine, and author of ‘Why You Like The Wine You Like’ argues that the wine industry is not paying enough attention to individual tastes. Where does this new science leave wine competitions? David Kermode, judge at the IWSC, International Wine and Spirits Competition, makes the case for the experts.

If you'd like to contact the programme, please contact thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk.

Presented by Ruth Alexander. 
Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: three people tasting wine. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Your taste is unique

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