You may remember a post a few days ago on how barley is being replaced by sorghum for commercial beer-brewing in West Africa. Coincidentally, Timbuktu Chronicles pointed me to a 2004 paper which evaluated different local replacements for hops. Sorghum-and-cola beer, anyone? Anyone?
Nibbles: Genebanks, organic, fair, chocolate
- American farming family gets tour of organic research farm and genebank in India, is impressed.
- The International Agricultural Show is on, just outside Paris. Pres. Sarkozy available for comment.
- A rapid run-through the history of chocolate, courtesy of Smithsonian.
Nibbles: Japan, BBC TV, sauce, basmati, banana
- Indoor farms in Tokyo, growing a diversity of non-pot crops, to train yoof. Via.
- BBC News web site picks up on BBC World TV documentary on neglected species.
- The geography of sauce in South Carolina.
- India and Pakistan find something to agree on: basmati rice.
- Have we already mentioned this new book on bananas?
Saving local breeds, then eating them
Matthew Fort, who writes on food and drink for the Guardian newspaper in the UK, waxes lyrical about the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and its mission:
Speaking personally, on the whole I worry rather more about the survival of Boreray sheep and Marsh Daisy poultry than I do about the snow leopard or the hairy-nosed wombat, if only on the grounds that I would like the chance to eat them.
History of lettuce
Romaine, the oldest lettuce…