Nibbles – Page 430 – Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

February 11, 2008February 12, 2008

Machine with a taste for espresso

Swiss scientists announce a machine “to predict the sensory profile of espresso coffee.” Luigi comments: “Yeah, right.”

February 10, 2008

Yet more potato salad

And part 38. “La papa es peruana.” Chileans unavailable for comment.

February 8, 2008

More potato salad

Never rains but it pours, part 37. Local newspaper article on the US potato genebank.

February 8, 2008

More on Columbian Exchange

Columbus not responsible for lice.

February 7, 2008February 8, 2008

More hot cocoa

Never rains but it pours. Mars and Nestle jump on the ethical cacao bandwagon.

1. Ancient farmers didn’t have to wait for the genetic diversity that made domestication possible. They selected from variation already present in wild plants, including the ancestors of rice and maize. Domestication was as much about spotting (or happening upon) useful differences as creating new ones.
2. English colonists in America called Indigenous dogs “wolves,” revealing as much about colonial perceptions as about the animals themselves. This history of Indigenous dogs shows how unfamiliar animals were classified through peculiarly European ideas about wildness.
3. Austria is bringing forgotten apple varieties back to life. Saving old varieties in genebanks is one thing: getting people to grow, sell and eat them is another, but it can be done. Or at least tried.
4. Jordan’s olive-oil heritage centres on traditional varieties such as Nabali and ancient Rumi trees, but most production is consumed locally, leaving exports limited and making provenance, cultivar and harvest date important indicators for buyers. Compare and contrast with Austrian apples.
5. Small island developing states have distinctive food cultures and ingredients, but face particular challenges in building sustainable and resilient food systems. FAO’s A Taste of SIDS explores the connections between island food, biodiversity and culinary heritage. Nice to see diversity within crops considered, though a few local variety names would have been nice.
Published on October 21, 2026