Climate Cuisine

What in the world is regenerative travel? Kristy Drutman, the host of the Brown Girl Green podcast, takes us deep into green travel, where sustainability is about so much more than carbon offsets. Resources: Brown Girl Green: https://www.browngirlgreen.com Amando Ho: https://www.regenerativetravel.com Paco Guerrero: https://www.gridmagazine.ph To listen to more episodes of Unpacked, click here!

Mark talks to the groundbreaking chef, Asma Khan, about the importance of the Anglo-Indian influence, how food and cooking are undervalued, and the beauty of interfamily lessons across generations. Follow Mark on Twitter at @bittman, and on Facebook and Instagram at @markbittman. Subscribe to Mark's newsletter The Bittman Project at www.bittmanproject.com.

Sweet potato has a larger growing range than the common potato and can thrive from sea level up to nearly 9,800 feet. In the final episode of this season of Climate Cuisine, we’ll talk with a researcher at the International Potato Center in Peru about the incredible root, and a sustainability teacher in Costa Rica who has figured out how to grow everything she and her family consume.Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about this episode of Climate Cuisine at www.whetstoneradio.com, on IG at @whetstoneradio, Twitter at @whetstone_radio, and YouTube at /WhetstoneRadio.

Malabar spinach is a leafy green in the tropics that grows all year round, and its vibrant purple seeds can even be used for hair dye. In this episode, we’ll talk with a Texan woman who dyed her daughter’s hair purple with the seeds, a plant researcher in Washington D.C. describing it is a great alternative food source, and a rooftop gardener in Taipei using it as a spinach substitute. Topics covered in this episode: Min 0:07: Meet Stephanie Fredrickson Min 2:14: Intro to malabar spinach Min 3:59: Experiments with the berries Min 6:47: Meet Mamatha Hanumappa Min 8:09: Why grow malabar spinach? Min 11:09: Ways to cook malabar spinach Min 13:04: The health benefits Min 15:11: Meet Kate Nicholson Min 17:17: Other similar perennials Min 18:56: Reevaluating the definition of sustainability Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about this episode of Climate Cuisine at www.whetstoneradio.com, on IG and Twitter at @whetstoneradio, and YouTube at /WhetstoneRadio.

Hey Climate Cuisine fans! I’d love for you to listen to this episode of Fruit Love Letters about persimmons from fellow Whetstone Radio host Jessamine Star. Fruit Love Letters is a curious audio-epistolary foray into the Anthropocene of fruit interwoven with original poetry. If you’ve loved learning about taro, pigeon pea and bananas, you’ll really enjoy the first season of Fruit Love Letters about apples, mulberry, pawpaw and breadfruit among many others, now streaming here wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about Fruit Love Letters here: https://www.whetstonemagazine.com/fruit-love-letters

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world; some varieties can grow up to three feet daily. Considered invasive in some parts of the United States, it is embraced in Latin America and Asia for its use in architecture, fashion and food. In this episode, we’ll chat with Hans Friederich, the former director of the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization; Momoko Nakamura, a food educator and storyteller in Japan; Kevindra Soemantri, a food journalist in Indonesia; and Hui Ting Tsai, a bamboo weaver in Taiwan.Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about this episode of Climate Cuisine at www.whetstoneradio.com, on IG at @whetstoneradio, Twitter at @whetstone_radio, and YouTube at /WhetstoneRadio.

One of the staple pulses in Indian cuisine, the pigeon pea is much more than just a tasty ingredient in daal. It doubles as a natural fertilizer and can take nitrogen from the air and fix it into the soil. In this episode, we’ll talk with Aeles, an indigenous chef in Taiwan, about the ways her tribe cooks the pea; Vikram Doctor, a food journalist in India on how it’s used in Indian cuisine; and Koreen Brennan, a permaculture instructor based in Florida, on why it’s such a great plant to have in tropical gardens. Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about this episode of Climate Cuisine at www.whetstoneradio.com, on IG at @whetstoneradio, Twitter at @whetstone_radio, and YouTube at /WhetstoneRadio. Want to hear the entire episode of Spirit Plate? You can listen to Shiloh Maples here.

The breadfruit tree can live up to 100 years and produce more than 2,000 pounds of fruit each season. It’s been a staple in the tropics for generations and can be made into chips, waffles, and porridge. This episode will dive into how it’s eaten in Puerto Rico and Hawai’i. Plus, a bit about its dark history in the slave trade. We’re talking about Mike McLaughlin from the Trees That Feed Foundation, Mike Opgenorth from the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawai’i, Juliane Braun, who wrote a paper about breadfruit’s role as an 18th-century superfood, and Von Diaz, a cookbook author and esteemed food writer. Topics covered in this episode: Min 0:31: Meet Von Diaz Min 1:43: What is breadfruit and why is it important in the tropics? Min 2:56: Meet Mike McLaughlin Min 5:13: Agroforests Min 8:04: Challenges of planting breadfruit trees that last Min 10:47: Meet Mike Opgenorth Min 11:42: Breadfruit across the Pacific Min 15:53: Ways to cook breadfruit Min 17:57: Surprising nutritive qualities Min 20:35: Meet Juliane Braun Min 21:06: Breadfruit’s dark past in the Caribbean Min 24:15: Human adaptability to food Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about this episode of Climate Cuisine at www.whetstoneradio.com, on IG at @whetstoneradio, Twitter at @whetstone_radio, and YouTube at /WhetstoneRadio. Guests: Mike McLaughlin (@treesthatfeed), Mike Opgenorth (@ntbg), Von Diaz (@cocinacriolla), Juliane Braun

Meet culantro—cilantro’s tropical counterpart. It tastes like a more pungent cilantro, and in the right conditions, it grows all year round. This episode touches on how limited our repetoire of herbs are and the possiblities that come when we expand our selection beyond what's just avaliable at the grocery store. We’ll talk to food blogger Reina Gascon-Lopez on how culantro is used in Puerto Rican cuisine and award-winning cookbook author Andrea Nguyen on how she uses it in Vietnamese cooking. Topics covered in this episode: Min 0:45: Annual plants and their tropical counterparts Min 3:19: Meet Reina Gascon-Lopez Min 4:17: What is culantro? Min 6:11: How Reina cooks with cilantro Min 7:42: Culantro in the US Min 8:46: The downside to culantro Min 9:45: Meet Andrea Nguyen Min 11:37: Three sources of cilantro notes in Vietnamese cooking Min 12:42: How colonization and globalization affect our palates Min 17:24: Expanding the way you think of herbs Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about this episode of Climate Cuisine at www.whetstoneradio.com, on IG at @whetstoneradio, Twitter at @whetstone_radio, and YouTube at /WhetstoneRadio. Guests: Reina Gascon-Lopez (@thesofritoproject), Andrea Nguyen (@andreanguyen88)

There are more than 1,000 different types of bananas in the world. So why do we only have one type of banana in the grocery store? This episode is an exploration into the rich diversity of bananas and plantains — and why North American grocery stores only sell one type. We talk with biologist Rob Dunn, who wrote a book about this topic, Von Diaz, an esteemed food writer and cookbook author, Meenakshi J., a freelance journalist who wrote an article about sacred bananas, Vidya Balachander, the South Asia editor at Whetstone, and Vanessa Mota, a food blogger behind My Dominican Kitchen, for more. Topics covered in this episode: Min 0:43: Meet Von Diaz Min 1:53: Differences between bananas and plantains Min 4:29: Meet Rob Dunn Min 8:03: Story of the Cavendish banana Min 13:28: Meet Meenakshi J. Min 14:16: Bananas as divine offerings Min 15:40: Meet Vanessa Mota Min 16:55: Dominican mangú Min 18:30: Meet Vidya Balachander Min 20:04: Cooking and eating with banana leaves Min 24:26: Changing the food system Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about this episode of Climate Cuisine at www.whetstoneradio.com, on IG at @whetstoneradio, Twitter at @whetstone_radio, and YouTube at /WhetstoneRadio. Guests: Rob Dunn, Meenakshi J. (@polkajunction), Von Diaz (@cocinacriolla), Vidya Balachander (@vidya83)

Cactus isn't just a pretty backdrop in Western movies. It can be used for food, fashion, and biofuel. In fact, some varieties of cacti use 80% less water than traditional crops. We talk with John Cushman, Adrián López Velarde, and Fadi Kattan and explore how it's a crop of the future, how it's been eaten for generations in Mexico, and how it's also a symbol of resistance in Palestine. Topics covered in this episode: Min 0:36: Meet Fadi Kattan Min 3:39: The symbolic resilience of cactus in Palestine Min 7:27: How Fadi cooks with prickly pear Min 11:53: Meet Alan Bergo Min 12:25: What is a barrel cactus and what can you cook with it? Min 14:22: Meet John Cushman Min 17:03: Cactus’ potential as a source for feed and biofuel Min 20:14: Meet Adrián López Velarde Min 20:45: Origins and spread of cactus Min 23:20: Farming cactus sustainably Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about this episode of Climate Cuisine at www.whetstoneradio.com, on IG at @whetstoneradio, Twitter at @whetstone_radio, and YouTube at /WhetstoneRadio. Guests: Fadi Kattan (@fadi.f.kattan), John Cushman, Alan Bergo (@foragerchef), Adrián López Velarde (@desserto.pelle)

Taro is the basis of many Polynesian creation stories and one of the world's oldest food crops. In fact, it is so important that the Polynesians carried it with them on their boats as they migrated across the Pacific Ocean. Every part of the tuber can be eaten, from the leaves to the tuber, and back in the day a healthy taro patch meant a clean and vibrant waterway. This episode dives into the reason taro is such a staple crop, a bit about all the varieties, and why you cannot eat it raw. We chat with Arthur Wierzchos, chef Lance Seeto, and Ryan Nebeker from Food Print for more. Topics covered in this episode: Min 1:02: Taro’s role in the creation story of Hawai’i Min 3:30: Meet Arthur Wierzchos Min 4:33: Why you should never eat taro raw Min 9:18: Meet Lance Seeto Min 11:15: Different ways of cooking the entire taro plant in the Pacific Islands Min 13:17: Challenges to taro cultivation over time Min 17:11: Meet Ryan Nebeker Min 17:48: The importance of FoodPrint Min 20:55: Ways to cultivate taro Min 21:28: Why taro can be important in the face of challenges posed by climate change Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about this episode of Climate Cuisine at www.whetstoneradio.com, on IG at @whetstoneradio, Twitter at @whetstone_radio, and YouTube at /WhetstoneRadio.

Around the world, farmers are increasingly planting cassava rather than other crops to mitigate the effects of drought. Due to cassava’s drought-resistant qualities and ability to survive defoliation, it's an ideal crop for communities impacted by climate change and food insecurity. In today’s episode of Climate Cuisine, we’re discussing how cassava has been feeding people throughout South America, Africa, and Asia. It is one of the most resilient starches out there and can be processed into bread, couscous, and even boba. We’re speaking with Pierre Thiam and Andrea Castillo to learn more about this incredible crop. Topics covered in this episode: Min 1:26: An intro to Climate Cuisine Min 2:14: What is cassava? Min 2:44: Meet Tammy Turner Min 3:59: Figuring out one’s natural ecology Min 5:53: What happens when you don’t eat in accordance with your climate Min 9:36: Meet Andrea K. Castillo Min 11:02: The surprising toxin in cassava Min 11:39: Steps to make Belizean cassava bread Min 15:38: Meet Pierre Thiam Min 17:12: Ways cassava is used in West African cuisine Min 19:44: How Pierre decolonizes his cuisine Min 21:54: The ills of monoculture cassava farms Min 24:45: Increasing interest in African food cultures Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about this episode of Climate Cuisine at www.whetstoneradio.com, on IG at @whetstoneradio, Twitter at @whetstone_radio and YouTube at /WhetstoneRadio

Check out the trailer for #ClimateCuisine hosted by Taipei-based journalist Clarissa Wei. Launching this Wed, Dec 8!