Here’s a chart showing the most popular American pizza toppings:

“Scientists disagree about when humans first tasted kale. But it is known that the ancient Greeks cultivated leafy greens, which they boiled and ate as a cure for drunkenness. And early Roman manuscripts include references to “brassica,” a word that encompassed wild turnips, cabbages and kalelike plants. By the Middle Ages, kale had spread through Europe and Asia. The Italians developed plants with “dinosaur” scales, while the Scots created varietals with leaves like frilly petticoats. The Russians produced kale that could survive in the snow.”

– http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/magazine/who-made-that-kale.html?ref=todayspaper

“This isn’t about “organic” versus “modern.” It’s about supporting the system in which small producers make decisions based on their knowledge and experience of their farms in the landscape, as opposed to buying standardized technological fixes in a bag. Some people call this knowledge-based rather than energy-based agriculture, but obviously it takes plenty of energy; as it happens, much of that energy is human, which can be a good thing.”

– http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/opinion/how-to-feed-the-world.html?pagewanted=3&ref=todayspaper

“Black pepper’s popularity dropped off a bit in the early 17th century, following the discovery of chili peppers in the New World and the expansion of the European diet beyond gruel. But it came roaring back during the Enlightenment. It was, once again, the royal chefs of Louis XIV’s court that elevated black pepper to its current status. Louis the XIV was a notoriously picky eater and preferred his food as lightly seasoned as possible—he considered seasoning a vulgar act. In fact, he banned outright the use of all eastern spices beyond salt, pepper, and parsley (deemed more wholesome and exquisite than ruddy cardamom). Black pepper’s spiky, pungent flavor provided just enough kick to the King’s meals without overwhelming the taste of the underlying foods to satiate his needs.”

– http://gizmodo.com/how-salt-and-pepper-became-the-yin-and-yang-of-condimen-1258049326

“

Before the widespread industrialization of the dairy industry, most butter in the United States was made with cultured (also called clabbered) cream. Fresh cream from the evening milking would be allowed to sit out overnight so that the milk could settle and the cream could rise to the top.

During those unrefrigerated hours, the micro-organisms in the milk caused it to sour ever so slightly, taking on a nutty tanginess. This cream was then churned into butter, which retained those delightful flavors.

Once all dairy was routinely pasteurized the active cultures were killed, and therefore the milk could no longer sour on its own. Thus it became easier for farmers to make butter out of sweet cream, because creating cultured cream added another step (live cultures would have to be added back into the pasteurized milk, which is now standard practice in Europe).

This country grew used to the milder taste of sweet cream butter. That is, until it rediscovered cultured butter via the imported European stuff back in the 1990s. Because of its growing popularity, a handful of American dairy farmers started producing European-style high-fat cultured butter.

”

– http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/dining/making-cultured-butter-at-home.html?ref=todayspaper