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Cascades of red wine flood a city's streets in Portugal after huge tanks rupture

A "river of wine" cascaded down the streets of a small town in Portugal, after two large tanks ruptured at a nearby distillery. _o_cabra_da_peste via X / Screenshot by NPR hide caption

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_o_cabra_da_peste via X / Screenshot by NPR

Europe

Cascades of red wine flood a city's streets in Portugal after huge tanks rupture

A viral video from the scene shows a "river of wine" coursing down a hilly street, sluicing over curbs. The wine escaped from two tanks at a distillery up the hill.

How umami overcame discrimination and took its place as the 5th taste

The rich savory flavor of miso soup is one way to experience umami, the fifth major taste. Yuuji/Getty Images hide caption

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Yuuji/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

How umami overcame discrimination and took its place as the 5th taste

Everything about this savory flavor is mysterious, from how it tastes to why it took so long to get recognized as the fifth taste. What is it, and how does it make food taste delicious?

How umami overcame discrimination and took its place as the 5th taste

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Twinkies are sold! J.M. Smucker scoops up Hostess Brands for $5.6 billion

Hostess Brands, best known for its Twinkies, is being bought by jelly-maker J.M. Smucker. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

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Scott Olson/Getty Images

Business

Twinkies are sold! J.M. Smucker scoops up Hostess Brands for $5.6 billion

For Hostess, the deal with the peanut-butter-and-jelly conglomerate is a sweet win after not one, but two bankruptcies.

Twinkies are sold! J.M. Smucker scoops up Hostess Brands for $5.6 billion

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The recitation that helps this 'mindful eating' expert eat more thoughtfully
katesea/Getty Images

Life Kit

The recitation that helps this 'mindful eating' expert eat more thoughtfully

Lilian Cheung, a mindful eating lecturer at Harvard, shares helpful tips on how to slow down while eating — including saying 'The 5 Contemplations' by Buddhist master Thích Nhất Hanh.

The recitation that helps this 'mindful eating' expert eat more thoughtfully

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Cooking chicken soup for the Shabbat soul

Adeena Sussman, Jewish culinary guru and author of the new cookbook Shabbat, at the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv on Friday morning, Sept. 1, 2023. Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for NPR hide caption

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Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for NPR

Author Interviews

Cooking chicken soup for the Shabbat soul

Cookbook author Adeena Sussman makes Dilly Chicken and Rice Soup from her book Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals from My Table to Yours.

Cooking chicken soup for the Shabbat soul

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Small-scale farmers in Africa will be the beneficiaries of huge humanitarian prize

A field of green beans growing in Kigali, Rwanda. Small-scale farms provide 70 to 80% of Africa's food. Camille Delbos/Art In All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images hide caption

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Camille Delbos/Art In All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Small-scale farmers in Africa will be the beneficiaries of huge humanitarian prize

The nonprofit group One Acre Fund wants smallholder farms to grow more, earn more and feed more people. The organization just won a $2.5 million award from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

20 years of pumpkin spice power
Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

20 years of pumpkin spice power

It's been 20 years since Starbucks debuted the first pumpkin spice latte in 2003. Since then, it's become a cultural phenomenon greater than itself: it's shorthand for fall, for basicness, for femininity, and even for white culture. Why did the PSL become so powerful — and how do food trends garner so much meaning? Host Brittany Luse chats with Suzy Badaracco, food trend forecaster and founder of Culinary Tides, to discuss the $500 million dollar industry, and how little miss pumpkin spice has held on to her cultural power.

20 years of pumpkin spice power

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These ice cream cones aren't just delicious — they're works of art

At Heladeria Cadore in Buenos Aires, small-batch, hand-made daily flavors are sculpted into creamy, six-inch ice-cream spires.

These ice cream cones aren't just delicious — they're works of art

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As Americans drink more tequila, the agave industry in the Southwest grows

Leonardo Sanchez kneels beside some of his agave plants near Roma, Texas. John Burnett for NPR hide caption

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John Burnett for NPR

As Americans drink more tequila, the agave industry in the Southwest grows

With the growing popularity of tequila and mezcal in the U.S., a new generation of growers and distillers in the Southwest is trying to create a uniquely American agave liquor.

As Americans drink more tequila, the agave industry in the Southwest grows

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Have a food allergy? Your broken skin barrier might be to blame

Allergenic foods. Top left to right: shrimp (crustacean), soy, milk, peanuts. Bottom left to right: tree nuts, wheat, egg, fish. Science Photo Library/ Getty Images hide caption

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Science Photo Library/ Getty Images

Short Wave

Have a food allergy? Your broken skin barrier might be to blame

Food allergies have risen in the United States over the last few decades. Research suggests that 40 years ago the actual prevalence of food allergies was less than 1%. But this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data showing that almost 6% of U.S. adults and children have a food allergy. But this trend is not present in all countries — and what people are allergic to varies globally. Today, we dive into the complex world of food allergies with Dr. Waheeda Samady. She's the Director of Clinical Research at Northwestern University's Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research.

Have a food allergy? Your broken skin barrier might be to blame

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A sesame allergy law has made it harder to avoid the seed. Here's why

An estimated 1.6 million people in the U.S. are allergic to sesame seeds and flour. Sergey Verin /Getty Images hide caption

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Sergey Verin /Getty Images

Shots - Health News

A sesame allergy law has made it harder to avoid the seed. Here's why

Sesame is now the 9th official allergen. The FDA designation was supposed to protect people with sesame allergies. Instead, it's become harder to avoid, as more bakers add sesame to their products.

A sesame allergy law has made it harder to avoid the seed. Here's why

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Sandwich chain Subway will be sold to fast-food investor Roark Capital

The Subway logo is seen on takeout boxes at a restaurant in Londonderry, N.H. The sandwich chain says it will be sold to the private equity firm Roark Capital. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Charles Krupa/AP hide caption

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Charles Krupa/AP

Business

Sandwich chain Subway will be sold to fast-food investor Roark Capital

Private equity firm Roark specializes in franchised businesses and backs two holding companies that own multiple restaurant chains that include Arby's, Jimmy John's and Cinnabon.

Worries over seafood safety mount as Japan releases Fukushima water into the Pacific

This aerial picture shows tanks used for storing treated water at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. Japan began releasing wastewater from the plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday despite angry opposition from China and local fishermen. Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images

Asia

Worries over seafood safety mount as Japan releases Fukushima water into the Pacific

Local fishermen and the government of neighboring China are among the critics of Japan's decision to release water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.

Worries over seafood safety mount as Japan releases Fukushima water into the Pacific

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Milkshakes from a Tacoma burger joint tied to listeria outbreak that killed 3 people

A listeria bacterium seen under an electron microscope. Listeria is not typically life-threatening, but those over 65, pregnant or with compromised immune systems are deemed high-risk when exposed to the bacteria. Elizabeth White/AP hide caption

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Elizabeth White/AP

Health

Milkshakes from a Tacoma burger joint tied to listeria outbreak that killed 3 people

Six people were hospitalized earlier this year for listeriosis, three of whom died. Two of those who survived the infection said they had milkshakes from Frugals in Tacoma, Wash., before getting sick.

Custard shop that survived COVID and car crashes finds sweet success on Instagram
The Custard Company

Custard shop that survived COVID and car crashes finds sweet success on Instagram

Jamal Jawad's shop was stymied when cars kept running into his business in Dearborn, Mich. But the entrepreneur persevered and he now has three stores and a partnership with the Detroit Pistons.

Custard shop that survived COVID and car crashes finds sweet success on Instagram

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How hardworking microbes ferment cabbage into kimchi
Meredith Rizzo for NPR

Shots - Health News

How hardworking microbes ferment cabbage into kimchi

An age-old technique transforms vegetables and spices into a popular condiment with a zesty, funky taste. The key? Nurturing the right community of microbes. Here's how the magic happens.

How hardworking microbes ferment cabbage into kimchi

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Don't call it 'vegan' and other tips from hospitals to get people to eat less meat

Michael Hawley, general manager of the kitchen at Faulkner Hospital, places roasted tomatoes into a pot as he prepares the roasted tomato and shallot coulis. Jesse Costa/WBUR hide caption

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Jesse Costa/WBUR

Shots - Health News

Don't call it 'vegan' and other tips from hospitals to get people to eat less meat

WBUR

Turns out diners are more likely to get on board for altruistic reasons rather than health. That's what one hospital learned after it pledged to reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions.

Beer in Britain's pubs just got cheaper, thanks to changes in the alcohol tax

A pint of beer is poured at Pressure Drop Brewery, in north London, in 2022. Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

World

Beer in Britain's pubs just got cheaper, thanks to changes in the alcohol tax

The U.K. has lowered taxes on draft beers in pubs, in what it's calling its biggest shakeup to alcohol tax in a century. But taxes on other alcoholic beverages are rising, so not everyone is cheering.

Beer in Britain's pubs just got cheaper, thanks to changes in the alcohol tax

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Prebiotic sodas promise to boost your gut health. Here's what to eat instead

Sodas like Poppi and Olipop have added prebiotic ingredients intended to help nourish your gut bacteria. Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Poppi hide caption

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Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Poppi

Shots - Health News

Prebiotic sodas promise to boost your gut health. Here's what to eat instead

You don't have to shell out for fancy sodas. It's easy to fill your plate with fiber, a dietary hero that feeds your gut microbes and prevents disease.

Prebiotic sodas promise to boost your gut health. Here's what to eat instead

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