Portside

Stories of migration through food is a powerful way to challenge typical narratives; food can be a gateway to understanding where people come from. It’s a kind of portal to our memories.

Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda isolated glutamic acid, naturally present in seaweed, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese etc; he dubbed it the 5th taste: umami. His discovery, called MSG, was popular before concern arose about food additives in the 60's.

A vast constellation of celebrities, from Kelly Ripa to the McDonald’s mascot Grimace, have helped push dairy sales.

A business born of necessity and the pandemic, Amish Agriculture Inc and its mushrooms are finding fertile ground. The collaboration, rooted in urgency and with high-tech assistance, is believed to be the first formal Amish-Chinese business venture

A developing field called “sonic seasoning” suggests a possible link between our experience of sound and taste. In a Oxford University study, subjects consistently connected the “5 basic tastes” with various musical instruments, pitches and melodies.

Anchor Brewing is more than just a beloved institution in this city. It’s the very myth of San Francisco in a bottle. It’s a relic of the Gold Rush, a harbinger of the it-happened-here-first innovation that our region hopes to be known for.

To prepare for upcoming years-long voyages, NASA has a new game plan for getting fresh food to the moon and beyond.

The Plant Genetic Resources Bank preserved the seeds of 160,000 varieties of crops and plant seeds from around the world; in the war, many were reduced to ash.

At package-free stores you bring your own container, weigh it, and fill it with the amount of rice or walnuts or Peanut M&Ms that you want to take home. In the bigger context of the zero-waste movement, do these refilleries actually mean anything?

The rise of the baron illustrates the failures of our approach to food policy better than a dry description of policies ever could. For example, the story of the Grain Barons tells the history of the Farm Bill and how it has corrupted the food system