Food Culture

WBUR stories focused on food and how it shapes our lives.

A battle between package stores and large retailers could be headed to the Massachusetts ballot in 2022. (AP)

To-Go Beer And Wine Could Be Added To Restaurant Takeout Menus Under A Coronavirus Bill

If a new proposal by Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker passes, restaurants currently open for takeout and delivery could soon be allowed to sell alcohol with their food orders.

Local Coverage

Mar 25, 2020

Today's truffles carry on the legacy of early French-inspired chocolates offered by amorous suitors. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

From Aphrodisiacs To Heart-Shaped Junior Mints, Tour Boston Valentine’s Candy History

Local Coverage

06:46Feb 14, 2020

Thor Oechsner, an organic farmer in Newfield, N.Y., stands in a field of hard red spring wheat. (Oechsner Farms)

The Beer, Booze And Bread Community Is Organizing A 'Northeast Grainshed'

A new group is working to inform and excite consumers about local grain, and encouraging them to seek out the the brewers, bakers and distillers who use them.

Local Coverage

Feb 4, 2020

Kamayan feast at Tanám. (Courtesy Rita Tinega/VisualMag)

Tanám Wants To Tell The Stories Not Being Told — Through Food

During their coursed-narrative dining on weekends, the restaurant's team shares diverse stories of food, memory and identity, while creating space for diners to engage.

Local Coverage

Dec 4, 2019

Sydney Tierney pours a 20 lb. bag of white cap flint corn into the hopper of the mill. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Back To The Grind (Stone): A Grain Revival Rises In New England

Most of the bread New Englanders break is made with flour from industrial, Midwestern farms. That’s changing, though, as farmers, millers and chefs rally to reinvent a lost, regional “grain...

Local Coverage

05:13Sep 10, 2019

What's In Our Food Matters — Yes, Even What's In That Ice Cream Cone

We have to push past the nostalgia that keeps us from asking important questions about what we’re paying for and putting in our bodies. Only then can we earnestly engage...

Local Coverage

Jul 19, 2019

Accessibility Is Hospitality: Why The Restaurant Industry Needs To Catch Up

As spaces designed for hospitality, restaurants have a unique opportunity and responsibility to attend to the needs of diners with disabilities, writes Irene Li.

Local Coverage

Jun 27, 2019

Knotweed sorbet at Toscanini’s. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Invasive Species For Dessert? Food Makers Hope 'Future' Sweets Get Us Talking About Climate Change

Local food makers concocted desserts with some unusual ingredients -- all related to themes connected to our shifting environment -- for a series of public tastings in Cambridge.

Local Coverage

08:36Jun 7, 2019

A customer checks the firmness of fresh okra at Doris Berry Produce stand in Jackson, Miss. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP)

5 Local Foods You Can Eat To Help Preserve Biodiversity — And Help The Planet

The World Wildlife Fund recommended eating 50 foods to help preserve the planet's species. We chose five tasty options you can find easily in New England.

Local Coverage

Jun 7, 2019

Chef David Ferragamo tosses a pan of sauteed peas in a pan. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Breaking The Brownie Mold: Cannabis Chefs Cook Up Ways To Broaden Appeal Of Edibles

Sweets dominate the cannabis edible market because they are easy to separate into doses to satisfy state rules, but some chefs hope to push what kinds of THC-infused foods they...

Local Coverage

07:37Jun 6, 2019

A bin of expired food from area Stop & Shop stores being poured into the anaerobic digester at the Stop & Shop Distribution Center in Freetown. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

How The State's Commercial Food Waste Disposal Ban Is Working

In 2014, Massachusetts created a rule that any enterprise that generates one ton or more of food waste a week can't put all of that food in the garbage. The...

Local Coverage

08:41Jun 5, 2019

Scrambled eggs and ingredient for a breakfast burritos get thrown out as the period for serving breakfast comes to an end at Boloco at Atlantic Wharf. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

How Boston Entrepreneurs Use Tech To Tackle Food Waste

About 40% of the food produced in the U.S. is thrown out. Some Boston entrepreneurs have developed technologies to reduce that waste.

Local Coverage

06:41Jun 5, 2019

Dan slices an avocado in his kitchen. He's been on the ketogenic diet for three years now, and says it's improved his mental health and overall well-being. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Prescription: More Broccoli, Fewer Carbs. How Some Doctors Are Looking To Food To Treat Illness

A McLean Hospital doctor asks patients with obesity and mental illness to try the ketogenic diet. It's part of a growing trend of doctors prescribing certain foods -- or telling...

Local Coverage

05:52Jun 4, 2019

Spark Capital co-founder Todd Dagres, left, samples a piece of lettuce harvested by Freight Farms co-founder Brad McNamara. (Callum Borchers/WBUR)

Investments In AgTech Are Growing Fast. What's Got Investors Betting On The Future Of Food

AgTech investment spending has increased sixfold globally since 2013. And the wide range of investors includes venture capital firms, large corporations, and individuals with personal causes.

Local Coverage

05:19Jun 3, 2019

Beyond Self-Check Out: How Grocery Stores Are Incorporating Tech

Grocery shopping is completely different than it was 50 years ago. And industry experts and retailers are already preparing for the next set of changes, from automation and delivery, to...

Local Coverage

07:49Jun 3, 2019

Restaurant criticism at major newspapers has largely been dominated by white men.

For Our Food Culture To Diversify, Our Restaurant Criticism Needs To, Too

With a diverse crop of restaurant critics taking over at West Coast newspapers, a whole new group of chefs will enjoy the possibility of being understood and acknowledged on their...

Local Coverage

May 20, 2019

This year's James Beard Award winners represented a diverse swath of identities. (Courtesy)

Diversity Was Served At The James Beard Awards, But Largely Missing From Boston's Diet

I am wondering why chefs of color telling deeply personal stories are so few and far between in our city, even as they grow more present on national lists, writes...

Local Coverage

May 8, 2019

Please Don't Wear A Sombrero: What Cinco De Mayo Really Means, From A Mexican

The real tragedy for me is that a day that once represented Black and brown solidarity -- and resistance against colonialism -- has been mired by a commercial whitewashing, writes...

Local Coverage

May 2, 2019

Chef and writer of the Netflix series "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" Samin Nosrat poses for a photo during the Netflix portrait session at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour at The Beverly Hilton hotel on Sunday, July 29, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)

The Powerful Whimsy Of 'Salt Fat Acid Heat' Star Samin Nosrat

“Who is profiting here? Who is getting the credit? Who has historically been powerless or powerful? Those are the questions I’m drawn to," says," 'Salt Fat Acid Heat' star Samin...

Local Coverage

Apr 26, 2019

In Massachusetts, about 1 out of 9 people are SNAP beneficiaries. (Danny Moloshok/AP for Los Angeles County Department of Public Health)

Let's Really Talk About SNAP And Food Insecurity

As politicians continue to debate SNAP with facts and figures, we can inform ourselves in a different way: by listening to the real stories of those who face food insecurity...

Local Coverage

Apr 9, 2019

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Food Culture

To-Go Beer And Wine Could Be Added To Restaurant Takeout Menus Under A Coronavirus Bill

From Aphrodisiacs To Heart-Shaped Junior Mints, Tour Boston Valentine’s Candy History

The Beer, Booze And Bread Community Is Organizing A 'Northeast Grainshed'

Tanám Wants To Tell The Stories Not Being Told — Through Food

Back To The Grind (Stone): A Grain Revival Rises In New England

What's In Our Food Matters — Yes, Even What's In That Ice Cream Cone

Accessibility Is Hospitality: Why The Restaurant Industry Needs To Catch Up

Invasive Species For Dessert? Food Makers Hope 'Future' Sweets Get Us Talking About Climate Change

5 Local Foods You Can Eat To Help Preserve Biodiversity — And Help The Planet

Breaking The Brownie Mold: Cannabis Chefs Cook Up Ways To Broaden Appeal Of Edibles

How The State's Commercial Food Waste Disposal Ban Is Working

How Boston Entrepreneurs Use Tech To Tackle Food Waste

Prescription: More Broccoli, Fewer Carbs. How Some Doctors Are Looking To Food To Treat Illness

Investments In AgTech Are Growing Fast. What's Got Investors Betting On The Future Of Food

Beyond Self-Check Out: How Grocery Stores Are Incorporating Tech

For Our Food Culture To Diversify, Our Restaurant Criticism Needs To, Too

Diversity Was Served At The James Beard Awards, But Largely Missing From Boston's Diet

Please Don't Wear A Sombrero: What Cinco De Mayo Really Means, From A Mexican

The Powerful Whimsy Of 'Salt Fat Acid Heat' Star Samin Nosrat

Let's Really Talk About SNAP And Food Insecurity