"The Unmentionables": Mario Batali Discovers Chicken Kneecaps in Tokyo 

Image: Flickr_HyperHopper

Famed chef Mario Batali describes a trip to a food stand in Yakitori Alley under the train tracks in Tokyo, where chefs create dishes that use every imaginable part of the animals and vegetables they cook. 

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TED Talk - Tristram Stuart
The Global Food Waste Scandal

Western countries throw out nearly half of their food, not because it’s inedible -- but because it doesn’t look appealing. Tristram Stuart delves into the shocking data of wasted food, calling for a more responsible use of global resources.

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Worldwide History of Spice

In 3500 BC, which country used spices to flavor food, create cosmetics, and embalm their dead? Today, which country produces more spices than anywhere else in the world? And where is the world's hottest spice grown? All these answers and more can be found on this fun infographic. 

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In El Salvador, Tooth Decay Epidemic Blamed on Junk Food, and Lack of Information

Soda and junk food are common staples in industrialized countries. But as markets for these products become saturated, the large
corporate producers of these types of food and drink are extending their reach farther into new, rural territories. 

This clip shows the surprising escalation of dental decay that has occurred in a small town in El Salvador in just one generation - due in large part to the increasing availability of sugary processed foods and drinks, and very little knowledge about, or access to, dental care. 

Watch In El Salvador, Tooth Decay Epidemic Blamed on Junk Food on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

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Did you know...

Photo: Flickr_Jenny Downing

"In Southern Africa, beer is brewed from the fruit of the Maroela gree, which falls to the ground and ferments.
What the humans don't harvest, the elephants eat. It makes them drunk and dangerous."

From: "Cuisine and Culture: A History of Food and People", by Linda Civitello.

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World Food Day: October 16

This year, World Food Day is October 16, and the  theme  is Agricultural Cooperatives.  

This PSA video from FAO outlines how agricultural cooperatives help promote food security ( the physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food) by increasing  food production, marketing their goods, creating jobs and increasing livelihoods. There are also other benefits, such as more peaceful living conditions.