The price of olive oil is set to rise by around 20% following bad weather and disease that hit Europe’s olive harvest. According to research group IRI, shoppers spent an additional €231m in 2015 on olive oil after the retail price of the oil rose by an average of 19.8 per cent across Europe in the first 11 months of last year.
Truffle used to be considered as pig food in China before it became a treasure. Farmers now subsidize their income by truffle hunting. They do this not by using dogs as is common in Europe but rather using only their instinct and experience. Read the story here.
Don’t miss the story of how one tweet may change Cuban cuisine. One world-renowned chef challenged another to collaborate on a new restaurant in Cuba. Enrique Olvera and Andoni Aduriz take to Havana without a plan. But with the help of a third chef, Massimo Bottura, they come to realize their dream in a changing city.
Cheap and easy food? Think about the true cost: EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Iannou’s new easyFoodstore will most likely be lauded by the government. But no society on earth can ultimately afford food this cheap. Joanna Blythman, author of a brilliant book called Swallow this about the food industry writes that there is something disconcerting about this. She argues that we are aiding a food system that wrecks the environment, treats animals inhumanely, makes serfs of workers, undermines the genuine artisan, seriously threatens our nation’s food security, diverts money from local businesses to distant shareholders’ dividends and cooks up public health problems. Serious food for thought.
Meet the Director Whose New Film Showcases the World’s Most Valuable Wines: Three years ago, Jason Wise released SOMM, a (surprisingly) compelling documentary about four wine aficionados working to pass the ultra-competitive master-sommelier exam. Now he’s back with a sequel of sorts, SOMM: Into the Bottle, which premieres on iTunes today. This film offers a glimpse into the lives of cult winemakers, like Jean-Louis Chave, Aubert de Villaine (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti), and Robert Mondavi, who produce some of the rarest, most valuable wines in the world. Wise spent three years filming his new documentary, in six countries (primarily Germany, France, and Italy), and he dives deep into the politics and histories of major regions. Here, he explains his inspiration, what it’s like to taste wines that cost more than his entire film’s budget, and why, at the end of the day, “none of that bullshit matters.”
Here is a recipe by Massimo Bottura for a chicken with sautéed spinich marinated in soy sauce, rice wine and ginger.
Italian police have seized 9,000 bottles of fake Moet & Chandon champagne in a shed in the countryside near Padova. It has been hailed as one of the most significant seizures of counterfeit Champagne in Europe. It is estimated that the illegal loot would have been worth €350,000 (£266,534), but could have earned the alleged counterfeiters more than €1.8m had they been able to use 40,000 fabricated Moët & Chandon labels that were also discovered.
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