Podcast
Climate Cuisine
Hosted by Whetstone Radio Collective · EN
Climate Cuisine is a podcast that explores how sustainable crops are used in similar climate zones around the world.
In the hands of different cultures, a single ingredient can take on many wondrous forms. Staple crops are seldomly confined to time or place, and thrive where they can— if climatic conditions allow. Climate Cuisine profiles how sustainable, soil-building crops that share the same biome are grown, prepared, and eaten around the world. As the world faces alarming upward shifts in base temperature, climate-centric conversations about crops become increasingly important to the resiliency and survival of our food systems.
Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Whetstone Radio Collective creates storytelling dedicated to food origins and culture, with original content centering the perspectives of global majority populations and diasporas.
You can learn more about this podcast at whetstoneradio.com, on Twitter @whetstoneradio, on TikTok and Instagram @whetstonemedia and subscribe to our Spotify and YouTube channel, Whetstone Media, for more podcast content. You can learn more about all things happening at Whetstone at WhetstoneMedia.com.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why the Sweet Potato is Better than the Common Potato
Feb 23, 202200:23:53Tap to summarizeSweet potato has a larger growing range than the common potato and can thrive from sea level up to nearly 9,800 feet. In the final episode of this season of Climate Cuisine, we’ll talk with a researcher at the International Potato Center in Peru about the incredible root, and a sustainability teacher in Costa Rica who has figured out how to grow everything she and her family consume.Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Climate Cuisine here.Find show notes here.
Transcribe →Malabar Spinach: A Leafy Green that Grows like a Weed
Feb 16, 202200:21:10Tap to summarizeMalabar spinach is a leafy green in the tropics that grows all year round, and its vibrant purple seeds can even be used for hair dye. In this episode, we’ll talk with a Texan woman who dyed her daughter’s hair purple with the seeds, a plant researcher in Washington D.C. describing it is a great alternative food source, and a rooftop gardener in Taipei using it as a spinach substitute.Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Climate Cuisine here.Find show notes here.
Transcribe →Meet Bamboo: The Fastest Growing Plant in the World
Feb 9, 202200:22:37Tap to summarizeBamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world; some varieties can grow up to three feet daily. Considered invasive in some parts of the United States, it is embraced in Latin America and Asia for its use in architecture, fashion and food. In this episode, we’ll chat with Hans Friederich, the former director of the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization; Momoko Nakamura, a food educator and storyteller in Japan; Kevindra Soemantri, a food journalist in Indonesia; and Hui Ting Tsai, a bamboo weaver in Taiwan.Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Climate Cuisine here.Find show notes here.
Transcribe →This Legume Tree Naturally Fertilizes the Soil
Feb 2, 202200:27:54Tap to summarizeOne of the staple pulses in Indian cuisine, the pigeon pea is much more than just a tasty ingredient in daal. It doubles as a natural fertilizer and can take nitrogen from the air and fix it into the soil. In this episode, we’ll talk with Aeles, an indigenous chef in Taiwan, about the ways her tribe cooks the pea; Vikram Doctor, a food journalist in India on how it’s used in Indian cuisine; and Koreen Brennan, a permaculture instructor based in Florida, on why it’s such a great plant to have in tropical gardens.Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Climate Cuisine here.Find show notes here.
Transcribe →This Fruit Can Feed a Whole Family
Jan 26, 202200:26:13Tap to summarizeThe breadfruit tree can live up to 100 years and produce more than 2,000 pounds of fruit each season. It’s been a staple in the tropics for generations and can be made into chips, waffles, and porridge. This episode will dive into how it’s eaten in Puerto Rico and Hawai’i. Plus, a bit about its dark history in the slave trade. We’re talking about Mike McLaughlin from the Trees That Feed Foundation, Mike Opgenorth from the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawai’i, Juliane Braun, who wrote a paper about breadfruit’s role as an 18th-century superfood, and Von Diaz, a cookbook author and esteemed food writer.Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Climate Cuisine here.Find show notes here.
Transcribe →Meet Cilantro's Tropical Cousin: Culantro
Jan 19, 202200:23:03Tap to summarizeMeet culantro—cilantro’s tropical counterpart. It tastes like a more pungent cilantro, and in the right conditions, it grows all year round. This episode touches on how limited our repetoire of herbs are and the possiblities that come when we expand our selection beyond what's just avaliable at the grocery store. We’ll talk to food blogger Reina Gascon-Lopez on how culantro is used in Puerto Rican cuisine and award-winning cookbook author Andrea Nguyen on how she uses it in Vietnamese cooking.Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Climate Cuisine here.Find show notes here.
Transcribe →Why All the Bananas at the Grocery Store Taste the Same
Jan 12, 202200:27:58Tap to summarizeThere are more than 1,000 different types of bananas in the world. So why do we only have one type of banana in the grocery store? This episode is an exploration into the rich diversity of bananas and plantains — and why North American grocery stores only sell one type. We talk with biologist Rob Dunn, who wrote a book about this topic, Von Diaz, an esteemed food writer and cookbook author, Meenakshi J., a freelance journalist who wrote an article about sacred bananas, Vidya Balachander, the South Asia editor at Whetstone, and Vanessa Mota, a food blogger behind My Dominican Kitchen, for more.Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Climate Cuisine here.Find show notes here.
Transcribe →How Cactus is Used for Fashion, Fuel, and Food
Jan 5, 202200:27:04Tap to summarizeCactus isn't just a pretty backdrop in Western movies. It can be used for food, fashion, and biofuel. In fact, some varieties of cacti use 80% less water than traditional crops. We talk with John Cushman, Adrián López Velarde, and Fadi Kattan and explore how it's a crop of the future, how it's been eaten for generations in Mexico, and how it's also a symbol of resistance in Palestine.Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Climate Cuisine here.Find show notes here.
Transcribe →The Heart-Shaped Tuber That Created Humankind
Dec 15, 202100:25:17Tap to summarizeTaro is the basis of many Polynesian creation stories and one of the world's oldest food crops. In fact, it is so important that the Polynesians carried it with them on their boats as they migrated across the Pacific Ocean. Every part of the tuber can be eaten, from the leaves to the tuber, and back in the day a healthy taro patch meant a clean and vibrant waterway. This episode dives into the reason taro is such a staple crop, a bit about all the varieties, and why you cannot eat it raw. We chat with Arthur Wierzchos, chef Lance Seeto, and Ryan Nebeker from FoodPrint for more.Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Climate Cuisine here.Find show notes here.
Transcribe →The Tropical Starch Behind Fufu and Boba
Dec 8, 202100:29:34Tap to summarizeAround the world, farmers are increasingly planting cassava rather than other crops to mitigate the effects of drought. Due to cassava’s drought-resistant qualities and ability to survive defoliation, it's an ideal crop for communities impacted by climate change and food insecurity.In today’s episode of Climate Cuisine, we’re discussing how cassava has been feeding people throughout South America, Africa, and Asia. It is one of the most resilient starches out there and can be processed into bread, couscous, and even boba. We’re speaking with Pierre Thiam and Andrea Castillo to learn more about this incredible crop.Climate Cuisine is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Climate Cuisine here.Find show notes here.
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