<description>&lt;p&gt;We all have recipes we turn to again and again, perhaps from the stained pages of our favourite cookbooks, or handed down through families. But have you ever wondered about the work that’s gone into writing that set of instructions? In this edition of The Food Chain, Ruth Alexander looks at the art and science of recipe writing. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How does a cook turn what is often an instinctive and creative process into a list of instructions anyone can follow? How much detail is too much, and what are the essential elements no recipe is complete without? Ruth talks to a well-known cook who describes her love-hate relationship with recipe writing and a cookbook editor reveals how she’s built recipes from chefs’ doodles or even notes scrawled on a napkin. Find out what it’s like to work in the world of recipe testing and how the art of writing recipes has changed over hundreds of years. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Producer: Lexy O’Connor &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sound engineer: Hal Haines &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Ruth Alexander learns about the art, science and hard work that goes into recipe writing.

We all have recipes we turn to again and again, perhaps from the stained pages of our favourite cookbooks, or handed down through families. But have you ever wondered about the work that’s gone into writing that set of instructions? In this edition of The Food Chain, Ruth Alexander looks at the art and science of recipe writing. How does a cook turn what is often an instinctive and creative process into a list of instructions anyone can follow? How much detail is too much, and what are the essential elements no recipe is complete without? Ruth talks to a well-known cook who describes her love-hate relationship with recipe writing and a cookbook editor reveals how she’s built recipes from chefs’ doodles or even notes scrawled on a napkin. Find out what it’s like to work in the world of recipe testing and how the art of writing recipes has changed over hundreds of years. Producer: Lexy O’Connor Sound engineer: Hal Haines If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

How to write a recipe

<description>&lt;p&gt;Most of us have foods we refuse to eat - think coriander, or maybe olives. But where do those strong dislikes come from, and is it possible to change them?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode of The Food Chain, Ruth Alexander sets out to find out whether you really can learn to love the foods you hate. From first encounters that go wrong to memories that linger, she explores why food preferences can feel so fixed, and whether anything might help shift them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ruth speaks to neuroscientist Dr Dana Small, professor and Canada Excellence Research Chair at McGill University, about what’s happening in the brain and body when we eat, and how unconscious reward signals shape what we come to like or avoid.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She also hears from psychologist Dr Rachel Herz, an expert on the science of smell and author of Why We Eat What We Eat, about the powerful role odour, memory and emotion play in food dislike, often before we’re even aware of it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And registered dietitian Clare Thornton-Wood shares practical, low-pressure techniques used with both children and adults to build tolerance - and sometimes even enjoyment - for foods they can’t stand.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Producer: Izzy Greenfield
Sound engineer: Annie Gardiner
Picture: A woman holding a fork with a piece of broccoli in front of her, looking unsure (credit: Getty)&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Exploring where food dislikes come from and whether they can be changed

Most of us have foods we refuse to eat - think coriander, or maybe olives. But where do those strong dislikes come from, and is it possible to change them?In this episode of The Food Chain, Ruth Alexander sets out to find out whether you really can learn to love the foods you hate. From first encounters that go wrong to memories that linger, she explores why food preferences can feel so fixed, and whether anything might help shift them.Ruth speaks to neuroscientist Dr Dana Small, professor and Canada Excellence Research Chair at McGill University, about what’s happening in the brain and body when we eat, and how unconscious reward signals shape what we come to like or avoid.She also hears from psychologist Dr Rachel Herz, an expert on the science of smell and author of Why We Eat What We Eat, about the powerful role odour, memory and emotion play in food dislike, often before we’re even aware of it.And registered dietitian Clare Thornton-Wood shares practical, low-pressure techniques used with both children and adults to build tolerance - and sometimes even enjoyment - for foods they can’t stand.Producer: Izzy Greenfield
Sound engineer: Annie Gardiner
Picture: A woman holding a fork with a piece of broccoli in front of her, looking unsure (credit: Getty)

Can you learn to love the foods you hate?

<description>&lt;p&gt;Fermented foods are fashionable – kimchi, kefir, kombucha – they're all having a moment, many thousands of years on from where they were first produced. But how much do you know about how they're made? Do you know your SCOBY from your kefir grain? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, fermenting novice Ruth Alexander goes on a quest to find out more about this ancient way of preserving food; how to do it yourself, why you might want to, and what it's doing for our guts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Follow along as she experiments with making her own kefir, and talks to fermentation guru Sandor Katz about how to get started and whether there's anything that can't be fermented. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Scientist Professor Gabriel Vinderola explains what's known about the microbes behind it all and how they affect our health while Kheedim Oh and his mum Myung Oh talk about how they've brought the family recipe for kimchi to a US audience via their business, Mama O's Kimchi. (Kimchi on pizza anyone?) &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And with the help of Adam Goldwater from UK based Loving Foods Fermented, Ruth discovers how kombucha is made, and the alien like SCOBY powering the process. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Produced by Lexy O'Connor. The sound engineer was Andrew Mills.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Image: A woman in an apron is holding a jar of brightly coloured fermenting vegetables, with orange carrots and purple cabbage tightly packed in. Credit Getty/Migrogen&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Discover the basics of fermented food. How to make it and what it's doing in our guts.

Fermented foods are fashionable – kimchi, kefir, kombucha – they're all having a moment, many thousands of years on from where they were first produced. But how much do you know about how they're made? Do you know your SCOBY from your kefir grain? In this episode, fermenting novice Ruth Alexander goes on a quest to find out more about this ancient way of preserving food; how to do it yourself, why you might want to, and what it's doing for our guts.Follow along as she experiments with making her own kefir, and talks to fermentation guru Sandor Katz about how to get started and whether there's anything that can't be fermented. Scientist Professor Gabriel Vinderola explains what's known about the microbes behind it all and how they affect our health while Kheedim Oh and his mum Myung Oh talk about how they've brought the family recipe for kimchi to a US audience via their business, Mama O's Kimchi. (Kimchi on pizza anyone?) And with the help of Adam Goldwater from UK based Loving Foods Fermented, Ruth discovers how kombucha is made, and the alien like SCOBY powering the process. Produced by Lexy O'Connor. The sound engineer was Andrew Mills.If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk. Image: A woman in an apron is holding a jar of brightly coloured fermenting vegetables, with orange carrots and purple cabbage tightly packed in. Credit Getty/Migrogen

Fermented foods: A beginner's guide

<description>&lt;p&gt;Meal kits have become a familiar part of food shopping in many countries, offering pre-portioned ingredients and recipes delivered to the door. But how widespread are they, and what do they reveal about how people are eating today?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ruth Alexander hears from Philip Doran, CEO of HelloFresh UK and Ireland, and Sarah Hewitt, CEO of South African meal kit company UCOOK, about how these services operate in very different markets.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She also speaks to Dr Rebecca Bennett, a food systems researcher, about what meal kits say about changing cooking habits and online food platforms, and to market analyst Nandini Roy on how big the global meal kit industry is and where future growth may come from.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Producer: Izzy Greenfield
Sound engineer: Hal Haines&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Image: A woman unpacks a box full of food (credit: Getty Images)&lt;/p&gt;</description>

What meal kits reveal about how we plan, buy and cook our food

Meal kits have become a familiar part of food shopping in many countries, offering pre-portioned ingredients and recipes delivered to the door. But how widespread are they, and what do they reveal about how people are eating today?Ruth Alexander hears from Philip Doran, CEO of HelloFresh UK and Ireland, and Sarah Hewitt, CEO of South African meal kit company UCOOK, about how these services operate in very different markets.She also speaks to Dr Rebecca Bennett, a food systems researcher, about what meal kits say about changing cooking habits and online food platforms, and to market analyst Nandini Roy on how big the global meal kit industry is and where future growth may come from.Producer: Izzy Greenfield
Sound engineer: Hal HainesIf you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.ukImage: A woman unpacks a box full of food (credit: Getty Images)

Dinner unboxed

<description>&lt;p&gt;The Mediterranean diet is rich in vegetables, pulses and olive oil and traditionally includes small amounts of fish and very little red meat. Thousands of studies back its health benefits. In fact, it's considered to be one of the most widely researched diets in the world. But why has this way of eating come to prominence over others? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marta Guasch-Ferre from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark explains what the Mediterranean diet is and how her Spanish roots have informed her work. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Professor Sarah Tracy from the University of Oklahoma tells the story of the diet's roots, popularised by American scientist Ancel Keys in the 1950's. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And Ruth asks, if this way of eating isn't familiar in your culture, can you still make use of the Mediterranean diet's principles to improve your health? Singapore based cardiologist Professor Huang Zijuan has been looking at the science behind Asian inspired food swaps that could offer the same health benefits. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plus public health expert Professor Pekka Puska explains how he used the work of Ancel Keys in the 1970's to help transform the life expectancy of Finnish men. He co-led the now world famous North Karelia project, after Keys' research revealed how the region in eastern Finland had the highest rates of blood cholesterol in the world. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Produced by Lexy O’Connor &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The sound engineer was Andrew Mills. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Image: A family is eating together. The wooden table is covered in brightly coloured plates of salads, pastas and olives. Hands reach over to take some of the food. (Credit: Getty/Compassionate Eye Foundation/Natasha Alipour Faridani)&lt;/p&gt;</description>

How the Mediterranean diet came to be the world's most researched and recommended diet.

The Mediterranean diet is rich in vegetables, pulses and olive oil and traditionally includes small amounts of fish and very little red meat. Thousands of studies back its health benefits. In fact, it's considered to be one of the most widely researched diets in the world. But why has this way of eating come to prominence over others? Marta Guasch-Ferre from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark explains what the Mediterranean diet is and how her Spanish roots have informed her work. Professor Sarah Tracy from the University of Oklahoma tells the story of the diet's roots, popularised by American scientist Ancel Keys in the 1950's. And Ruth asks, if this way of eating isn't familiar in your culture, can you still make use of the Mediterranean diet's principles to improve your health? Singapore based cardiologist Professor Huang Zijuan has been looking at the science behind Asian inspired food swaps that could offer the same health benefits. Plus public health expert Professor Pekka Puska explains how he used the work of Ancel Keys in the 1970's to help transform the life expectancy of Finnish men. He co-led the now world famous North Karelia project, after Keys' research revealed how the region in eastern Finland had the highest rates of blood cholesterol in the world. Produced by Lexy O’Connor The sound engineer was Andrew Mills. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk Image: A family is eating together. The wooden table is covered in brightly coloured plates of salads, pastas and olives. Hands reach over to take some of the food. (Credit: Getty/Compassionate Eye Foundation/Natasha Alipour Faridani)

Should we all eat the Mediterranean way?

The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.

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