NORDIC FOOD LAB RADIO
Nordic Food Lab Radio charts the influences behind the lab's work to investigate the edible potential of the Nordic region. Conversations, questions, and stories from the lab explore the role of taste in food diversity, ecology, sensory perception, and identity. We strive to bring you sound-rich stories that take you out to learn in the field and then combine those ideas in the kitchen. Featuring a range of content from short snacks to long meals, Nordic Food Lab Radio is about listening to the world with curiosity. And wondering: does it tastes good?
Tang Tango
Seaweed, or tang in Danish, is so much more than the smelly stuff you find on the beach. Marine algae form a fascinating underwater world of jungles, forests, meadows, and plains. Algae hold tremendous power, and our relationship with them dramatically shapes the marine landscape, whether we are aware of it or not. Asian cultures have been cultivating seaweed for centuries, but seaweed farming is a new frontier in Danish waters. Can taste shape the future of seaweed in Denmark?
Thoughts from the Field: Tom the Termite Man
For some, eating insects sounds strange. But for many, insects are everyday staples and sometimes treasured delicacies. The lab is in the midst of a 3-year project that aims to learn from cultures around the world and explore the gastronomic potential of insects. The project, Discerning Taste: Deliciousness as an Argument for Entomophagy, is funded by the Velux Foundation. Our first insect story takes place in the lush hills of central Uganda, in an area called Kisoga, west of Kampala.
Thoughts from the Field: Tasting the Outback
In this second installment of Thoughts from the Field, Josh takes us to Yuendumu, a remote town of a few hundred people in the middle of the Central Australian desert. Often times, the lab's work in the field is nothing like what they had in mind. What does it mean to go into another culture and ask questions? What are some of the challenges and obstacles in fieldwork? And what are some of the unexpected rewards?
A Not So Simple Staple
Jonas combines three simple ingredients (flour, water, and salt) into an object of great gastronomic complexity: bread. We go back to bread's origins in grain and talk about the microbial and molecular transformations that make bread possible.
Two White Flies
Roberto Flore and David Pedersen talk about their experiences with and views on hunting. The chef and hunter discuss the popular perception of hunting in contemporary society, their vision of hunting as a way of connecting with one's environment and its potential for sensitive ecological management. They also describe how they have been influenced by each other's work in the kitchen and the forest.
Thoughts from the Field: Desert Eggs
The Thoughts from the Field series has brought us all over the world. In this last installment, the lab unearths one of Mexico's most sought after delicacies - escamoles - and reflects on the methods and potential of semi-cultivation practices.
The Smell Game
We follow Ghislaine Calleja, a Masters student at the University of Copenhagen, who is working with us to develop a children's game that encourages kids to have fun with their food and try new things. This project is part of a partnership between Nordic Food Lab and Smag for Livet—a center funded by the Nordea Foundation that promotes education through taste.