Saladino is a longtime food journalist for BBC Radio, and it shows. The book reads less like a dense academic text and more like a very well researched travelogue, hopping from a honey hunt in Tanzania to a cheese cave in Albania to a wheat field in Anatolia. I listened to the unabridged audiobook, read…

There is an old habit in Japanese cooking that heirloom bean lovers everywhere should borrow: dropping a strip of kombu into the pot before the beans ever hit a simmer. It sounds like a small addition, barely worth mentioning, but the effects on digestion, nutrition, and flavor are real enough that plenty of cooks now…

Made this for lunches this week and I’m already thinking about making a second batch. Simple, bright, and it holds up well over a few days in the fridge, which is exactly what I need from a weekday lunch. A Note on Peruano Beans These came from Primary Beans, though I ordered them through Foodocracy,…

I picked these up from Rancho Gordo mostly out of practicality. I had chili on the brain and wanted a red bean in the mix, and once I actually looked at my pantry, I realized almost every bag I had on hand was white, black, brown, or speckled. Where were the red beans? So this…

Made this for a Venezuelan potluck, and it was a huge hit with everyone there. My only regret is that I didn’t double the batch, because it disappeared fast. Found a version of this recipe online and adapted it to fit the Ayocote Negros & ingredients I had on hand. A Note on Ayocotes I…

There’s nothing quite like a big pot of heirloom beans. And while you can reinvent them several ways, a proper pot of beans sometimes makes more than most would want to eat in a week. The good news is that cooked heirloom beans freeze beautifully, and if you do it right, you’ll barely notice a…