A third of the world’s population cooks with fuels that produce harmful fumes when burned. Breathing in the fine particles produced by cooking with wood, charcoal, coal, animal dung and agricultural waste can penetrate the lungs and cause multiple respiratory and cardiovascular problems, including cancer and strokes. Women and children are most at risk. Fifty countries gathered in Paris on Tuesday to raise funds to replace dangerous cooking with clean ones. Marco Werman speaks with Dymphna van der Lans, CEO of the Clean Cooking Alliance.
Food is, of course, an important part of culture. A new exhibit at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, Illinois, is exploring the role delis have played in Jewish culture and history. In America, many delis were founded by Holocaust survivors.
Turkey is famous for its elaborate breakfasts, featuring a huge spread of a wide variety of foods that can take hours to eat. Critics say the traditional breakfast is indulgent and leads to food waste. Others say it’s part of the culture and here to stay.
A new exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art takes visitors on a journey to explore food and art through the Middle East and beyond. It includes recipes by an Iranian American chef dating back to 10th-century Baghdad and artwork influenced by different cultures.
New York Times food writer Yewande Komolafe grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. When she moved to the US in her late teens, she recreated her favorite dishes by memory. Now she celebrates her home town’s cuisine in her new book: “My Everyday Lagos: Nigerian Cooking at Home and in the Diaspora.” Host Marco Werman speaks to Komolafe about what inspired her book.