Food

Chinese fermented foods have a rich history stretching back thousands of years, forming a core part of traditional diets and medicine. Staples like doubanjiang (fermented broad bean paste), douchi (fermented black soybeans), jiang (soy sauce-type pastes), fermented tofu, pickled vegetables, and rice wines such as Shaoxing wine are not only prized for their deep umami flavor but also valued for their digestive and health benefits.

Even beverages like wine and bottled water—often seen as “cleaner” when packaged in glass—showed measurable microplastic contamination. Water in glass bottles had 4.5 particles per litre, compared to 1.6 in plastic bottles and cartons. Wine sealed with corks contained minimal microplastics.

When Europe’s largest food manufacturer abandons a label it once promoted—and does so in the country where it is headquartered—it sends a clear signal. Industry sees what policymakers are reluctant to admit: that nutrition labelling is a dead end. It does not shift consumer behaviour at scale. It does not support sustainable production, nor does it build public trust.

At Green Prophet, where we’re constantly exploring the beautiful dance of ecology, culture, and innovation in the Middle East and beyond, we spoke to Sandor Katz about the ancient roots and modern relevance of fermentation—especially in water-scarce regions like ours.

The Sumarians’ brewing methods developed over the ages into the beer we know today. Yet making alcohol from bread mashed into liquid has never left people’s minds. We have a funny note on that: jailbird booze.

If you’re a woman in your 40s or 50s enjoying your morning brew, this study gives new reason to sip with purpose. But even more importantly, it underscores a simple truth we often return to: wellness is cumulative. The choices we make today—how we move, what we eat, how we rest, and yes, how we caffeinate—are the building blocks of the decades to come.

Mersu is energy-dense and sweet—think of it as a Bronze Age power snack.

Look in on ethnic stores. If you’re lucky enough to shop where an local ethnic population goes, you might find better prices on grains, canned goods, and kitchenware.

Everything in moderation, as common sense advice goes. It's especially true when it comes to food. But people want to live forever and are buying promises of energy drinks with amino acids such as taurine, with the aim of living forever, or at least a decade longer is now in fashion. New research says taurine probably doesn't work. In some cases it may harm.

Synthetic food dyes should be avoided in everything we eat. But a true blue natural food dye was missing –– until now. It comes...

It was too early to tell if the strawberries, raspberries, grapes and honeyberries fared better with some shade, as they typically don’t produce a full crop in their first year. But the fruit plants under the panels appeared to establish well, Nair said.

Conventional detection methods, such as sample taken and looking under a microscope to count the bits is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and often ineffective at identifying small particles, making them impractical for large-scale monitoring. 

With manufacturing already underway in Europe, the Vertis PB Pea launch signals Meala’s readiness to scale internationally. The company plans to expand into North America and Asia over the next 18 months, as plant-based brands increasingly prioritize formulation efficiency and transparency.

Faced with too much of one vegetable, my go-to strategy is to make soup. It’s a matter of peering inside the vegetable crisper and...

Since the 1990’s scientists in Ukraine and overseas have been saying that the land can be safely used again despite contamination by radiocaesium and radiostrontium. But political complexities have meant that the land remains officially abandoned. That hasn’t stopped a few farmers taking matters into their own hands and beginning unofficial production in some areas. The new study has confirmed that the farmers were right – crops can be grown safely in most areas.