Tag: food

Bridging culture, cuisine, and urban planning: new book explores the connections between food and urban spaces

The researchers suggest that urban green space can be used to improve food production efficiency, absorption, and processing, promoting the circulation of both food and culture

Agriculture, fishing, hunting, and gathering— through thousands of years of urbanization, these ways of acquiring food, which were deciding factors in settlement landscape patterns in the primitive society, have gradually been replaced by the manufacturing, financial, and service industry. Nowadays, urban planning  seems to have lost its connection with food.

A new book, Magical Foodscape: A Guidebook For Re-planning The Cities Base On The Culture, Food And The Built Environmentby Xiwei Shen of the University of Nevada, explores the many ways in which food and urban spaces are linked. “Under the COVID-19 epidemic, the common problem faced by different countries and regions—food shortage, inspired us to reflect on the place of food in urban life,” Shen says.

His research focused on four Chinese cities, Chengdu, Xi’an, Wuhan and Shanghai, all of them characterized by different and distinctive food culture. With a team of students from multiple cities, all working online collaboration during the pandemic, he explored the distribution patterns and potential of grain origin, delivery chains, processing chains and retailers in each of the four cities.

Urban green space, he believes, can be used to improve the efficiency of food production, absorption, and processing, promoting the circulation of both food and culture. This solution also has the potential to alleviate food problems in social crises and improve the cities’ ability to respond to social emergencies via what Shen calls “the foodscape.”

Magical Foodscape offers diverse planning guidelines based on the distinctive culture, food, and environment of the four iconic cities. It explores each city’s unique culinary landscape in detail, providing tailored strategies to address local challenges and opportunities. Available to download for free and published by Pensoft, Magical Foodscape offers useful guidelines to a wide range of actors. For example, it can serve as a gastronomical tourist guide, advise restaurant owners on the best place to open their establishments, or even inform the policy strategies of local and national governments. It also includes “food maps” for each city that invite readers to join the campaign and promote the positive development of cities through changes in their daily eating habits.

Chengdu: integrating traditional cuisine with urban efficiency

In Chengdu, terrace patches along rivers can be utilized to optimize the production-processing-supply chain of traditional cuisine, aiming to maximize profit while addressing significant waste issues. Three of Chengdu’s culinary highlights—hot pots, skewers, and teahouses—are facing serious waste problems. “As for hot pots, we proposed the concept of an ’urban farm,’ since traditional cooking methods provide conditions for the reuse of hot pot food waste; as for tea, we proposed to use waste tea as raw material for water purification devices and tea field fertilizers,” Shen says. “We found that the three types of restaurants with large passenger flow in Chengdu were mostly distributed along the terraces of the rivers. We combined the patches along the rivers with food production and food processing to improve the development of the high-efficiency cities.”

Xi’an: transforming food waste into cultural and ecological assets

The research team aimed to solve Xi’an’s food waste problem and use the resulting landscape as a medium to activate local culture. “We propose to establish the concept of ‘food funding’ and encourage ‘new means’ to turn the ecological problems caused by food waste or food packaging into opportunities to solve the existing ecological problems, build community gardens, and support the management of stray animals. At the same time, the resulting landscape activates the hidden special cuisine in Xi’an city and forms a food loop to meet the needs of tourists and residents for entertainment. On the city scale, the ‘food loop’ connects the cultural tourism within the city with the ecological tourism around the city as to promote urban development and optimize the ‘green pattern’,” says Shi.

Wuhan: enhancing urban resilience through green spaces and food

The study of Wuhan, the city of China’s earliest outbreak of COVID-19, reflects the lessons learned during the outbreak and uses geospatial data analysis to establish a scientific emergency mechanism. “Food production space and green space have similar functions in epidemic prevention and control,” Shi says. For example, arranging green spaces evenly helped shorten the distance for people to move, in order to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 disease in the early stage of the virus outbreak.

Shanghai: revitalizing traditional Chinese cuisine through urban planning

“We aimed to take the advantage of the processing methods and marketing models of Shanghai’s traditional gastronomy to revive Chinese restaurants by re-planning the city’s food pattern via the traditional Chinese cuisine,” Shi explains. His team studied catering efficacy, consumer efficacy and restaurant efficacy, combining their findings with geospatial data and mathematical modeling, to see how Shanghai’s vibrant culinary scene can help revive traditional Chinese restaurants through strategic urban planning.

Food as a catalyst for urban development

Magical Foodscape introduces food as a necessary element of urban planning. Moreover, it shows how food can be used to solve urban problems and optimize spatial structure in cities. “We hope that professional planners can rethink the role of food in guiding urban planning and promote the organic integration of city and food in different cities and revive the food industry,” Shi says in coclusion.

The research also highlights the relationship between food and urban resilience, particularly in the face of crises like COVID-19.

Original source:

Shen X (2024) Magical Foodscape: A Guidebook For Re-planning The Cities Base On The Culture, Food And The Built Environment. Advanced Books, Pensoft, Sofia, 1-148. https://doi.org/10.3897/ab.e129204

Tadpoles for dinner? Indigenous community in Mexico reveals a favorite recipe for a particular frog

Tadpoles of the Sierra Juarez brook frog Duellmanohyla ignicolor are consumed in caldo de piedra in the Chinantla region, in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Stone soup (caldo de piedra) is a traditional meal from the Indigenous Chinantla region in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. Prepared by men, it is made by placing tomato, cilantro, chili peppers, onion, raw fish, salt, and water in a jicara (a bowl made from the fruit of the calabash tree) in a hole dug near a river. Then, the ingredients are cooked by adding red hot rocks to the “pot”.

In 2019, members of the CIIDIR-Oaxaca Amphibian Ecology Laboratory visited Santa Cruz Tepetotutla in the Chinantla region as part of their continued research work in the community’s forests and streams. 

“As we observed and recorded the presence of tadpoles, our guide, Mr. Pedro Osorio-Hernández, remarked that one such tadpole was eaten in stone soup”, says Dr Edna González Bernal, one of the researchers.

Local landscape. Photo by Carlos A. Flores

Although not much attention is paid to tadpoles, they are more important than you might think. They are perfect indicators of the health of bodies of water, due to their sensitivity to changes in the aquatic environment where they develop. When tadpoles are present in a stream, river, or even a puddle, they indicate an acceptable concentration of oxygen, pH, conductivity, and temperature, or overall good dynamics of sediments and plant matter. And, above all, finding tadpoles is the easiest way to know about the presence of an amphibian species that reproduces in that site, regardless of whether or not an adult has been observed. Hence, the identification of the unique characteristics of the tadpoles of each species is an important task that is currently drawing more attention amongst scientists. 

Duellmanohyla ignicolor tadpoles. Photo by Edna González-Bernal

“For us, as Oaxacans, Don Pedro’s words were an eye-opener”, biologist Carlos A. Flores, also part of the study,  continues. “Although we knew about the tradition of stone soup, we would have never imagined that it could be prepared with tadpoles of the Sierra Juárez Brook frog (Duellmanohyla ignicolor)!”

Duellmanohyla ignicolor. Photo by Edna González-Bernal

“As scientists, we wondered: why this species and not another? Since when have these tadpoles been eaten? In what other places are tadpoles consumed and in what form? Does this consumption have a negative effect on amphibian populations?”

To answer these questions, the researchers monitored several streams in the community, collecting data on the structure of these sites, such as depth, water velocity, temperature, etc. They wanted to identify the characteristics of the habitat where the tadpoles of this little known species are found. Their research was recently published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

The team’s primary interest in the stone soup with tadpoles was to accurately document human interaction with this amphibian species. 

“It is common in anthropological literature to document the consumption of tadpoles in Mexico, but rarely does such documentation reach the species level. Even in some ethnoherpetological works, the consumption of tadpoles is mentioned only anecdotally”, Dr González Bernal explains.  

A boy collects tadpoles. Photo by Edna González-Bernal

“We learned that these larvae tend to form schools: aggregations of several tens to hundreds of individuals. They swim on the surface of the water and move their mouths to feed on suspended particles, which may be remains of plant matter, pollen or insect parts”, she continues. 

“This behavior, as has been documented in other species, biologically implies a strategy to feed more efficiently, control body temperature, protect themselves from predators and even to encourage social interaction. At the same time, it makes it easier for humans to capture several tadpoles using nets, hats, bags or even their own hands.”

This tadpole soup is consumed during the hottest months (April and May), when people go swimming in the river. The rest of the year, it is prepared with fish. Local people described the tadpoles as having a delicious fish-like flavor.

Why do people eat these particular tadpoles? Community members remarked that, because they are found at the surface of the water, they are considered cleaner than those found at the bottom, such as the tadpoles of the the coastal toad (Incilius valliceps) and the gloomy mountain frog (Ptychohyla zophodes). In addition, the tadpoles consumed in the stone broth reach sizes of up to 5 centimeters, which makes them a better choice for the dish.

Tadpoles caught using caps. Photo by Edna González-Bernal

Is stone soup a dish that only exists in the Chinantla region? “We found that while the dish has primarily been documented in this region, it is also consumed in some Indigenous Ayuk (Mixe) municipalities,” Dr González Bernal says. 

The cooking principle itself is a technique that has been used throughout history by different cultures around the world. The particularity of the caldo de piedra lies in its preparation with tomato, cilantro, and chili peppers, as well as prawns or particular species of fish such as the bobo (Joturus prichardi).

In the case of the Sierra Juarez Brook frog’s tadpoles, the researchers concluded that since they are consumed locally and for non-commercial purposes, the species is not at risk. However, the behavior of these tadpoles and their preference for deeper water bodies make them vulnerable to being caught in large quantities.

“In the context of the global amphibian crisis, it is of utmost importance to continue increasing our knowledge about the diversity of species and above all to delve deeper into their ecology, both at the adult and larval stages. Only in this way can we gain a greater understanding of each species’ needs and develop conservation strategies that take into account the biology of species with a complex life cycle, such as amphibians”, the research team says in conclusion. 

Research article:

Flores CA, Arreortúa M, González-Bernal E (2022) Tadpole soup: Chinantec caldo de piedra and behavior of Duellmanohyla ignicolor larvae (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae). ZooKeys 1097: 117-132. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1097.76426

Lifting the veil over mysterious desert truffles: Terfezia’s ecology and diversity towards cultivation

Developing below the soil surface, desert truffles are hard to find. Recently, researchers of the University of Évora updated the number of known species of the desert truffle genus Terfezia occurring in Portugal from three to ten species. They thoroughly characterized their ecological preferences, adding new knowledge on Terfezia’s cryptic lifestyle. These findings are of major importance, as desert truffles have a high economic value. The study was published in the open-access journal MycoKeys.

In a caring, symbiotic relationship, mycorrhizal fungi live and feed in the roots of specific plants, while providing water and nutrients to their ‘companion’. In arid and semi-arid environments, mycorrhization processes are essential to the survival of both plants and fungi. Moreover, the fungus’ hyphal network, which spreads within the soil connecting several plant individuals, is of utmost importance to enhancing soil quality and fertility.

Researchers of the University of Évora in Portugal, led by biologist Celeste Santos e Silva, worked on Terfezia fungi, the most diverse and species-rich genus among desert truffles. Their study, published in the open-access journal MycoKeys, might prove particularly valuable to rural populations in the Mediterranean basin, where desert truffles, highly valued in local markets, are an important food source. Increasingly turning into an exquisite component of the Mediterranean diet, Terfezia products can also be very profitable. Furthermore, these fungi are essential for soil conservation, preventing erosion and desertification.

Desert truffles.

After 8 years of exhaustive field exploration in search of desert truffles and many hours in the molecular biology lab, the researchers noted some previously unknown trends in the ecology of Terfezia species. They recorded seven species that were new to Portugal, including two that are new to science – Terfezia lusitanica and Terfezia solaris-libera. This brings the number of Terfezia species known to be growing in the country to ten. Particularly important was the discovery of a broader ecological range for many of the studied species (e.g. Terfezia grisea). Adding valuable information about their possible hosts, symbionts and ecological constraints, these findings help open new opportunities for truffle cultivation.

“It is very difficult to identify all specimens given that the Terfezia species look so much alike, and molecular biology was absolutely fundamental here”, explains the researcher. “The technique was essential to update and solve problems about their taxonomy and the relationship between the species in the genus.”

Furthermore, the discoveries are also expected to positively impact the local communities by stimulating agriculture produce, business and even employment. 

Desert truffle production explained. Video by University of Évora

Knowledge gained in this research about the conditions in which different Terfezia species grow is an important step to desert truffle cultivation: the fungi are hard to find in the wild, which is why it would make a big difference – including financially – for local communities if they figure out a way to grow truffles themselves.

Within the project “Mycorrhization of Cistus spp with Terfezia arenaria (Moris) Trappe and its application in the production of desert truffles” (ALT20-03-0145-FEDER-000006), the researchers took a step forward towards achieving mycorrhizal association of desert truffles with perennial plants (rock roses), which would allow their mass production for various sectors such as food, medicine and soil recovery. This new form of production, assures the MED researcher and leader of the project, “will make it possible to create more jobs, reversing the current trend towards desertification in rural areas, while being a great tool for ecosystem recovery and restoration”.

Research article:


Santos-Silva C, Louro R, Natário B, Nobre T (2021) Lack of knowledge on ecological determinants and cryptic lifestyles hinder our understanding of Terfezia diversity. MycoKeys 84: 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.84.71372

Underground gourmet: Selected terrestrial cave invertebrates and their meal preferences

Doubting whether terrestrial cave invertebrates feed on just anything they can find in the harsh food-wise environment underground, Dr. Jaroslav Smrz, fromCharles University, Vinicna, and his international team conducted a research in Slovakian and Romania caves. They tested the hypothesis that these species have rather negligible selection of food. Their microanatomical research into the gut content of several microwhip scorpions, oribatid mites, millipedes, springtails and crustaceans showed, however, that there is an evident meal preference among the species.

The results confirmed that the studied groups can adapt and develop under the pressure of extreme environmental factors. Therefore, the researchers concluded a low level of food competition. The study is available in the Subterranean Biology open-access journal.

The scientists studied the cells and tissues of the selected invertebrates and found out that the gut contents were nearly identical between the representatives of each group. This was the case even when the specimens had been collected from various locations. For instance, all microwhip scorpions proved a preference for cyanobacteria, while the mites favored the bacteria found in bat guano and the millipedes – fungi.

“The limited food offer seems to be used very unambiguously and thoroughly by the invertebrate communities,” the research team explained. “Therefore, the competition for food can be actually regarded as very low,” they concluded.

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Original source:

Smrz J, Kovac L, Mikes J, Sustr V, Lukesova A, Tajovsky K, Novakova A, Reznakova P (2015) Food sources of selected terrestrial cave arthropods. Subterranean Biology 16: 37-46. doi:10.3897/subtbiol.16.8609