Vaquita porpoise could survive … but only if illegal fishing stops immediately

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Admin

DNA study finds rarest cetacean, only found in Gulf of California, has enough genetic diversity to recover – if gillnet ban is enforced

Scientists studying the DNA of the world’s smallest cetacean and rarest marine mammal, the vaquita porpoise, have made a surprising and bittersweet discovery.

With a tiny population of fewer than 10 individuals left, the mammal was assumed by conservationists to be at a similar risk of harmful mutations and inbreeding as other species with small gene pools.

‘I’m following a dream – giving people my soul food’: the global restaurants bringing life to British streets

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Admin

These 15 small venues – all run or founded by immigrants to Britain – are part of the fabric of the nation’s high streets. But after two hellish years, can they survive?

Plus 15 great recipes – from Scandinavia to Tibet, via the Caribbean and Cambodia

• Yotam Ottolenghi on his favourite ingredient

Char siu pork and General Tso’s golden hake – recipes for the lunar new year

Posted on January 16, 2022 by Admin

Three food writers suggest celebratory Cantonese, Sichuanese and Taiwanese dishes that will have you over the moon

Traditionally, a whole fish is steamed at the new year to symbolise abundance and unity, because the homonym for fish means “abundance”. I’m using sustainable hake fillets which are tender and succulent. They belong to the cod family so they still have a wonderful texture, slightly smaller flakes than cod but still a delicious sweet taste. For this recipe, I am using hake fillets with the skin on (to keep their shape), sliced into 2cm chunks. I love to shallow fry the fish pieces, make a hot, sour and sweet General Tso’s sauce with dried red chillies, peppers and onions, and then toss the fish pieces back into the dish.

The cookbook-memoir hybrid: ‘You’re really putting yourself on the plate’

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Admin

While books that combine recipes with personal narrative have always existed, they’re increasingly becoming the norm

“In the early stages, I would read it and I would cry, have tears streaming down my face,” Chinese-Australian cook and food writer Hetty Lui McKinnon says of her latest cookbook, To Asia, With Love. “They’re not sad tears … it’s me feeling this happiness of reaching this point where I’m able to tell this story.”

McKinnon says she’s never been the authority on Asian cuisine like Kylie Kwong – her first cookbook, Community, told the story of starting the salad delivery business that brought her to prominence – but her fourth cookbook is her most personal yet. In it, the recipes and McKinnon’s own words reflect on the influences of her Chinese heritage and upbringing in Australia.