BROADCASTS.com

Cheese science, cilantro phobia, and fork usage: we\u2019ve covered it all on Gastropod. And, for our special end-of-year episode, we\u2019re bringing you updates on some our favorite stories. Join us to find out what happened next\u2026 Ever wondered what happened to those\xa0researchers in Colombia who discovered they could grow five times more food by adding specially-bred microbes to the soil? Or what\u2019s new in cheese microbiology? This is your chance to find out! To celebrate the end of 2015, we\u2019ve created a tasting menu to update past episodes. Listen in for news from the front lines of fork etiquette and for the science behind Camembert\u2019s color change from minty-green to today\u2019s white rind. We\u2019ve also included your stories of successful cilantro conversion techniques as well as your suggestions for state dishes\u2014including plenty that we\u2019d never even heard of, from Benedictine sandwiches to Cincinnati chili. There\u2019s even a mezcal-tasting party featuring Cynthia\u2019s mom. And, as we share a toast and head into 2016, we\u2019d love to hear from you. Do you have a question about some aspect of food history or science? Ever wondered why tonka beans are banned in the United States, despite being a popular spice in much of the rest of the world? Maybe your teeth feel weird after eating spinach, and you want to know why\u2014and whether anyone else has the same reaction? Or perhaps you\u2019re curious about how tomatoes, which don\u2019t seem as if they should store particularly well for long boat-rides, succeeded in making the leap from the Americas to become a staple in European cuisine? Send us an email or a voice memo, or leave us a message at +1 310.876.2427, and we\u2019ll see what we can do! Finally, a huge thanks to you, our listeners, for a great year. We wouldn\u2019t exist without you, and we\u2019re so grateful for your support. If you enjoy listening to Gastropod, please tell your friends and relatives: we need to build our audience in order to thrive in the future. You can also write a review at iTunes, which helps other podcast lovers\xa0find us. Don\u2019t forget to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and sign up for our email list. And, if you\u2019re feeling particularly generous at the end of the year, please consider making a donation to support future episodes of Gastropod. It\u2019s not tax-deductible, but you\u2019ll be helping to make sure we can serve up another year\u2019s worth of delicious food science and history. Thanks for all you\u2019ve done to help make this show a success, and here\u2019s to 2016!EPISODE NOTESThe Golden Spoon Our very first episode, The Golden Spoon, was a deep dive into the history and science of cutlery: you can listen to it here. For this episode, we spoke to Guardian columnist Tim Dowling about the shocking findings from a new survey on British fork usage.The Microbe Revolution Back in November 2014, we spoke with scientists Ian Sanders and Alia Rodriguez about their successful field trials, in which they found that coating cassava roots in a gel containing specially bred mycorrhizal fungi increased the final harvest by up to five times.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices