High in fiber and protein, chickpeas are playing a starring role on menus. They're also good for soil health — and growing demand could help restore soils depleted by decades of intensive farming.| NPR
By law, all California almonds must be pasteurized or treated with a fumigant — processes aimed at preventing foodborne illness. But critics say the treatments taint flavor and mislead consumers.| NPR
Some businesses are closing for the day; others are staying open and pledging to contribute a share of the day's proceeds to nonprofits that aid Latino communities.| NPR
We have the chemical menthol to thank for the wonderful mouth-feel of peppermint. Scientists now know that menthol fools the brain by activating receptors involved with sensing cold.| NPR
The Salt is a blog from the NPR Science Desk about what we eat and why we eat it. We serve up food stories with a side of skepticism that may provoke you or just make you smile.| NPR
What started as a Christmas countdown has increasingly become a retail opportunity. While Advent calendars have evolved over the centuries, they still accomplish some of their original objectives.| NPR
Valentine's Day is a time to celebrate romance and love and kissy-face fealty. But the ancient Romans had bloodier, drunker and more naked notions to mark the occasion.| NPR