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Tuesday

The British Celebrate Pancake Day With Sweet Races

Steve Pound, MP, pictured at the Rehab Parliamentary Pancake Race 2017. Pancake races are a Shrove Tuesday tradition in England dating back centuries. Oliver Dixon / Imagewise hide caption

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Oliver Dixon / Imagewise

The Salt

The British Celebrate Pancake Day With Sweet Races

The last day of February is called Pancake Day in the United Kingdom, and it is marked by pancake races. Teams run pan in hand toward the finish line in a tradition going back hundreds of years.

The British Celebrate Pancake Day With Sweet Races

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In U.K., A Veggie Shortage Inspires Funny Headlines And Serious Thoughts

Vegetables were rationed at supermarkets in the U.K. due to poor weather conditions in Europe. Here, lettuce, broccoli and zucchini were rationed at a Tesco store in London. Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images hide caption

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Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images

The Salt

In U.K., A Veggie Shortage Inspires Funny Headlines And Serious Thoughts

Bad weather in southern Europe caused a brief shortage of veggies in the U.K. Prices went up and people panicked. Now they are thinking harder about where their food comes from.

Monday

What's The Environmental Footprint Of A Loaf Of Bread? Now We Know

From field to bakery, a loaf of bread packs a measurable environmental punch. Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images hide caption

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Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

The Salt

What's The Environmental Footprint Of A Loaf Of Bread? Now We Know

New research calculates the greenhouse gas emissions involved in making bread, from wheat field to bakery. The vast majority of emissions come from one step in the process: farming.

What's The Environmental Footprint Of A Loaf Of Bread? Now We Know

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In NYC, 'Sweeney Todd' Baker Serves Up Some Bloody Good Pies

For Barrow Street Theatre, pie shells are baked and filled with the chicken and vegetables, cooked in a little white truffle butter, then sprinkled with truffle zest. Joan Marcus hide caption

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Joan Marcus

The Salt

In NYC, 'Sweeney Todd' Baker Serves Up Some Bloody Good Pies

The off-Broadway musical, in which a barber's clients become filling for meat pies, may make you lose your appetite. But former White House pastry chef Bill Yosses bakes a tempting pre-theater treat.

In NYC, 'Sweeney Todd' Baker Serves Up Some Bloody Good Pies

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Sunday

Indonesia Wakes Up And Smells Its Own Coffee — Then Drinks It

Mirza Luqman Effendy of Brewphobia in South Jakarta prepares coffee for a cupping session. Yosef Riadi for NPR hide caption

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Yosef Riadi for NPR

The Salt

Indonesia Wakes Up And Smells Its Own Coffee — Then Drinks It

Indonesia is the world's fourth-largest coffee producer, exporting more than it consumes. But that's changing, as demand from a rising middle class fuels entrepreneurship and connoisseurship.

Indonesia Wakes Up And Smells Its Own Coffee — Then Drinks It

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Friday

Spread The Word: Butter Has An Epic Backstory

From happy Neolithic-era accident to inspiration for student protests to tabletop staple, butter has had quite the ride over the past 10,000 years. A new book tells the story. Lew Rovertson/Getty Images/StockFood hide caption

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Lew Rovertson/Getty Images/StockFood

The Salt

Spread The Word: Butter Has An Epic Backstory

From its origins as a happy accident 10,000 years ago, to its role as the centerpiece of a school "rebellion," the tabletop staple has had quite a life. A new book tells the story.

Could A Bumblebee Learn To Play Fetch? Probably

Bumblebees have 100,000 times fewer neurons than humans do, but they can learn new skills quickly when there's a sweet reward at the end. Michael Durham/Minden Pictures/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Durham/Minden Pictures/Getty Images

The Salt

Could A Bumblebee Learn To Play Fetch? Probably

Scientists found that bumblebees are nimble learners, especially when there's a sugary reward at the end. No wonder they're such good pollinators.

Could A Bumblebee Learn To Play Fetch? Probably

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Thursday

Poverty Plus A Poisonous Plant Blamed For Paralysis In Rural Africa

A typical meal in the Democratic Republic of Congo consists of greens, fufu - a starchy ball made from cassava flour - and meat, such as freshwater fish. Amy Maxmen for NPR hide caption

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Amy Maxmen for NPR

The Salt

Poverty Plus A Poisonous Plant Blamed For Paralysis In Rural Africa

Some African countries have long witnessed mysterious outbreaks of paralysis. Affected regions are poor and conflict-ridden, where people's main food is a bitter, poisonous variety of cassava.

Wednesday

Cannibalism: It's 'Perfectly Natural,' A New Scientific History Argues

An illustration from 1875 depicts the survivors of the frigate Cospatrick, which caught fire off South Africa's Cape of Good Hope in November 1874. Of more than 470 people on board, just three ultimately survived, and they were reduced to cannibalism. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The Salt

Cannibalism: It's 'Perfectly Natural,' A New Scientific History Argues

It's gruesome, but from a scientific standpoint, there's a predictable calculus for when humans and animals go cannibal, a new book says. And who knew European aristocrats ate body parts as medicine?

Tuesday

Health Insurance Woes Add To The Risky Business Of Farming

Taylor Hutchinson says having subsidized health care costs has been critical to being able to start a farm with her partner, Jake Mendell. Kathleen Masterson/Vermont Public Radio hide caption

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Kathleen Masterson/Vermont Public Radio

The Salt

Health Insurance Woes Add To The Risky Business Of Farming

Vermont Public

There are many challenges to farming: It's often grueling work that relies on unpredictable factors such as weather and global market prices. But one aspect that's often ignored: health care costs.