Food & Drink
Why Do Onions Make You Cry?
Cutting an onion lets two enzymes make syn-propanethial-S-oxide, an irritant that makes the eyes sting. Learn the chemistry, tearless onions and sharp knives.
Food & Drink
What we eat and drink and why: how foods are made, where dishes came from and the science in the kitchen, explained from reliable sources.
Food & Drink
Where Does Coffee Come From?
Coffee beans are the seeds of the coffee cherry. See how arabica and robusta differ, how coffee spread from Ethiopia and Yemen, and where it is grown today.
Food & Drink
Why Does Swiss Cheese Have Holes?
Swiss cheese gets its holes from carbon dioxide made by bacteria during ripening. Learn how hay particles seed the holes and why they became rarer.