culinary Archives - usatoday24

More and more people are looking at invasive species as the new big culinary goldmine. Science has something to say

May 7, 2026 by usatoday24

Honolulu, Hawaii, is famous for its beaches and the kind of paradise landscapes you dream of when planning your vacation. A few weeks ago, however, one of its most picturesque beaches hosted a contest that sounded like anything but paradise: “Eat the Invaders” (“Eat the invaders”). Although the title may be shocking macabre, in reality it was a fishing tournament in which participants had to capture three invasive species. Then a chef was in charge of preparing them to demonstrate that, in addition to being a huge environmental problem, fish ta’ape, to‘ouch either roi They can be a delicacy. It seems like an anecdote, but that Honolulu tournament is just part of a much bigger problem: the ‘invasivorism‘. What the hell is ‘invasiveness’? The word is confusing, but it refers to a very easy concept to understand: the ‘invasiveness’ It consists of neither more nor less than consuming invasive species. Exactly what encouraged to do a few weeks ago in Honolulu: stop seeing ta’ape or roi as simple invasive species and understand them as something more, an ingredient for delicious dishes. In theory, this does not mean that we give up eradicating them or ignore the damage they cause to local ecosystems. It is simply encouraged to go further and turn the problem into an opportunity. Does it only happen in Hawaii? Not at all. Honolulu residents haven’t invented anything new. Not even the slogan of “Eat the Invaders”, which is actually the title of a series from the ABC network that explores precisely the culinary potential of Australia’s invasive species. In 2025 even the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) used that same hook (“Eat the invaders”) to launch a campaign that encouraged taking advantage of species introduced by man and that now threaten native diversity. “Consumption of invasive species can help protect native fauna and flora. By trapping, trapping and consuming them we can reduce their population and the damage they cause,” claims an article signed by Erin Huggins, from the FWS communications area, which details half a dozen species that represent a problem in the US and “should be considered”: Myocastor coypus, Channa argus, iguana iguanasilver carp and Sus scrofacreatures from other areas of America, Asia or Europe. Sounds good, right? That’s the crux of the matter. At first glance it seems like squaring the circle: an invasive species is combated and in the process a benefit is easily transferred to the entire population. The idea is so powerful that in 2013 even the FAO encouraged fighting jellyfish plagues with a similar slogan: “If you can’t fight them, eat them.” The problem is that there are experts who believe that invasiveness is actually a trap that is tantalizingly easy to fall into. At first it seems like the perfect solution, but it often ends up aggravating the invasions. The issue is of sufficient concern that a group of scientists from several countries, led by the Doñana-CSIC Biological Station, has published an article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in which he questions the basic argument of invasiveness: that the consumption of invasive species is an intelligent strategy, especially if it ends up turning the capture and exploitation of those same species into a lucrative business. “Encouraging commercialization can create incentives to maintain them instead of eradicating them.” What do they say exactly? That what at first seems like a solution can end up becoming a problem. “Invasivorism is usually presented as a strategy win-win (mutual benefit) based on the idea that the consumption of an invasive species generates wealth while minimizing its impacts”, recognize Fran Officialdegui, researcher at the Doñana-CSIC Biological Station and main author of the article. “But the reality is much more complex, and in many situations, when the problem becomes a business, a resistance to ending it arises.” “What is not often said is that the objectives of commercial exploitation and management of invasive species are, in most cases, opposite,” affects the researcher before warning of the greatest risk: that a market will be generated around foreign species. When this happens to the interest in eradicating them, another that pulls in the opposite direction can be added: the interest in conserving them. Can that really happen? It has already happened, in fact. In their article, the researchers recall the case of the Kamchatka crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus). Although it is a species native to the North Pacific, about 60 years ago the USSR decided to introduce it to the Barents Sea, in the Arctic. There these crustaceans found a place where they could easily expand and ended up becoming a pest. Also in something else: the engine of a prosperous business that over time led to overexploitation. What did the authorities do when fishing threatened to eliminate the theoretically invasive species? Catch limits were set to guarantee the business that had been created. Why are they issuing the warning now? Because, as they remember from the Doñana-CSIC Biological Station, the discourse of invasiveness seems to be settling little by little. And in part this expansion is due to campaigns promoted by companies, administrations and even conservation organizations that are carried away by the motto of “If you can’t beat them, eat them!” that already used years ago the FAO. Officialdegui also warns that what happened in his day with the Kamchatka crab could be replicated in Spain with the Callinectes sapidusor blue crab, a invasive species whose goodness culinary now they start promoting themselves. In fact it is easy to find recipes that explain how to prepare it with rice. “It is very likely that scenarios similar to that of the Kamchatka crab will occur on the peninsula when, once the commercial exploitation of the blue crab is established (Callinectes sapidus), there are declines in its population”, keep it up Officialdegui. In his opinion, invasiveness can help raise social awareness about the risk of exotic species, but that cannot mislead us. “Addressing biological invasions requires long-term commitment, scientific knowledge and coordinated … Read more

In the Middle Ages there was a very expensive culinary trend that today would make your food inedible: they bathed it in spices

April 18, 2026 by usatoday24

For tastes, colors. But if you were the guest of a landowner from the Middle Ages, a wealthy count or baron who wanted to impress his diners with a sumptuous banquet of fish, meat, wine and sweets, it would be best if your tastes leaned towards hyper-spicy food. After all, it was not unreasonable that on the table you would find a tray of pheasant swimming in a sauce made with 17 different spicesso many that its flavor would hardly please today’s palates. Maybe that expectation seems unappetizing to you, but for medieval diners it made perfect sense. Better with spices. Medieval diners liked spices. A lot. So much so that their banquets were an authentic display of dressings of ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg or saffron, among a long and well seasoned etc. As an example, Michael Delahoydefrom Washington State University, explains that a meat sauce could contain about 17 different spices. In another recent example The Country spoke of recipes up to 15 and plenty of sugar. Everything on the same plate. Combined. Forming a mixture of flavors that would make the foods that gave luster to the great banquets of medieval nobles hardly edible for 21st century diners. And that (culinary ironies) has never been as easy to find spices as it is today: it comes with entering any supermarket to find full shelves. A gastronomic window. If we know what and how medieval nobles ate, it is thanks to the work of historians and works such as ‘The Book of Sent Soví’a manuscript that stands out for several reasons: it is the oldest recipe book of its type in the Iberian Peninsula and for a few days it has been starring an exhibition about medieval food in Valencia. The work contains 72 recipes and dates back to the 15th century, although experts are convinced that the work is based on a previous original, now lost, that was written in 1324. The work is interesting not only because of its recipes. It is also because it tells us about what the diners of the Late Middle Ages were like, perhaps somewhat different from us in tastes, but not in terms of attitude. In addition to appreciating the good taste of the dishes, they liked to show off, using gastronomy as a status symbol. They appreciated kitchens with large stoves, the carvers who cut and distributed the meat among the diners, spices and sugar. Cooking and marketing (medieval). “We all have to eat, every day, but in the Middle Ages they did not have the ways of distinguishing themselves that we have. They turned food into a liturgy, a ritual in which they demonstrated their wealth and that was seen even outside because they gave leftovers to the poorest classes. It was a way of demonstrating status,” comment to The Country Juan Vicente García Marsilla, professor of Medieval History and curator of the exhibition. The 15th century recipe book preserved in Valencia has much of that pomp and prestige that was sought among kitchens and pantries. In its prologue it slips that the original work was prepared some time ago by commission from an English kingbut the recipes speak of another reality: an author probably Valencian or Catalan accustomed to the gastronomic tradition of the Mediterranean. “Marketing hype of the time”, summarizes García. By attributing the work to a foreign and ancient chef, the recipe book sought to imbue itself with exoticism and prestige. Why so many spices? Partly because of the above. Status. Today we may find them in any Mercadona, but spices or sugar centuries ago They were luxuries that were not within reach of all the tables. “Spices were a sign of luxury and opulence. They denoted prestige,” comments Delahoydewho reflects on the peculiar value of medieval cookbooks: probably not all cooks knew how to read and the recipe books were not used in the kitchen either, but rather were kept in private collections. Therefore… Were they useful for those responsible for provisions? Were they a sign of status? A way to learn about the exotic ingredients in each dish, garnishes that might otherwise go unnoticed by diners? In search of flavors… and names. Analida Braeger slips some interesting reflections in Medievalist.neta platform founded in 2008 and specialized in medieval history. In a comprehensive article On the subject, he points out that the medieval palate became accustomed to foods heavily seasoned with spices, a symbol of power increased in part by its exotic origin and the imports from the East. In the extensive list included cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, saffron, mace, cardamom or galangal. insatiable demand. “Europe’s insatiable demand for spices in the late Middle Ages is a notable example of a drastic historical shift brought about by consumer preferences,” pointed out in 2012 Paul Freedman in an article published in ‘The Oxford Handbook of Food History’. The result is recipes like chicken with sugar which we can read in the 15th century manuscript preserved in Valencia. Furthermore, spices were not only used in cooking, they also had medical applications. There is who assures that despite their limited availability and high cost, a very high percentage of the recipes in cookbooks from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries include spices and that at least some works cite up to 40 different types. In any case, it must be clear that the cuisine of the aristocracy and that widespread among the popular classes are not the same. Among the latter it was not strange that cold food for a matter of costs. Revisiting old topics. As happens often With everything related to the Middle Ages, the use of spices is overshadowed by clichés and prejudices that are not always accurate. Delahoyde remembers the “common myth” that cooks of the time relied heavily on seasonings to mask the taste of spoiled meat. After all, there were no refrigerators or freezers to keep meat fresh, right? Why not season it well? It is not likely that … Read more

In the Middle Ages there was a very expensive culinary fashion that would make its uncomstant food today: they bathed in spices

February 16, 2025 by usatoday24

For tastes, colors. But if you were the guest of a landowner of the Middle Ages, a hostel Hyper spicy. After all, it was not crazy that you were a pheisan tray on the table swimming in a sauce made with 17 different spicesso many that its flavor would hardly please today’s palates. Perhaps that expectation seems little appetizing, but for the diners of the Middle Ages it made all the meaning. Better with spices. The diners with possible of the Middle Ages liked spices. A lot. So much so that their banquets were a real display of ginger dressings, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg or saffron, between A long and well spiced and so on. As an example, Michael Delahoydefrom the Washington State University, Explain that a meat sauce could contain about 17 different spices. In another recent example The country He spoke of recipes up to 15 and abundant sugar. All in the same dish. Combined. Forming a mixture of flavors that would make meals that gave luster to the great banquets of the medieval nobles were hardly edible for the diners of the 21st century. And that (culinary ironies) that it was never as easy to find spices as it is today: it comes with entering any supermarket to meet full shelves. A gastronomic window. If we know what and how the medieval nobles ate it is thanks to the work of historians and works such as ‘The Llibre de feel Soví’a manuscript that stands out for several reasons: it is the oldest recipe book of its type of the Iberian Peninsula and for a few days it stars An exhibition On medieval food in Valencia. The work contains 72 recipes and dates from the XV, although experts are convinced that the work starts from a previous, now lost original, which was written in 1324. The work is interesting not only for its recipes. It is also because it tells us about how the diners of the low Middle Ages were, perhaps somewhat different from us in tastes, but not in what they refer to. In addition to appreciating the good taste of the dishes, they liked to presume, use gastronomy as a status symbol. They appreciated kitchens with large stoves, The trenches that cut and distributed meat among diners, Spices and sugar. Kitchen and marketing (medieval). “Eating we have to eat all, every day, but in the Middle Ages they did not have the ways of distinguish leftovers to the poorest classes. Comment to The country Juan Vicente García Marsilla, Professor of Medieval History and Commissioner of the Exhibition. The seventeenth -century recipe book preserved in Valencia has a lot of that pomp and prestige that was sought between stoves and pantries. In his prologue he slides that the original work was prepared long ago by commission of an English kingbut the recipes speak of another reality: an author probably Valencian or Catalan accustomed to the gastronomic tradition of the Mediterranean. “Marketing ínfulas of the time”, Garcia summarizes. By attributing the work to a foreign and old chef, the recipe book sought to imbute exoticism and prestige. Why so many spices? Partly for the above. Status. Today we may find them in any market, but spices or sugar centuries ago They were luxuries that were not available to all tables. “The spices were a sign of luxury and opulence. They denoted prestige,” Delahoyde commentswho reflects on the peculiar value of medieval kitchen books: probably not all chefs knew how to read and the recipes were not used between stoves, but were preserved in private collections. Therefore … Did they serve for those responsible for provisions? Were they a sign of status? A way of knowing the exotic ingredients of each dish, dressings that otherwise perhaps go unnoticed for diners? In search of flavors … and name. Analida Brager slides some interesting reflections in Medievalist.neta platform founded in 2008 and specialized in medieval history. In A broad article On the subject, he points out that the medieval palate was accustomed to very seasoned foods, a symbol of power in part by its exotic origin and the Imports from the East. In the extensive list Cinnamon, nail, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, saffron, macis, cardamom or Galanga. Insatiable demand. “The insatiable demand for spices by Europe at the end of the Middle Ages is a notable example of a drastic historical change caused by consumer preferences,” He pointed in 2012 Paul Freedman in an article published in ‘The Oxford Handbook of Food History’. The result are recipes such as sugar chicken that we can read in the XV manuscript preserved in Valencia. In addition the spices were not only used in the kitchen, they also had Medical applications. There is who says That despite its limited availability and high cost, a very high percentage of the recipes of the kitchen books of the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries include spices and that at least some works cite up to 40 different types. In any case, it is necessary to be clear that the kitchen of the aristocracy and the extended between the popular classes is not the same. Among the latter it was not strange that it was consumed Cold food for a matter of costs. Reviewing old topics. As It often occurs With everything referred to with the Middle Ages, the use of spices is overshadowed by topics and prejudices that are not always accurate. Delahoyde remembers The “common myth” that the chefs of the time resorted to both condiments to mask the taste of meat in poor condition. After all there were no refrigerators or freezers with whom to keep the meat fresh, right? Why not season it well? It is not likely to happen. And the reason is simple. In the Middle Ages they were also aware of the importance of fresh foods and who had the necessary resources to buy spices probably would not use them for that purpose. First because they were too expensive to … Read more

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