Take a journey through food systems on a special in-the-field episode of Taste Matters as Mitchell Davis is recording at the American Museum of Natural History with Museum Curator Mark Norell. Take a virtual tour through their latest exhibit at the museum, "Our Global Kitchen". How did the exhibit come to be? What specific food topics are covered in the exhibit? Learn about the foods of the world and get an inside look at one of the most interesting curated food experiences in the world! This special episode was sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

What staple food feeds over 500 million people, and is gluten-free? Answer- the manioc root, and it's this week's topic on A Taste of the Past. Linda Pelaccio sits down with Teresa Corção, chef/owner of O Navegador restaurant and co-founder of Instituto Maniva- a group that promotes the heritage root called manioc. She is an active governing member of Slow Food Brazil, and has been honored by IACP with a Humanitarian of the Year award. Sara B. Franklin is also in the studio. A writer, oral historian, and multi-media storyteller, Sara is co-writing The Manioc Route cookbook with Teresa. Also joining Linda is Margarida Nogueira, co-founder of Instituto Maniva with Teresa, and founder of Slow Food Brazil. Tune in to hear about the upcoming cookbook, The Manioc Route, and how it combines cooking with history, culture, and emotion. Did you know that the manioc has been in the upper Amazon Valley since 7,000 B.C.E.? Or that the manioc is naturally poisonous? All these facts and more on this week's A Taste of the Past. Be sure to get more information about the Manioc Route and visit their Kickstarter on Facebook. Watch a clip from Seu Bené Vai Pra Italia, a film about manioc flour producer Benedito Batista da Silva. This program is sponsored by Hearst Ranch.

"There's so much cultural history around this root, and it's delicious." --Sara B. Franklin on A Taste of the Past

"Food is affection, culture, and heritage."

"Peruvian people had brought all types- over 2,000 varieties- of potatoes and today in Lima you can find lots of varieties of potatoes, and maybe this can be an example of how you can take an underestimated a staple and make it a gourmet food." --Teresa Corção on A Taste of the Past

"When I discovered the Slow Food Movement on the Internet, I fell in love with the philosophy" -- Margarida Nogueira on a Taste of the Past

The puffing gun is up and running! This week on Cooking Issues, Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez recap the first test of the Museum of Food and Drink's new cereal puffer! Later, Dave takes on some questions regarding bubble size in alcoholic drinks and flavoring Doritos. How can you get brown rice to stick together? Dave helps a caller preserve some cocktail cherries, and talks about his recent foraging adventures at Riverside Park. How would Dave make banana chips at home? Finally, hear about 'cat crap coffee' and 3D printing food! Thanks to our sponsor, ChefSteps.

"The bubble size of any given drink is due to the amount of CO2 you push into it and the temperature at which you serve it." [5:20]

-- Dave Arnold on Cooking Issues