The Main Ingredient
with Khalil Akhtar

It's a view of the dinner table fifty years from now. Scientists are growing pork in a petri dish and preparing to harvest lettuce on mars. And when fish are mostly gone from the seas ... you may find a jelly fish in your fridge. We'll also take a look at how the future looked in 1962 ... it's food machines and synthetic snacks on the menu.

LISTEN NOW:

 

 WEB EXTRA:

If you would like a little more chat about growing meat in a petri dish ... you can hear an extended interview with the Dutch scientist Mark Post.

LISTEN NOW:

 

In this episode of The Main Ingredient...Khalil looks at the undisputably Canadian dish of poutine at La Belle Patate in Victoria.

Meeru Dhalwala, co-owner of Vij's in Vancouver and Marie-Claude Lourtie, food columnist for Montreal's La Presse both discuss what Canadian food really is.

John Gilchrist, food reviewer in Calgary talks about the so-called "Chinese" ginger beef and its surprising origins in Calgary.

Khalil turns to cod tongue and talks to Harold Brown, owner of The Cellar Restaurant in St. John's about the regional nature of much Canadian cuisine.

And Paul Moore, an Edmontonian expat working for the CBC in London explains the British take on Canadian food at the Maple Leaf Garden pub.

LISTEN NOW:

The Main Ingredient airs Mondays at 11:30 am/3:30 pm NT and Fridays at 7:30 pm/8 NT on CBC Radio One. You can also catch us on Sirius Satellite 137.

 WEB EXTRA:

If you haven't gotten enough of ginger beef ... here is an extended version of Khalil's interview with Calgary food reviewer, John Gilchrist.

 LISTEN NOW: 

World War II didn't just shape our maps but it also influenced our menus. On this show we will look at how this global conflict changed the way we eat. We'll find out how the war put M & M's on the map. And we'll visit the Japanese Island of Okinawa to hear about dishes like spam sushi.

Our guest's also include a Canadian film maker who has documented the 5 cent war. It's a time when Canuck kids went on strike over the price of chocolate. 

 

Listen now: 

Great food .... great atmosphere ... and great customer service. It's what we all want from a restaurant ... or is it?

On this episode we grab a ring side seat in some dining establishments where the guests sign up for a rough experience. In a New York deli the patrons can be kicked out for bringing too many friends. We also find out why some restaurants refuse to take reservations. And the loud, jarring music in your local diner is actually making you eat faster.

LISTEN NOW:

WEB EXTRA:

Khalil interview's the owner of the Elbow Room restaurant in Vancouver. People flock to this dining establishment to be verbally abused by the staff.

 LISTEN NOW:

What country can claim humus as a homegrown dish ... and why can't whisky made in Canada be called Scotch? We will delve into the rules and tradition that go into defining a national cuisine. The show will explore why the French got to set down the standards for professional kitchens and what meal the Chinese government wants taken off the dinner menu.

Our guest's include Mike Nicholson ... a master brewer at Vancouver Island's Shelter Point Distillery.  

And we also talk to pub historian Martyn Cornell about the British meal ... a ploughman's lunch.

LISTEN NOW:

WEB EXTRA:

If you didn't hear enough about making whisky in Canada ... this is an extended interview with Scotch distiller Mike Nicholson.

LISTEN NOW: