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15_0010_BUC_Ins_Bulletin.indd 1 07.04.15 15:31 — Editorial —

Back to the 4 3 2

1

Th e following contributed to this issue: e – and this mainly means women – are spending less and less time . In 1920, the average American woman W spent 30 hours a week, or 70 percent of a typical work week, 1 Andreas Fink in the kitchen; today that fi gure has dropped to 5.5 hours. Th e fi gures for Journalist Andreas Fink, 49, reports from are likely to be similar. Th at’s one side of the story. Buenos Aires for the magazines Focus and he other is this: We focus more attention on food than any pre- Die Presse. For this issue, he traveled to Peru vious generation. Cookbook sales are better than ever (in con- and ate his way through one of the world’s trast to overall trends in the book trade). Gyros can be found most exciting culinary regions. Th e trip cer- T even on the ski slopes, and every grocery store carries star anise, tacos tainly expanded his horizons – he sampled guinea pig, sweet clay, crocodile, cactus milk and dishes. Products are available in “budget,” “local” and “or- and cyanobacteria. Returning to Buenos ganic” versions; prime-time television demonstrates how to prepare a Aires, Fink resolved to use more chilies, souffl é or make sushi. Th e market for kitchen appliances and equipment herbs and potatoes in cooking for his family. is booming, and we are seeing an explosion of best-restaurant Page 46 lists, home-delivery services, food blogs and photos of food on social networking sites. 2 Simon Koy What happened? Cooking and food have been upgraded from an ev- Photojournalist and portraitist Simon Koy, eryday chore to an art form (and now represent a signifi cant sector of the 36, accompanied Andreas Fink on his trip to economy). preparation is no longer simply a necessary task; for the culinary paradise of Peru. Koy, who hails from Munich, has taken two trips around the many, it has become a recreational activity. It’s no wonder, now that our world in his professional capacity. He works male compatriots, too, have discovered the joys of cooking. While they for a wide variety of magazines, from Der spend only half as much time as women in the kitchen (3.4 hours per Spiegel and Stern to the food-focused period- week), the trend for men, in contrast to women, is rising. Since 2000, icals Feinschmecker and Essen und Trinken. there has been a 34-percent increase in the time men devote to cooking. With his extensive background, Koy was his issue of Bulletin captures in words and images the aromas, uniquely qualifi ed to explore Peru’s culinary tastes and textures of food from Peru to Bangkok, from Swiss challenges. Page 46 T muesli to the Hungarian fried bread called lángos. But we have by no means forgotten that even now, people are going hungry. Roughly 3, 4 Mikael Krogerus, Roman Tschäppeler Th is congenial duo has made its name as the 805 million people worldwide suff er from hunger – more than the total authors of such bestsellers as Th e Test Book, population of Europe. And this is despite the fact that the world is ca- Th e Decision Book: 50 Models for Strategic pable of producing enough food to feed everyone. We look at what Th inking and Th e Change Book: How Th ings might be done to solve this problem. Happen. Krogerus, who was born in Stock- holm, and Tschäppeler, from Bern, are known Your editorial team for pointed and insightful questions that quickly get to the heart of the matter. Th ey PS: Th is year’s Universal Exposition, Expo Milano 2015, will be held in were an ideal choice to compile a last page for Milan, Italy, from May 1 to October 31 under the theme “Feeding the this issue of Bulletin that is both informative and entertaining. Page 72 Planet, Energy for Life.” We highly recommend a visit.

PERFORMANCE

neutral Printed Matter No. 01-15-932809 – www.myclimate.org © myclimate – The Climate Protection Partnership

Cover photo: Norman Konrad Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 1 Real hunters know when to pounce.

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Contents

4 We Are What We Eat 24 Best before…? 60 “ Pirate Potatoes” for Dinner In the beginning there was: rarely goes bad, prepared Strategies for getting kids cooking. Wolf Lotter on what salads do so almost immedia- to eat their – tips fi rst made us human. tely: the shelf life of . for stressed-out parents.

10 A Little More of Everything 28 “Good taste is infectious” 62 Feasts Fit for Kings Coff ee and energy drinks as Discussing Basque with How the palates of the powerful Swiss export successes. Elena Arzak, the world’s have changed over the centuries. best female chef. 12 Terror on the Table Focus: Hunger Do we need to fear what’s 33 Food for Th ought in the refrigerator? Helpful and strange facts 64 Ertharin Cousin about our daily bread. A portrait of the woman who 13 Tomatoes Offl ine, Online wants to beat world hunger. Why online retail is barely growing.

14 Slimming Down Taxing unhealthy food is the wrong way to go.

16 Finger Food Hot dogs in LA and lángos in Budapest: street food 69 Fewer Empty Plates around the world. Facts, fi gures and tables on undernourishment 38 Food Is the Best Medicine Nestlé is conducting research 70 Th e Digital Farmer in Lausanne about foods that Sensors, apps, computers: help us live longer and healthier. Farmers are using technology to maximize their harvests. 42 Recipes for Tomorrow (and after) Th e future of food: vegetarian fi sh and appetizing insects. 72 Am I a Connoisseur? Th e questionnaire to determine 43 A Million Flavors your individual eating profi le. How world cuisine came to Switzerland and recommen- dations from the editor of Gault Millau.

Available on the App Store. Th e Land of Plenty 46 Th e News & Expertise app, A journey through Peru, including the Bulletin and other whose culinary treasures are current publications of Credit Suisse. conquering the world. www.credit-suisse.com/bulletin

Publishing details: Published by: Credit Suisse AG, project management: Daniel Huber, content design, editing: Ammann, Brunner & Krobath AG (www.abk.ch), design concept, layout, production: Craff t Kommunikation AG (www.craff t.ch), photo editing: Studio Andreas Wellnitz, Berlin, pre-press: n c ag (www.ncag.ch), printer: Stämpfl i AG, circulation: 125,000, contact: [email protected] (content), [email protected] (subscriptions)

Photos: Kent Andreasen; Rob Bailey; WFP / Rein Skullerud Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 3 — Food — YOU ARE WHAT — Food — YOU EAT

Photo: James Ransom — Food —

In the beginning there was cooking. Humans conquered hunger and thus began their cultural history.

By Wolf Lotter

arbecue — Humanity has asked the same and your accomplishments. And at the very top, at the questions over its existence: Where did fi fth level of need, is human self-actualization, which is we come from, where are we going, and based on what a person’s full potential is and the reali- why did we become what we are? Th ese zation of that potential. Th e enormous popularity of questions have always been the subject this model stems from the fact that Maslow shows us in Bnot only of peaceful refl ection, but also of heated de- a very simple and clear manner what drives us. It is the bates which can quickly become polarizing. Th is is due most basic of all material needs: hunger, level one. Ev- to the nature of the subject: ourselves. erything else comes later. And everything else is depen- Our progress from highly developed apes to dent on this basic need. Hunger is the archetypal need, Homo sapiens to “reasonable, understanding human and food is the archetypal form of satisfying this need. beings” was a question of the right tools – researchers While needs may be refi ned, their essence, what have no doubt in this regard. More than two and a half drives them remains fundamentally the same. Th ose million years ago, our ancestors discovered that it was seeking respect hunger for recognition, those seeking possible to fashion practical tools from stone, which self-actualization thirst for a happy, balanced life that could be used to strike other stones until they had a allows them to do what they think is right. sharp edge. Tool-making is therefore a distinguishing We’re all in the kitchen, all the time. Th at is why feature for humanity, a major turning point in the his- we cannot ignore our basic motivation when we talk tory of the human race. Previously, we sat in trees, and about food: hunger. later around the fi re. Th e sharp stone tools help kill animals more safely and quickly, and make it easier to cut them up and eat them. Th is may be in opposition to the ideals of some people these days or no longer politically correct. But it Hunger — For millions of years, our ancestors had only is nevertheless true: Th e “caveman” diet – that is, a diet one goal – to be full, not to be hungry. And hunger can- rich in animal protein – that our ancestors ate is the de- not be conquered. It comes back again and again; this monstrable reason behind the rapid development of our was as true in the Stone Age as it is today. We are all the brains. same when it comes to hunger. It starts with a drop in the One of the keys to success also lay in the manner level of glucose in our blood; if no fuel is added, our me- in which our ancestors ate . Th ey overcame their tabolism drops to half its normal rate. If we continue to natural fear of fi re not just because fi re provided them go hungry, the body gets what it needs to maintain its with warmth. By grilling and cooking their food, it be- most vital functions from muscles and organs. Only after came more digestible, microbes and pathogens were de- ten to fourteen days does it resort to fat stores – assuming stroyed, and the risks of dying from one’s food fell. Th e there are any. Blood sugar will plummet alarmingly, the result of this prehistoric cuisine was a better, longer life. brain will no longer be able to function properly, hunger You are what you eat. Cultural history began two mil- will cause confusion. Depending on the body’s internal lion years ago with a barbecue. reserves, death comes in 30 to 200 days. According to the United Nation’s Food and Agri- culture Organization (FAO), chronic hunger is when people have fewer than 2,100 calories of food per day over a long period of time. Someone on this planet dies from the consequences of malnutrition approximately Self-actualization — In 1942, the American psycholo- every three seconds. Against this background, the issue gist Abraham Maslow developed his model of human of world hunger and its causes is still debated intensely needs, later known as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and, understandably, with great emotions. often depicted as a pyramid with fi ve levels. Th e fi rst, the However, this obscures a positive development. elemental level, consists of basic physiological needs: According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), eating, drinking, sleeping. Th is is followed by the need some 805 million people currently suff er from hunger – for safety (not being eaten by something while you’re about 11.3 percent of the world’s population. But the eating, drinking, and sleeping) and a sense of belonging percentage has fallen signifi cantly compared to 25 years (the need for companionship). Th e fourth Maslow level ago – when 18.7 percent of the global population went is the need for recognition and respect for who you are hungry. (For more on hunger in the world, see page 64.)

6 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 — Food —

Today, most people in the West associate the problem of scribes the world before the Neolithic Revolution. Most world hunger with Africa, particularly the Sub-Saharan of the surrounding biomass, which we call nature, is region, where hunger is usually caused by civil war, cor- completely useless to us as food, he writes. Th is is be- rupt governments and the resulting chronic lack of par- cause this biomass consists of wood or inedible leaves, ticipation and market economy. Th e world map of total- poisonous plants and indigestible meat. But those who itarian systems almost always coincides with the map of farm and raise livestock, says Diamond, consciously those suff ering from hunger. In Africa, this comprises choose the few animals and plants in the natural envi- more than 200 million people. In Asia, 520 million peo- ronment that can satisfy our hunger. Breeding tech- ple do not have enough to eat, according to the WFP. niques and selection refi ne this process further. So we And the connection between the economic system and consciously focus on raising what we need for survival. the likelihood that one will not go hungry can also be Th is changes everything. seen on this continent as well. China provides a particu- In nature, no more than 0.1 percent of the bio- larly striking example. mass that occurs naturally on a hectare of land is edible as food. Agriculture, on the other hand, raises this fi gure to 90 percent edible food on the same amount of land. Th is means, among other things, that 100 times more people can be fed from the same area than before. Peo- Cultural Revolution — Under Communist leader ple no longer have to live day to day. Th ere is a future Mao Zedong, a planned economy known as the Great that can be shaped because people have more food than Leap Forward was imposed on the country from 1958 they can eat in one sitting. to 1961, destroying whatever free market structures still existed at the time. Forced collectivization and govern- ment reprisals against farmers led to the largest famine in history – with up to 46 million deaths in all. Today, the issue of hunger in China has been al- most completely resolved. Th e reasons for this are the Satisfying hunger — Food reserves are an important market economy and education, a that was ad- driver for shaping the world, for forming a perspective. opted in the 1970s. India, too, has developed during this Th ose who have reserves of food gain time, fl exibility, period from a poorhouse to a respectable economic can compare options, even try new things. Being human power. Th e situation is not perfect in either country – starts with cooking – an act that American historian corrupt offi cials and politicians are responsible for chil- Alfred Crosby calls an even more unique criterion for dren and young people continuing to grow up without being human than the invention and use of language. enough nourishment. But the big picture has changed. Th is is because it shows where we are headed: diff er- Th ose who want to have enough to eat must use ences in taste, diversity, variations, personal preferences. their brains and have an entrepreneurial spirit. Th is is Cooking is a milestone on the road to becoming an in- something humans experienced early on in history. dividual. Cooking over an open fi re alone was not enough to sat- Th is is why trading emerged, marketplaces, trade isfy the hunger of our ancestors. It was not enough to routes, transportation, nearly every organized human eat what nature gave them. Th ey had to change it fun- activity. All of this is driven by hunger, whether in small damentally in order to make it their own. We call this communities or in empires. Access to food resources – recipe culture. It changes the natural environment to and the ability to consume them in relative safety – is the better meet the needs of people. basis of all culture. Furthermore, from the start, power Th is is evidently what happened about 13,000 has been defi ned by the fact that those in power have years ago during the Neolithic Revolution, a process in access to food resources and distribute them as they see which – over a period of several thousand years – agricul- fi t. Th is is why wars are waged and empires built. Eating ture and cattle raising gradually replaced hunter-gatherer always comes before morals. And there are always con- societies. Hunting and gathering success is a question of tradictions and confl icts between these two poles. luck – because “Mother Nature,” which is romanticized Food is materialism pure and simple, a very worldly today, in no way ensures that all of her children are fed. matter. Fasting, a component of nearly every major In his book “What Makes Countries Rich or religion, seeks the opposite of satisfying hunger – doing Poor?” American cultural scientist Jared Diamond de- without. Earthly matters should be renounced.

Illustrations: Darumo / iStockphoto Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 7

— Food —

Th is always involves a struggle, not unlike contemporary tage of this diversity correctly. Th is is a completely new diets. What is stronger – the spirit or the fl esh? cuisine for us. Th e spiritual begins where the fl esh does not suf- It is the replacement of hunger with something fi ce. At least in the wealthy West, no one has to ask this that most of us do not yet know: taste. question anymore. At the start of the 20th century, a Eu- Taste is what sets us apart. It is a personal matter ropean farmer could feed himself and ten other people; that is not about quantity, but rather quality. Our taste by the end of the millennium, the ratio had climbed to stands for the fi fth Maslow level, for self-actualization, 1:144. Industrialization and automation are responsible for the period after hunger, slow satiety, the existential for this. Justus von Liebig’s mineral fertilizer and Nor- struggle and the search for meaning. Taste is a way of man Borlaug’s “green revolution” in plant biotechnology, life. And this is also true: You are what you eat. for example, tripled yields in India in just ten years. Th ere’s a saying that a full stomach doesn’t like to study. It apparently also leads to a bad memory.

In the end, there was taste — It only took a few years of having enough to eat before we started complaining that it was a problem. Th e wealthy West does not want anymore; it has, so it seems, had enough of itself. Now- adays, those who say they need to eat something decent mean something quite diff erent than their grandpar- ents did. Morality is the new chef. As a result, much of what is now served cannot be enjoyed. Just three decades ago, hardly anyone cared about what a chicken or a calf had endured before it arrived at the table. But factory farming has long since gone be- yond the confi nes of ethics. And when four times more food winds up in the trash of prosperous Western na- tions than would be needed to satisfy world hunger, then something has gone wrong with how we use our resources. While one problem has been solved, the solu- tion itself has become a problem – if we carry on the same way we have been doing. China and India are con- sidered by healthcare companies to be the great market of the future. Wealthy diseases, many of them the result of overeating, are increasing rapidly. Th is does not mean that we have to give things up, fast or be on a permanent diet. Rather, it means we need to think about whether we should modify our behavior on the basis of this new, wide variety. For we are pro- grammed by long periods of hunger to gather and be greedy. Simply put, we have the wrong recipes. Th e right ones involve diversity and steering abundance in the right direction. In other words, learn- ing to decide what is good for oneself and others. Th is is the case with the food supply, with eating – and with all other things as well. Complexity is good, a wide variety Wolf Lotter is cofounder and author appropriate, but now we must learn how to take advan- of the business magazine brand eins.

Photo: Attila Hartwig / Emeis Deubel, food styling: Volker Hobl Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 9 — Food — A Little More of Everything Switzerland’s is wide-ranging and globally successful. Its most important export product, however, is neither nor chocolate.

By Andreas Christen

Cheese with big holes and mouth-watering chocolate are the traditional stereotypes associated with Switzerland. But are they really just stereotypes? Not entirely. Food production in Switzerland is one of the most important industries in the country. Th e industry employs 70,000 workers in more than 4,000 production facilities. If you add agriculture and the food retail in- dustry, that means that more than a quarter of a million people in Switzerland take care of our nutrition needs on a daily basis. When talking about the Swiss food industry, global company Nestlé is often the fi rst thing people think of. Of course, for chocolate connoisseurs, the name of Swiss master chocolatier Lindt & Sprüngli might spring to mind fi rst. Th ese international companies are, without doubt, important representatives of local industry. Nestlé has about 10,000 employees in Switzerland (see page 38). However, more than half of the employees in this industry work for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs).

SMEs Leading the Pack Based on the number of employees, the baked goods and sector – heavily shaped by SMEs – is at the top of the list of the most important sectors in the food in- dustry. Almost a third of all workers in the food industry work in this sector; of these, over 75 percent work in SMEs. Meat pro- cessors are a close second on the list, fol- lowed by the producers of dairy products, soft drinks, chocolate, coff ee and , sugar and sweets, fruit and products as well as other foodstuff s (see graphic above right). Large corporations as well as SMEs are present in all sectors. Th ese range from the village bakery and the butcher shop Caff eine for the world: Roasting coff ee beans. around the corner, to the major production

10 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 Photo: Clay McLachlan / Gallery Stock — Food —

facilities operated by Migros and Coop, to 1.3 billion Swiss francs on food products Made in Switzerland the baked goods and meat producers. Th e purchased across the border. Experts be- international company Emmi is just as lieve that consumer tourism will rise again 31% of all food industry employ- much a part of the milk processing sector as considerably in 2015. Th is places major ees work in the baked goods and alpine cheese producer Urnerboden; niche pressure on local food producers. pasta sector producers such as Max Felchlin AG as much Th is growing price pressure is having Percentage of employees in sectors a part of the chocolate production sector as a dampening eff ect on already sluggish sales of the Swiss food industry (2012) global manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli. trends in the industry. Th e Swiss food in- However, this coexistence of large dustry focuses quite heavily on its local 2% 17% other 31% and small operations is not always a harmo- market, so only about 10 to 20 percent of its fruit & vegetables baked goods 2% and pasta nious one. Th e bakery sector, for example, sales come from exports. However, the local sugar has been undergoing a prolonged structural market has been saturated for years. Th ough change. Industrial facilities operated by ma- companies can boost their sales by ob- jor wholesalers are pushing commercial serving important consumer trends such 4% coffee/ bakeries into ever more niche markets. as regionality, convenience, organic or tea However, small local bakeries that develop functional food, and off ering innovative 6% innovative recipes and off er unique baked products on the local market, these seg- chocolate goods can often hold their ground and even ments often grow at the expense of tradi- 8% beverages grow. tional products. 20% meat Many companies therefore rely on ex- 11% dairy products ports. 8.3 billion Swiss francs worth of food Source: Swiss Federal Statistical Offi ce, Th e Swiss food products were exported in 2014 – more Credit Suisse manufacturing industry than ever before. Food exports have dou- bled in the last ten years, while the overall Coff ee and tea make up 28% employs more than export of Swiss goods grew only by one- of all exports third. In looking more closely at the num- Percentage of total food exports 70,000 workers in more bers, it is evident that 75 percent of export from each sector (2013) than 4,000 facilities. growth for food products comes from coff ee and soft drinks, mainly products from Ne- 26% other 3% 28% spresso and Red Bull (mostly bottled in baby food coffee/tea Many consumers are prepared to pay a Widnau SG). Th anks to the global coff ee higher price for craftsmanship quality, orig- capsule boom and the fact that every Ne- inality and regionality. Th e best example of spresso capsule sold worldwide is produced this is the country’s small local breweries, in Switzerland, coff ee has become the main which have been enjoying an ongoing boom export product in the Swiss food industry. for many years. Since 2010, the Swiss have exported more 5% coff ee than the traditional exports of choc- sweets 20% Producers Under Pressure olate and cheese put together (see graph on soft drinks 7% cheese 11% But naturally, not all consumers are willing the right). chocolate to pay higher prices. Swiss food products are generally unable to keep up with the Source: Swiss Federal Customs prices from foreign competitors – quality Administration, Credit Suisse aside. Switzerland is an expensive place to do business. Wages are very high; commod- 8.3 billion Swiss francs ities such as milk or meat are expensive due Th e value of all food products to high customs duties, which are politically exported by Swiss companies in motivated to protect the local agrarian 2014. Food exports doubled over economy. Since the the last decade, while overall (SNB) lifted its cap on the fi xed Euro/Swiss exports grew by only one third. franc exchange rate on January 15, 2015, this is truer than ever. After the last major Source: Swiss Federal Customs Administration, Credit Suisse revaluation of the in 2010 and 2011, shopping tourism increased dramati- Andreas Christen works for Swiss Industry cally. In 2012, Swiss consumers spent about Research at Credit Suisse.

Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 11 — Food —

“It would be so easy”: New US regulations intended to make food safer.

Terror on the Table

Food production has become so complex that it is vulnerable to attacks. Security experts are sounding the alarm, the US is taking action. Do we really have to fear an attack from the supermarket shelves?

By Lars Jensen

Could jihadists actually break into an in- Intentional Contamination – a stack of bu- attack is very high. But I bet it will occur in dustrial bakery to slip mercury or strych- reaucratic rules and regulations that obli- a form that our government cannot prepare nine into the and poison thousands gates food producers to perform more tests for. Th ere are just too many possibilities.” of people? Th is form of bioterrorism is con- and makes it mandatory to report any and ceivable, say experts in the US and in Eu- all irregularities immediately. Epidemic Caused by Fenugreek Seeds rope. Back in 2004, Tommy Th ompson, Th ese regulations have one disadvan- So far, only one case of bioterrorism is Secretary of Health and Human Services at tage: Th ey will not prevent an attack. Th e known in the US. In Oregon in 1984, a sect the time, said, “For the life of me, I cannot system of global food production, in which called Rajneeshee tried to infl uence local understand why the terrorists have not at- goods are produced and sold globally, where elections in favor of their candidate. Mem- tacked our food supply, because it is so easy food is processed by thousands of factories bers of the sect contaminated salad bars in to do.” and sold in millions of supermarkets, restaurants with salmonella. Seven hundred Th e Department of Homeland Secu- restaurants and markets, has become far too and fi fty-one people were infected. Investi- rity (DHS) is worried enough about it that complex. Th e FDA is able to inspect only gators did not uncover the plot until a year last year it pressed the Food and Drug Ad- about one-fi ftieth of the 25 million food later while investigating the sect for other ministration (FDA) to strengthen regula- goods imported into the US. In Switzer- criminal activities. Th is example reveals two tions. Th e new regulation is appropriately land, this fi gure is similarly low. Robert problems. Th e perpetrators can attack any- named the Concentrated Prevention Strat- Norton from Auburn University, an expert where, and whether such an attack is uncov- egy for Protecting Food Production from in food security, says, “I believe the risk of an ered as an act of bioterrorism is a matter of

12 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 Photo: Dan Saelinger / Trunk Archive — Food —

Tomatoes Offl ine, Wine Online chance. Since September 11, 2001, 330 E-commerce in the area of the grocery retail trade is still in people have been killed by acts of terrorism its infancy in Switzerland. One reason for this is that people in America, while around 36,000 have died of food poisoning. Were any of them the prefer to buy fresh products in stores. victims of intentionally contaminated food? By Patricia Feubli Michael T. Osterholm, epidemiolo- gist at the University of Minnesota and author of “Living Terror: What America Needs to Know To Survive Th e Coming Bioterrorist Catastrophe,” begins his book with a hypothetical situation: A labora- Th e majority of the Swiss population pre- tory assistant steals a strain of E. coli from fers to buy tomatoes or oranges in the store Online share of Swiss food sales by 2020 a hospital and mixes it into the ice cream in rather than online. Th is can be seen from In percent; light bars = forecasts a school cafeteria. Hundreds of children die. the share of current revenue of Swiss food “Th is is intended to illustrate how simple it retailers that is accounted for by online 3 in % would be to organize such an attack.” trade. In 2014, according to calculations by

Also conceivable is a scenario similar the Credit Suisse Industry Research team, 2 to the one that played out in Northern Ger- grocery retailers earned around 1.6 percent many and in the south of France during of their food revenue online. Th at is less 1 which a total of 49 people died during an than 1 billion Swiss francs. E. coli outbreak in 2011. At that time, the For consumers, fruits and vegetables 0 outbreak was traced back to contaminated play an important role here. Some prefer fenugreek seeds from Egypt. Th e motive for green bananas whereas others like them 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 bioterrorists does not necessarily have to be ripe. Some people don’t care what their car- Source: GfK, VSV, Credit Suisse political, says Osterholm. In China and In- rots look like, while others want them to be dia, there have been cases where farmers fl awless. Because it is not possible to select have wanted to damage their competitors fresh products yourself when buying online, People Have Less and Less Time by poisoning their products. personal preferences such as these cannot In the future, however, the Swiss population And in Switzerland? A spokesperson be taken into account. Th is is why people is likely to focus more on online grocery for the Federal Agency of Food Safety and still prefer buying them offl ine. shopping. Credit Suisse Industry Research Veterinary Medicine says, “We do not pub- Quality control of fresh products be- forecasts that the share of revenue from licize the measures we have taken to fi ght comes especially important when planning e-commerce in the Swiss food retail busi- the threat of terrorism to our food produc- special occasions, such as cooking for ness will increase to almost 3.5 percent by tion chain.” friends. At such times, grocery shopping 2020. Th e reasons for this include the in- Th e fact that terrorists have not yet becomes a sensory experience. You want to creasing rate of employment and the asso- poisoned bread dough at an industrial bak- get advice from the butcher, look for the ciated lack of time, as well as the aging of ery has nothing to do with the basic best tomatoes in the store and only buy society, which are likely to increase the pop- countermeasures implemented by the au- bread that is still warm and smells delicious. ularity of home delivery. Compared to elec- thorities, says Robert Norton. “Terrorists Of course there can be no question of shop- tronics in the home (forecast for 2020: are lazy like the rest of us,” he explains. It ping online in this case. around 38 percent), the proportion of food may sound cynical, but apparently it is eas- Uncooked staples with long shelf purchased online will remain modest. ier, less costly and more high-profi le to lives such as pasta and rice, or beverages, are storm a publication’s editorial offi ces with a diff erent matter. Th ere is a good reason machine guns than to trigger an E. coli ep- why the major Swiss online retailers limit idemic. the order quantity for beverage crates to eight. However, such staples make up only a quarter of the Swiss household food budget and are usually purchased along with fresh products. In addition, it is not usually all that far to the nearest grocery store. Th at’s why there is still little potential for e-com- merce in the area of grocery retail in Swit- Patricia Feubli is part of the Swiss Industry Lars Jensen is a Journalist in New York. zerland – at least for now. Research team at Credit Suisse.

Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 13 — Food —

comes. If the government dictates what people should eat and drink, it robs them of their role as responsible citizens who accept the consequences of their behavior. When people are not required to be responsible, the need for expensive preventive measures increases. And incentives for responsible behavior are indeed diminishing. Wasn’t one of the main achievements of the En- lightenment that individuals emerged from their “self-incurred immaturity” – from an inability to use their own understanding without the guidance of another?

Rising healthcare costs: We all need to take responsibility. Making Unhealthy Eaters Pay One might argue, of course, that unhealthy eating imposes costs on the healthcare sys- tem that society is required to pay, and that Slimming Down the resulting harm justifi es limiting indi- vidual freedom. From an economic per- spective, however, there is another approach A third of the population is overweight, and it’s proving that might prevent, or at least reduce, such costly for the economy and society at large. Should social costs – based on the principle that the responsible party pays. Making sure that the government step in? No! Individual freedom is more those responsible for social costs help to pay important. for the relevant damages is more likely to motivate responsible behavior; this is a By Sara Carnazzi Weber more eff ective incentive than any educa- tional campaign. It also expands the fi nan- cial basis for repairing the resulting damage. Th e health insurance sector’s system of de- Health organizations are sounding the then perhaps a tax on fattening foods will ductibles and private cost sharing is based alarm. Today 2.1 billion people, roughly 30 do the trick. Denmark was the fi rst country on this principle. Th is does not entirely percent of the global population, are over- to try that approach. In 2011, it made such eliminate the problem of moral hazard; to weight. Th is problem, which was largely foods as , meat, and chocolate do that, we would have to ask responsible limited to industrialized countries in the more expensive in an eff ort to promote parties to bear an even larger share of the past, is now becoming increasingly com- healthier eating. However, Denmark’s tax burden. Or perhaps bicycle riding should mon in developing and emerging countries on high-fat and sugary foods was repealed also be banned – after all, statistics show as well, as incomes rise and living condi- after a single year, having achieved little that it is very dangerous. tions improve. If the trend continues, success in changing people’s behavior. roughly half of the world’s adult population Moreover, it led to a massive loss of pur- will be obese in the year 2030. chasing power to foreign countries. Yet this Th e result is substantial costs for the has not prevented other nations from con- economy and society. Obesity and related sidering similar measures. health problems, such as diabetes and a But does it really make sense to regu- heightened risk of heart attack and stroke, late individual lifestyle choices? Will this be drive up healthcare costs and reduce worker eff ective in preventing ill health? How productivity, ultimately making companies much value do individual freedom and re- less competitive. It is therefore not surpris- sponsibility have in a world of bans on the ing that some people favor government in- advertising and sale of certain products? tervention. If appeals to reason and educa- Many see the welfare state as responsible tional campaigns are unable to keep people for providing comprehensive care, and from eating at fast-food restaurants and while such eff orts are well intentioned, they Sara Carnazzi Weber is Head of Fundamental choosing unhealthy ready-made foods, lead to a vicious cycle of unhealthy out- Macroeconomic Research at Credit Suisse.

14 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 Photography: Rod McLean / Gallery Stock Achieving great things. Together.

Credit Suisse supports women on their way to the top. We have been the proud main sponsor of all of the national teams and the Swiss Football Association since 1993. :HZLVKWKH6ZLVVZRPHQŒVQDWLRQDOWHDPHYHU\VXFFHVVDWWKHLUƟUVWHYHUƟQDOVWKH FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 in Canada™. credit-suisse.com/nationalteams Finger Food

Street food is beloved around the world. Five examples from Budapest to Los Angeles, from lángos to hot dogs.

16 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 Location Cape Town, South Africa Specialty Modern South Price 50 rand (4.10 francs) for a lamb Production 100 – 500 Vendor/Owner Charlotte van Zyl, 35

What do you sell? We’ve modernized our grand- mother’s traditional recipes. We have pumpkin fries, frikkadel () skewers with (a South African relish), spring rolls with (meatloaf) and frozen peppermint tarts. The lamb bunny chow is our bestseller. What is that? It’s a kind of lamb curry sand- wich, with bread that’s baked in a can. We add carrots, tomatoes, and coriander to the lamb. What are your plans for the future? You can hire us for all kinds of events, but our concept also includes a franchise model – it would be nice if we could spread our modern South African cuisine to more areas.

Photos: Kent Andreasen Exchange rates as of March 9, 2015, source: xe.com

Location London, England Specialty Fish Price 8.95 pounds (13.30 francs) for one serving of fi sh and chips Production From 200 (at the beginning of the week) to 700 meals (on weekends) Vendor Nick Melmoth-Coombs, 56

What do you sell? We are a fi sh and chips restaurant and take-away. No more, no less. What is the secret to your success? We make our in-house, we use only the freshest fi sh, and we try to stay innovative. How has business changed? We’ve been here since 1999, and the South Bank district of London has changed a lot in that time: It’s gentrifi ed today, meaning the lower classes have been pushed out by the wealthy. In addition, the Borough Market draws a lot of people with its foodie follow- ing, not to mention social media. It’s all helped us a lot.

Photos: Daniel Stier Location Bangkok, Thailand Specialty Thai street food Price 45 baht (1.35 francs) for a Pad Kra Pow Moo Production 200–250 meals Vendor Praphan Keiwrod, 43

What do you sell? Our stand has been here for 35 years, and we’ve always made the same thing: traditional Thai food. People stop here for or on their way home after work. What is your specialty? Pad Kra Pow Moo is our best- seller: Chicken with fried egg – it’s so good because we use fresh ingredients. Who eats here? I used to have only Thai custom- ers, but a few years ago we started getting foreigners, too. I’m really happy about that.

Photo: Patrick Brown Location Budapest, Hungary Specialty Lángos Price 600 forint (2.10 francs) with two toppings Production Around 250/day Vendor/Owner Gábor Almási, 37

What do you sell? A modern interpretation of lángos, a traditional Hungarian snack. We take fresh dough and fry it, then top it with sour cream, garlic or cheese. The one with and goose fat is the most popular. What is modern about it? We use our own homemade yeast for a special fl avor. And we’re proud of our fresh top- pings, which we change accord- ing to the season. Hungarians love our innovative interpreta- tions, but tourists always just want the classic version. How did you get started? My business partner Tamás and I wanted to do our own thing and be our own boss. So we quit our jobs as a journalist and a marketing consultant and tied on our aprons.

Photo: Peter Puklus Location Los Angeles, USA Specialty Street food from Chicago Price 10–15 dollars (9.90–14.80 francs) for a meal Sales per day 70–100 meals; for private catering, up to 1,000 meals Vendor/Owner Jessany Garrett, 34

What do you sell? Chicago hot dogs, Maxwell Street Polishes, pizza puffs, fried chicken, fried catfi sh and other specialties from the streets of Chicago. Why Chicago? I was born in South Chicago and later moved to California to study law at the University of California. Ever since I moved here, I’ve missed the simple food that I grew up with. I worked as a lawyer for ten years, then last September I decided to start my business. What external factors are important for you? The weather is very important for food trucks, so that’s an advantage of being in Los Angeles – the sun is almost always shining here. Unfortu- nately, competition has increased a lot lately. Photos: Serge Hoeltschi — Food — Best before…?

Honey, frozen steaks, gummy bears and canned goods rarely go bad. By contrast, consumers need to be careful with prepared salads. And eggs should not be washed with water before they are put away. How to handle food at home.

By Martin Loessner

Meat not last long unless it’s fried. However, shell- ways to preserve milk through fermenta- Th e length of time fresh meat will stay good fi sh are particularly contaminated because tion – bacteria break down the lactose in the depends greatly on where it is from (the they are fi lter feeders, accumulating certain milk, increasing its acidity and helping to type of animal) and even more on proper algae, bacteria and viruses from seawater, solidify the milk protein. storage. Beef, for example, stays good longer and can thus pose a health risk – especially Yogurt is a nearly perfect example of than chicken, primarily because of the when consumed raw. this, and an unopened container will stay slaughtering process. Meat is sterile to be- good in the refrigerator for a month or gin with, but because chickens undergo a more past the actual expiration date. Hard washing process when being slaughtered Eggs , such as and Parmesan, intestinal bacteria are spread all over their Compared to chicken, eggs are a fairly safe which have little water in them, will even bodies. Chicken should therefore always be product. Th ey survive for several weeks at last for years if stored properly. Undesirable stored separately, and if it is cooked on a body temperature during the hatching pro- mold on cheese that was not produced with grill the raw meat should not be placed in a cess without bacteria being able to pene- the so-called noble mold (Camembert, dish with other meat. Th is is particularly trate and spoil them. While the egg may be Brie, Roquefort) can, however, develop tox- true for chinoise. Bacteria that cause somewhat dirty on the outside, it should ins, so semi-hard or fresh cheeses with such the meat to spoil are almost always present never be washed. Doing so would damage mold should be disposed of. If, by contrast, on the surface. Ground meat is therefore the thin wax-like protective coating on the a thin, white layer appears on the section of particularly susceptible and should be outside, allowing bacteria to enter through the cheese that was cut, it will not taste stored at 1° C and prepared within 24 hours. the porous calcareous shell into the interior. good, but it is completely harmless. But it can, of course, be frozen. Food is gen- In the refrigerator, eggs are generally kept in erally safe from bacteria at temperatures of a closed container, fi rst in order to prevent –18° C and below. Th e only detriment from odors from seeping in, and second, to pre- Fruit, Vegetables and Grains freezing is a loss of quality over time – the vent condensation, which would enable Grains such as rolled oats or wheat fl our fat starts to oxidize and no longer tastes as bacteria to penetrate the egg. An egg is have a relatively long shelf life (up to one good. good for about four weeks from the date it year) when stored in a dry area. If it is too And ground meat is off ered by major is laid. humid, however, they may become unsafe, distributors in modifi ed atmosphere pack- as mold may form. In the worst case, mold aging, which largely prevents bacteria from toxins can cause chronic illnesses, including growing. Th is is one of the biggest advances Milk and Dairy Products cancer, and harm unborn babies. So even in food preservation in recent decades. Milk is not suitable for storage; it is meant farmers have to be careful with the feed and for immediate consumption by infants or grains that they use as fodder for their cows. animals. We have turned this food meant If fodder or silage (feed stored in a silo) is Fish for the young into one that can be stored by tainted with mold, there is a carry-over ef- To see if a fi sh is fresh, look it deep in the pasteurization, a process using 70 to 80° C fect. Th e toxins will later be found in the eyes ‒ they should bulge slightly and still be heat to kill any pathogens and preserve the meat and milk of the animals without being very clear. Even more important is a look at product; milk now has a shelf life of seven directly detectable. the gills. If they are bright red, the fi sh is to 14 days. Even the oldest cheese from an- Fruit, on the other hand, is safe as very fresh. Fish only emits an unpleasant cient Egypt – a sort of dry, curdled and sour long as mold isn’t allowed to grow on it. Ac- odor if microorganisms metabolize certain milk – was nothing more than an initial at- ids prevent the growth of bacteria in this proteins in the fi sh. So if fi sh smells bad, it tempt to preserve milk. But no one would case. Th e same cannot be said of vegetables, is already spoiled. eat it today. Powdered milk and sweetened which are less acidic. Fresh lettuce from the Fish and, in particular, shrimp are es- condensed milk (from which the water has fi eld – not a problem. On the other hand, sentially swimming muscles with high been removed) are other examples of pre- there is a risk from ready-to-eat salads, sugar content. Bacteria like this, so fi sh does servation. Cheese, yogurt and so on are also which are a sort of plant equivalent of

24 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 — Food —

Cheese preserves milk, and the mold that grows on it may be desirable.

Eggs are very safe, but they must never be washed.

Honey does not spoil easily (and gummy bears do not spoil at all).

Photos: Th eo Morrison / Gallery Stock; Ryan Liebe; Erik Rasmussen / Picture Press Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 25 — Food —

ground meat. Plant juice seeps out onto the prepared salads in plastic containers that in- edges of the blades used to cut the salad, and clude the dressing in the cover. Th is not only bacteria are spread through the washing refl ects an alarming trend in our dietary process. More and more epidemics are be- standards, but is also a disaster from a mi- ing caused by contaminated ready-to-eat crobiological perspective. Many conve- salads. Sprouts are also very susceptible, so nience items, such as prepared sushi, sand- they should be stored in a cool place (in the wiches and other foods that are not heated, vegetable drawer) and only consumed when are only safe if they are purchased fresh and they are very fresh. Even fruit – with the ex- eaten immediately. ception of bananas – is best stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of around 0° C. A special case is presented by fresh Drinks and Canned Food juice from apples or pears, which must ei- Soft drinks are also well preserved because ther be consumed immediately or preserved of their high acidity. While fl akes in beer through pasteurization. With juices, the may not taste good, they are harmless. Wine quality of the fruit is decisive, i.e., no fruit that smells off may be unpleasant, but it that is partly spoiled should be used, as it poses no health risk. often contains the mold toxin patulin While fruit that is preserved through the addition of sugar – i.e., jams – can no longer be spoiled by bacteria, molds still Baked Goods, Sweets, thrive in the water, which is largely un- and Nuts bonded. Th e mold toxins that are then pro- Because of their high sugar content, which duced can penetrate deep into the glass, binds the water that microorganisms need which is why products that look moldy to grow, baked goods and sweets are very should generally no longer be eaten. Pre- safe. Gummy bears, for example, can never served foods – in cans or glass jars – on the go bad, and even honey is almost indestruc- other hand are very safe nowadays. Th ey are tible. Dry products, such as cookies, also do only really dangerous if a can is distended; not spoil easily; in this case, the only con- in this case, bacteria that produce very dan- cern is that the oxidation process that fats gerous toxins, such as botulinum toxin (bo- undergo will cause the product to lose its tox), may have grown in the container. fl avor at some point. Th e situation is diff er- However, with current production methods ent with dried spices, such as paprika, which this occurs very rarely, and the cans often may harbor bacteria from the fertilization last for years. Because of their acidity, toma- of cultivation fi elds with liquid manure. So toes may react chemically with the cans and seasoned foods should either be heated lead to the formation of gas. Containers through (in the case of ) or consumed must be disposed of if they start to corrode. quickly (in the case of salads). Nuts and pis- Th e collection at the Swiss Federal In- tachios, in turn, are susceptible to toxins stitute of Technology in (ETH) in- from molds, so they are examined very care- cludes several special glass jars with pickled fully upon import. fruits and vegetables that are nearly a cen- But the general rule, which also ap- tury old; they were preserved very carefully plies to spices, is that food that contains and do not reveal any traces of spoilage from pathogens does not necessarily have to be microorganisms. Th ey could even be eaten spoiled or taste off . On the other hand, today. spoiled meat that looks bad does not always contain dangerous microbes. It’s just that the likelihood of this is much higher.

Prepared Products Martin Loessner, 52, has been a professor Frozen products have very long shelf lives of food microbiology at the Institute of Food, – until they no longer taste good. It’s a dif- Nutrition and Health at the Swiss Federal Institute ferent story for ready-to-eat meals, such as of Technology in Zurich since 2003

26 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 World Learning-Ethiopia © Aflatoun,

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Elena Arzak is widely regarded as the best female chef in the world. A conversation about her training in Switzerland, the perfect rösti and her most recent failure.

By Simon Brunner, David Schnapp (text) and Norman Konrad (photography)

uperlatives are rarely warranted, We’ve done our homework. but there is ample reason to believe All right, but fi rst I’ll explain what we do here; that she is the world’s best female that will take me 10 minutes. If you still have chef. Basque native Elena Arzak, questions – fi ne. And then I want you to eat. S45, is one of only fi ve women in the world to receive three Michelin stars; in 2012 she Whatever you say. was named “Best Female Chef;” and she Well, the Arzak restaurant has been in this Elena Arzak, 45, is part of a gastronomic ranks eighth on the list of the World’s 50 building since 1897. My father is part of dynasty. She is the fourth generation Best Restaurants (which includes no other the third generation, and I represent the of her family to run San Sebastian’s Arzak restaurant, which has won num - women). fourth. Before that my grandmother was erous awards and is considered one of When she enters the room, the en- in charge. She was widowed in 1951 – my the world’s top restaurants. Her cooking ergy level rises. She greets us in perfect Ger- father was nine years old – and had to do combines avant-garde and traditional man and lays out the parameters for our everything herself. Originally Arzak was a elements. She uses certain techniques drawn from molecular , but conversation, the photo shoot and lunch. tavern; my grandmother served banquets a cut of meat is always recognizable She orders coff ee and cheerfully announces and small groups. Everything changed as such. Elena Arzak has two children – that she’s ready to talk with us. when my father took it over in 1966. Mateo, 8, and Nora, 10 – and is married to an architect. “Right now there’s not Ms. Arzak, tell us… Th e revolutionary new ? much work for architects in Spain,” she says, “and that’s not so bad, since it [She looks at our notes] ...What, you have I’ll get to that. Good food is very import- allows him to spend more time with the so many questions? ant to us in the Basque region. People children.”

28 — Bulletin 2 / 2015

— Food —

save their money so that they can go to a Th e list of the top ten of the World’s 50 Best top restaurant once a year. Do you see that Restaurants includes three Spanish restau- man at the bar? He just bought a gift rants – but none in France. Is Spain now certifi cate. Th at’s a popular thing to do the most important culinary destination in here. Forty percent of our guests are the world? tourists, the other sixty percent locals from We Spaniards are currently “en vogue,” every level of society, and they know a lot as are the Scandinavians. But that can about food. always change. Who knows what will be popular 10 years from now? We have Academic studies have been done about accomplished a great deal, but France still Basque food culture. Tradition: Th e Arzak family has operated has far more Michelin stars. Yes, anthropologists have come here, but the restaurant of the same name in San Sebastian since 1897. they’ve left without any results. One Many contend that thing is certain: Our location is great, is in something of a rut. thanks to excellent products from I don’t agree; France is France, but it too the ocean and the many farmers who has a culinary avant-garde. have always sold their goods at the markets – goods produced using San Sebastian, with a population of 180,000, the traditional methods, has three three-star restaurants, while the what we today call “organic.” entire country of Switzerland has only two. Switzerland is a small country, but it has What were you saying about the culinary many creative chefs. And the Swiss appre- revolution and your…? ciate high-quality products. I was in the .. before you ask: Yes, I talk about my delicatessen section of Globus not long father a lot. I can’t help it – after all, he has ago, and they carry outstanding products. made history. So about the revolution. What’s your favorite Swiss restaurant? I’ll never forget Frédy Girardet in Crissier; A look at the kitchen: Elena Arzak says that sieves he’s one of the best chefs ever – and has “I wanted are her most important cooking tool. been a friend of our family for many years. to be a chef, As you know, Girardet has retired. not an artist.” What about the young avant-garde? Andreas Caminada, Stefan Wiesner and Dennis Martin – they, among others, are doing outstanding work. But we’re A convention was held in Madrid in the digressing – may I continue? 1970s, and prominent chefs like Paul Bocuse and Raymond Of course. Oliver were invited. My father and Pedro My father is now 72. He just went to Subijana, who also has a three-star Miami, where he received the Presidential restaurant, Akelare, in San Sebastian, were “Beet-juice apples:” Slices of apple with beet juice, Medal from Miami Dade College so impressed by what the French were foie gras and a chip garnish. in recognition of his life’s work and doing that they decided to start something the “nueva cocina basca.” Previous winners similar here. Th ey called it the “nueva of this award include Mikhail Gorbachev, cocina basca.” Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. It’s too bad that you can’t meet my father; he’s a What did that mean? very interesting man. Th ey started adapting traditional Basque dishes. An important result of their eff orts We’d rather talk about you is the Arzak Lab, with 1,600 fl avors and and your career as a chef. scents from all over the world. We are I grew up in the restaurant. When I was constantly experimenting with new dishes, 11 years old, I would take the bus every combinations and techniques. day to Arzak during my summer vacation.

30 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 Photography: Jose Lopez; David Schnapp (2) — Food —

I never wanted to leave; my parents planning on quitting – and this was his What three investments should an amateur practically had to kick me out. When answer: “I’m not old.” I haven’t brought up cook make? I was 18 I graduated from the German the topic again. A good oven, of course, and olive oils high school in San Sebastian, and then I and a sieve. went abroad for six years. What kind of a boss are you? I like to laugh. But I’m very focused when A sieve? You went to Switzerland. I’m working. Over time I’ve become Yes, I put almost everything through On the advice of Frédy Girardet, I enrolled a maniac, I want to control everything. a sieve. I’ll show you [she fetches in the hotel management school in an ordinary fi ne-mesh kitchen sieve]. Lucerne. Th en I completed a number of Do you inspect every plate that leaves It gives everything a much fi ner culinary internships, and I also spent your kitchen? consistency. six months working at the reception desk Almost every one. We have 30 people at the Swissôtel hotel in Oerlikon. working in our kitchen, so there’s always And how many diff erent kinds of olive oil something to correct. do you need? What did you like about Switzerland? A mild variety for cooking and frying Th e mentality – the German-speaking How would you describe your style and a more intensive oil that can Swiss are hardworking, just like of cooking? be added directly to fi nished dishes. I use the Basques, and they care about living First of all, our cuisine is unique. You won’t three or four. a good life and fi rst-class quality. And fi nd the dishes we serve anywhere else. Th e the people are friendly and open. I laughed second aspect is a bit more complicated. What is the best way to cook for children? a great deal in Switzerland. We serve Basque cuisine. Since I was very You don’t cook for them – you cook with them. Some children haven’t yet developed A diff erent question: Do you see yourself more much curiosity, and they don’t like to try as an artist or as an artisan? new things. But that will happen. Parents We – my father and I – are artisans. But “My father says have a great deal of infl uence. If they creativity has become more important in cultivate a good approach to eating, it will modern cooking. It is comparable to other that women rub off on their children. Good taste is art forms in that regard. But it’s not up to infectious. us to evaluate what we do. I wanted to be a are better cooks.” chef, not an artist. What is your favorite ingredient right now? Rhubarb. And bamboo shoots. And which is more important for a chef: the craft of cooking or creativity? young, I’ve eaten parsley, garlic, hake and A surprising combination? Both. Th e product and how you handle it other high-quality fi sh. Th at has shaped Chocolate and carob powder, from provide the foundation, which is as import- my sense of taste. Your palate is diff erent. the pods of the carob tree, which ant as breathing – without those things You’ve grown up with vegetables and was used during the war as a substitute nothing is possible. Technique is essential high-quality meat, and your dairy products for chocolate. for achieving the desired results. Creativity are fi ve times better than ours. atTh means is important, of course. And taste! A chef that when I’m in the kitchen I think like a Is there anything that you don’t eat? without a good palate – that’s impossible, of Basque, even when I’m cooking with Cucumbers and celery – and I don’t need course. But, bueno, let’s continue. seaweed from the North Sea or a mole either one in our cooking. And if I do, blend from Mexico. Th ird, we take an I have to call my father. Go on. avant-garde approach – in other words, we In the mid-1990s I returned home and experiment and develop new recipes. So What do you eat every day? started working for my father. Eventually now you know everything. Any more Cheese. Preferably Idiazabal cheese from we were running the restaurant together. questions? the Basque region. Switzerland, with Today, of course, his energy is no longer all of its diff erent kinds of cheese, was what it once was; I create roughly 80 Yes – we’d like to know a few practical things. paradise for me. I brought home percent of our dishes. But cooking makes For example, how do you make the perfect rösti? a Girolle cheese scraper, of course. him happy, and he’s incredibly creative. With good potatoes. I use potatoes from Álava [editor’s note: part of the Basque Do you eat ? He could start thinking about retirement. region] in their raw state, then fry them in We have pintxos bars in San Sebastian, Juan Mari is 72 years old. It was six years lard and olive oil. I don’t use butter, but I and the tapas they serve are our fast ago when I last asked him when he was do add saff ron. food.

Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 31 — Food —

How about McDonald’s or Burger King? price is too low, and doesn’t refl ect the quality Arzak warmly welcomes a couple from I’ve tried their food, of course – and it’s of the ingredients or the eff ort involved. France, then personally selects the menu for fi ne, as long as the quality is good and I interned with him in Monte Carlo, and her Swiss visitors, writing it down in her they’re inspected by the authorities. But I I know that he has a very large staff and little notebook. prefer pintxos. uses only the very best products. I under- One course quickly follows another, stand what he’s saying. including a dish composed of paper-thin What was your most recent failure? apple slices infused with beet juice, topped I was trying to make something in the Your fi xed menu costs 195 euros. with a light, subtly seasoned mousse of foie shape of a globe, something crispy and It’s less expensive to live in San Sebastian gras, cream cheese and nuts. Angulas – spa- very high – but it didn’t turn out because than in London or Paris, and our person- ghetti-thin baby eels – are a Basque spe- of the high humidity. Th at was too bad. nel costs are somewhat lower. But of cialty. Th ey are traditionally fried with gen- I’ve also tried my own method of roasting course, people pay a lot to come to our erous portions of parsley and garlic. At . Th at didn’t work out either – al- restaurant, too. However, restaurants aren’t Arzak, they are cooked in a sieve held over though I love roasted chestnuts. making enormous amounts of money. On a pan of smoldering charcoal. Th e garlic the contrary, profi t margins are small, and component is found in a crisp, salty pastry When you eat something, can you tell whether in many cases restaurants have sponsors to that forms a bed for the eels. Served with it’s been prepared by a man or a woman? back them. A good seat at the opera or at a them are a seaweed cracker, tiny caulifl ower No. Guests often say, “I’m sure this was soccer game is just as expensive. and broccoli rosettes, and pomegranate made by Juan Mari” or “Elena created this seeds. dish.” Th ey’re usually wrong. I think Most Arzak dishes have a story, but as women and men are equally good cooks, Elena Arzak points out, “the dish has to it’s just a matter of training. But my father “People pay a lot stand on its own, even without the story.” says that women are better, since they are For example, wild duck breast smoked over more sensitive. My theory is that he’s spent to come to our chips of exotic wood left over from manu- nearly his entire life surrounded by facturing Spanish guitars. Or saddle of ven- women, and he tends to idealize them. restaurant – but our ison, seared and then quickly cooked until done in a lotus leaf. “Right now we’re doing But not many top restaurants profi t margins a lot of cooking with leaves,” says Arzak. are run by women. “It’s reminiscent of ancient times, when we Th at’s left over from the past, and has are small.” ate what nature – the forest – had to off er.” more to do with tradition. Eighty percent And the Basque infl uence is always appar- of our team are women. ent. Elena Arzak serves Japanese gyoza, What distinguishes a good meal prepared which are like crispy ravioli – but fi lled with Your children would be the fi fth generation to by a top chef? a local ingredient: shrimp. run the restaurant. Would you like them First of all, the food has to be outstanding It is a surprising and tasteful menu, to take it over from you? and off er greater value than an ordinary complex and playful, and it confi rms every- It’s too early to say, they’re only eight and meal. Th e atmosphere should be special; thing Elena Arzak has told us about her ten years old. I’d be pleased, of course, but I expect a multisensory experience. Finally, approach to cooking. Now the boss invites it’s up to them. It’s not something that can I want to be treated well, and for people to us to tour the building. She takes us through be forced. However, both of them love be friendly. the spacious kitchen, where the open grill is being in the kitchen. still aglow, and into the wine cellar with its And what is special about an Arzak dish? 100,000 bottles of over 2,000 varieties of How many calories does your tasting menu It consists of seasonal products. It has wine. Th ey are stored on chrome-plated have, with its eight courses, amuse-bouche a pronounced taste, but is also subtle. racks at a temperature of 16 degrees Cel- and petit fours? And – I hope – it is original. sius, and to avoid fl uctuating temperatures Perhaps 2,000, although the wine accounts they are only dimly lit by fi berglass lamps. for much of that. But people don’t come It’s two o’clock, time for lunch. Th e small, Th e Arzak Lab upstairs is currently being here to cut calories. Th e food served in top well-lit dining room is lined with concrete remodeled. Th e Arzaks’ private culinary re- restaurants today is light and low in fat, paneling, with impressions of cutlery search is intended to ensure that the restau- and includes far more vegetables than pressed into the walls. Th e atmosphere is rant is among the world’s best for years to 25 years ago. relaxed. Two cheerful Basques, dressed ca- come. sually, are sitting at the next table; another At Alain Ducasse’s restaurant in Paris, the guest, with a beer in front of him, fi nishes fi xed menu costs 380 euros. He says that the his three-course meal and leaves. Elena

32 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 FOOD FACTS

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Are tips tax exempt? What is a soap diet? Which nation consumes the most vegetables? Twenty-four appetizers for a cultivated table conversation. By Mathias Plüss (text) and Rob Bailey (illustrations) Diet

FOUR REASONS LOSING WEIGHT IS SO HARD:

1 Bigger Portions 3 The Yo-Yo Effect An unusual but enlightening study Going on a weight-loss diet signals showed that the size of the main course famine to the human body, which in depictions of Jesus’ last supper has prompts it to reduce its energy use – increased by about two-thirds since the permanently. When people resume year 1000. In fast food restaurants, their normal diets, excessive weight portion sizes have increased two- to gain is inevitable. One year after a diet, fivefold over the last 50 years. about three-quarters of all dieters are as heavy as or even heavier than before. 2 Evolution Evolution has trained us for millions of years to crave high-energy and 4 Gaining Weight: high-fat foods. And it’s not just us: In the 1920s, in the English city A Law of Nature of Southampton, Eurasian blue tits People who do not make any learned how to open milk bottles adjustments to their caloric intake sitting on doorsteps. Interestingly, gain on average 200 to 500 grams the birds were only interested per year. The only way to stop this in bottles with silver caps – those effect is through exercise: at least containing whole milk. one hour a day.

FAREWELL TO THE SLIMNESS CRAZE If we don’t get 60% Surprise from the US: Fewer and our satisfaction 55% fewer Americans want to lose weight. The percentage of people in one area, 50% currently on a diet decreased from 31% (1991) to 20% (2012). One possible reason is that being we’ll get it elsewhere. 40% overweight is not necessarily viewed as unattractive anymore. Those who have had their stomachs surgically reduced tend (see graph, left ). to consume more alcohol and drugs. Those who diet have 30% a higher propensity to cheat on their partners. And when a sports team loses a game, its home city goes on 23.2% a caloric binge the following day. 20% 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2012

Agreement with the statement “Slim people are much more attractive” Source: NPD, 2013 SOME CURIOUS DIETS Soap Diet Tapeworm Diet Cigarette Diet Sugar Diet Beer Diet (1820s) (Early 20th century) (1920s) (1950s) (2012) Dr. William Wadd If the tapeworm is Tobacco companies A small spoonful of sugar You can drink two recommended a diet growing, the fat openly recommended in every dish. This strange per day and lose weight, says of bran, vegetables, disappears. It works – cigarettes as an appetite weight-loss method was author Jens Bujar. It’s true. foxglove and soap. but is accompanied suppressant on their advertised by Domino, Minor detail: You also have to Bon appetit! by severe stomach pain. posters. Not completely a sugar refinery in the US. cut your food intake in half. untrue, but definitely Hard to imagine that unhealthy. it works!

Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 33 FOOD FACTS Tips

YOU CAN MAKE Local Customs A DIFFERENCE Do you work in the hospitality In many countries, tips are expected. In the US they are industry? Based on scientific almost obligatory – give less than 15 percent and you’re studies, here are some ways in viewed as stingy. This is due to the extremely low wages A Mystery of which you can increase your tips (particularly in the US, see for waitstaff: Minimum wage for tipped workers is only far left). 2.13 US dollars, provided the tips bring it up to more than Social Evolution 7.25 US dollars. This situation is very different in China If we hoped our tips would lead to better and, to an even greater degree, in Japan. There, tips are service, we’d have to pay them before meals, not aft erwards. We are unlikely to ever see Greeting viewed as an insult; good service is regarded as a matter our servers again. From a logical perspective, of course. Should you leave some coins on a restaurant tips don’t make much sense. Greet your guests table, the waiter might follow you outside to return the personally and introduce money. yourself by your first name. Smile Give your guests an open-lipped smile. Thank you Write “thank you” on the bill or draw a smiley face or a sun. Cookie Deliver the bill with a cookie or two. Even better, let your guests choose from THE MOST GENEROUS a basket of sweets. NATIONS Percentage of people who report always tipping during trips Friendliness (survey by TripAdvisor 2014): Lean towards your guests or touch them lightly on their arms or shoulders.

Americans60% Germans In Switzer- Sun Is it sunny outside? Is the 49% land, tips weather forecast favorable? Brazilians Talk about it. Spaniards always belong 33% to the staff. 30% Russians However, the owners of establish- 28% 26%Brits ments have the right to collect the money and distribute it among employees according to their own 15%French formula. Tips are taxable and liable for social security deductions as well. 11% Italians

Compared to the previous year, generosity has declined sharply, except in the case of Americans. In France, Italy and Russia the number of people who always tipped decreased by half.

34 — Bulletin 2 2 // 2015 2015 FOOD FACTS Animal Kingdom

28% SMALL EATS LARGE of prey is consumed Beetle Frog 23% Some beetles of the genus Epomis of prey is 49% taken home specialize in frogs, newts and salamanders. Ants – of prey is A beetle attaches itself to the much larger left behind prey and sucks it dry. The Secret CAT AND MOUSE Weasel Rabbit Rulers Eating is beside the point. Cats like to hunt even when they are not hungry. This poses a great problem for birds, The weasel is the smallest predator Individual ants might be small, but amphibians and reptiles. For an American study, in the world. It pursues animals ten times their sheer numbers make them house cats were equipped with cameras to observe what formidable predators. An anthill of they do with their prey. Result: Cats leave 49% behind, its weight – rabbits, for example. wood ants, common in central Europe, eat 28% and bring the remaining 23% home to their can easily devour 100,000 caterpillars appreciative owners. per day. A large colony in the Swiss Jura Millipede Bat Mountains, made up of several anthills, is estimated to consume 20 tons of There really are giant millipedes honeydew and more than 1 ton of insects annually. Altogether, ants eat that catch bats from the air and eat them. more animals than all other carnivores Some small of the world combined. animals have Ant Grasshopper With their stings, Brazilian ants of the genus an enormous Azteca andreae can overwhelm grasshoppers ten thousand times their weight. appetite.

Shrews, hummingbirds and moles have such high metabolic rates that they must consume the equivalent of their own body weight in food each day. Without food, they can starve within hours.

SOME EXTREME DIETS

Short-Toed Panda Snake Eagle Pandas have specialized in bamboo, even though The short-toed snake their stomachs are those eagle, found in Europe and of carnivores. They have further afield, eats snakes to eat 15–30 kilos of this almost exclusively. nutrient-poor plant each The adult eagle eats about day in order to survive. one to two snakes per day. An eaglet consumes about 11 kilograms of snake meat before it is fully fledged. Blue Whale The blue whale, the largest animal on the planet, feeds Ladybug almost exclusively on tiny krill. During a single dive, A seven-spotted ladybug a blue whale can ingest consumes approximately more than a ton of them. 4,000 aphids during its life span – about 100 per day.

Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 35 FOOD FACTS Men and Women

Steaks for Men, Daily meat Five servings consumption of fruits and Veggies for Women vegetables per day Selected results from the Swiss Health Survey 2012 16% 32% and a Coop survey from 2011. 26% 12% Watching their diet Comfort eating 75% 61% 38% 19%

A snack as a reward 40% 20%

Men eat noticeably faster than 79 percent women. of German women The stereotype holds true: According to a study by the US University of Rhode Island, find men who cook men consume about 80 calories attractive. per minute, women only 52.

But only 28 percent of German men cook regularly.

66% STANDING BY ONE’S WEIGHT 61% How do the obese perceive themselves? overweight According to a British survey from 2012, Women to Mars very few obese people acknowledge their obesity. Could a group of astronauts live on Mars for a few months? The space agency NASA tackled this question by using simulations in a volcanic area on Hawaii, which resembles very the surface of Mars. One of the most interesting overweight findings was the conclusion that it would be 23% best to only send women to Mars. In a Underweight / simulation experiment, men used on average 16% almost 3,500 kilocalories per day, while obese about right women used less than half of that amount, 10% 11% barely 1,500 kilocalories – performing 7% 6% the same physical activities. When every pound carried by a Mars rocket counts, this is a weighty difference. Survey: Obese people describe themselves as ... Source: British Medical Journal, 2014

36 — Bulletin 22 / / 2015 2015 FOOD FACTS Vegetarianism

THE BIGGEST PLANT EATERS THE BIGGEST MEAT EATERS Consumption per person and year, according to FAOSTAT in 2011 Consumption per person and year, according to FAOSTAT in 2011

Fruits Vegetables Total Meat Fish Total 1. China 81 kg 337 kg 418 kg 1. Hong Kong 154 kg 71 kg 225 kg 2. Dominica 338 kg 70 kg 408 kg 2. Maldives 21 kg 166 kg 187 kg 3. Montenegro 156 kg 242 kg 398 kg 3. Iceland 87 kg 90 kg 177 kg 37. Switzerland 129 kg 108 kg 237 kg 11. US 118 kg 22 kg 140 kg 87. Germany 81 kg 94 kg 175 kg 55. Switzerland 75 kg 17 kg 92 kg World 74 kg 136 kg 210 kg World 42 kg 19 kg 61 kg

Female Chimps on a Veggie Kick Avoiding meat is Not only in humans are males the biggest meat eaters. Among considered a megatrend, the chimpanzees of the Taï National Park in Côte d’Ivoire, the males go hunting and share their spoils among themselves. The females are but that’s not what predominantly vegetarian. They rarely get a piece of meat, and when they do it’s in exchange for sex. the numbers say.

The rate of men who never consume meat has remained at 1 percent for the last twenty years. For women this fi gure increased from 3 percent to 4 percent during the same time period. The number of people eating little meat (twice a week or less) even decreased. (Numbers from the Swiss Health Survey) INVOLUNTARY ANIMAL CONSUMPTION Without knowing, each one of us consumes about a half kilo to a kilo of insects annually. They are stowaways in canned 6 corn or packages. Cinnamon, The maximum permitted amount curry powder of contamination is rather Eight hundred insect generous. Six examples from US fragments and 22 rodent food law. hairs per 100 grams.

1 Spinach 5 Chocolate (Canned or frozen): Sixty insect fragments Fifty lice, mites or thrips or one rodent hair (a type of insect) per bar. per 100 grams.

4 Tomato puree 2 Berries Up to 20 fly eggs per 100 grams. Four larvae or 10 whole 3 insects per pound. Fig paste A maximum of 13 insect heads per 100 grams.

BulletinBulletin 2 / 2015 — 37 Th e researchers at NIHS laboratories can perform precise metabolic analyses in magnetic tubes.

Th e screening robot (blue) breaks down natural extracts into their components. — Food —

Food for Th ought In Lausanne, the Nestlé international group is researching the diet of the future. It is intended to protect against diseases, keep people mentally fi t or slow down aging. Th e new food should not only be good for the stomach, but also good for the brain.

By Stefanie Schramm (text) and Anoush Abrar (photos)

Green beef curry? Lemon chicken? Or tofu look at people and the food they eat in de- want to develop ways to promote brain with herbs? Th e beige Styrofoam box that tail. Genes, proteins, metabolites, nutrients health through customized nutrition,” he Gene Bowman is carrying gives no sign of – everything is analyzed and quantifi ed as a says. “To do this, we need to analyze the what he is going to be eating for lunch to- fi ngerprint for human metabolism. genes and nutritional status.” Bowman is a day. Most likely, however, the contents of Th e Institute was specifi cally posi- realist; he doesn’t expect everyone to start the box come from the small Th ai snack bar tioned at the EPFL, with the president of eating a healthy diet because of a few di- on the campus of EPFL Lausanne – quite a the university also sitting on the NIHS etary recommendations. He also has a qual- conventional lunch. Only after his break committee. Th e scientists are doing pio- ifi cation in naturopathy and worked with does Bowman get to work again on the food neering work here. Th e eff ect of individual patients for ten years. His experience: “It is of the future. nutrients is not easy to research. After all, extremely diffi cult to change peoples’ hab- Gene Bowman, 47, describes himself even small diff erences in lifestyle also aff ect its.” Th at’s why this development work will as a nutritional neuroscientist. To put it into the body and brain. In addition, the re- also lead to powders and drinks, instant everyday language, he does research into searchers cannot work with placebos as they , so to speak, which ultimately nerve nourishment for the brain. Bowman do in pharmaceutical trials (one test subject fi ts into the business of his employer, Nestlé. is convinced that our diet aff ects not only gets the pill with the active ingredient, the our waistlines – but also our brains. He other gets the pill without). For example, Vitamins and Fatty Acids vs. Dementia already found some evidence of this when the test subjects also consume vitamins in Th e powders, however, will not simply aim working at Oregon Health & Science Uni- their normal food. Th is makes for a compli- to ward off colds or fatigue, like the nutri- versity in the United States. He was re- cated undertaking. tional supplements that many people are cruited last year by Nestlé Institute of already taking today. Th ey are intended to Health Sciences (NIHS) in Lausanne. Researchers with Momentum combat serious brain diseases like Alzhei- Th e NIHS, housed in two concrete Th e project is also of interest because many mer’s and other forms of dementia. Bow- blocks on the EPFL site, is intended to lay people are developing an ambivalent atti- man has already discovered potential ingre- the foundations for a new business line tude toward food. On the one hand, they dients. In a study that attracted a great deal within the Nestlé group, Health Science long for food to be natural (organic! local! of attention a few years ago, he examined Nutrition. Th e group’s motto: Food is the ancient grains!), on the other hand, they are the blood of 100 healthy senior citizens. In best medicine. After all, we all take it at least increasingly suspicious of their food (glu- addition, he tested their cognitive abilities three times a day. Th at’s why it needs to get ten! lactose! histamines!). It will be interest- and measured their brains. Th e results: peo- healthier and be specially adapted to the ing, therefore, to see how people react when ple with a higher concentration of omega-3 specifi c set of genes and lifestyle of each in- the artifi cially refi ned food of the future fatty acids, as well as the vitamins B, C, D dividual. In the wake of personalized medi- eventually reaches the table. and E, displayed greater mental fi tness. Test cine, now diets will become personalized, Gene Bowman’s research goal may subjects whose blood contained high levels too. Th e institute was founded in 2011 to sound ambitious, and comprehensive: “We of trans-fats did not perform as well.

Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 39 — Food —

“Some substances only tor for dementia. If we start there, we could stand precisely what a healthy ecosystem in reduce age-related dementia.” the gut of a particular person looks like, we seem to work in can recommend certain substances such as conjunction with each How Can We Live Longer? probiotics, so as to provide a benefi cial in- Bowman’s colleague at NIHS, Martin testinal fl ora.” So, fi rst the diagnosis, then other. Whether we Kussmann, is looking into which nutrients the customized menu. Th e fi rst products are benefi cial to the circulatory system and could come onto the market in fi ve to ten can take advantage the rest of the body. His question is years, probably in pharmacies at fi rst. of this is unclear.” far-reaching. Which substances and func- tions help us to live a long life? “We were Baby Food for Everyone Gene Bowman looking for people who have lived extremely One day, however, personalized food could Th e nutritional long – to one hundred, and older – and re- also be sold in supermarkets, in a sort of neuroscientist mained very independent and healthy,” says modular system, perhaps in the form of is convinced that food aff ects not only Kussmann. His colleague Sebastiano Col- small capsules that you simply put into a the stomach but also lino, together with the University of Bolo- machine at home. We already have some- the brain. gna, found them in Florence, Milan, and thing like that: the coff ee capsules that Bologna itself. Nestlé is selling with the help of George Th e researchers took blood and urine Clooney. And there is another system al- samples and analyzed them in the labora- ready. It is a little bit less sexy, but smarter. tory in Lausanne in massive metal tubes of It is a device that prepares baby food to cor- over a meter in height. Th e tubes produce a respond as closely as possible to the compo- strong magnetic fi eld, much like MRI scan- sition of breast milk. Th is changes as the ners in hospitals, but vertically. “Th is en- baby gets older. “Th is is what the food of the Th e trans-fats came, for example, from ables us to verify several hundred metabolic future could look like,” says Kussmann, margarine and processed foods. Why then products. We get a very accurate fi ngerprint quickly adding “at least for the sick or tech- is it not possible to simply use vitamins and of metabolism,” says Kussmann. nophiles.” Th e biochemist does not wish to fatty acids to slow down dementia? And the metabolism of the active shock everyone else. After all, the idea of It is not quite that simple. All of the hundred-year-olds was similar to that of capsule nutrition is not yet something that studies that have attempted this have failed. signifi cantly younger test subjects. “Th eir the majority of people would embrace. “Some substances appear only to work in bodies are obviously able to deal with in- “Food is very emotional and is deeply en- conjunction with each other,” says Bowman fl ammation better and can repair damage grained in our culture,” says Kussmann. addressing one of the obstacles. “We are not better,” says the biochemist. Aging means “Ultimately, it is not medicine, it has to yet certain whether we will be able to take – viewed through a microscope – above taste good.” advantage of these synergy eff ects.” all one thing: the accumulation of damage Th ere has not yet been much research to cells caused by waste products of metab- into another obstacle facing brain nutrition: olism. the blood-brain barrier. It separates the “I am now half the age of our volun- “It is exciting to be able brain from the bloodstream with special teers,” says Kussmann. “And I go for a cells in order to protect the brain from check-up every fi ve years. In the future, we to set repair mechanisms pathogens or toxins. But other substances will get a lot more data from an investiga- can get stuck. So it is not just a matter of tion of this kind – and therefore be better in motion through fi nding out what nutrients the brain needs, able to detect the fi rst signs of age-related nutrition.” but also fi guring out how to get them there ailments.” As a scientist, he also wants to – and make sure they stay there. As people have the best remedies ready by then. “It is Martin Kussmann Th e biochemist age, leaks can occur, through which import- particularly exciting to see how it is possible is researching the ant nutrients can seep before the brain cells to put these repair mechanisms into motion question of which can absorb them, says Bowman: “You can through nutrition.” Antioxidants and pro- nutrients have think of it like a sink. If we turn on the biotics are substances on which research is benefi cial eff ects on the circulatory nutrient faucet with the drain open at the already being conducted today. Antioxi- system. Which same time, not much happens.” dants protect cells from damage from highly substances could help One way to seal these leaks or avoid reactive forms of oxygen that are generated us to live a long life? them altogether could be through the fi ne during metabolism. Probiotics contain lac- blood vessels that supply the brain, says tic acid bacteria, for example, or yeasts that Bowman: “High blood pressure is a risk fac- may improve digestion. “If we can under-

40 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 Th e question that is being asked at NIHS is: How can simple foodstuff s be made healthier?

Th at’s why we need to take another route – why he was not able to develop properly,” making basic groceries healthier without says Kussmann. He was simply unable to impacting their fl avor. “Nestlé makes al- absorb the nutrients from food. “Th e only most every kind of foodstuff ; it would be thing that worked was medical nutrition, possible to eat only Nestlé products,” says which gave him the nutrients that he the biochemist. Th e group also owns com- needed and was able to absorb. At the same panies that produce foods that do not have time they alleviated the infl ammation.” such a good reputation, such as frozen piz- Th e special diet lasted for two years. zas. “Our scientifi c discoveries could have a During this time, the patient only had to positive eff ect on society in this way.” He is, consume the special food every other month however, aware that it is not possible to sim- and was able to eat almost normally at other ply remove all ingredients that are consid- times. “He has now grown to a normal ered unhealthy. Th ese are, after all, the in- height and is healthy,” Kussmann says with gredients that provide the fl avor: salt, fat, enthusiasm. Sometimes it actually is all sugar. about nutrition only. Th at means, however, that in most cases it is more complicated. Sometimes It’s About Nutrition Th is is perhaps why Kussmann is so fond of telling people about his experience. He says it is what motivates him to go to work every day. Th is example is intended to show how great an infl uence nutrition can have on one’s health. It involves a boy of slight stat- ure who was ten centimeters shorter than Stefanie Schramm is an author and science the average for boys of his age. “He had a journalist in Hamburg. She works for Die Zeit and serious intestinal disease as a child. Th is was the radio station Deutschlandfunk, among others.

Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 41 — Food — Recipes for 4 Tomorrow (and after) Guilt-Free Treats Millions of people compromise their health by eating too much salt, sugar and fat. Com- panies such as NNP in Switzerland are How science and research are revolutionizing working on healthier, computer-designed alternatives. One of their products, our eating habits – and six examples of the PlantZap, helps manufacturers halve the sugar content, and thereby the calories, in future of food. soft drinks and other foodstuff s, without By Steff an Heuer sacrifi cing electrolytes and other important components of cane sugar. Th e fi rst com- mercial applications of the technology are taking place in Mexico and Australia.

5 Food From the Printer 1 3D printers in the kitchen are still a long way off , but researchers around the world Egg-Free Mayonnaise have proved that it is possible to “print” Hampton Creek is a prime example of the foods out of sugar, chocolate and even veg- new “foodhacking” movement in Silicon etable puree to align with consumer needs. Valley, which is lavishly fi nanced with 120 Experts at Cornell University are working million dollars in venture capital and is on software to print the perfect seeking new, technology-driven approaches cereal, and researchers from the Nether- to food manufacturing. Hampton Creek lands have “programmed” soft vegetables has developed a synthetic egg from plant especially for senior citizens. Considerably proteins which is used to make mayonnaise, more research is going into the eff ort to among other things. Other California start- print sustainable meat. ups are researching ways to create synthetic meat and leather in the laboratory. 6

2 A New Nervous System for the World Algae by the Barrel Usually, algae blooms come with alarming Many species of fi sh would be much better headlines about the danger of poisoning. 3 off , environmentally speaking, if we could But nutritionists have developed bioreac- make in-demand predatory fi sh like salmon, tors in which it is possible to grow edible A Side Order of Bugs tuna or trout into vegetarians, instead of algae like spirulina under controlled condi- Although consumers in wealthy countries feeding them fi sh meal made from threat- tions. Th ese algae can be used to make noo- give grubs and crickets a wide berth, insects ened species. Scientists from the University dles or meat substitutes – without having serve as an abundant and inexpensive of Baltimore have demonstrated that cobia to clear mangrove forests. Companies like source of protein for more than two billion can be raised on a laboratory-developed, EnerGaia have built their fi rst facilities on people around the world. In the US and purely plant diet – which eases the burden on the previously unused roofs of skyscrapers Canada, companies like Big Cricket Farms the oceans and reduces the impact of often in Bangkok, among other places. and Aspire are already producing insects ecologically devastating fi sh farms. for startups like Six Foods to use in manu- facturing cookies, chips and pizza dough. In Europe, it’s still under discussion. How- ever, Switzerland’s Federal Offi ce of Food Steff an Heuer is a technology journalist and Safety hopes to approve insects as food US correspondent for the business magazine starting in 2016. brand eins. He lives in San Francisco.

42 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 Illustration: Rami Niemi — Food —

A Million Flavors Cuisine in Switzerland has gone global over the last forty years. From bollito to sushi – where can the best “international” cuisine be found? Th e editor of Gault Millau shares his recommendations.

By Urs Heller

“Restaurants in Switzerland are becoming (a Japanese restaurant at Th e Alpina) be- For many Swiss, Italian restaurants were more and more global,” Credit Suisse states came a hot spot in its fi rst month of opera- the fi rst non-Swiss restaurants in the coun- in this issue of Bulletin, backing up this as- tion and is almost always booked solid. Zer- try. Th is wasn’t my experience, though. My sertion with an impressive graphic showing matt provides yet another example: China mother is a brilliant cook and, as she comes international restaurants along Zurich’s Garden may not be in the best location but from , I grew up with “la cucina ital- multicultural Langstrasse (see next page). it is well worth a visit. Chef Chen, a man of iana.” Perhaps that is why I get so annoyed Th ere may have been very few ethnic or in- few words, but tremendously effi cient, is my when I am served mediocre spaghetti and ternational restaurants in Switzerland in favorite Chinese chef in the country. in unremarkable Italian restaurants. the 1960s, but today diners can fi nd Pad Because even simple Italian dishes need Th ai in even the most remote mountain vil- Th e Asians’ Asia fresh basic ingredients, and nothing should lages. (Th ere’s also a counter trend in the If you want authentic , you be cooked beforehand. Th ese dishes also re- top restaurants, as is becom- have to be able to aff ord it. For example, quire a great deal of attention. During the ing more regional, with a particular focus on outstanding relies on fresh 20 minutes it takes to cook risotto, my local produce). (but also very expensive) basic ingredients. mother wouldn’t leave the kitchen, not for a Nevertheless, international cuisine has Asian cuisine should be left up to the tal- second. Who are the best Italian chefs in become fi rmly entrenched in the Swiss ents and expertise of Asian chefs. Th is is the country? Brothers Enrico and Roberto restaurant landscape and enriched it with particularly true of sushi. You can get Cerea (Da Vittorio in Carlton, St. Moritz) millions of fl avors, textures and combina- pre-packaged rice rolls in the supermarket, and south Tyrolean Martin Dalsass (Takvò tions. It all began with a few red Chinese but only those with years of demanding in St. Moritz Champfèr). I’ve often driven lanterns at the door and exotic-sounding, training under their belts can make truly in the early evening from Zurich over the but also often poorly cooked, entrees from good sushi. My benchmark is the Bel-Air Julier Pass to enjoy Chef Dalsass’ “bollito the Far East. Th e situation has since im- restaurant at the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz. misto” and then driven back the next morn- proved. Luckily, there are now many out- Filipino chef Joel Enriquez makes extraor- ing. His bollito is worth the drive. standing and up-and-coming chefs special- dinarily good sushi. He trained with fa- izing in Asian cuisine. Th e best ones work in mous master chefs in Osaka, spending years the mountains. For example, in St. Moritz: cooking only rice before he was allowed to Matsuhisa at Badrutt’s Palace is a premium make sushi from start-to-fi nish for the fi rst class restaurant operated by Japanese chef time. Th e only Swiss chef ever to keep up is Urs Heller is editor-in-chief of the Gault Millau Nobu Matsuhisa. During the peak season, André Jaeger from Schaff hausen’s Fischer- Switzerland restaurant guide. it’s almost impossible to get a table. Another zunft, thanks to many years of cooking in example is the town of Gstaad where Megu Hong Kong and an extraordinary talent. Graphic on the next page

Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 43 — Food —

THESE DAYS, YOU CAN FIND WHATEVER YOU WANT, – whether chopsticks or fork, chili or Maggi, Dürüm or bread rolls: Zurich’s Langstrasse shows how the world’s many fl avors came to Switzerland.

1960

At the end of the 19th century, Italian Limmatplatz Röntgenstrasse shops and restaurants emerged mainly Popolo Carina Tea Room in urban centers where there was a lot Th e Langstrasse runs through Like in England, tea rooms serve mainly of construction. The increase in Italian the heart of Zurich’s Italian non-alcoholic drinks and light snacks, restaurants in Switzerland was a result district, which is why many such as fried eggs and grilled ham and of the high percentage of Italian residents, of the fi rst Italian restaurants cheese sandwiches. Tea rooms were not but quickly became popular were located here. allowed to serve alcohol, but that made among the Swiss, too. their restaurant licenses less expensive.

1980

Youth unrest in various Swiss cities Limmatplatz Röntgenstrasse between 1980 and 1982 led to a general liberalization and internationalization of the restaurant, club and music scenes throughout the country.

2000

In 1997, a new law in Zurich abolished Limmatplatz Röntgenstrasse the Wirteprüfung (exam for restaurant pro- Casa Aurelio Lily’s prietors), loosened up alcohol permits Many of the Italian and Spanish Chinese restaurants enjoyed great success in and did away with the so-called “necessity restaurants along the Langstrasse have Switzerland, and were followed with a second wave clause” which made the opening of a always served fi rst-class cuisine of cuisine from other Asian countries, including new business dependent on demand and (at equivalent prices) – Zurich’s well- Th ailand Vietnam, Nepal, Singapore, Indonesia, necessity. Deregulation was in the air to-do enjoyed coming to the some- the Philippines, South Korea, Japan and India. All in Switzerland at the time. The new laws what edgier, international district. of these countries are now well represented in the meant that dance schools, hairdressers Swiss gastronomy industry. and grocery stores were able to serve drinks and snacks.

2010

Almost 180,000 people work in the restau- Limmatplatz Röntgenstrasse rant industry in Switzerland, and 42 percent of those workers have a foreign passport, increasing to 46 percent when including short-term residents.

44 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 By Simon Brunner, Koni Frei (content) and Craff t (graphic) — Food —

Switzerland Spain Italy Turkey China India Thailand USA Global Jamaica (Caribbean)

Militär-/Langstrasse Helvetiaplatz Kernstrasse

Militär-/Langstrasse Helvetiaplatz Kernstrasse

Memphis Tea Room Krokodil Today Langstrasse is a major One of the older and more nightlife destination. It was well-known Spanish restau- once a popular shopping rants in Zurich – though district, which is why there no one knows why it is named are so many cafés. after the German word for crocodile.

Militär-/Langstrasse Helvetiaplatz Kernstrasse

Suan Long Th ere were already three Chinese restaurants in close proximity in 2000. Th e Chopstick Revolution arrived in Switzerland in the 70s; today you can fi nd sweet and sour chicken at every price point, from inexpensive takeout to multi-star restaurants.

Militär-/Langstrasse Helvetiaplatz Kernstrasse Elite Hooters Th e triumphal success of international fast food. At least When Hooters, the risqué American restau- six kebab stands line the Langstrasse, in addition rant chain, opened in 2007, the press was to the vendors selling Indian street food, currywurst and indignant, even the Basler Zeitung featured Palestinian grill specialties (most are not mentioned it in an article highlighting the “growth here because they are not listed under “restaurants”). of excessiveness.”

Source: restaurants listed in local telephone directories, under “Restaurant.” Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 45 Welcome to the Land of Plenty From the sea to the high mountains: Th anks to the diff erent microclimates, an enormous variety of diff erent foods is grown in Peru. In the major cities, these are turned into spectacular culinary experiences. But eating here is more than just for pleasure – it is also political, a symbol of a better future.

By Andreas Fink (text) and Simon Koy (photos)

Unique diversity: Cactus milk with fl owers at Central restaurant (left), fi sherwoman on the pier in El Ñuro. — Food —

discovery that will take several hours, taking Colombia you to the furthest corner of the Andes. Th e Ecuador menu, called Elevations, consists of 17 dishes, diff erentiated by the altitudes of the varied Peruvian topography. You can eat JUNGLE ould you like some food from 25 meters below to 4,200 meters grilled scallops? Marinated tuna? Fettuc- above sea level, from deep-water algae to Brazil W PERU cine made from palm hearts? Beef heart tunas, the white, freeze-dried potatoes of skewers in a spicy marinade? sweet- the Andean plateau. COASTAL AREA with Andean herbs? Alpaca gou- Th e dishes, perfectly staged minia- Lima lash? Black corn beer? Perhaps a pisco sour? tures, colorful and decorated with edible Cusco Bolivia With lime or passion fruit? Or just a juice? fl ower petals, have names like “Dry Andes,” MOUNTAINS Guanabana or chirimoya? Lúcuma or camu “Octopus in the Desert” or “Dead Ama- camu? White chocolate? Organic coff ee? zon.” Th ey consist of ingredients that many Welcome to the Land of Plenty! To a visitors did not even know were edible Chile country where the sun shines down almost until they came to this understated green vertically on the Pacifi c, the Andes and the restaurant. Peru — The South American Amazon, where there are thousands of vari- At the end of this culinary journey, country with over 30 million eties of potatoes, hundreds of varieties of guests will have tried clay, cactus milk, cocoa inhabitants has three totally chilies and the world’s richest ocean for bread and cushuro – shimmering brownish different landscapes and climates. fi shing. To a land of countless climate zones, balls with a gelatinous texture. Th e fresh, cold and warm ocean currents, volcanoes, strong and somewhat mysterious-tasting desert and rainforest, the former heart of little balls are protein-rich cyanobacteria the Inca Empire, conquered by the Span- that grow during the rainy season from De- iards, who brought with them African cember to March in mountain lakes and slaves. Peru absorbed Italian craftsmen, ponds at over 3,600 meters above sea level. Japanese fi shermen, Chinese railway con- struction workers, but for a long time it was Cooks and Expeditions too diverse to be unifi ed. It was driven into Th e history of cushuro can be found on the bankruptcy by populist politicians and the website of Mater Iniciativa, the research de- military and worn down by guerrillas and partment that provides the taste laboratory drug gangs. Th e country regained its na- of Central with its foundation. Th e depart- tional pride when young chefs created a fu- ment displays two large monitors on which sion of aromas, textures and traditions and they plan the expeditions that provide the used it to charm the world’s cities. Welcome 38 chefs at Central with new materials to to a country defi ned by its chefs. Welcome cook with. Peter Law, whose ancestors came to Peru! here from China, coordinates trips into the Central restaurant — hinterland, the high Andes, the southern Number 15 on the list of the best A Country in 17 Courses deserts, the species-rich rain forests on the restaurants in the world and number one in South America. Lunch time in Mirafl ores, a classy neigh- eastern slopes of the Andes and the Ama- borhood in the southern part of the city of zon River. He shows a video of a trip to the Lima. Down on the beach, surfers in neo- high mountains taken by chef Virgilio prene ride the impressive, but cold – just 17 Martínez and his wife Pía León – who is degrees – waves. Above, on the terraces of a also the chef de cuisine –, from which they shopping center built into the cliff , restau- returned with sweet and edible chaco clay. rant diners enjoy the view as the breeze Th ey are now serving this as a starter, fi lled stimulates their appetites. Two blocks away, with a semi-frozen paste of ocas, one of the in the shade of jacaranda trees, gold double thousands of tuber varieties found in the doors open up to a building whose smooth highlands. “Our trips always include teams plaster and small windows give it a self-con- of chefs, anthropologists, philosophers and tained feeling. If you are lucky enough to geographers,” says León. Locals’ experience get a reservation for Central restaurant – it with the edible treasures is crucial. “Th ey is recommended that you reserve a month can explain to us how they prepare the in- in advance – you will embark on a voyage of gredients, and then we experiment from

48 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 Built close to the water: Down at the beach surfers ride the waves, while the metropolis of Lima spreads out at the top of the cliff s.

Fresh, powerful and mysterious: Chef Pía León making preparations … … and edible, protein-rich cyanobacteria from the Andes in the restaurant Central. — Food —

there.” Medicinal plants become and means “navel of the world.” It has been a tree seeds become cream fi llings. Th e chefs World Heritage Site since 1983, the Histor- create foams, crackers or semifreddos. ical Capital of Peru since 1993, and is one of Th ese morsels are designed by the the fastest growing cities in South America, chef himself: Virgilio Martínez, young, slim despite its location in a high valley, 3,400 and as photogenic as his dishes. Th e 37-year- meters above sea level. For millions of tour- old is a sought-after star of modern cuisine; ists, Cusco, with its almost perfectly pre- in January he went to Salzburg and St. served old city from the colonial era, is pri- Moritz as a guest chef, followed by Madrid marily a through station on the way to and Milan. He has run the Lima restaurant Machu Picchu, the mythical city of ruins. in London (one Michelin star) for two But from a culinary perspective, Cusco years, and Central is ranked no. 15 on the Province, whose highest point is 6,372 me- list of Th e World’s 50 Best Restaurants. ters and whose lowest point is 532 meters Virgilio Martínez — The 37-year-old is an international above sea level, can be seen as its own uni- star of modern cuisine. His dishes When the Wind Changed verse. Th e best place to experience this is on are created in collaboration with Martínez has told his story, which is repre- Sundays at the Vinocanchon, the market in anthropologists, geographers and sentative of that of many Peruvian top chefs the eastern part of the city. philosophers. He regularly goes on expeditions to the Andes or of his generation, again and again. Born and Outside of the gates, women with into the rain forest. raised in Lima at a time when bombs were high straw hats and dressed in the colorful going off in the capital and kidnappings costumes of the highland sell live animals – were becoming more frequent, he left Peru lambs, chickens, ducks, rabbits and above all for Canada, London, New York, Bogotá and guinea pigs, which, as is the usual practice Madrid. He was done with his country, here, end up on the grill. Th e depilated skin whose interior he never got to know. In the is brushed with garlic oil and the stomach is middle of the last decade, during a family stuff ed with huacatay, a native herb that visit to Lima, he felt that the mood had combines the freshness of mint with the changed. Th e economy was growing and en- ethereal intensity of tarragon. abling new classes of the population to par- Just within the market gates lay piles ticipate in the upswing, consumption, en- of the three basic elements of Peruvian cui- joying life. Th e end of the guerrilla war with sine: red onions, green limes and colorful the Shining Path opened up the long-inac- chilies in yellow, orange, red and green. cessible hinterland. Th e chef took time for a Onions and limes were brought into the research trip across the Andes down into country by the Spaniards, but the chili pods the Amazon basin. “When I came home are Peruvian in origin. Th ere are more than with 200 ingredients that I previously had 200 varieties. Th e smallest are called ají no idea about, I knew that I needed to work charapita and are round, yellow and come with these! So I decided to do my thing from the Amazon. Th e elongated, fi ery ají here.” limo is grown on the coast and is used for the Chili — Hot chilies are part of the His “thing” was nominated as the fi sh dish ceviche. Ají amarillo is orange, Peruvian heritage. More than Best Restaurant in Latin America last year. grows throughout the country, has a rather 200 varieties are known; they are Lima is the gastronomic capital of Latin mild and pleasant fl avor, and is considered used for the fish dish ceviche, America, with restaurants that attract the most emblematic culinary plant in Peru. soups, and casseroles. Less spicy varieties are also served 75,000 tourists annually, who each spend an Rocoto thrives at altitude. It is between fi ve stuffed. average of 1,250 dollars in the country, ac- and eight centimeters in length, yellow, or- cording to the Tourist Offi ce. Nevertheless, ange or red, and still tastes of bell pepper Martínez says, “Physically we are in Lima, despite its distinct bite. It is often served but mentally we are in Cusco. It’s a place full with minced meat, vegetables and a cheese of nature, tradition and energy!” topping. Th e Vinocanchon market is divided Th e World of the Incas into two parts. On one side, the traders are Cusco, that three thousand-year-old settle- housed in permanent stalls. On the other, ment, once the capital of the Inca Empire farmers with sun-browned faces and hands and then the scene of its subjugation. Th e sell their products from blankets – vegeta- name of the city in the Quechuan language bles, salad, tiny, sweet strawberries, which

50 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 Photo above: Ian Boggio — Food —

are intended for the corn beer, chicha, which 5,000 meter-high mountains, an ancient is brewed here. Cushuro, the mysterious cultural landscape unfolds, where every bacteria from the fi ne-dining restaurant available square meter is in use. In smaller Central, is available here in inconspicuous fi elds of less than an acre, , corn and plastic bags. Further back, in the market legume crops glitter in the sunlight in vari- restaurant, it is added as a spice to potato ous shades of green. Between them lie shin- soups. Th is is still possible because the world ing mountain lakes refl ecting the clouds. has not yet discovered these balls, but there Th e asphalt road winds through the moun- is something else that has been discovered. tains in never-ending curves north of the Several market stalls sell quinoa, the pro- city, past the ruins of the Inca sacrifi cial site tein-rich wonder grain from the Altiplano, Sacsayhuamán, leading over the pass along which was prized by the American space a ravine that ends in the Valle Sagrado, the agency NASA in the early 1990s as a food “sacred valley” of the Incas. From a view- Potatoes — Around 3,000 for astronauts and is a staple of any Euro- point above the village of Pisac, one can see different varieties of vegetables pean health food store today. Previously, the the historic terraces climbing up whole grow in Peru. About 1,000 of highland grain cost so little that it was used ridges on the other side of the valley. It is them are traded. In the highlands, potatoes can be stored for an to fatten chickens. But since the world has hard to imagine what strength it took for almost unlimited amount of time begun eating quinoa, its price has multi- the people here to wrest a living from the as a result of frost and washing. plied. land for centuries, before the foreign tour- ists arrived and paid tips for photos of Lots of Green in the Sunlight women wearing hats and braids, with small Th e aromatic Chuncho cocoa and fi rst- children in colorful cloth slings on their class Arabica coff ee originate from the area backs. Now whole families work as photo surrounding Quiliabamba in the lowlands models, posted at all viewpoints. Some also of Cusco, as do many medicinal plants, in- have llamas, which are not actually native to cluding a hard tuber called “tortuga” (tur- this area. tle), which is supposed to protect the pros- tate and reduce cholesterol. Rice, beans and Renaissance Man indigenous legumes such as tarwi also grow Th e white corn from Urabamba, however, is here and – of course – potato varieties of native to the sacred valley. It produces the many diff erent sizes with lustrous brown, largest grains of all known varieties of corn, red or light blue skins. Don Augusto, who a delicacy coveted around the world that has piled up his selection on the concrete secures a living for 5,000 families here. For fl oor, displays his most popular varieties: several years now, this corn has even had an “Papa amarilla,” the yellow potato, which offi cial seal of origin, which helps with ex- disintegrates when cooked, is the basic ports to Europe, Asia and North America. component in causa, a potato mash that is “Th is is something we have to create combined with diff erent ingredients de- for many of our products. If we manage to pending on the province of the country. market our unique potatoes, chilies or trop- Purple corn — The special variety Also on sale are “sica” (medium strength), ical fruits in the top quality segment in rich “ckulli” is mostly grown in “yungay” and “chan chan” varieties, all of countries, our country could fi nally escape the highlands. It is mixed with which are suitable for frying. “Olluco” with poverty!” says the man behind the Peruvian pineapple and quince to create a soft drink. The corn is its smooth skin, “compis” for soups, and the Renaissance. Gastón Acurio, 47, who quit also said to inhibit the growth small “serrana,” which is the preferred his law studies against his parents’ wishes to of cancer cells. choice for stews. More than 3,000 diff erent attend cooking academies in Madrid and types of root vegetables grow in the home- later in Paris, returned home 21 years ago to land of the potato, most of them still wild, Lima and cooked for the upper class à la cultivated and protected only by natives of française. Th is soon became too dull for the remote mountain areas above an alti- him, and he began, with his German wife tude of 4,000 meters. Astrid Gutsche, to reinterpret Peruvian Between December and March, when dishes on the menu at their restaurant rain falls on the high valleys of the Andes, Astrid & Gastón. By 2005, he had already the area around Cusco is a symphony in taken the Peru brand abroad with several green. Below the peaks of snow-capped restaurants. His company now manages

Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 51 Organic and inexpensive: Vegetables in the Cusco market are mostly traditionally produced. Healthy and Peruvian: Ingredients from the jungle are used in herbal infusions.

Symphony in green: Th e internationally renowned white corn grows in the Valle Sagrado, the sacred valley of the Incas. Feel like a guinea pig? Th e small rodents are rubbed with garlic oil, stuff ed with herbs and grilled over an open fi re. From the sea to Lima: In a warehouse in Máncora, yellow fi n tuna are prepared for shipment. Th e fi sh are mainly used for Peruvian- Japanese .

54 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 Declining catches: Fishing expeditions in Peru usually take several days. Traditional Peruvian: In the port of Puerto Pizarro, ceviche is made from fresh sole.

Sand and salt water: Almost the entire coast of Peru is desert, like the fi shing village of Los Organos. Fruits of the sea: Classic ceviche (left), mussel ceviche (above), a tiradito (right) and grilled scallops at La Mar.

Fresh fi sh: Ceviche specialist Bruno Romero at La Mar. Herb garden in place of a parking lot: Diego Muñoz, restaurant manager at Casa Moreyra. — Food —

45 restaurants in 11 countries, generating ermen of the local cooperative enter into a revenue of more than 100 million US dol- written commitment to comply with fi sh- lars per year and employing more than ing bans and use exclusively traditional 3,000 employees. Acurio has a weekly TV methods, they are one of the suppliers of La show and he set up a cooking school in the Mar and send refrigerated trucks full of poor northern part of Lima, where talented sole, mussels and shrimp to the capital. Th e young chefs can study for a reasonable price. Pacifi c off Peru’s north coast is particularly Th is includes internships in the restaurants rich in species, because this is where the of the Acurio empire, for example, the cold Humboldt current from the south and fi ne-dining chain Astrid & Gastón, with the warm El Niño ocean current meet. On branches in Lima, Santiago, Bogotá, Cara- good days, fi fteen to twenty fi shing boats cas, Mexico City and Madrid. Th e main arrive at the docks of the desert towns El La Mar — Lima’s premier fish branch just moved into the renovated an- Ñuro and Máncora at the same time and restaurant for the past ten years. cient aristocratic palace Casa Moreyra with sell tuna, hammerhead sharks, rays, bream, Only fishermen who observe 150 employees, the latest technology, a large perch and conger eel on the spot. fishing bans and fish only with herb garden (in place of a parking lot), four Gastón Acurio travels a great deal – to traditional methods may supply La Mar. restaurants and fi ve , one of which the coast, the mountains and the jungle. is used only for experimentation. But Acu- And he maintains personal contact with his rio also started the bistro chain Tanta, the suppliers. “Th ose of us with restaurants in Pizza & Pasta & Peru Ristorante Los the city have a duty to act as a representative Bachiche, the Chinese-Peruvian Madam for the producers, because they often live in Tusan, two rustic restaurants called Chicha very remote areas and have very little chance and, ten years ago, the fi rst fi sh restaurant in of being seen,” he says. Acurio is being the fi shing country of Peru, La Mar. heard. Four years ago, he met publicly with Th e polished concrete and lack of then-President Alan García to put the windows are the fi rst things you notice brakes on the release of GMOs in Peru. about this trapezoidal fl at-roofed building. And he even got the parliament to sign a But once you’re through the revolving door, ten-year moratorium. you fi nd yourself in a bright room, whose Acurio, with slicked-back, medium- transparent ceiling is hung with reeds, rem- length hair, black Ringo Starr T-shirt and iniscent of the simple beach huts where Pe- black jeans, is drinking mineral water from ruvians prefer to eat their , a wine glass with a slice of orange fl oating Casa Moreyra — The new main branch of ceviche, the quickest and easiest way of pre- in it. At 12 noon, La Mar is already almost Gastón Acurio’s restaurant empire in an paring fi sh. La Mar’s menu calls it a “cevi- full; salsa music plays softly on the speakers. ancient aristocratic palace in Lima has 150 employees in four restaurants and five cheria,” which of course is an understate- Despite the high prices and quality, it is kitchens with the latest technology. ment, because here seafood is not only more of a tavern than a temple. served marinated in lime juice, but also Acurio explains why he put the manage- grilled or fried. ment of the restaurants in the hands of his Shortly before opening time, chef wife and the various head chefs last Octo- Melecio López carries heavy plates into the ber. He has a new mission, one even greater dining room, on which the catch of the day than his 100 million dollar company. Acu- is displayed. He places the impressive bream rio says, “Today we have a chance to gener- and perch on the counter, along with labels ate enthusiasm about our land of plenty. telling the customer when and where these And if we do this right, then even Peruvians fi sh were pulled from the water, and by who have not been living in paradise will whom. “We do this in order to show the benefi t. And everything we need in order to customer that we maintain a close relation- do this, we have right here in our country!” ship with our producers,” says Acurio. He says that recently he saw yellow peppers from California at a delicatessen in Refrigerated Trucks Full of Sole San Francisco. Aji amarillo, that symbolic Th e point of origin of one of the bream is ingredient of , is so popular listed as “Puerto Pizarro.” Th is small fi shing on the West Coast of the US that stocks sell village is surrounded by mangrove forests in out to chefs from several restaurants within the extreme north of Peru. Because the fi sh- an hour despite the high price. “40 dol-

Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 57 — Food —

lars for a kilo of chilies grown in the USA! winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and How much could you get for real former presidential candidate, recently rec- Peruvian peppers? 60?” Acurio asks rhetor- ommended Acurio for election. Th e next ically. election year is 2016. Is his withdrawal from the business a sign of a political career to Ecology or Economics? come? Behind the counter, meanwhile, the mae- Gastón Acurio, the man who gave stro cevichero, Bruno Romero, quickly cuts Peru back its pride and who has put his a shining pink bream fi llet fi rst into strips, country on the gastronomic world map, then into pieces. He places these into a bowl empties his glass, stands up and says, in with onions, celery, aji limo and coriander closing, “My dream is to share the fruits leaves and squeezes six lime halves over it. of our paradise with the world, so one day “Look at our limes,” says Acurio. Th ey are this will become a land of plenty for all Gastón Acurio — The 47-year-old is the founder of the Peruvian smaller than and not as green as the caipir- Peruvians.” culinary miracle. His company inha fruit from Brazil. “Th at’s why they now manages 45 restaurants in were previously practically impossible to 11 countries, generating revenue sell in other countries. But today, with of more than 100 million US dollars per year, and has more than French or Russian hotel kitchens serving 3,000 employees. ceviche, our limes are more expensive in Europe than the others. Because they are the real thing!” But what if all limes were exported now; what if the prices exploded like those for quinoa and chia? Of course, the state would have to set rules, as well as providing infrastructure and helping to improve seeds. “All of this is fea- sible, if only we are convinced that this de- velopment model is the right one,” says GastÓn Acurio. Th ere are plenty of opponents, many with powerful connections. Th ey are trying to declare Acurio an eco-idiot. But he says his approach is, fi rst and foremost, econom- ical. “Because our farmers mostly run small businesses and don’t have the money for ag- rochemicals, almost all of our leading prod- ucts are organically produced. Th e fact that Limes — The Peruvian citrus our development is lagging behind may fruits are smaller than and not as prove to be an advantage, because in a lot of green as varieties from Mexico countries, people are looking for exactly or Brazil. But demand is increasing these original products and are happy to pay in Europe as a result of the ceviche boom and thanks to the a handsome amount for them. If we have all bonus of being original. of this here, why on earth should we grow GM soy?” He knows that the chefs are be- hind him. In a country where gastronomy accounts for almost three percent of gross domestic product, this is not unimportant. While previously there was just a handful of cooking schools, today there are 52 institu- tions training kitchen professionals. Some of them now want to work in a more famous kitchen – that of the head of Andreas Fink is South America correspondent state. None other than Mario Vargas Llosa, for Focus (D) and Die Presse (A).

58 — Bulletin 2 / 2015

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Electronic newsletters on current topics related to business, society, culture, and sports are available for subscription at www.credit-suisse.com/newsletter. — Food —

“Pirate Potatoes” for Dinner

We shouldn’t force our kids to eat, but they need to taste new things: How children learn to eat their vegetables.

By Urs Willmann

Children don’t appreciate the fi ner things in life – or perhaps they are just diff erent from us. Photo: Linus Bill — Food —

irst steamed, then sautéed with ice cream and French fries rather than veg- selves to the same tastes. Th is protects peo- butter and salt (and maybe a etables? ple against nutritional defi ciencies, since it touch of bacon) – is there any- It’s never too late. “For children, encourages us to eat a variety of foods. In thing more delicious than Brus- learning takes place primarily through ob- other words, children want variety. selsF sprouts? But what if the kids refuse to servation,” says Ellrott. Fortunately, the But what is the best way to overcome take a single bite? What if they don’t appre- parents play a major role in this context – at their reluctance to try new things? Serve the ciate the cabbage-like fl avor and slightly least until children reach puberty. As role food in question repeatedly, and have the bitter taste? Children don’t appreciate the models, they show their children what child try it. “By the seventh or eighth time fi ner things in life – or perhaps they are tastes good, assuming that they don’t make your child will have learned that it tastes simply diff erent. Th ey like fries and ketchup, the crucial mistake of saying that children good,” says Ströbele-Benschop. And it or – even better – ice cream. should like vegetables because they’re helps if you can make eating interesting: Th ere are reasons for their prefer- “healthy.” In a child-rearing context, “Broccoli can be a ‘dinosaur tree’ ,” says ences. An aversion to bitter substances and “healthy” is the most toxic term you can use. Ströbele-Benschop, and she has a special the smell of rotten foods protected the early “Talking about ‘health’ and ‘nutrition’ pro- trick for advanced learners: “Ask your child hominids of the Stone Age from poisonous vokes resistance,” says Th omas Ellrott. For whether the taste of the tree trunk is diff er- substances, often keeping them alive. If ent from that of the branches and leaves.” Homo erectus had had sweet ketchup in his Names have been shown to aff ect a child’s pantry, his children would have been crazy For many children, appetite. Mashed potatoes are more inter- about it. esting when you call them “pirate potatoes”; As Nanette Ströbele-Benschop, a nu- “healthy” means “I have carrots can be “X-ray vision carrots.” tritional psychologist at the University of to eat something And colorful foods are more appeal- Hohenheim, points out, “Children’s behav- ing, as are foods that are precut in imagina- ior is rooted in evolutionary biology.” A that I don’t want to eat.” tive ways. For example, cucumber bears and preference for sweets made sense during the bell-pepper donkeys are popular among prehistoric period, when calories were children. Studies in the United States have scarce. “Foods like spinach and Brussels many children, “healthy” means “I have to shown that at conference buff ets, partici- sprouts just aren’t energy-dense foods,” says eat something that I don’t want to eat.” pants eat more healthy foods when pre- Th omas Ellrott, a nutritional psychologist Ideally, you should associate eating a sented fi rst with attractively arranged fruits at the University of Göttingen. To stock up particular food with a positive experience. and vegetables – and only later with high- on as much energy as possible, it was best to For example, you might eat Brussels sprouts carb, fi lling foods. Th is principle holds true pick something sweet from a tree or bush. when you’re going on vacation. Children for children as well – and it is especially ap- who have pleasant memories of their fi rst plicable when they are actively involved in A Love of Vegetables Starts Early taste of spinach will be eager to eat it again. food preparation. Both Ströbele-Benschop Another legacy of evolution is a fear of new Th is is one reason why children like fast and Ellrott advise the parents of picky eat- things. In the interest of safety, we are pro- food, Ellrott says. In most cases, a child’s ers to cook with their children, and prefera- grammed to eat only what we know. How- fi rst hamburger is associated with a positive bly to shop with them as well. ever, children are not fundamentally op- experience: a movie, a vacation or a shop- Th e smoothie craze is perfect for pro- posed to consuming vitamins and fi ber, nor ping trip. Conversely, the lesson to be drawn moting healthy eating. Pureeing healthy to exploring unfamiliar tastes. While the is clear: Give your child some kohlrabi after ingredients and serving them with a straw? sweetness of their mother’s milk has taught you buy a toy. “Children think that’s cool, like the adults’ them to prefer sweet tastes, they can be It doesn’t work to force a child to eat, drinks,” says Ströbele-Benschop. To feed taught to appreciate other foods as well. nor to off er rewards (“… then you can have the younger generation successfully, Th omas “If a mother often eats broccoli during dessert”) or issue threats (“… if you don’t Ellrott advises parents to “discard their pregnancy, her child will probably like broc- eat it, you can’t have dessert!”). Such meth- ideological preconceptions.” Ketchup, for coli, too,” says Ströbele-Benschop. In other ods only serve to emphasize what a diffi - example, doesn’t deserve the abuse it re- words, children’s preferences are shaped not cult task it was – if, contrary to expecta- ceives. Why not put a little ketchup on the only after they are born, but even before. tions, the child has actually succeeded in Brussels sprouts? Th e concept of “fl avor- Experiments with anise, for example, have choking down the “healthy” substance. fl avor learning” off ers scientifi c support for shown that children prefer tastes that were Th ey reward eff ort rather than enjoyment. this approach. According to psychologist introduced to them in low concentrations However, Ellrott recommends following Ellrott, “Th e idea is to link the familiar taste while they were still in the womb, through this rule: You have to try it! Even if it’s only of ketchup to the taste of the vegetable that the umbilical cord or amniotic fl uid. a teaspoonful. the child has so far rejected.” Th e bottom line is this: Mothers who Th e “mere-exposure eff ect” refers to Ketchup may be sweetened, but “chil- want their children to like spinach, zuc- the idea that exposure to unfamiliar cui- dren are not going to drink an entire bottle chini, peppers, Brussels sprouts and broc- sines leads to appreciation. It is possible to of ketchup,” Ellrott points out. And if they coli should make those foods part of their learn new things. Th ere is also a phenome- do? Th en at least vegetables account for own diets throughout pregnancy and until non referred to by experts as “sensory- most of what they have consumed. they have fi nished breastfeeding. But what specifi c satiety,” which, as Ellrott points out, Urs Willmann is a science reporter for the if a child has learned in the womb to prefer means that children dislike limiting them- newspaper Die Zeit.

Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 61 — Food —

Menus for Kings and Presidents

By Julica Jungehülsing

1378 — PARISIAN SUMMIT 1945 — YALTA CONFERENCE

Event: At a banquet in Paris, the kings discuss the question Event: Distribution of power in Europe and division of of Polish succession and clarify legal issues relating to Provence Germany after the Second World War. “Champagne break- and Burgundy. fast” in the billiards room.

Who: Charles V, King of France, hosts Charles IV, Holy Who: American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Josef Stalin, Roman Emperor, King of Burgundy and King of Bohemia, chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, and Wenzel of Luxembourg, the Archbishop of Rheims, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and their closest and 800 counts, dukes and knights at other tables. associates.

What: Each guest has a setting with two knives, bread and What: Black and red caviar, salmon, herring fi llets in , salt. Heralds announce each new dish with a trumpet fanfare: kippers (smoked herring) with ham, marinated sturgeon, partridge, capon pie, quail, wild boar, roasted over an open fi re, cucumbers and radishes are served, followed by a hot entree spiced swan and pheasant, and sweetmeats to fi nish. with mushrooms and sour cream. In addition to venison and poached eggs à la bergère, there is borscht, meat and fruit. Th e story: Initially, four courses with 40 dishes were planned, Plus: vodka, wine and Caucasus champagne. but to take into account the health of the elderly Charles IV, the king decreased the menu to three courses with 30 dishes. Th e story: Besides caviar (about half a ton served), champagne and vodka (5,132 bottles) play an important role in the meeting at the Livadia Palace. Th e men make 200 toasts during the eight-day conference. Stalin himself supposedly fi lled his glass with water during many of the numerous toasts to states and guests so as to remain reasonably sober.

62 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 Illustration from Grandes Chroniques de France, 1357-1379/Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, France, illustration: Bridgeman Images; Süddeutsche Zeitung photo — Food —

Negotiating peace or redistributing power – diplomacy makes people hungry, from kings of the Middle Ages to the leaders of today. A look at banquets from three centuries shows how the tastes of rulers change.

2009 — G20 LONDON 2014 — APEC PEKING

Event: Strengthening of international fi nancial systems and Event: Summit of the Asia-Pacifi c Economic Cooperation, institutions, reforming fi nancial institutions, combating the the goal is to connect markets and to strengthen trade and fi nancial crisis and recession. joint economic activity.

Who: National and government leaders of 19 industrialized Who: National and government leaders from 20 Pacifi c countries plus EU representatives, including Brown, Sarkozy, countries, Xi Jinping hosted, among others Shinzō Abe, Merkel, Berlusconi, Hu Jintao, Obama. Obama, Putin, Bachelet, Joko Widodo, Abbott.

What: Jamie Oliver cooks for the international political elite, What: Th e welcome banquet begins with cold appetizers, clam focusing on the best of British food: Scottish salmon with chowder and lobster, followed by beef with lemon juice, samphire and real sea kale, slow-braised lamb shoulder from cabbage and chestnuts, and as a main course Peking duck. For North Wales with Jersey potatoes, wild mushrooms, and dessert: ice cream and fruit. Th e guests drink 2011 Riesling mint sauce. For dessert: Bakewell tart with custard. Vegetarians and 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Great Walls Chateau were served a goat cheese entree and potato-lovage dumplings. SunGod in Hebei Province. Only the bread was an exception: Irish soda bread. Th e story: Th e Chinese wine was a surprise to many observers. Th e story: In creating the menu, Oliver avoided pork to avoid Th e fact that instead of the traditional Baijiu Moutai – awkward situations for those who do not eat pork for religious a Chinese national drink made from sorghum with a high reasons, like the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. Pork is alcohol percentage – Xi Jinping allowed a local Riesling almost never served at international meetings, but there and Cabernet to be served was seen as a sign of a more inter- is often a large selection of vegetarian dishes available, which national attitude – and pride in the fl edgling Chinese wine invariably align with religious, cultural, allergy and dietary industry. restrictions.

Photos: Christopher Furlong /Getty Images; Xinhua / Ma ZhanchengPoolAnadolu Agency / Getty Images Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 63 ——— Hunger EssenFood — ——

“Finding ways to eliminate hunger”: Ertharin Cousin, 58.

64 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 — Hunger — When will hunger fi nally be a thing of the past?

Ertharin Cousin has an ambitious goal: As Executive Director of the UN’s World Food Program, she wants to eradicate hunger. Not sometime in the future, but soon.

By Beatrice Schlag

She has already appeared twice on Forbes Food Program, which is funded by dona- Food Program received more support last Magazine’s list of the world’s most power- tions from countries, companies and private year than ever before: over 5.5 billion dol- ful women. Last year Time Magazine individuals. Th e WFP is charged with solic- lars. Th e problem is the conditions attached named her one of the most infl uential peo- iting donations, and Cousin is very good at to that money; and 95 percent of donations ple in the world. Yet most people have never her job. “Fortunately, I can be very convinc- include such conditions. Donors who give heard her name. Ertharin Cousin, head of ing,” she says. “As soon as I open my mouth, money to help hungry people in sub-Saha- the world’s largest humanitarian organiza- it’s clear to people that I know what I’m ran Africa suff ering the consequences of tion, has little interest in media attention talking about. And by the time I’ve fi nished, catastrophic drought rarely want leftover directed at her personally. most people think that I’m okay.” Other- resources to be used to feed refugees from When she appears before donors, wise, she says, her job would be impossible. the Syrian civil war. At present, however, however, she speaks with a strong and clear “If we can’t get the people we work with to the need for the WFP’s eff orts is particu- voice. As she spoke to the Council of Europe support us, how are we supposed to lead larly urgent in confl ict regions like Syria, last February, for example, she issued an ur- people who have no voice at all?” Yemen and Ukraine. And it is precisely in gent warning not to limit the fl exibility of those regions, where circumstances are so the World Food Program (WFP). While Money Isn’t the Problem complex, that few countries or companies such concerns don’t make the headlines, Ertharin Cousin’s biggest problem, as head want to provide fi nancial support. Th at they are central to the success of the World of the WFP, is rarely money. Th e World forces Ertharin Cousin to withdraw

Photo: Roberto Baldassarre Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 65 — Hunger —

food aid, as she did last September in Syria, “And then we would Organization and the WFP by President despite the fact that the coff ers were full. Obama. She then moved to Rome, where Such occasions lead her to despair about a fi nd ourselves in the FAO and the WFP have their head- lack of fl exibility and a lack of understand- quarters. ing of her organization’s mission, which is the same places, seeing Representing the interests of the not to take sides in political confl icts, but to United States at those two UN agencies feed hungry people. the same people over meant having diplomatic status, a villa, an It was no accident that Cousin was and over again, in one offi cial car and a chauff eur – all of which she able to rise so quickly to become the Exec- found quite enjoyable. “It certainly gives utive Director of the WFP, the world’s larg- crisis after another.” you a kick when people are suddenly calling est humanitarian organization with some you ‘Your Excellency’,” she said, self-depre- 13,000 employees. Th e daughter of a social Ertharin Cousin catingly, in one of her rare media interviews. worker and a community organizer, she “But the downside was that I had to give up grew up in inner city Chicago. She had fried chicken, since the taste is very diff er- known the Obamas for decades, as they ent when you make it with olive oil. I lost would run into each other frequently while almost 20 pounds in Rome.” Since being running their day-to-day errands. But at a pointed her to the Board for International promoted to the far more exciting and in- time when few had even heard the name Food and Agricultural Development (BI- fl uential position of Executive Director of Obama, she was already an attorney and a FAD). Th e Board advises USAID, the larg- the WFP three years ago, she no longer lives highly regarded expert on national and in- est governmental aid organization, on is- the glamorous life of a diplomat. Ertharin ternational food policy. sues of global poverty and helping to build Cousin is a civil servant again, living in an sustainable democratic societies. apartment building and usually driving her Campaigning for Bill Clinton In 2002, Cousin moved to the board own car. But now, she points out, she’s truly Since completing her law degree in 1982, of the national food aid organization living in Rome. Vendors at the market let Cousin, a member of the Democratic Party, “America’s Second Harvest” (since renamed her know what is fresh, and the butcher had worked for public and private food aid “Feeding America”), where donations more saves her a choice cut of meat. “It’s a good organizations. In 1994, Bill Clinton off ered than doubled during her tenure. Four years feeling,” says Cousin. Only rarely does she her a position in Washington as a liaison later she founded the Polk Street Group, a treat herself to French fries at McDonald’s between the State Department and the consulting fi rm in Chicago. Her career as an – “because sometimes nothing smells so White House. Two years later she resigned entrepreneur was brief. In 2009, Ertharin much like home as the air at McDonald’s.” to head the campaign to reelect the Clin- Cousin left her fi rm in the hands of her son, ton/Al Gore ticket in the state of Illinois. Maurice, after being named American am- Solutions that Work After winning the election, Clinton ap- bassador to the UN’s Food and Agriculture In her position as head of the WFP, Cousin has set herself a goal that is both simple and audacious, one that she regards as by no means unattainable: “I want to see hunger in the world eradicated in my lifetime. We have the necessary tools, technology and the global commitment of the donor coun- tries.” It has been years since the WFP lim- ited itself to distributing food in emergency situations, such as a natural disaster or political confl ict, for a few weeks and then leaving. “We would often arrive at the scene and announce that we had the solution,” says Cousin. “And then we would fi nd our- selves in the same places, seeing the same people over and over again, in one crisis af- ter another.” In the past, food programs put aid recipients in the position of victims, since “we were doing nothing to make a A steep rise: Ertharin Cousin with US Secretary of State John Kerry (center) and UN executives permanent diff erence.” Th e big change in Washington in 2013. came when the WFP began to provide ma-

66 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 Photo: Mandel Ngan / AFP Photo — Hunger —

“She’s okay”: Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of the UN’s World Food Program, visiting Niger in 2012.

terials and training aimed at making recip- Ertharin Cousin directs the UN’s World der-specifi c programs designed to provide ients self-suffi cient as quickly as possible. Food Program (WFP), the world’s largest better opportunities for women, whether “Now we let governments and local com- aid organization with donations totaling that means setting up training centers or munities take the lead, while we propose 5.5 billion dollars (2014) and 13,000 providing equipment like solar-powered employees. Born in 1957, she is an attorney long-term strategies. All of this brings us who is originally from Chicago and stoves.” Th e new strategy of concentrating closer to solutions that will succeed in de- a member of the Democratic Party. She has on women is rooted not in ideology, but in feating hunger.” been involved with food aid since 1982 and facts. “A majority of Africa’s small farmers Another change is that UN agencies is a recognized expert in the fi eld. In 2009, are women,” says Cousin. “And in the cities, President Barack Obama appointed her to like the FAO (which specializes in long- serve as ambassador to the UN’s Food and it is for the most part women who run the term food projects), the UN High Com- Agriculture Organization (FAO) and household.” missioner for Refugees, the UN’s fi nancial the WFP in Rome. She became Executive Another focus is to move from relying agency IFAD and the WFP no longer view Director of the WFP in 2012. on imported food and other humanitarian each other with suspicion instead of work- aid to purchasing regional products, if they ing together to fi nd solutions. “Today, vir- are available in suffi cient quantities. Not tually nothing happens without the input every drought or confl ict aff ects an entire and participation of the other UN agen- country. Th e WFP is often accused of mak- cies,” says Cousin. “At the WFP, we are able ing it impossible for local farmers to sell to purchase goods and distribute food and their goods and thereby depriving them of vouchers. But it is the FAO that provides their livelihood when it distributes dona- the necessary training in sustainable fi sh tions of wheat from the United States. In farming, agriculture and forestry, and the response to that charge, it has been pur- IFAD off ers long-term loans to small chasing more products from local farmers, farmers.” at local prices, to distribute in food pro- grams for schools and villages. “Th is makes Strategies for Women us a kind of catalyst market,” says Ertharin A crucial aspect of the WFP’s strategy for Cousin. “Our goal, after all, is to enable the future is its focus on women. “We can’t small farmers to sell their products on the solve the problem of hunger without gen- market or to their own governments.”

Photo: WFP / Rein Skullerud Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 67 — Hunger —

Private donors over governments 20 percent. To achieve the UN’s millen- ulation. Aid organizations must rely on es- Approximately 805 million people, or one nium development goal of cutting world timates that may or may not be accurate. person in nine worldwide, continue to suf- hunger in half between 1990 and 2015, the Th e data can also be interpreted in diff erent fer from chronic malnutrition. Of that number of people who suff er from hunger ways, to suit specifi c interests. Organiza- number, 98 percent are living in developing would have to drop to below 500 million by tions that rely on donations must show that countries. Th e number of hungry people has the end of this year. Th e current projection they are successful if they are to maintain declined by 100 million over the past ten is 791 million (see fi gure on page 69). trust. However, even the harshest critics years, and by 209 million since 1990. In the Th e FAO continues to believe that acknowledge that the United Nations pro- world’s poorest countries, people spend an this goal can be reached. But critics are fun- gram is by far the most successful global average of 60 to 80 percent of their dispos- damentally skeptical about statistics in this program for fi ghting hunger. able income on food. In most industrialized area, since hunger is most widespread in Some people joke that Cousin is the countries the fi gure ranges between 10 and countries that lack reliable data on the pop- only boss in the world who is doing her best to make her own organization unnecessary. She probably takes this as a compliment. She still believes that the goal is attainable. Th e successes of sustainable programs can be measured. It is the political crises that she fi nds to be particularly worrisome, since few countries donate money to help the hungry who are unfortunate enough to live under a reign of terror. “I’m spending more time knocking on the doors of private donors now,” Ertharin Cousin said recently. “Th ey’re more fl exible than governments.”

A particularly urgent mission: Providing food aid for Syrian refugees in Mafraq, Jordan (2014).

A diffi cult operation: How best to help people in the aftermath of the tsunami? Beatrice Schlag is a freelance journalist in Zurich (Photo: Banda Aceh, 2005). and Los Angeles.

68 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 Photos: Muhammad Hamed / Reuters; Adek Berry /AFP Photo — Hunger —

Fewer empty plates – Where is malnutrition a problem? Where does food get thrown away? How much is spent on food in Switzerland and in Pakistan? Facts about hunger around the world – which is decreasing, slowly but steadily.

By Simon Brunner (content) and Craff t (graphics)

World Map of Hunger The greatest numbers of under- Approximately 805 million people nourished people live today are chronically undernourished, Great in developing countries: progress has 214 million 209 million less than in 1990. been made in sub-Saharan Africa, Th e proportion of people suff ering in Eastern Asia and Latin 274 million America in the last in South Asia. from hunger has fallen from 18.7 30 years, while in Western Asia to 11.3 percent in the same period. more people suffer from hunger than before. In order to reach the fi rst UN Millennium Development Goal

Prevalence of undernourish- (to halve, between 1990 and 2015, the ment in the population proportion of people who suff er from (percent) hunger), the number of people < 5% very little suff ering from hunger would still 5% –14.9% little 15% –24.9% medium have to fall below 500 million 25% –34.9% high in 2015. Th e current projection over 35% very high is 791 million. too little/no data Source: FAO, UNO

Food Spending 2,000 kcal In poorer countries, up to 57 percent of the household budget is spent on food; 33% in Western countries that number is under 10 percent. Th at’s how many kilo- In Switzerland, calories are required 0% 10 % 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% one-third of food is per day by a woman US 2,394 wasted, worldwide between the ages of 31 Singapore Switzerland: 1,407 30–50%. Th at’s 1.2 and 50 years with an Switzerland 3.7% 4,053 for alcohol to 2 billion tons of average level of activity. UK 2,329 food waste per year. For men, that amount 2,635 Canada is 2,600 kcal.

Source: Institution of Mechanical Engineers Source: Health Canada Azerbaijan 1,481 Cameroon 486 (per person, in USD)* Kenya 381 spending for food Yearly What We Eat Pakistan 411 Whether someone lives in an industrialized Nigeria 1,029 or developing nation has a large infl uence on what Food Alcoholic beverages and tobacco Source: ERS, USDA, Euromonitor, 2013 kinds of foods are available. * incl. non-alcoholic beverages

Industrialized Developing In industrialized nations countries nations, just under 100 % Availability of Food 3,400 kcal/person/day were available in 2009 – Th e number of people suff ering from hunger is also only a few percentage 80 % decreasing because there is more food available. points more than in 1995 Other kcal/person/day Veg. oils and animal fats 60 % Latin America and Meat the Caribbean Milk (excl. butter) 2,800 Sugar und sweeteners Asia 40 % Starchy tubers 2,600 Oceania Grains (excl. beer) Africa 20 % 2,400

1995 2000 2005 2010 Source: FAO 0 % Source: FAO, 2014

Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 69 — Hunger —

Th e Digital Farmer San Francisco-based Climate Corp. is reinventing farming. Sensors and robots ensure larger harvests with the use of fewer resources. Th is will help both large farmers in the US and small-scale farmers in Africa.

By Steff an Heuer

For thousands of farmers in the Midwest- the company from the start, and today holds Th is vision is nevertheless ambitious. ern United States, the day begins not by the title Director of Customer Success. Rather than simply analyzing sensor data, looking out their window, but rather by “But it’s impossible to remember the details Climate Corp. also wants to operate the looking at their smartphone. Th ere they can of so many variables.” Climate Corp. wants hardware in the fi eld. A product called Pre- see their fi elds listed like a music playlist: to process this fl ood of data for each parcel cision Planting already controls the amount weather data for every square kilometer, the so farmers can make better decisions faster. of seeds or chemicals used in 43 countries, current growth stage of their corn or soy In doing so, the company is going far be- from Argentina to Zambia. “When hard- plants, and an interface that shows in green, yond the way technology has previously ware and software work together,” says Cli- yellow or red where the farmer should plow, been used in farming, which saw utility ve- mate’s Head of Data Science Erik Andrejko, fertilize, spray or harvest today. As the hicles connected more precisely using GPS, “seeds and seedlings can be deployed as pre- farmer sits in his tractor, data from the but which meant data was stored in on- cisely as if they were being printed on the cloud controls where seeds are planted, fer- board computers or on USB sticks rather landscape.” tilizer spread or pesticides sprayed, and then than being networked intelligently. Th us, the data from each fi eld not this information is immediately stored – only determines what is planted or har- row by row – in the network. Simulations for Every Field in the US vested when and where – it also improves In the data-driven world of agricul- Originally, the company only collected calculation models, which are used to opti- ture, an extensive network of sensors on the weather data to protect companies in a wide mize weather forecasts and processes. Us- ground and in the sky are becoming the range of industries from unexpected events, ing the same feedback concept, technology electronic eyes and ears of farmers so they such as rain, drought or frost. But Hamlin companies like Google continuously refi ne can increase income and reduce costs. Ex- soon recognized that the business in agri- search methods and speech recognition. perts predict a “green data revolution” that cultural data had much more potential. To- Climate Corp. is constantly expanding its will ensure that the population, soon to day, Climate Corp. combines measurements portfolio so it can gather more and a wider reach nine billion, is fed – using fewer from around two dozen public and private range of data. Recent acquisitions include chemicals and other resources, such as fuel sources – from the National Weather Ser- the Chicago-based startup 640Labs, which and water. vice to satellite images – and uses them to turns every utility vehicle into a networked One pioneer of algorithmic agricul- calculate some 10,000 simulations daily for data collector, and Missouri-based Solum, ture is Climate Corp., which is based in San each individual fi eld in the US. which analyzes soil samples right in the Francisco, far from the endless grain fi elds Th e free version allows farmers to fi eld. of Iowa and Indiana. It was founded by keep an eye on more than 20 million hect- technology specialists who wanted to bring ares of land, which corresponds to about Is Progress the Solution? user-friendly design and the progress made one-third of all corn and soybean fi elds in Data-driven agriculture is still in its in- in data analysis and machine learning to the the US. Some of them use a fee-based pre- fancy. Information sources and technol- farm. Th e company, which was founded in mium version, which provides more detailed ogies vary widely from country to country 2006 and acquired by agricultural giant information and decision-making support, and are not necessarily suited for small op- Monsanto for 930 million US dollars two such as optimizing the use of nitrogen fertil- erations as they have historically emerged years ago, has built a fi nely-woven network izer or monitoring the status of a fi eld with in Europe or Africa. In addition, not all of weather data for the entire US and con- aerial photographs displaying 55-meter standard equipment is compatible with tinuously enhances it with services and grids. “Th is allows them to recognize prob- this networked feedback cycle, and new products. lems that they wouldn’t even see as they devices would be – in contrast to accessing “Farmers have, until recently, relied drove past their fi elds,” says Hamlin, who the latest data on a mobile phone – mainly on their experience and observa- cannot, however, provide specifi c fi gures for cost-prohibitive for small farmers in poor tions,” says Jeff Hamlin, who has been with increases in yields or reductions in cost. countries. Providers such as Climate Corp.

70 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 — Food —

WEATHER With information combined from two dozen sources, simulations can be calculated for each fi eld in the US alone.

FERTILIZER With precise data, nitrogen fertilizer, for exam- ROBOTS ple, can be used The fi eld worker with pinpoint of tomorrow will accuracy. remove or spray weeds independently and in a targeted manner.

have therefore united to form the Open of fi nely connected agricultural data and the fi eld workers of tomorrow will be able Ag Data Alliance to create uniform stan- has, among other things, set up an early to independently pinpoint those patches dards. warning system for famines, called FEWS, where weeds are growing and remove or However, experts such as environ- as well as a network of automatic weather spray them in a targeted manner. mental scientist Jesse Ausubel of Rocke- sensors in countries such as Uganda. feller University are convinced that tech- nological progress has already solved the Drones Provide Better Data problem of how to feed a constantly grow- IIT specialist Erik Andrejko believes data- ing population. “Th ere is still a lot of fl exi- driven agriculture will establish itself bility for increasing yields. We will soon around the world – from satellite-con- witness a re-greening of the earth,” says trolled harvesters in the Midwest to sub- the researcher. He points to statistics, ac- sistence farmers in Africa who can access cording to which, at least in the US, har- weather data and market prices on their vests have increased non-stop since 1940, mobile phones. What components are still while the amount of land farmed and input missing to bring us closer to this goal? “I factors, such as chemicals and water, have would like clear rules for the use of drones fallen. “Th ese trends are not a US phenom- because we’ll continue to get a greater enon – they’ll be repeated by many coun- amount and more precise data with them,” tries around the world in the coming de- says Andrejko. “And I believe robots will Steff an Heuer is a technology journalist cades.” Th e UN World Food Programme is play a big role in the future.” While the and US correspondent for the business magazine also focusing on the growing importance farmer studies his fi elds on his smartphone, brand eins. He lives in San Francisco.

Photo: Alamy / Mauritius Images Bulletin 2 / 2015 — 71 — The Last Page — Am I a Connoisseur?

Th e Mindful Eating 1 When eating my favorite food, Scoring Add up your scores for each response and divide Questionnaire (MEQ)* is I don’t stop even when I’m full. the sum by six. the gold standard 2 I don’t care how the food is arranged • >3 = Impulsive eater – you feel compelled to eat. for behavioral psychologists on my plate. You fi nd it diffi cult to consciously experience seeking to learn more about each moment and listen to internal cues. 3 I eat the peanuts in the bowl at a bar. eating behavior. Nutritionists • 2 – 3 = Unconscious eater – you pay (too) little attention to your food. Sometimes you enjoy it, and physicians emphasize 4 At lunch, I eat so quickly that I can sometimes you simply gulp it down. You suspect the importance of conscious hardly taste the food. that your behavior may not always be healthy, eating. Rather than gulping and think that you can change it whenever you 5 While I’m eating, I think about choose. But you don’t, lacking either the time down our food, we need things I need to do. or the inclination. Why? to concentrate on what we are 6 If there are chocolate or potato chips • <2 = Conscious eater – when you’re eating, you’re eating. Here is a sample eating. When you’re full, you stop eating. You in the house, I usually fi nish them off of the MEQ’s 28 questions. pay attention to the taste of your food. You take right away. a relaxed approach to food.

* A 2009 study showed an average MEQ score Read each item and select the number that most Source: Celia Framson, Alan R. Kristal, Jeannette M. of 2.92, and neither gender nor educational level accurately describes your behavior or attitude: Schenk, Alyson J. Littman, Steve Zeliadt, Denise Benitez was a factor. However, people over the age of 1 = rarely, 2 = sometimes, 3 = often, 4 = usually (2009), “Development and Validation of the Mindful 30 had higher scores, on average. Eating Questionnaire,” Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Volume 109, Issue 8, 1439–1444.

Questionnaire: Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschäppeler Illustration: Rami Niemi

72 — Bulletin 2 / 2015 Yourself. Unfiltered. TECHART for the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS.

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