Wilbur Scoville, a pharmacologist, invented the Scoville scale in 1912 to measure the pungency of peppers and chillies, generally related to their capsaicin content. To establish a chilli pepper’s rating, Scoville would prepare it in a solution, which was then tested by five people. He increased its dilution until the sensation of heat disappeared. The score on the scale represents the level of dilution required for the sensation of heat to disappear completely.

The craze for the ketogenic diet has now gone global. However, its credo “sugar is dead, long live fat” seems partly counterintuitive.

Our digestive system is like a biochemical factory. The pancreas sends enzymes to the mouth, the stomach and the gastrointestinal tract to break down the foods we eat and liberate their nutrients which will in turn feed our bodies and brains. Unused food residues leave our body via the colon as faeces.

Like anywhere in the world, Africa is currently experiencing a change in tastes, with sweet taking precedence over bitter, which is becoming less and less popular. This general trend can also be seen in Madagascar. Luckily however, there are still plenty of traditional Madagascan specialities to discover.

Emulsions have long since been one of our favourite kinds of food. They are a blend of two liquids that would normally not mix together. Two great classics of our culinary heritage illustrate this perfectly.

Frozen delicacies are not a modern invention: the first iced desserts appeared in China in 3000 BCE, while the first sorbet machines arrived on the market in 1872.

Milk has been part of a symbiotic relationship between humans and animals spanning thousands of years. Consumption of milk is closely linked to domestication and has enabled humans to create a wide range of consumer products in all sorts of regional variations across the world.

Sugars are part of our everyday lives and are our main source of energy. Sometimes referred to as carbohydrates, they can either be simple or complex, such as the starch contained in bananas.