UKRAINE DISPATCH
A New Front Opens in the Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Borscht
“A lot of things were taken away from Ukraine, but they will not take our borscht,” said a chef who is leading a drive to recognize the soup as a Ukrainian cultural heritage.

Olha Habro, 76, preparing borscht in Borshchiv, Ukraine.
By Maria Varenikova and Andrew E. Kramer

If Restaurants Go, What Happens to Cities?
Restaurants have been crucial in drawing the young and highly educated to live and work in central cities. The pandemic could erode that foundation.
By Eduardo Porter

The International Space Station: 20 Years of Promise, Peril and Fun
The need for caffeine was the mother of invention.

Donald Pettit demonstrated his zero-gravity coffee cup on the space station in 2008.
By Mary Robinette Kowal

A Vegetarian Chef’s Flavor-Packed Quarantine Snack
Amy Chaplin, best known for her plant-based cookbooks, shares a recipe for onigiri, something she often makes for herself.

Chaplin’s take on the dish is inspired by her memories of eating at the original Iku Wholefood, a pioneering macrobiotic cafe in Glebe, Australia, as a teenager in the ’90s.
By Kari Molvar

The Original Nachos Were Crunchy, Cheesy and Truly Mexican
Ballpark and Tex-Mex nachos are both ubiquitous in the United States. But the original version is deeply rooted in the borderlands and Mexican home cooking.

Ignacio Anaya, a maître d’hôtel at a restaurant in Piedras Negras, in Coahuila, Mexico, created nachos in 1940. The original recipe has just three elements: tortilla chips, cheese and pickled jalapeños.
By Pati Jinich

The Many Lives of Lentils
In stew, in pasta or in a bright, vegetarian loaf, there’s much to be done with this trusty legume, David Tanis writes.

From left, a brightly spiced lentil loaf, a smoky lentil stew and a pasta with lentils and fennel.
By David Tanis

A GOOD APPETITE
Looking for Comfort? Turn to This Beef Stew
Homey, savory and soothing, this beef stew made with ale and red onions tastes even better the next day.

Serve this beef stew with a starch, like egg noodles or polenta, to sop up its juices.
By Melissa Clark

Comfort Food Recipes to Help You Feel Better
Send in the carbs.

By The New York Times

Election Cake, a Forgotten Recipe, Rises Online
Searches for this cake, which dates to colonial times, are gaining steam ahead of Election Day.

A recipe for election cake appeared in “American Cookery,” a cookbook published in 1796.
By Becky Hughes

Tasting History — Election Cake with Q&A

Elite Wine Group Suspends Master Sommeliers
After recent sexual harassment allegations by many women, the Court of Master Sommeliers has apologized and announced next steps.

The Court of Master Sommeliers confers the most prestigious title in American wine.
By Julia Moskin

The Wine World’s Most Elite Circle Has a Sexual Harassment Problem
The Court of Master Sommeliers confers high honors, but many women candidates say they’ve paid a steep price.

From left, Liz Mitchell, Jane Lopes, Victoria James and Courtney Schiessl say they experienced sexual harassment as candidates for the Court of Master Sommeliers.
By Julia Moskin

RUSSIA DISPATCH
In Russia’s Idyllic Wine Country, Dark Tales of Dreams Dashed
A verdant slice of southern Russia evokes Tuscany and produces surprisingly magical wine. But bureaucratic nightmares and police raids intrude on the aspirations of upstart vintners.

Collecting grapes at Yannis Karakezidi’s vineyard outside Anapa, Russia.
By Anton Troianovski