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Social media reports have exaggerated the impact of extreme heat on Parmigiano Reggiano cheese production and storage. Claims of a "Great Parmesan Crisis" threatening both the cheese and Italy's cheese banks are unfounded. Credito Emiliano S.p.A, which uses cheese as loan collateral, reports increased energy costs to maintain storage conditions but says operations are unaffected. The Parmigiano Reggiano consortium acknowledges heat challenges but confirms production is not at risk. Measures like improved insulation and efficient cooling systems are in place.

Six million people are facing acute food insecurity in Somalia while the World Food Program only has a tenth of the resources to help than it did during the country's last hunger crisis. That's according to WFP head Carl Skau who told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the U.N. agency “can only do the bare minimum.” He said that the WFP has less funds because of cuts to international aid and the redirection of resources to other crises. Dozens of women with children lined up for food and treatment at one nutrition center in Somalia. An official said that the center is trying to help between 250 and 350 people a day.

Ice cream was a rare and expensive treat for centuries because of the difficulty of storing ice. That changed in the 1800s, when inventions like mechanical refrigeration made ice cream cheaper and more accessible. But America’s pushcart vendors still had a problem: they needed a way to replace unsanitary “penny licks,” which were thick glass cups full of ice cream that customers would lick and then hand back to the vendors. Italian immigrants patented edible cups in the early 1900s, but it was the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis where the ice-cream cone became famous and took on its familiar shape.

A restaurant in Beijing is preserving culinary traditions associated with China’s imperial court, from pastries once served to emperors to techniques passed down through generations of chefs. Imperial cuisine encompassed everyday meals and elaborate court banquets governed by rituals and hierarchy, while food also carried broader cultural, political and ceremonial meanings. Today, a handful of chefs are adapting centuries-old traditions to modern ingredients and tastes while seeking to preserve their history, craftsmanship and cultural legacy.