Amuse Bouche

News from the world of food and wine that you might have missed this week.

• Food and Think has a study of the Scoville scale used to determine the heat of peppers. They also provide a novice’s guide to craft beer.
• Complaints about too much flavor! More on the furor over tasting menus here and here.
• Are potluck dinners a thing of the past?
• Matt Kramer argues that it is no longer worthwhile to age wines beyond about 10 years.
• If you think there are lots of choices in the wine section of your supermarket, think again. Over half of it is owned by three companies. The Wine Curmudgeon reports on concentration in the wine industry.
• The latest innovations in nose-to-tail cooking including the use of egg shells.
• A new website devoted to the history of American Food. This weeks installment is about “coddies” a traditional dish out of Baltimore made with cod and potatoes.
• The Daily Beast lists the 25 Drunkest cities in the U.S. Boston is #1.
• The science behind our preference for white over wheat bread.
• Here is a comprehensive rundown of deceptive food labeling.