Last week, I did something I try to avoid at all costs; I waited in line. Wait, let me rephrase that, I waited a long time in a very long line for a pop up bakery at a San Francisco restaurant, Flour + Water, thanks to the inside scoop from my friend, Adrienne, aka Gastroantropology....
I love bread in all its forms, but near the top of my favorites is focaccia. I mean what genius thought to pair bread with olive oil, cheese and any number of combinations of toppings. My curiousity was piqued when we sampled the grape fociaccia, chiacciata con l’uva a specialty of Florence. We loved grabbing...
Everyone must have a favorite type of cheese, for my niece its feta, for my nephew its string cheese (huh?), and for me its Époisses. If you’ve had it, you know what I am talking about; if not, you are in for a treat. Epoisses is a wash rind cheese made in the village Époisses...
I was recently consumed with curiosity about lye used in cooking and found that its use is critical to the pretzels we know and love. One thing led to another, and so I decided to explore the twisted world of pretzels: Why the knots? Why use lye? Why desiccated bread? What are they? Pretztels can...
I’ve long been intrigued by the lure of tonka beans, and given that they are off limits in the US thanks to the FDA its a clear cut case of desiring what you cannot have. I mean any spice described as tasting and smelling like a heady combination of vanilla, almonds, cinnamon and cloves...
My love for capers slowly creeped up on me, a lot I imagine like those relationships where the couple start out as friends, and then realize they have something more in common, and soon amore. What are they? Capers are the unripened green flower buds of the Capparis spinosa (close kin to the cabbage...
Growing up, I was one of those kids who loved olives, and like this little fella here, there was no better way to eat them then sucking them off the tip of each finger. Mind you, we’re talking those bland, black olives, the predominate requirement was their ability to attach to the tips of...
This may be unfair, but I’ve come to the conclusion that you can tell a lot about a country by their sausage. For lunches, while traveling, my husband and I have developed a habit of securing some local wine, bread, cheese and sausage that we can nibble at our leisure. Since we’ve munched our...
See for yourself… April Fools’ Day, or All Fool’s Day is celebrated in many countries on April 1 with practical jokes played family members, colleagues, and neighbors. The origin of April Fools’ Day is obscure. One likely theory is that the term referred to someone still adhering to the Julian Calendar, as opposed to adopting...
The custom of eating pork on New Year’s is based on the notion that pigs symbolize progress or prosperity for many cultures – not a connection that may immediately come to mind. The animal pushes forward, rooting in the ground before moving, symbolizing progress. In Italy, the fatty meat also symbolizes the fattening of...
