Growing up, my dad and grandmother extoled the virtues of drinking apple cider vinegar. As a young girl I was highly skeptical, but over time learned to appreciate their jugement. I am far from a regular inbiber, but I can see its merits, and the flavor has grown on me. Word of Advice -...
What’s In a Name? Depending on the national laws of the country, the name caviar may also describe the roe of other fish such as salmon, steelhead, trout, lumpfish, whitefish, and any number other species of sturgeon. The term is also used to describe dishes that are perceived to resemble caviar, such as “eggplant...
Sepideh sent me a cryptic email: "Do you know about sweet lemons?" was all she wrote. I replied that I thought, based on a quick glance at a sweet lemon in the neighborhood market, that it was like a Meyer's lemon. "Not so fast, my friend", was her response.
Growing up, I loved mint, still do, but back then I had very fixed ideas of what mint was and where it belonged: in my gum, in my toothpaste, and most assuredly in my ice cream and my mom’s Creme de Menthe cake. Then I went to college and all my preconceived notions were...
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...
I had read about Asafetida in Madhur Japher’s tome on Indian cooking and seen it referenced in many other Indian recipes and so confidently picked up a container so that my future Indian cooking endeavors might taste that much more authentic. However, I was unprepared for what was to come…. What is It? According...
For the longest time I though Salad Oliveh was Persian dish, and strongly resisted any suggestion to the contrary – those impostors! I could not wrap my mind around the possibility that it might be a popular dish to most of the world, and by sheer luck I stumbled across it as an adult....
Mahlab was another one of those purchases I made because I was very intrigued yet knew nothing little about when I purchased a bag of this spice. However, after my first experience with mahlab, I was determined to learn more about this wonderful new addition to my spice repitoire. I love being pleasantly...
As I previously mentioned, I think street or fast food can go a long way to providing a multi-sensory cultural experience that accurately captures the current culture of the country, region, or city in question. Every time I bite into a conchita pilbil taco, I am transported back to Merida, Mexico, or a gelato reminds me of...
Nigella is another ingredient that does not get the respect it deserves. I am convinced this lack of use in the United States, at least, is due to the fact that it has numerous aliases, making it challenging to find, much less get, the spice you intend – unless you know what to seek. ...
