July was a slow food news month until Klondike ice cream discontinued the Choco Taco. That was a punch in the tongue. Then Mexican cooking guru Diana Kennedy died. Oof. And the French ran out of mustard. Bistro steaks and salads were never the same. Plus, a US lawsuit claimed that Skittles candies are toxic. Finally, by the end of the month, a few organizations announced some good news. The US Small Business Administration opted to disburse the remaining $180 million in the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Hallelujah. The Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, in their 16th running, named London's Lyaness the World's Best Bar. And the World's 50 Best organization named Copenhagen's Geranium the World's Best Restaurant. Sure, these awards are fraught with issues, but who doesn't want to be tipped off to an eye-opening cocktail or amazing meal in a major city? Another tip: if you've never charred a vanilla bean, high thee to a hot cast-iron pan. Your vanilla ice cream will never be the same. Yes, the food world is often full of same-old same-old stories and bullshit marketing puff pieces. But sometimes the cream rises to the top and you find out why butter temperature matters so much in baking, and why hot chile peppers make you sweat. Happy summer.
-Dave Joachim
I came across some obscure news stories this month, including a 36-course dinner in Seattle with a Wu-Tang clan theme and a recipe for dandelion jam. But newsletter space is limited, so I focused below on more hard-hitting news, such as the return of competitive cheese rolling to the British sporting calendar. 🤣 The videos of flailing arms, legs, and heads are worth the watch. But seriously, some important news this month: the USDA has allocated $2.1 billion to combat skyrocketing food prices and chronic food shortages. Researchers have discovered a way to transform plastic waste into vanilla flavoring. And sensory scientists are beginning to unravel the mysteries of COVID and smell loss. Plus, it's award season in the food world. The James Beard Awards, UK Guild of Food Writers Awards, and "World's Best" Awards were all doled out this June. Congratulations to the winners!
-Dave Joachim
Have you ever cursed a burrito that fell apart in your lap? The engineering students at Johns Hopkins University feel your pain. To prevent such mishaps, they developed edible tape that keeps burritos closed as you eat. My new jeans thank them. In another science first, NASA researchers have successfully grown mustard greens in lunar soil. At least now we know it's possible. Some less encouraging news for meat lovers: there's a pesky tick that causes an allergy to meat, and it has migrated from the southern US to the north and midwest. Wear pants outdoors. Apply bug spray. Or you might not enjoy your next bite of beef or pork. At least you'll find something to eat, unlike a lot of American infants these days. You've surely caught wind of the baby formula shortage, and it's not only due to a massive recall that occurred in February. The story of this food shortage goes much deeper. On the lighter side of food news, Washington DC is celebrating its newest Michelin star restaurants, just announced by the trusty French tire company. And this summer's hottest cookbooks have hit store shelves, featuring enticing tomes on BBQ, bourbon, and cool dessert cocktails. You'll find plenty of main-dish recipes to pair with a bottle of wine from California's West Sonoma Coast, our country's newest American Viticultural Area. Grab a pinot noir, a cookbook, or just a plate of great food, and enjoy the coming of summer.
-Dave Joachim
The US Food and Drug Administration has received more than 100 complaints of illness related to Lucky Charms. Did someone put a hex on the breakfast cereal? Hopefully the FDA investigation reveals the truth. Another popular breakfast food is under the microscope this month: eggs. The second-worst avian flu in US history is ripping across the country, causing "free-range" egg producers to keep their birds indoors. Is an egg "free-range" if the bird doesn't go outside? Not in the UK, where eggs can no longer be labeled free-range because hens have been cooped up for months. In other UK food news, a British scientist has analyzed the subterranean electrical impulses of mushrooms and found that the patterns closely resemble that of human language. He asserts that mushrooms talk to other plants. Crazy? We shall see. Elsewhere in Europe, two Danish brothers have figured out how to cultivate morel mushrooms indoors, at scale. It's European mushroom mania! Food innovation is also thriving in Japan, where a tech scientist developed a pair of chopsticks that enhances the perception of saltiness. He hopes the device will help Japanese consumers reduce their sodium intake. Speaking of salt, two US economists analyzed data from the 1920s and found that adding iodine to salt actually boosted the IQ of Americans. Their source material? Military records. The food world never ceases to amaze.
Putin's war in Ukraine is reverberating around the food world, driving up prices and choking supply chains. Thanks Vlad. Maybe that will be a boon for cookbook sales. If this spring's crop of cookbooks is any indication, hunkering down and cooking at home is more popular than ever. I'm sure menu sticker shock is a factor in that trend. In February, restaurant menu prices hit a 41-year high. You've probably noticed your grocery bill rising, too. Globally, food prices jumped 20.7% last year, a record high, and the Ukraine war is likely to cause another 22% surge, according to the UN's food agency. Enough bad news. Here's something more interesting: scientists have figured out how to grow spinach in the arid desert by harvesting water from air. And Italian researchers have discovered a way to raise pizza dough without yeast or chemical leaveners. If things get real bad and we're all banished to a desert planet where yeast doesn't exist, at least there will be spinach pizza.
As we enter yet another turbulent March (remember the start of lockdown 2020?), I'm finding peace in homemade pizza. I'm not alone. At least two major food publications are now spotlighting how to make legit Neapolitan pizza at home. Plus, there's at least one new pizza tome in this spring's crop of more than 50 notable cookbooks. And remember that whole climate change thing? It's made "spring" planting less predictable for most farmers, but in Alaska there's an upside: warmer temps are extending the state's growing season and could eventually increase agricultural revenues. In less promising news, the UN just released a report showing how plastic pollution in soil has become worse than plastics in the world's oceans. Grab that reusable water bottle. And if you're trying to "buy American" at the meat counter, you might want to voice your opinion in a new USDA survey. Current regulations allow meat labeled "Product of USA" to come from anywhere in the world. The survey asks: Do you really care? Should food labels mean what they say? Survey link is below...
To kick off 2022, the US Department of Agriculture has some good news about our food supply. The agency has committed at least $5 million to build a new California shipping port. The funding was sparked in part by the unavailability of US grocery items climbing up to 15% last year. Unavailability rates usually hover around 5% to 10%. The USDA has also introduced a new food label this year. As of January 1, "GMO" or genetically modified food labels must be replaced with "Bioengineered" labels instead. You know what else is new? French salad dressing. The US Food and Drug Administration recently deregulated French dressing, dropping the requirement that it contain at least 35% vegetable oil and at least some vinegar, lemon juice, or lime juice. Who knows what will be in a bottle of French dressing from now on? And who knows what will be in a bottle of fancy bourbon, either. Lab tests show that coveted bottles of Pappy Van Winkle, Double Eagle and other rare bourbons increasingly contain counterfeit booze. Buyer beware.
As 2021 comes to a close (good riddance!), food media churns out the inevitable year-end best-restaurant listicles and food trend predictions for the year ahead. But among the predictable stories, you can also find some delicious reads like this takedown of the "world's worst Michelin-starred restaurant", along with a few hard-to-swallow nuggets like this indictment of a South Georgia crime ring that ran a $200 million "modern-day slavery" farming operation. We humans can be maddening! But we can also be amazing, like this Vermont chef cooking with European green crabs and other invasive species to help repopulate the planet with more appetizing foodstuffs. And this thirsty author who wrote an entire book on how to turn your Christmas tree into cocktails instead of just kicking it to the curb. Those are stories to celebrate. And that's what I'm choosing to do as 2022 comes into view. Time to make Christmas tree mimosas. Cheers!
I thought I knew what a food book was. It's a cookbook, maybe a food history tome, or a chef's memoir, right? Think again. Ben Denzer’s edible book 20 Slices of American Cheese brings new meaning to the term. Thanks Ben. And thank you to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi for repealing three misguided agriculture laws and ending a year of bloody protests. Score one for rice farmers. In other food news, Consumer Reports has found high levels of heavy metals in common herbs and spices like oregano. To be safe, grow your own. And you might want to ditch a few avocados for fava beans in your guacamole. The delicious nutritious Instagram darlings have lost ground in the carbon footprint wars. But plant-based meat is still winning. A new survey of studies shows that, yes, it is better for the environment. Mushrooms are winning too, especially at this Jersey Shore BBQ joint where they're smoked, seared and served alongside house-made snags (that's Aussie for sausages).
Lava cake, anyone? It seems the cuisine of the 1990s is back on America's tables. That's not so bad. At least we're not reverting to the 1950s. I prefer to leave jello ham salad in the past, thankyouverymuch. Maybe I don't like it because jello is too quiet. Science shows that loud food tastes better. Could it be that crunch is the secret to Noma's success? The Copenhagen restaurant just nabbed the #1 spot on the prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurants list for the fifth time. If, like most of us, you can't afford to fly to Denmark to find out, Uber Eats may be able to deliver a loud, crunchy, satisfying meal to you tonight, plus drinks. The food delivery service just acquired Drizly for $1.1 billion, allowing its app to deliver beer, wine, and spirits to your door along with your restaurant takeout order. Well now, it seems there's no reason to leave the house anymore! I wonder what the ever-opinionated Anthony Bourdain would say. Alas, we'll never know. However, we can listen to what those closest to him said about the chef's final year in this excerpt from Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography, written by his longtime writing collaborator, Laurie Woolever.