The Juicy Bits
In news land, it's time for the annual best-of lists, year-end roundups, and food trend predictions for the year ahead. You'll find a few of those in this issue along with surveys of how the pandemic completely reshaped the food world from farming and food processing to restaurants and home cooking. And it reshaped our waistlines.
But maybe you're more interested in a deep dive. Maybe you want an answer to the most vexing question of the past 30 years: Why in the world did McDonald's change the recipe for its completely delicious French fries? Find out, along with the original recipe below. You can also see why restaurant servers and bartenders will soon be sharing their tips with cooks and dishwashers, thanks to a new Labor Department rule.
And get ready for lab-grown chicken! A lucky few recently tasted the world's first cultured chicken in Singapore, and the manufacturer is seeking U.S. approval. But the FDA has more important things to worry about, like salad dressing. After 70 years of regulating French dressing, the FDA wants to stop telling food manufacturers what needs to be in the bottle.
Yes, 2020 has been a crazy year: price fixing in the peanut world, sexual harassment in the elite wine world, and celebrity chef David Chang won $1 million on the TV show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. As if he needs it. The good news: Chang gave it all away to support struggling restaurant workers. More good news: Chefs have found a new place to serve meals while their restaurants are closed and it's too cold for outdoor dining. You guessed it: Vacant hotel rooms! Have any other ideas for keeping your favorite restaurant from going under? Drop me a line at [email protected]. Happy New Year!
Cooking
Reporter Finds And Shares Original Recipe For McDonald's Beef Fat Fries That Spawned A Fast Food Empire
Image Source: Tim Boyle/Getty Images
Today, McDonald's french fries are cooked in a mixture of vegetable oils. But they were originally fried in "Formula 47," consisting primarily of beef tallow, in a multistep process that made Mickey D's crispy, savory fries the envy of the fast food industry. Here's the deep throat story of how an army of nutritionists and a wealthy industrialist lobbied to change the fry formula, and why one reporter dug deep to unearth the original recipe.
More Cooking News
Watch How A Chinese Barbecue Master Has Been Roasting Whole Pigs for 30 Years
FDA Standards Of Identity Lead To The Great Bucatini Shortage Of 2020
How Covid Changed What Families Eat, According To The Stats That Food Marketers Have On You
Kansas City Barbeque Society Crowns Winners Of Two Big Barbecue Competitions
“Ourobouros Steaks” Grown From Human Cells Spark Interest And Outrage At Design Museum
The Ten Most Sought After Recipes Of 2020, According To Google
Restaurants
Chefs Are Turning Empty Hotel Suites Into Private Dining Rooms
Image Source: Lexy Pierce
In a new pivot for the struggling restaurant industry, hotel rooms have become the latest fine-dining hot spots. As lockdowns continue and the weather cools too much for outdoor dining, some restaurateurs see no other way to keep their businesses alive through the winter. It's a win-win for the hospitality industry, as hotel occupancy rates have also hit historic lows this year. From New York and Boston to Chicago and Minneapolis, hotel beds and nightstands are being pushed aside for beautifully set dining tables that provide guests with elegant meals similar to what they might experience in a restaurant, albeit with a limited number of guests.
More Restaurant News
McDonald's McRib Returns Nationwide For The First Time Since 2012
The Year That Changed Restaurants—And What Happens Next
2021 Food Trend Predictions: Quesabirria, Hot Cocktails, Soothing Elixirs, And More
Food Delivery Leader DoorDash Goes Public In IPO, Now Valued At More Than $60 Billion
New Labor Department Rule Lets Restaurants Require Tip Pooling Between Servers And Dishwashers
Beverages
Amid Sexual Harassment Scandal, Elite Wine Organization Elects New Board Of Directors
Image Source: Anthony Wallace/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Master Sommelier is the most esteemed credential in the wine world, and to be certified, one must take a series of grueling exams administered by an elite organization known as the Court of Master Sommeliers. In a recent high-profile scandal, several members of the organization were accused of sexual harassment and racial discrimination, leading its entire board of directors to resign. Attempting to diversify its leadership, the organization elected eleven new directors this month, including four women, two who identify as gay, two Asian Americans, and seven white men. The Court has yet to elect four external (non-Master Sommelier) board members and to hire a full-time CEO, all of whom must now rebuild the organization’s reputation and regain the trust of the wine community at large.
Supply Chain
Millions Of Hungry Americans Turn To Food Banks For First Time
Image Source: AP Photo
During the worst of the pandemic, U.S. unemployment skyrocketed to 14.7%, a rate not seen in almost a century. Millions turned to food banks to feed their families, and in late March, 20% of the country's food banks almost ran out of food, according to Feeding America, the nation’s largest anti-hunger organization. The supply problem has since subsided but demand has not. The organization handed out 4.2 billion meals from March through October, more than ever in its 40-year history. It also found that 4 in 10 visitors are first timers. The Food Research & Action Center, another an anti-hunger organization, also found that 40% of visitors had annual incomes above $50,000 before the outbreak. Many relatively well-off Americans have sought hunger relief this year. As the pandemic continues, Feeding America anticipates the number of those going hungry to swell to at least 50 million Americans.
Agriculture
Danish Developers Build Europe's Largest Vertical Farm, Set To Produce 1,000 Tons Of Greens A Year
Image Source: Nordic Harvest
Outside Copenhagen, a windowless industrial hall has been transformed into Europe's largest vertical farm. Hydroponics and custom purple LED lighting stretch from floor to ceiling in 14 stories of scaffolding that will produce 1,000 tons of lettuce, kale, and herbs in the farm's first year. The wind-powered vertical farm occupies more than 75,000 square feet and its developers, Nordic Harvest and YesHealth Group, say they will be able to grow berries within two years and root vegetables in five to ten years, providing year-round sustainably grown produce with minimal environmental impact.
Regulations
FDA Approves First Genetically Modified Pig For Food And Medical Products
Image Source: didesign021/iStock
The FDA has approved a genetically modified pig that does not cause allergic reactions. The new swine is free of an allergen called "alpha-gal," making its products safe for those with the allergy, also known as mammalian meat allergy (MMA). The new pig can be safely used to manufacture an allergy-free version of the widely used blood-thinning drug heparin, which is made from pig intestines. The pigs' tissues and organs can also be safely used for transplants, and the pork can serve as allergy-free meat for human consumption. Before the "GalSafe" pig, the FDA had given the green light to only one other genetically engineered animal for food: A genetically engineered salmon approved in 2015.
Health
Yes, Many Of Us Have Been Stress-Eating, Gaining Weight, And Losing Sleep During The Pandemic, Says Global Study
Image Source: iStockPhoto
A new study of 8,000 adults from 50 countries and every state in America found that 27% of participants gained weight since pandemic lockdowns began in March. Researchers from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana also found that 20% of participants experienced higher anxiety levels, and 44% said their sleep patterns had worsened. If you're feeling fat, agitated, and sleep-deprived, you're not alone. The upside? Researchers found that 17% of the study population actually lost weight during the pandemic, and 10% said their sleep had improved. If you're among those sleeping more, losing weight, and feeling great during the pandemic, count yourself lucky. And maybe show the rest of us how to do it.
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Science
Singapore Approves World's First Lab Grown Chicken Meat For Human Consumption
Image Source: Eat Just and 1880
The U.S. maker of JUST Mayo and JUST Egg received approval from the Singapore Food Agency to sell the world's first cultured meat. The lab grown meat, known as GOOD chicken, was recently served at 1880, a tony restaurant in Singapore's entertainment center. Daring diners enjoyed the cultured chicken in bao buns, in phyllo, and on a spicy waffle. GOOD Chicken is made by mixing poultry cells with the same nutrients used for growth by live animals, including amino acids, carbohydrates, minerals, fats and vitamins. According to Eat Just CEO Josh Tetrick, the poultry cells can be grown into meat in a bioreactor in just 14 days. Tetrick is seeking regulatory approval for cultured meat in other countries, including the US, and hopes that the stringent approval process and criteria developed in Singapore serve as a model.
Last Bite
Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Street Food Shop In Pompeii
Image Source: Luigi Spina / Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP
A termopolium (Latin for hot food counter) was recently discovered in the ruins of Pompeii in an area not yet open the public. On the front of the food stand brightly colored frescoes (shown above) depict some of the animals used in the food once sold there, including duck and chicken. Archaeologists also found traces of nearly 2,000-year-old food in terra cotta jars at the site, which had previously been buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The Pompeii Street Food Cookbook is sure to follow soon. Stay tuned.