The Juicy Bits
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
Cooking
Diana Kennedy, Ardent Chronicler Of Mexican Cuisine, Dies At 99
Image Source: Ann Summa, Getty Images
On July 24, Diana Kennedy passed away in her Zitacuaro, Mexico home, where she resided and worked since 1980. The British native and renowned cookbook author dedicated her career to Mexican food traditions. Throughout her life and in nearly a dozen cookbooks, Kennedy emerged as a towering authority on Mexican cuisine. In 1982, The three-time James Beard Award winner was named a recipient of the Order of the Aztec Eagle, Mexico's greatest honor for foreigners. Her native Britain also appointed her as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to positive relations with Mexico. Her opinions on such dishes as guacamole are infamous to this day.
Restaurants
World's 50 Best Restaurants Names Its 2022 Winners
Image Source: GMBH/Alamy Stock Photo
Copenhagen wins again this year as Geranium is named the #1 restaurant in the world by The World's 50 Best organization. Noma, from the same city, held that spots for years, before pivoting during the pandemic. The #2 spot was claimed by Central in Lima, Peru, while Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain followed at #3. Honorable mentions in the US include New York's Atomix (#33) and Le Bernardin (#44), as well as SingleThread in Healdsurg, CA (#50).
Beverages
World’s Best Bar: London’s Lyaness Wins Big At 16th Annual Spirited Awards
Image Source: Courtesy of Lyaness
Cheers to Lyaness in London, where mixologists shake up experimental cocktails like the Marigold Gimlet, consisting of Bacardi Ocho, oyster honey, white verjus, brioche, and apple blossom. Lyaness was named the World's Best Bar at last month's Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. The organization also named Lyaness the Best International Hotel Bar, while honoring Washington DC's Silver Lyan at the Riggs as Best US Hotel Bar and New York's Katana Kitten as Best US Cocktail Bar.
Supply Chain
Sacrebleu! Dijon Mustard Shortage Sparks French Food Crisis
Image Source: Maurice Rougemont/Getty Images
The French consume more mustard than anyone else in the world, and the condiment is a staple of the cuisine, served with everything from steak to salad. But for months, the shelves have been empty, driving French consumers to look for mustard in odd places such as Facebook Marketplace. The cause? Climate change. About 80% of the brown mustard seeds used to make Dijon mustard come from Canada, where suppliers are struggling to meet demand. As a result, retail prices are up about 25% in France. US consumers do not appear to be affected by the shortage, mostly because US demand for mustard is not as great.
Agriculture
Researchers Find Toxic Chemicals In Common Crop Fertilizer
Image Source: Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune
Sewage sludge, a byproduct of human and industrial waste, is a common, inexpensive crop fertilizer that's largely unregulated in the US. Despite safety assurances from the US Environmental Protection Agency, investigators have found that sludge contains concentrated levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a.k.a. forever chemicals. European researchers have concluded that PFAS end up in our food, and studies have linked long-term exposure to ailments such as testicular and kidney cancer, birth defects, liver damage, impaired fertility, and immune system disorders. Yet most US states do not test sludge for PFAS and sewage treatment plants are not required to warn farmers of risks.
Regulations
FDA Announces External Review Of Food Safety And Tobacco Regulatory Offices
Image Source: Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo
Facing criticism for its role in the infant formula shortage and under-regulation of e-cigarettes, the Food and Drug Administration has ordered an external review of its own offices on food safety and tobacco regulation. Congress and FDA Commissioner Robert Califf have tasked the independent Reagan-Udall Foundation with assessing the resources, procedures and organization of the two offices, as well as parts of the Office of Regulatory Affairs. The review will focus on the Human Foods Program, the Office of Food Policy and Response, and the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in an effort to improve the FDA's regulatory and oversight processes.
Health
US Lawsuit Claims Skittles Are Toxic
Image Source: Marcus Donner/Reuters
Mars Inc, the company behind the famed Skittles candies, has been sued in a class action lawsuit in Oakland, California. Jenile Thames, who filed the suit, states that the product contains dangerous levels of titanium dioxide (TiO2), an additive the company promised to drop from the production process in February 2016. Later that year, the company confirmed that the colorant was being removed in a Mars company e-mail, according to Center for Food Safety. The lawsuit finds that this compound has harmful potential risks for human health such as damage to the brain, organs, and even DNA, while it was also recently banned by food safety regulators in the European Union, which will take effect next month.
Please Help DigestThis.news Continue
Like what you're reading? Help keep DigestThis.news going by supporting it here. Any amount helps. Thanks!
Science
Neuroscientist Explains Why Spicy Food Makes You Sweat
Image Source: Puppa Fromm/Getty Images
Our reactions to spicy food are caused by chemesthesis, "a chemical sense that perceives spiciness in general," says Frederica Genovese, a neuroscientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. Capsaicin, the chemical in hot chile peppers that's responsible for those reactions, binds to receptors on the tongue which send signals to your brain saying you’ve encountered something burning. Even though the body is not harmed, it responds by sweating, sneezing, coughing and/or crying. “Sweating is literally to wash out whatever got in contact with your mouth, your skin, and everything else,” says Genovese. Since the neurons perceive an increase in temperature, sweating is also an attempt to cool the body down. Genovese says you can train your body to temper these reactions. How? By eating spicy food more often. Time to gorge on those spicy wings.
Last Bite
Inside the Tour de France’s Fast and Furious Feed Zone
Image Source: Universal/Getty Images
The 109th Tour de France just ended, and you might wonder how bike racers eat while pedaling furiously up and down mountains. Fueling while racing is a balancing act, and feeding a cyclist mid-race involves a careful handoff in a long-handled cloth satchel called a musette. During World War I, French soldiers carried similar satchels, suggesting a possible origin of the cycling musette. Back then, sandwiches, cake, and flasks of port wine or other alcohol were common in cyclists musettes. Today, cyclists feast on a variety of foods according to their particular dietary needs and nutritional preferences. Yet, the simple, century-old cloth musette is still the preferred food delivery system.