In 2003, when Zingerman’s Coffee Company first started roasting coffee, small, specialty coffee roasters were few and far between. A decade ago, specialty coffee was beginning to find a foothold, but it was still a nerdy, niche product with a limited audience. Today, the story has changed. Even a small town is likely to have […]
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For most of its history, cheese has been a local affair. Farmers would bring their milk to a village creamery that could convert that milk into cheese and other dairy products. Cheese has always been the long term storage solution for extra milk—especially before the era of refrigerators. The creameries would produce the same type […]
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Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory has been crafting delicious confections for fifteen years with a focus on traditional American candy. Each sweet treat takes days to make, and has remarkably full flavor. Here are two factors that make Zingerman’s candy different than your average grocery store find. 1. Made by hand, not by machines Instead of massive […]
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I love bread. I eat toast for breakfast at least four times a week. So I’m always excited to discover a new bakery offering beautiful, artisan loaves. Most of the time, though, I’m disappointed.
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Drying, salting and smoking are the trinity of ancient methods to preserve a harvest. Of the three, drying is the simplest. Here are a few quick tips to finding the best tasting dried fruit. Was it grown where it was dried? To get the most flavor out of your fruit you want to pick it […]
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Vinegar is more than a pantry staple; according to the Internet it’s a brand new life hack. Not only can it brighten a fresh salad with flavor, it can decalcify your shower head, keep colds away all winter long, and turn dull pennies shiny again! Great tasting vinegar takes lots of care and time to […]
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To start, let’s get one thing straight—gelato is just the Italian word for ice cream. Although there are differences between American ice cream and Italian-style gelato, they have a whole lot in common. Both begin as a base mixture of milk, cream, and sugar, sometimes with eggs. They are churned as the mixture is chilled. […]
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What exactly is soy sauce? Soy sauce is a salty, umami liquid made from fermented soybeans. At a minimum, it is made with soybeans, salt, and fermented with a mold—typically Aspergillus oryzae—known in Japanese as koji. In the 20th century the production of soy sauce was modernized. Today most soy sauce is made in giant […]
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Today’s Calabria, the region at the toe of Italy’s boot, is one of the country’s poorest provinces. But once upon a time, 26 centuries ago, it was home to Sybaris, a town synonymous with wealth and excess. While Calabria may no longer have Sybaris’s fabled luxury, it does have at least one sybaritic indulgence: candied […]
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The USDA’s shorthand definition of a preservative is any substance that slows or stops the deterioration of food. The sugar we add to make jam to keep fruit from rotting is a preservative. So is the salt we use to cure ham. We’ve employed preservatives like sugar and salt for millennia.
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