My first grits story is about disappointment. I tried them, they were bland, I moved on. I’m not the only one. When Glenn Roberts, the founder of Anson Mills, started calling chefs across the country to sell them his stoneground, organic, heirloom grits, he was met with universal derision. Chefs laughed at the idea, or […]
Continue Reading →
In the mountains and valleys that stretch across North Africa, there’s no guarantee of a good harvest from year to year. That’s nothing new for the Berbers. They’ve been farming olives, wheat, vegetables, and fruits there since before Carthage was founded in 814 BCE. (The name “Berber” actually comes from the Roman name for the […]
Continue Reading →
This Sunday, March 15, Zingerman’s Delicatessen celebrates its 33rd birthday. When Ari Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw started talking thirty-some years ago about opening a deli, they were clear on what eating a sandwich in their shop would be like. They wanted to serve sandwiches so stacked and packed that you’d have to use both hands […]
Continue Reading →
Four hundred years ago, amongst the wild turkey, venison, cod, and bass, the original Thanksgiving table included corn. Not fresh corn on the cob. Since the corn harvest ended by early fall and flash freezing hadn’t quite been invented yet, back then any corn eaten in November would have been dried. Much of the dried […]
Continue Reading →
A lot of the Dijon mustard out there isn’t from the French city of Dijon. Unlike, say, champagne, which must must come from the region of Champagne, or Parmigiano-Reggiano, which has to be made around the city of Parma, Dijon mustard can be made just about anywhere—France, California, Japan, you name it. The “Dijon” part […]
Continue Reading →
I’ve never been to Tunisia, but I bet you don’t find too many hot dog carts on the streets. If you did though, on the condiment rack, instead of our ubiquitous squeeze bottles of ketchup you’d find jars of harissa. Harissa is a spread made of dried peppers crushed with tomato, garlic, olive oil, caraway […]
Continue Reading →