I came across a recipe recently which called for “kosher salt”. I’ve seen it specified in American recipes many times before but never knew what it meant. Kosher salt is simply what Europeans would call “rock salt” or “coarse salt”. Think “Maldon”. The salt itself does not conform to Jewish food laws, but it is used to make meat “kosher”. Kosher law specifies that all blood must be removed from meat before eating and salt is used to draw out the blood. Because the salt is coarse-grained, it does not dissolve as readily and therefore stays on the meat longer. Kosher salt does not usually contain anti-caking agents or other additives.
Fans of ‘afternoon tea’ will be pleased to hear that clotted cream is available to buy in Marks & Spencer. Good old Marks. This 150g packet cost €2.50. I’ve kept an eye out for clotted cream for years but none of the ‘Irish’ supermarkets stocked it. Get baking those scones!
Dublin City Business Improvement District and the Restaurants Association of Ireland are holding a “Restaurant Week” from Monday April 20th to Sunday April 26th. A three-course dinner will cost from 25-30 euro depending on the restuarant. Participants include Jaipur, Bleu and Saba.
Visit Dine in Dublin for booking information.
Found a cool link over at JustAddEggs. You make a copy of this list of foodstuffs, then you format the entries according to whether you’ve eaten them before. It’s muscle-flexing for foodies really. Like who can eat the hottest curry. I didn’t do so good.
Very Good Taste’s Omnivore’s 100 - Instructions
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frog’s legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
The results? I’ve eaten 38 of the above and there are 9 I wouldn’t touch in a million years. You might be wondering why I crossed ‘Lobster Thermidor’ off my list. The reason is that I’m allergic to shellfish!
I’m definitely going to attempt some of the other foods in the near future. In particular, I have my eye on snails, polenta and kobe beef. Why you’d want to eat a raw Scotch bonnet chili, I can’t say …
