food museum blog

Super-sized Blueberries

Have you eaten any of these?  We seem to have recently but can't recall where.  We have been on the road since November, researching food heritage sites and food-related museums.  We've crossed the USA and been around the UK and Belgium.

Well the blueberries are three times the normal size, more grape like, and come from New Zealand, where they are known as "Nui."  The pigment which makes the berry blue contains an antioxidant which has been shown to improve brain function.   The  larger berry grows the same and packs a good blueberry taste.

NYC Canstruction Competition & Foodbank Drive

New York City doesn't just collect canned foods to stock area food banks each fall.  They first "canstruct" fantastic things and hold a competition.  Here's all about it and don't miss the slide show.

Beethoven and Banana Breath

According to a NPR's "Performance Today" bananas are great stage fright relievers. They are a popular snack food for soloists waiting backstage to perform.

Tarte Tatin: France's Apple Pie

France's favorite apple pie dish is 106 years old. The official website for the dessert features history, recipes and all about the local fan club that upholds the tart's standards and traditions.

Cardamom Chewing Gum---and you thought only oil products came from the Arabian Peninsula

A friend who is lives part of the year in the Gulf nation of Qatar, arrived recently with a packet of Cardamom gum. Now we know that Arabs like their coffee brewed with cardamom, now flavored in chewing gum, what else?

Here are some links about cardamom.
http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/cardamom.html

What are your experiences with cardamom? Leave a comment.

Sea Urchin Roe

We tried sea urchin roe last month in Martiques, France. A friendly fishmonger used special shears to slice off the top half of the spiny creature. We tasted the five rows of roe with a tiny spoon he provided. It was much ado about not much in our collected opinions. Nevertheless there is an annual sea urchin festival in the nearby Mediterranean resort of Carry-le-Rouet. Local divers work overtime to collect enough to supply the weekend's feasting. It's added to omelettes etc. These are the smaller tide pool purple urchins.

Here's an LA Times article about the more substantial yielding deep water red sea urchin harvest in California.

Have you ever tried sea urchin roe? Leave a comment, join the conversation.