Menu Trends: Restaurants Are Introducing A South American Super Crop

This is a story about how an Incan super crop is starting to take over health food stores and trendy restaurants in the U.S.  The rest of the world is already on board with this mysterious super plant; we’re just now catching up.  What’s so great about this plant?  Well, it doesn’t rot, doesn’t need refrigeration, is a complete protein but is dairy and gluten free, and is rich in important vitamins like iron, magnesium,...

Extreme Mixology: Inhaling Vaportinis

Mixology is a hot trend in food service.  More and more bars and restaurants are investing in exotic flavors and unique blends to make cocktails that draw customers in and tantalize their taste buds.  There are even professional “mixologists” who dedicate their time to the art developing the next trendy cocktail. The Red Kiva Lounge...

Want Your Fast Food Fancy?

A website called Fancy Fast Food has taken all the mass produced food that makes Americans fat but that we love to eat and turned it into top quality fine cuisine, complete with garnish.  The results are actually very stunning, even after viewing the before picture.  Some examples include: Nathan’s Not-So-Famous Faux Foie Gras – 6...

Weird Food: Goat Meat Isn’t Really All That Weird

To most Americans, goat meat sounds like a foreign and unsavory dish consumed in far-off places by people who don’t have many other options.  In reality, goat is the most commonly consumed type of meat the world over, and not just in the Third World.  America is one of the few holdouts where goat hasn’t really taken hold. Until recently, that is.  There has long been localized markets for goat meat, especially in immigrant...

Hungarian Pigs Are Cool Again

It’s hard to believe, but there are fads in pork, just like anything else.  100 years ago, a Hungarian breed of pig called Mangalitsa was the preferred pork breed for restaurants across Europe and the eastern U.S.  Over the last century their popularity declined for a variety a reasons.  The Mangalitsa also fell out of favor...

Insects: Cuisine of the Future?

Entomophagy is the human consumption of insects of any kind.  Before you recoil in horror, consider a few interesting facts about eating insects: 1,700 different insect species are eaten in 113 countries across the globe.  Scientists note that insects are a great source of protein and unsaturated fats as well as other key vitamins...

Sake Not Just For Sushi Anymore

Sake is usually associated with sushi, but not anymore Sake is fermented from rice and lies somewhere between beer and wine as an alcoholic beverage.  It’s popularity has grown in the U.S., and this has mostly been the result of the growth of sushi in popularity.  In fact, most people would never think about ordering sake if they...

Crazy Eats: Cuy Will Make You Smarter

Two cuy dishes from Peru Yes, your favorite childhood pet is also a favored delicacy in the Andes. Called “cuy,” (coo-wee) by locals in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador,...