The bright red, neon-colored cherries found in sundae shops and dive bars are a far cry from the original Maraschino. These modern ‘cocktail cherries’ are often little more than bleached fruit soaked in corn syrup and red dye. However, the true Maraschino cherry is a dark, sophisticated delicacy with a history dating back to 19th-century … Read more
Castelvetrano olives are a variety of Lucques olives, also called Nocellara del Belice, which are also used to make Valle del Belice olive oil. They are primarily marketed as Castelvetrano in the United States. Sicily is the biggest producer, but the olives are also grown in India, Pakistan, and South Africa. These tasty olives, often … Read more
Alfonso olives are very large, dark purple to purple-brown olives that are grown in South America, primarily in Chile, Peru, and Argentina. They have a meaty, soft, and tender texture with a rich-tasting olive flavor that is somewhat bitter and vinegary. The most popular South American olive variety, this black olive (Olea europaea) was brought to … Read more
Taggiasca olives are small, dark greenish, reddish-brown to purple olives grown in the Liguria region of northwestern Italy. Processed with natural they are not a very meaty olive but have a firm, crisp flesh and a delicate, fruity flavor. Taggiasca olives are water-cured olives. After cutting, the olives are placed in water and the water … Read more
Real saffron costs upwards of $5,000 per pound because it takes 75,000 flowers to produce a single pound of spice. This massive price tag is why Safflower, Corn Silk, and Dyed Horsehair are frequently sold as “bargain” saffron. This fraudulent fake saffron may be labeled saffron but is sometimes sold under the names Mexican saffron … Read more
Kaffir lime leaves are the leaves from the kaffir lime plant (Citrus hystrix), otherwise known as the makrut or leech lime. The plant produces a small wrinkly lime and aromatic leaves. These leaves are used extensively in Thai, Indonesian, and other Southeast Asian cooking to give a lemony aroma and taste. They are difficult to … Read more