March 11  #638                              New Trends, New Products

            Our friend Adam Borden, who runs an investment fund that specializes in cutting edge food companies, has become our scout at fancy food fairs around the country.  These convocations present all manner of products, many of which reflect the changing trends in how America eats.  These days, many Americans are concerned about keeping their blood sugars in balance, so we are seeing quite a few products designed to fall in well down the glycemic index.
            Whole wheat pastas were once a novelty.  Now they are commonplace.  Healthy eaters want pasta made not from refined white wheat, but from healthier, more nutritious whole wheat.  Early versions of this genre of pasta were often overly granular in texture.  But refinements in approach (including the use of egg yolks in dried pasta) has smoothed things out considerably.    Borden offered Al Dente brand whole wheat pasta with flaxseed as a great example.  We tried it and found it smooth textured and nutty tasting.
            Many people are shying away from pure cane sugar and are looking for alternative sweeteners.  How about a syrup made from the succulent cactus like plant that gives us tequila?   Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Raw Blue Agave Syrup is just such a treat.  We tried it and were astonished at its good flavor and abundant sweetness, based on fructose.
            Speaking of sweets:  our ever-expanding interest in foreign cuisines has opened us up to some exciting taste sensations.  In Mexico, there is a vastly different approach to the blending of sweet and hot, peppery ingredients than we have here.  Witness the lolly-pops made by Yummy Earth.  We tried the chili-lime variety and were blown away by how the sweet lime candy was so nicely complemented by the hot, spicy chili-based candy.  Who'd have thunk it?  We were giggling like school kids.

            Finally this nation of immigrants has always been a fertile garden for ideas brought over from the Old Country.  California's wine industry was based on German and Italian  traditions, and it has certainly prospered.  Olive oil, in Italy especially, was an equally important tradition, but it has lagged considerably over the years.  Nobody, but nobody held their breath waiting for great American olive oil to emerge.  Well, that's starting to change as olive growers are finding promising sites for their trees, and are identifying promising varieties that will work in California.  One success story is Bariani and their Authentic American virgin olive oil.  We tried it on air.  At first the flavor was mild, undertated but very pleasant.  But then wave after wave of hot peppery flavor hit us and we lurched across the table for a bottle of water.  Man, it was good!

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