This one is slightly convoluted. The food I got was made in Taiwan, by a Taiwanese company (the Royal Family Food Corporation), but the type of food itself is Japanese in origin. Specifically, a type of rice cake called mochi. This is yet another find from the superlative Wegman's supermarket, in the Rochester, NY area.
Mochi is made from a kind of Japanese short grain, glutinous rice. This rice is pounded into a paste, and then molded into the desired shape. There is quite a variety of mochi types--some are more savory, some are more sweet, and some are even put into soups. The traditional method of making mochi is extremely labor intensive. Now, of course, machinery makes this process much quicker and easier. The exact origins of mochi are rather murky. The first recorded instances are from the Yayoi period, or 300 B.C. to 300 A.D. Mochi has also run the gamut in prestige. During its long history, it's been known as the "food of the gods," as a religious offering, part of the New Year celebration, and more recently, a good luck symbol for weddings. The type of mochi I tried appears to be daifuku, which is a soft, round, variant with a sweet filling, such as sweetened red bean paste. Other countries in the region have their own mochi-like dishes. For example, China, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan all make their own take on it.
As I learned from the company website, the Royal Family Food Corp. was founded in 1985, and incorporated in 1986, by a Mr. Huang Zhiming and his unnamed wife. Royal Family started as a meat company, but market decline after a few years led them to diversify in the early 1990's. At about this time the owners were dazzled by Japanese mochi, and went to Japan to learn about recent manufacturing techniques and machinery to make mochi. So, in 1992, with the help of these Japanese manufacturing innovations, Royal Family started making its own Japanese-style mochi. Currently they make many different flavors. Some of these include coconut, taro, sesame, peanut, red bean, pumpkin, brown sugar, peach, blueberry, sweet potato, strawberry, and even wormwood molasses (See October 18, 2015 post). Other products include pastries and egg rolls. The company now exports to 42 nations around the world.
1) Royal Family Food Corp. red bean mochi. Each individual mochi is about 3 cm. (about 1.25 inches) to a side, and is a rounded square shape. They came 6 to a box. They were whitish-yellow on the outside, with a red center, from the red bean filling, obviously. The texture of the outside was very soft, and the filling was jelly-like. The flavor wasn't that sweet, only slightly. But still good.
2) Royal Family Food Corp. taro mochi. Same size, number, and shape as the red bean kind. Color was light purplish-brown, with a brown center. Had a similar dense, filling texture, too. Also was only slightly sweet, yet oddly tasty. Weird flavor, but still good.
3) Royal Family Food Corp. peanut mochi. Same number in the box, size, and shape as its siblings. With its brown powdery exterior, it kind of reminded me of a chicken cutlet in appearance, with a brown center. My favorite of the bunch, which makes sense due to my love of peanut butter. Same heavy texture, and the flavor was once again a little strange, but still very positive.
Therefore, as you can tell, I was quite taken with Royal Family's mochis, and would certainly buy them again, or try alternate flavors if given the chance. I would also try other companies' versions of mochi, and other countries' variants. One note of caution, however. Over 100 people a year, mostly elderly folks, are hospitalized in Japan alone from accidentally choking on mochi. There are even unfortunate cases of people dying from suffocation from them. Which I can understand, given the treat's full, dense nature. There's even a warning on the Royal Family mochi boxes about this very thing. So enjoy your mochi, but do so carefully, using smaller bites, etc.
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Saturday, November 17, 2018
Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Cameroonian Snack
I'm returning to Cameroon for this week's post. (Readers with good memories may recall that I did a post about Cameroonian soft drinks back on June 22, 2016.) This was a 12 ounce (340 gram) bottle of roasted corn and peanuts. Why a drink bottle was used instead of a jar, or can, is beyond me, but that's what it was. This snack was made and packed by God's Time FOB Leader Foods in Cameroon, and distributed by JKUB LLC International Foods.
I wasn't able to find out much about this particular snack type. Other than that it's evidently a common street food in Cameroon. It's also a good source of protein and dietary fiber, and has a bit of potassium. Some websites said that alternative names for this snack are guru-guru and krang krang. (The latter, in singular form, is apparently also a slang term for marijuana, and is the name of a supervillain in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe.)
Similarly, I wasn't able to learn much about the manufacturing or distribution companies. The oddly named God's Time FOB Leader Foods also makes cassava leaves, spices, sauces, yams, escargot, and fish. JKUB International Foods was founded in 2009 by a Ms. Ouadje, an ex-pat Cameroonian living in the Washington, D.C. area. It's devoted to importing African foods and beverages, especially Cameroonian ones. Other products handled include soft drinks, vegetables, oils, spices and condiments, meat and fish, tubers, starchy roots and fruit, legumes, sugars and syrups, and "miscellaneous."
The snack itself was as billed--dried roasted corn kernals and dried roasted peanuts, which still had their inner papery skins on them. I was unimpressed. I'm not big on corn in general, after a childhood incident wherein I vomited up corn and ham in a traumatic fashion. Even so, these pieces of corn were dry and mostly tasteless. I do love peanuts (or "groundnuts" as they're called in Cameroon), but this presentation was disappointing--they were bland and weak-tasting as well. I could only manage to eat maybe a fifth of the bottle before I gave up.
I'll end by discussing some famous Cameroonians. First off, there's Roman Oben, who played offensive tackle in the NFL from 1996-2007, with the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and San Diego Chargers. He was a member of the Buccaneers Super Bowl 37 winning squad. Controversial nose tackle Ndamukang Suh currently plays with the Los Angeles Rams, and formerly played with the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins, starting in 2010. Suh has been named to 5 Pro Bowls and 3 All Pro teams, and was also the Defensive Rookie of the Year. (And yes, he's also been fined many times, and suspended once, for on the field disciplinary infractions.) Suh was born in the U.S., but is of Cameroonian heritage.
At least 3 guys with Cameroonian ancestry have played in the NBA. Joakim Noah played as a center from 2007-18, with the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks. He was named to 2 All Star teams, and was a Defensive Player of the Year. His father, Yannick, was a pro tennis player, who won 23 singles titles (including a Grand Slam event), and a Grand Slam doubles title. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute currently plays power foward/small forward with the Los Angeles Clippers, and he's also played with the Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Houston Rockets. My 76ers currently start center Joel Embiid, who was the 3rd pick in the 2014 draft, and was an All Star in 2018.
Several entertainers have Cameroonian ancestry, too. Some of them only learned this based on results of DNA testing. Yaphet Kotto is an actor, probably best known for roles in "Alien" (1979), "The Running Man" (1987), and "Midnight Run" (1988). Chris Rock is best known for his stand up comedy, and he's won 3 Grammys and 4 Emmys. He's also acted in such films as "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" (1988), "New Jack City" (1991), "Dogma" (1999), and the "Madagascar" series. Chris Tucker is also an actor, probably best known for roles in movies like "Friday" (1995), "Dead Presidents" (1995), "The Fifth Element" (1997), the "Rush Hour" series, and "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012). Blair Underwood has acted in such movies as "Krush Groove" (1985), "Just Cause" (1995), and "Gattaca" (1997), and was a regular on the television series "L.A. Law" (1987-96). Jessica Williams is best known for being a correspondent on "The Daily Show," but she also acts in the just released "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" and hosts a podcast, "2 Dope Queens."
And finally, in the world of politics, Condoleezza Rice was the U.S. Secretary of State from 2005-09.
I wasn't able to find out much about this particular snack type. Other than that it's evidently a common street food in Cameroon. It's also a good source of protein and dietary fiber, and has a bit of potassium. Some websites said that alternative names for this snack are guru-guru and krang krang. (The latter, in singular form, is apparently also a slang term for marijuana, and is the name of a supervillain in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe.)
Similarly, I wasn't able to learn much about the manufacturing or distribution companies. The oddly named God's Time FOB Leader Foods also makes cassava leaves, spices, sauces, yams, escargot, and fish. JKUB International Foods was founded in 2009 by a Ms. Ouadje, an ex-pat Cameroonian living in the Washington, D.C. area. It's devoted to importing African foods and beverages, especially Cameroonian ones. Other products handled include soft drinks, vegetables, oils, spices and condiments, meat and fish, tubers, starchy roots and fruit, legumes, sugars and syrups, and "miscellaneous."
The snack itself was as billed--dried roasted corn kernals and dried roasted peanuts, which still had their inner papery skins on them. I was unimpressed. I'm not big on corn in general, after a childhood incident wherein I vomited up corn and ham in a traumatic fashion. Even so, these pieces of corn were dry and mostly tasteless. I do love peanuts (or "groundnuts" as they're called in Cameroon), but this presentation was disappointing--they were bland and weak-tasting as well. I could only manage to eat maybe a fifth of the bottle before I gave up.
I'll end by discussing some famous Cameroonians. First off, there's Roman Oben, who played offensive tackle in the NFL from 1996-2007, with the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and San Diego Chargers. He was a member of the Buccaneers Super Bowl 37 winning squad. Controversial nose tackle Ndamukang Suh currently plays with the Los Angeles Rams, and formerly played with the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins, starting in 2010. Suh has been named to 5 Pro Bowls and 3 All Pro teams, and was also the Defensive Rookie of the Year. (And yes, he's also been fined many times, and suspended once, for on the field disciplinary infractions.) Suh was born in the U.S., but is of Cameroonian heritage.
At least 3 guys with Cameroonian ancestry have played in the NBA. Joakim Noah played as a center from 2007-18, with the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks. He was named to 2 All Star teams, and was a Defensive Player of the Year. His father, Yannick, was a pro tennis player, who won 23 singles titles (including a Grand Slam event), and a Grand Slam doubles title. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute currently plays power foward/small forward with the Los Angeles Clippers, and he's also played with the Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Houston Rockets. My 76ers currently start center Joel Embiid, who was the 3rd pick in the 2014 draft, and was an All Star in 2018.
Several entertainers have Cameroonian ancestry, too. Some of them only learned this based on results of DNA testing. Yaphet Kotto is an actor, probably best known for roles in "Alien" (1979), "The Running Man" (1987), and "Midnight Run" (1988). Chris Rock is best known for his stand up comedy, and he's won 3 Grammys and 4 Emmys. He's also acted in such films as "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" (1988), "New Jack City" (1991), "Dogma" (1999), and the "Madagascar" series. Chris Tucker is also an actor, probably best known for roles in movies like "Friday" (1995), "Dead Presidents" (1995), "The Fifth Element" (1997), the "Rush Hour" series, and "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012). Blair Underwood has acted in such movies as "Krush Groove" (1985), "Just Cause" (1995), and "Gattaca" (1997), and was a regular on the television series "L.A. Law" (1987-96). Jessica Williams is best known for being a correspondent on "The Daily Show," but she also acts in the just released "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" and hosts a podcast, "2 Dope Queens."
And finally, in the world of politics, Condoleezza Rice was the U.S. Secretary of State from 2005-09.
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Maqui Berries
So a couple of weeks ago I was in a Wegman's supermarket near Rochester, NY, when I saw something new. They were fruit smoothies in a pouch, from a company called Noka. Most of them were fruit combos that I've had before, but one caught my eye. The blueberry/beet flavor also contained something called maqui berry. The label mentioned it was a superfood, and that it had crazy amounts of antioxidants, four times more than blueberries, even. Therefore I got one to see what the fuss was all about.
Maqui berries are native to parts of Southern South America, in Chile and Argentina. Which is why an alternate name for this fruit is Chilean wineberry. The local American Indian tribe, the Mapuche, has reportedly been eating maquis for thousands of years. (I know that's awfully vague, but it's the best that I could learn.) Maquis are consumed in berry form, as a dried powder, and as a juice. (And I didn't see this listed specifically, but from the alternate name, maybe they're fermented into wine, too.) From what I read, they're not technically farmed, either--they're so ubiquitous in the Chilean/Argentinian countryside, that people just gather them up, and don't need to plant and cultivate them. In recent years they've become known away from Chile and Argentina, and are now grown in other areas with suitably similar climates and soil.
I'm used to seeing incredibly detailed, very optimistic healthy claims about the "superfoods" I've consumed over the years, but maquis may well take the cake, to use a non-healthy food-related expression. Here's a list of the benefits that maqui berries are supposed to provide: helping in weight loss, combating fatigue, battling heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, arthritis, high cholesterol, dry eyes, skin problems, leukemia, viruses, digestion problems, and kidney issues. Oh, and they're supposed to aid the immune system, boost the metabolism, and provide better general health and wellness. And probably other things--I stopped consulting websites after a while. But regular readers will see where this is going. One site did mention the key, important statement--"large scale clinical trials are needed to confirm these claims." As with all the so-called "superfoods," maquis are surely good for you, but it seems unlikely that they're the miracle, magic substance that some folks think they are. (Of course, if extensive scientific testing does indeed confirm all these claims, I'll happily eat both my words, and more maquis to treat and cure all potential diseases and conditions.)
The website for the California-based Noka company was one of the tersest I've ever seen. They essentially just showed their product line. Other flavors of their smoothies include cherry/acai, blackberry/vanilla, strawberry/pineapple, sweet potato/goji, and mango/coconut. Also, another website mentioned that blueberries have slightly more antioxidants than do maquis (instead of maquis having 4 times the amount of blueberries, as Noka claimed), so somebody's mistaken, or lying.
Noka blueberry/beet flavor superfood blend organic smooothie. Aside from blueberry, beet, and maqui, this product included banana, apple, flax seed, brown rice protein, and lemon juice concentrate. Came in a 4.22 ounce (120 gram) pouch. It was a thick brown liquid. Had a distinct fruit/banana-y odor. Tastes like a fruit smoothie. I couldn't pick out individual fruit flavors, really. Kind of sweet and tart at the same time. Okay, but not great.
I realize this one was a bit of a stretch for maqui berry, since it wasn't really a fair trial of the food. The smoothie I tried was chock full of other fruit juices, and other vegetables, so I couldn't pick out the actual maqui berry flavor. But, to be frank, it's sometimes tough to come up with 2-4 of these exotic/disgusting foods and beverages every month, so I hope readers can cut me a little slack. And obviously if I can locate actual maqui berries on sale, or just pure maqui powder or juice, I'll come back and edit this post.
Maqui berries are native to parts of Southern South America, in Chile and Argentina. Which is why an alternate name for this fruit is Chilean wineberry. The local American Indian tribe, the Mapuche, has reportedly been eating maquis for thousands of years. (I know that's awfully vague, but it's the best that I could learn.) Maquis are consumed in berry form, as a dried powder, and as a juice. (And I didn't see this listed specifically, but from the alternate name, maybe they're fermented into wine, too.) From what I read, they're not technically farmed, either--they're so ubiquitous in the Chilean/Argentinian countryside, that people just gather them up, and don't need to plant and cultivate them. In recent years they've become known away from Chile and Argentina, and are now grown in other areas with suitably similar climates and soil.
I'm used to seeing incredibly detailed, very optimistic healthy claims about the "superfoods" I've consumed over the years, but maquis may well take the cake, to use a non-healthy food-related expression. Here's a list of the benefits that maqui berries are supposed to provide: helping in weight loss, combating fatigue, battling heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, arthritis, high cholesterol, dry eyes, skin problems, leukemia, viruses, digestion problems, and kidney issues. Oh, and they're supposed to aid the immune system, boost the metabolism, and provide better general health and wellness. And probably other things--I stopped consulting websites after a while. But regular readers will see where this is going. One site did mention the key, important statement--"large scale clinical trials are needed to confirm these claims." As with all the so-called "superfoods," maquis are surely good for you, but it seems unlikely that they're the miracle, magic substance that some folks think they are. (Of course, if extensive scientific testing does indeed confirm all these claims, I'll happily eat both my words, and more maquis to treat and cure all potential diseases and conditions.)
The website for the California-based Noka company was one of the tersest I've ever seen. They essentially just showed their product line. Other flavors of their smoothies include cherry/acai, blackberry/vanilla, strawberry/pineapple, sweet potato/goji, and mango/coconut. Also, another website mentioned that blueberries have slightly more antioxidants than do maquis (instead of maquis having 4 times the amount of blueberries, as Noka claimed), so somebody's mistaken, or lying.
Noka blueberry/beet flavor superfood blend organic smooothie. Aside from blueberry, beet, and maqui, this product included banana, apple, flax seed, brown rice protein, and lemon juice concentrate. Came in a 4.22 ounce (120 gram) pouch. It was a thick brown liquid. Had a distinct fruit/banana-y odor. Tastes like a fruit smoothie. I couldn't pick out individual fruit flavors, really. Kind of sweet and tart at the same time. Okay, but not great.
I realize this one was a bit of a stretch for maqui berry, since it wasn't really a fair trial of the food. The smoothie I tried was chock full of other fruit juices, and other vegetables, so I couldn't pick out the actual maqui berry flavor. But, to be frank, it's sometimes tough to come up with 2-4 of these exotic/disgusting foods and beverages every month, so I hope readers can cut me a little slack. And obviously if I can locate actual maqui berries on sale, or just pure maqui powder or juice, I'll come back and edit this post.
Saturday, November 3, 2018
Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Finnish Crispbread
I had never heard of crispbread before a couple of weeks ago. Which makes sense, since it seems to mainly be a Scandinavian/Nordic countries thing. Crispbread apparently dates back to Sweden in about 500 A.D. Although the date for "traditional crispbread" is said to be about 1500 A.D., so evidently there was a lot of unofficial, non-traditional crispbread, or pseudo-crispbread, being made for a millennium. By the 1800's it was being made in Finland as well.
Crispbread is a thin, dry kind of bread. So thin and dry that it's more like a cracker than a piece of bread. Traditionally it was made from rye flour, salt, and water. It was made twice a year--in autumn, following the harvest, and then again in the spring after frozen rivers and lakes melted. Crispbread is very useful in part because it's stored easily, and keeps very well. The typical manner was to make the pieces of it in doughnut-like shapes--round, with a hole in the middle. That way the crispbread discs could be put on long sticks, and stored underneath the roof. (I guess being hung in this way deterred mice and rats from getting to them.) At some point in history it was reportedly considered a food of the poor. However, it seems to have made a resurgence, and not have that negative stigma anymore.
The crispbreads I bought were Finn Crisps. I purchased two kinds--the original flavor, which is sourdough rye, and the caraway thin rye (also made with sourdough). The makers are the Vaasan Group, out of the Finland town of Vaasa. Vaasan Group started out in 1849 as a steam mill, which processed rye flour for bread makers. By 1904 the company began making their own crispbread. In 1952, to mark the Summer Olympic Games, being held in Finland's capital city, Helsinki, Vaasan rolled out Finn Crisps. Their original flavor became their flagship brand. By 2015 Vaasan was the number one manufacturer of thin crispbread in the world, and exported to 40 markets around the globe. (I don't know if this means 40 separate countries--the website didn't explain.) In 2016 the company joined the large Lantmannen company. Lantmannen is a large multinational company which operates out of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Ukraine. Lantmannen is very diverse, as it's other activities include an agricultural sector, a machinery sector, an energy sector, and real estate. As for their edibles they also make flour, muesli, pasta, pancakes, meats, green food, and drinks. There are also many different kinds of Finn Crisps. Some of the alternate flavors include coriander rye, garlic & herb, 5 whole grain, tomato & rosemary, and sesame.
1) Finn Crisps, original sour dough rye flavor. These were brown rectangles about 12 cm. by 4 cm. (or about 5 inches by 2 inches), with a white dusting, presumably of herbs. And very thin, of course. They tasted crunchy, rye-y, and kind of plain. I was staying in a hotel without any semblance of a kitchen, so the condiments I tried on the crisps were only ketchup and Taco Bell hot sauce. They were definitely tastier with both of these, especially the latter.
2) Finn Crisps, caraway thin rye flavor. These were the same size, and color. And the taste was also very similar. And once again the ketchup and Taco Bell sauce helped things out. As with the original kind these were alright overall, but not great or anything.
However, it must be admitted that I didn't eat these as intended. I should have bought some other spreads, or cheeses, or lunch meat, or just about anything else. It was like I got a box of plain saltine crackers and basically ate them out of the box. As I mentioned, they were okay plain, or with my simple condiments, but I'm betting they're much better with more complicated toppings. A recipe on the website showed a Finn Crisp open face sandwich, essentially, made with smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill, spinach, radish, and onion. It looked pretty delicious to me. So I'll try to eat these right if/when I get the chance. Probably the next time I'm in an area with both a high population of Nordic/Scandinavian ancestry and a grocery store with a decent selection.
Crispbread is a thin, dry kind of bread. So thin and dry that it's more like a cracker than a piece of bread. Traditionally it was made from rye flour, salt, and water. It was made twice a year--in autumn, following the harvest, and then again in the spring after frozen rivers and lakes melted. Crispbread is very useful in part because it's stored easily, and keeps very well. The typical manner was to make the pieces of it in doughnut-like shapes--round, with a hole in the middle. That way the crispbread discs could be put on long sticks, and stored underneath the roof. (I guess being hung in this way deterred mice and rats from getting to them.) At some point in history it was reportedly considered a food of the poor. However, it seems to have made a resurgence, and not have that negative stigma anymore.
The crispbreads I bought were Finn Crisps. I purchased two kinds--the original flavor, which is sourdough rye, and the caraway thin rye (also made with sourdough). The makers are the Vaasan Group, out of the Finland town of Vaasa. Vaasan Group started out in 1849 as a steam mill, which processed rye flour for bread makers. By 1904 the company began making their own crispbread. In 1952, to mark the Summer Olympic Games, being held in Finland's capital city, Helsinki, Vaasan rolled out Finn Crisps. Their original flavor became their flagship brand. By 2015 Vaasan was the number one manufacturer of thin crispbread in the world, and exported to 40 markets around the globe. (I don't know if this means 40 separate countries--the website didn't explain.) In 2016 the company joined the large Lantmannen company. Lantmannen is a large multinational company which operates out of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Ukraine. Lantmannen is very diverse, as it's other activities include an agricultural sector, a machinery sector, an energy sector, and real estate. As for their edibles they also make flour, muesli, pasta, pancakes, meats, green food, and drinks. There are also many different kinds of Finn Crisps. Some of the alternate flavors include coriander rye, garlic & herb, 5 whole grain, tomato & rosemary, and sesame.
1) Finn Crisps, original sour dough rye flavor. These were brown rectangles about 12 cm. by 4 cm. (or about 5 inches by 2 inches), with a white dusting, presumably of herbs. And very thin, of course. They tasted crunchy, rye-y, and kind of plain. I was staying in a hotel without any semblance of a kitchen, so the condiments I tried on the crisps were only ketchup and Taco Bell hot sauce. They were definitely tastier with both of these, especially the latter.
2) Finn Crisps, caraway thin rye flavor. These were the same size, and color. And the taste was also very similar. And once again the ketchup and Taco Bell sauce helped things out. As with the original kind these were alright overall, but not great or anything.
However, it must be admitted that I didn't eat these as intended. I should have bought some other spreads, or cheeses, or lunch meat, or just about anything else. It was like I got a box of plain saltine crackers and basically ate them out of the box. As I mentioned, they were okay plain, or with my simple condiments, but I'm betting they're much better with more complicated toppings. A recipe on the website showed a Finn Crisp open face sandwich, essentially, made with smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill, spinach, radish, and onion. It looked pretty delicious to me. So I'll try to eat these right if/when I get the chance. Probably the next time I'm in an area with both a high population of Nordic/Scandinavian ancestry and a grocery store with a decent selection.
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