Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--An American/Indian Water Lily Seed Snack

     When I saw this product in the grocery a month or two ago, I stopped short.  Water lily seeds?  I didn't realize that they were a food.  Clearly, they are.  So I had to give them a try.  These were the Ashapops popped water lily seeds, the turmeric garlic flavor, to be more exact.

     It took a little digging, but Ashapops were started in 2017, by a man named Jai Farswani.  In conjunction with his mother, Asha (who presumably has the same surname, but I couldn't confirm this).  Asha was born and lived at least part of her life in India.  Later, when she was in Los Angeles, California she decided to introduce a bit of Indian cuisine to the U.S.  Thus far the company's product list is small, being only 4 selections of the Ashapop popped water lily seeds:  chili, Himalayan pink salt, vegan cheese, and the turmeric garlic.  The official company website and label proudly note that the seeds are free of gluten, GMOs, soy, and corn, and are appropriate for both vegan and Paleo diets.  Water lily seeds are considered to be superfoods in the Indian and Nepalese alternative medicine known as ayurveda.  Plus, the company donates to a charity that helps poor and disadvantaged Indians get proper eye care.  Finally, several business websites claimed that the company has 3 employees.  Which doesn't seem possible--maybe they mean 3 executives?  You would think that you'd need more than 3 people to both run the business and gather, pop, season, and bag up all the seeds.

     Now let's discuss the seeds, and their overall plants themselves.  Their scientific name is Euryale Ferox, the only member of that genus.  Alternate names include the prickly water lily (they have thorns) and the Gorgon plant.  This water lily grows in hot and sunny areas from North India to Taiwan, and into parts of Eastern Russia.  The round lily leaves can be up to one meter (about 3.3 feet) in diameter.  Harvesting the underwater seeds used to be rather difficult, so modern cultivators often grow the plants in flooded fields that are only about 1 foot (about .3 meters) deep.  The seeds, which are called Makhana in India, and fox nuts or lotus seeds elsewhere, have been enjoyed in Indian, Japanese, and Chinese cuisines for a good long time.  Perhaps as long ago as the Neolithic period (10,000 to 2,000 B.C.) in what's now China.  Possibly even in what's now Israel a staggering 750,000 years ago.  Most people dry, fry, pop, and season the seeds, kind of akin to popcorn.  But some folks put them in soups, porridges, or savory puddings.  Finally, as I mentioned earlier, in the ayurveda tradition these seeds are thought to be superfoods.  As far as I can tell, this assertion is as exaggerated and questionable as the non-Indian so-called "superfoods" are (see my post on May 1, 2014 for more information about that).

Ashapops popped water lily seeds, turmeric garlic flavor:  The popped seeds are roughly round, or oval-ish, about 1.75 cm. (about .75 inches) in diameter.  Their color was pale yellow, with some dark brown or black specks on them (these specks might be bits of spice, but I'm not sure).  The texture was crunchy at first, but they became softer and chewy pretty quickly.  The flavor was kind of bland.  Which surprised me a little, since Indian cuisine is not noted for being shy about spice bite.  Maybe the other water lily seeds are better, with a stronger and more intense taste.  But the ones I had did not live up to the "ferocious" description of their name.  (The second part of their scientific name, "ferox," means "ferocious" or "fierce" in Latin.).  So overall these were rather disappointing.

     

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Another Polish Honey Liqueur

      As you can tell by the title, I've already done a post about a Polish honey liqueur.  Quite recently, in fact--back on July 13, 2024, about Krupnik.  I do try to sample a wide range of edibles and drinkables, including of things I probably won't enjoy, based on their type or similarity to things I dislike.  You'll actually be reading about one of these liquor risks in about a month or two.  But, sometimes, such as when I'm buying a whole bottle of booze which costs $15 or $20 or more, I don't take a chance, and will try something safer.  Like today, which is about Nalewka Dziadka, from Poland.

     I couldn't find anything about the Polish maker of this drink.  It's possible that it's just a brand of the listed American importer, the Myssura Trading Company, out of Newark, NJ.  All I can say is that the label says it's a product of Poland.  There's also next to nothing about that import company.  I couldn't locate an official company website.  Alternate business websites noted that Myssura's key principal is a Jerry Myssura, and the founding date was 1998.  The business specializes in importing wines, liquors, and beers from Poland and Eastern Europe.  Some of its imported brands include Bimber Vodka, Storme Vodka, Gorzka Korzenna Vodka, Gazka beer, Perla Lubelska beer, and Nalewka Dabuni wines.  Reportedly the company's annual revenue is between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000, and it has between 5-9 employees.  (This latter number seems low, but whatever.)  Finally, the name Nalewka Dziadka means "Grandpa's tincture," or "Grandpa's liqueur" in Polish.

     I was able to learn a bit about Nalewka itself.  Nalewka is a traditional Polish alcoholic beverage.  It's similar to a medicinal tincture, or, plants or animal products dissolved in alcohol.  In Nalewka's case, its typical various ingredients are infused into vodka or a similar neutral spirit.  Sugar, fruit (lemon, blackberry, apricot, cherries), spices and roots (ginger, anise, and juniper), and honey are common additives.  The result is usually quite potent, being around 40-45% alcohol, but can range all the way to a staggering 75%.  There are Russian and Ukrainian variants, but these are made by putting fruit, water, and sugar into a sealed container, and letting it ferment.  What results is a weaker solution, usually less than 20% alcohol.  The earliest known reference to Polish Nalewka is a 1543 book by Stefan Falimierz called "On Herbs and Their Potency."  (Although tincture drinks worldwide date back at least to the time of Hippocrates, or about 2300-2400 years ago.)  For the next several hundred years Nalewka was largely made by Polish nobles, using closely guarded secret family recipes.

Nalewka Dziadka honey liqueur:  It had a light yellow color, and a slight honey-ish odor.  It didn't taste particularly boozy--it was almost a sipping drink, despite being 21% alcohol.  The overall taste was good.  It had a sweet, honey-like flavor.  It kind of reminded me of some meads I've had, which are typically much lower in alcohol content.  So, my final opinion was that it was pretty good.  It was kind of a light version of Krupnik, or Barenjager.  Not as good as those, but more than decent.  So I guess if you want a slightly lighter form of a honey liqueur, this is a good candidate.  If you want the harder, more intense ones, stick with Krupnik or Barenjager.

     Since my Nalewka was only 21% alcohol, some purists might maintain that it doesn't count as a "true," traditional Polish Nalewka, which are much stronger.  But, I can't say I care very much about this distinction--this drink was pretty good, even if it was milder than the traditional kind.  It was listed as a dessert drink, or I guess a digestif--perhaps that explains its milder flavor and booze content.  After re-checking my post on Krupnik, I saw that one is technically a Nalewka as well.  So if you're a "Nalewka strict constructionist," (if that's a thing, and I hope it is), stick with the Krupnik.  If you don't really care, and want a lighter form of a Polish honey liqueur, go with the Nalewka Dziadka.  

     

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Croatian Crisps

      I've been locating quite a few cheeses, crackers, and associated edibles in the appropriate section of my grocery store lately, and here's one more.  As far as I can recall, this is only the second time I've had something from Croatia--the first being fruit spreads, which I talked about in my post on December 30th, 2023.  And if you're curious about some famous folks born in Croatia, or with Croatian heritage, check out that post as well.  But today it'll be two phyllo crisps from the Nubake line.

     Nubake is a brand of the New Bakery d.o.o. company.  (Yes, that's how it's rendered--I presume the final three letters with periods mean something like "incorporated," or "company," or "limited liability" or something like that, in Croatian.)  As has been the norm lately, the official company website was very terse about the company's history and founder(s), so I was forced to check alternate business websites for what little information there was.  New Bakery was started in 2014, and one of its co-founders is Constantine Azar.  The other founder(s) remain a mystery.  Although one website noted that a "key principal" was Mehmet Yasar Halim, so maybe that person was a co-founder, or a current owner or CEO.  Even the number of employees wasn't positively confirmed--a couple of sites claimed it was only 11 or 17, while another listed it as being between 51-200.  Which, given the size, and scope of New Bakery, seems much more reasonable.  Anyway, you can't discuss New Bakery without mentioning baklava.  This flaky, sweet dessert is their flagship product, and they proudly note that they are the largest manufacturer of baklava in the E.U.  Reportedly, the company makes 1000 tons of it per year, which works out to 25,000,000 pieces of baklava a year.  The New Bakery company website lists four brands--Aladdin, Nubake, Layla, and Filo Snaps.  But the difference between these brands is a bit muddled.  Evidently most or all of them make some kind of baklava.  And the crisps I had had were listed as being Filo Snaps online, but the label reads "Nubake."  For what it's worth, there is a 3rd flavor of the crisps I ate, an apple cinnamon kind.  New Bakery is said to be available, "from the U.K. to the U.S.," and, "from South Africa to Australia."  But the countries besides these four are not mentioned.  Finally, New Bakery is imported by the Atalanta Corp., which I just covered a few weeks ago, in my post about Italian dessert cheese on December 14, 2024.

Phyllo crisps, apricot honey flavor: The crisps were rectangular in shape, about 2.5 inches by 1.5 inches (or about 6.5 cm. by 4 cm.), with a light brownish/white color, with visible apricot chunks and seeds.  The texture was moist and sticky.  Also crunchy and flaky.  Sweet.  Apricot chunks were chewy.  Really tasty--I enjoyed these a lot.

Phyllo crisps, cranberry and oat flavor:  Same size and shape as the previous, but cranberry chunks were visible instead of apricot.  Also moist and flaky.  Also very good.  Maybe a tad weaker than the apricot ones, but still more than solid.

     After my positive experience with these crisps, I'll eagerly try other New Bakery brands when/if I get the chance.  Especially if their baklava is on the shelf.  I adore baklava, ever since my friend of Armenian heritage (Hi Leon!) generously brought back some trays of it during our college years.  Which turned out to be foolish, alas, as the rest of us would take much more than our fair shares.  In conclusion, baklava is delicious.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Uruguayan/American Beef Jerky, and Some Info About Uruguayan A.F. Flight 571

      Regular readers may have noticed that I haven't reported much about meats much in the past few years.  And most of my dramatically weird organ meat posts, or the ones about eating unusual animals, were mostly long in the past, like 2012-15.  But every now and then I find a literal fleshy product or two, as I did recently.  This was the Sweet Heat flavor of beef jerky from the Wholesome Pantry brand.

     Alas, the manufacturer of this jerky is one that I've covered before--the Wakefern Food Corporation, which is affiliated with the Shop-Rite grocery where I purchased it.  Or, put another way, their store brand.  Additionally, I've discussed edibles from Uruguay before, most recently on January 15, 2022.  During which I went into some detail about fun facts about Uruguay, and about famous Uruguayans, or at least some folks with Uruguayan heritage.  So, to avoid repeating myself, I'll just move on to the food itself.  And then afterwards I'll talk about something hopefully morbidly compelling--the poor unfortunates who were reduced to cannibalizing their dead friends and family after a terrible plane crash in the Andes Mountains.

Whole-Some Pantry sweet heat beef jerky:  Smells like regular beef jerky, in a good way.  The strips were small, irregular shaped, shiny slices of reddish-brown dried beef.  The texture was chewy.  There was a decent spice bite.  I'm only a casual beef jerky guy--I've had my share, largely for field lunches, but it's not an obsession or anything.  But this beef jerky was solid.  Later I mixed in some cut up pieces with some baked beans, and this was a nice pairing.  Overall, I would recommend this jerky, to those who enjoy such fare.

     Back in high school, between (as I recall) junior and senior year, we got an unusual task--an assigned reading list.  We were kind of outraged--schoolwork in the summer?!  Anyway, many or most of the books were unfortunately typical assigned reading fare--tedious reads, such as F. Scott's Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby".  But, happily, at least one was an exception--"Alive," by Piers Paul Read.  Which was a nonfiction account of the sixteen poor Uruguayans who survived the infamous crash in late 1972.  Since they were stranded in the mountains for over 10 weeks, they unfortunately were forced to consume their dead to stay alive.  Obviously, I had a lot of emotional reactions to this account.  Admiration, of their heroic attempts to save themselves, by braving a plane crash, frigid temperatures, avalanches, near-starvation, etc.  Horror, at what the survivors were forced to do.  But also, I was intrigued, in a morbid way.  This wasn't technically a true crime book, since there weren't any crimes committed, but it did help me on the way to reading such fare.  I highly recommend this book.  And the 1993 film about this, also titled "Alive," was pretty good.  There are other movies about this event--some retellings, some documentary-style.

     Just to address some specific points of the book, and the overall incident, Flight 571 was originally slated to travel from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Santiago, Chile.  (There was an overnight delay, due to weather conditions, midway through this journey.)  There were 45 people on the plane--5 crew members, and 40 passengers.  Most of the latter were either part of the athletic squad, or friends and family of this team.  Despite what many folks report, the team was not a soccer team-- they were rugby players.  I guess since soccer is the most popular sport in Uruguay, and really, South America and most of the world, this is a reasonable mistake, but it is wrong.  Also, because this was supposed to be a short trip, to play one match, the passengers packed lightly.  Plus, much of the luggage was lost when the rear of the plane broke off during the crash.  Meaning the survivors had the following food and drink.  8 bottles of wine, 1 bottle of whiskey, 1 bottle of cherry brandy, 1 bottle of creme de menthe, a partial hip flask of whiskey, 8 bars of chocolate, 5 bars of nougat, some caramels, some dates and dried plums, 2 cans of mussels, a pack of salted crackers, one can of salted almonds, and jars of peach, apple, and blackberry jam.  Later, the tail section of the plane was encountered, which provided a few more scraps of food and drink, but that was basically it.  And the survivors were at about 12,000 feet above sea level, with no wildlife, nor any edible plants available.  Explaining why they had to resort to consuming their dead comrades.  

     One tidbit in the book that particularly stood out to me was near the end, as it claimed that there was actually a hotel only 5 miles east of where the plane ended up.  To explain, because of mistakes made by the pilots, the survivors (and the outside world) thought the flight was further west than it really was.  Meaning the 2 guys who climbed up and out and reached populated areas, Fernando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, headed west, believing that would be the shortest route.  Anyway, according to the book this hotel, which was closed for the season, was much closer, and had both shelter and supplies of canned food available.  Which seems unbelievably cruel--the guys risked their lives climbing high mountains to the west, taking over a week, when there was food and shelter only a short trip away in the opposite direction.  However, some online research indicates that this was probably false, or at least not as definitive.  The hotel in question, the Hotel Termas el Sosneado, was actually 13 miles to the east, and had been closed for over a decade.  Meaning the buildings were still there, but there wouldn't have been canned food supplies.  Also, a hiker who's traveled the area around the crash site noted that there are many dangerous crevices between the crash site and the hotel.  Which all suggests that heading east to the hotel might not have worked out.  Ironically, the decision to head west, even if it was for the wrong reasons, might have been the best, safest choice.