Try as the PR people might, not every new food concept is successful. It really doesn't matter how much a small pool of dedicated fans want certain foods and cuisines to be the next big thing if there just isn't enough interest in the greater population.

There are a few topics like fondue that keep trying to make us love them. In fact about every three years I get a press release and list of stats that joyfully announces that fondue is back! But you know what? Despite the hype, it never really gains espresso or balsamic vinegar status. It's cool, people want to like it, but fondue is just not as much fun as it sounds.

Like fondue, edible flowers have had a few tries at bat. Most recently the focus is on orchids, which turned up in place of crackers as the base for chicken salad at the Cirque du Soleil Tapis Rouge reception (they tasted a little like Belgian Endive) and as a main flavour in Gourmet du Roi's fruit jelly candies. Also looking to be nominated for the FTD customer of the year award is Sweetfields, a company that makes glazed and dusted flowers that they hope will be embraced by mixologists as a garnish for girly drinks. Although I haven't tried the Smithfield's product, I can't imagine it being better than Stirrings 60 Petals Rose Martini mix which is quite likely the best-tasting floral product I've ever tried!


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If you think ancient grains are the crumbs in your couch, think again. Ancient grains are nutritionally beneficial seeds and plant species that are not commonly cultivated as part of mainstream agriculture. Some of the most well-known of the ancient grains are amaranth, quinoa and millet. While these are names many of us have seen in recipes and on health food labels, there's a new ancient grain (I know, that's an oxymoron!) that's getting a lot of attention because of its nutrient content.

Salba is a beige-coloured seed that can be added to baked goods. If you've ever had a chia pet, you'll recognize salba seeds when you see them. Chia and Salba are virtually the same plant; their only difference being that chia seeds are black.

Studies show that salba has a host of nutritional qualities including an abundance of Omega 3- and -6 fatty acids, iron, magnesium, vitamin C and calcium. The company that's trying to sell us salba dubs it nature's most powerful whole food. While I'm generally cynical of super food claims, the renewed interest in salba really does sound like good news.


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After years of marketing pork as an alternative to chicken, it's becoming recognized as a culinary ingredient with its own distinct and wonderful place in gastronomy. When I was a kid, pork was delicious but too humble for special occasions. In the last 25 years, pork remained humble but lost a lot of its flavour when pork marketers encouraged pig farmers to breed leaner, milder-tasting pigs so that they could compete with chicken. Recently pork producers have quit trying to be "the other white meat" and have embraced their inner porcine goodness. The result is gourmet quality pork that deserves a premium price!

Need proof? Here are four signs that pork is posh:

1. Super-premium Berkshire and Duroc milk-fed piglets with sweet, tender, light-coloured meat are being raised by specialty farmers for a select number of Toronto chefs.

2. Wonderful La Quercia Organic Heirloom Berkshire proscuitto is now being sold exclusively at Pusateri's Market in Toronto. It has a sweet, creamy texture that gourmets love!

3. Spanish Iberico pork is catching on with Canadian chefs. The samples my chef sprocket hubby brought home to experiment with were so naturally tender and rich that the spare ribs needed no par cooking at all! In Britain, Iberico pork deli kiosks have opened in the posh food halls at both Selfridges and Waitrose. With all this buzz, it's just a matter of time before we see Iberico pork in Canadian supermarkets, too.

4. Vosges, the Chicago-based chocolatier who helped prove that sweet and savoury blends could be inspired, has launched a bacon-flavoured chocolate bar. I've requested a sample so I'll let you know what it tastes like once I try it!


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For food writers with literary aspirations, striking a balance in your recipe writing between accurate, necessary information that makes a recipe successful and the descriptions and phrases that entice people to read your work is tricky business. Recently reported in the British papers is news of a UK government study that found recipes written by two of Britain's most beloved food writers Nigella Lawson and Delia Smith were too hard to follow because of an excessive use of adjectives and numerous steps.

The study compared 35 recipes by five food writers and found that shorter, less flowery recipes by male cookery writers Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and Nigel Slater were much easier to follow.

What can we conclude from these findings? First, that UK taxpayers are getting ripped off. And second, that food writers must always be conscious of who is using their recipes. Are the recipes for people who like to read about food or for people who like to cook? The distinction is important.

Deep pondering can take a lot out of a person so I sat down with a wedge of aged cheddar and a sleeve of water crackers to mull over the findings of this study. In the end, I got very thirsty and needed a glass of wine. Later, however, I concluded that writing recipes is basically just glorified technical writing and, as such, my work isn't much different from the person who jots the assembly instructions that come with pre-fab furniture. That said, cooking is about expression, enjoyment and sensory experience so I'm going to continue to write my recipes as clearly as possible but to add leads and that I hope will tantalize and inspire my readers to eat well often!


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Besides writing recipes and tapping out these blogs, a big part of my day is spent tracking and analyzing food trends. Once a quarter I jot down a summary of what I've noted in food trends and publish Topline Trends, my online food trend newsletter. Most of the readers are food industry people looking for information about what others are up to or journalists seeking direction for their own research.

The latest Topline Trends report was posted recently and I thought you might like to know about some emerging flavour trends. (And yes, it's Monday and I'm slacking off. You caught me -- just please don't tell my editor!)

Escargot: A kissing cousin to black forest cake and beef Wellington on posh '70s menus, the humble snail has been markedly absent from fine dining menus in recent years. However, escargot are having a renaissance with young French chefs; they're going beyond drowning these garden dwellers in garlic butter by pairing them with ingredients such as bone marrow or yogurt.

Dukkah: This Egyptian seasoning blend was invented 3,000 years ago and is garnering western fans. Dukkah is a blend of groundnuts, sesame seeds and spices that can be used to make dips, marinades and glazes for lamb, salmon and chicken.

Cucumber-flavoured drinks: From adult drinks such as martinis and premium spirits like Hendricks's gin to family favs such as lemonade, cucumber is the new fresh flavour adding distinction to many new cold drink products and recipes.


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