December 2, 2020
What’s That Food? This month’s WTF is pitahaya. Botanically known as Selenicereus megalanthus, the fruits are also known as yellow dragon fruit, yellow pitahaya (sometimes spelled pitaya) or Pitaya Amarillo. A part of the cactus family, the fruit grows on stems that can grow to 20 feet long. It is native to Central and South America but is now also…
March 1, 2020
What’s that food? This month’s WTF is a familiar fruit in Indian cuisine. With its smooth green skin and elongated shape, tindora bears a resemblance to cucumbers, albeit a tiny cucumber. Like cucumber, tindora (Coccinia grandis) belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and the fruit grow on vigorous climbing vines, native to tropical climes. The plant is commonly found in the…
December 2, 2019
What’s that food? When this month’s subject was found in a local grocery store, it just had to be featured for this last month of the year. It is the appropriately named-for-the-season Santa Claus or Christmas melon. The Santa Claus (Cucumis melo inodorus) melon is a Casaba type of melon. It is a winter melon variety like the honeydew or…
November 1, 2019
What’s that food? This month’s WTF is possibly one that is in your kitchen arsenal already, or you have likely seen it on grocery store shelves. The bright yellow and red label on Maggi Seasoning tends to stand out. With the claims on its packaging that it “Improves the taste of soups, sauces, salads and vegetable dishes. A few drops…
October 1, 2019
What’s that food? This month’s WTF is an essential ingredient in both Worcestershire sauce and HP sauce—condiments that find places of honour on many chefs’ and home cooks’ shelves. Tamarind is a fruit that offers a sour yet sweetly acidic flavour, hence its use in these sauces. Tamarind is an evergreen tree native to tropical Africa but is widely cultivated…
June 1, 2019
What’s that food? As the global market expands, so do the fruit and vegetable sections in our grocery stores. We start to see more and more produce that is new and unusual to our Island. This month’s What’s that Food? is karela or more commonly known as bitter melon. And it’s an appropriate name, as its flavour is quite tart.…
July 1, 2018
(what’s that food) Grab a bag of these peppers and be prepared to enjoy their unique flavour. Native to China, the name would suggest that they are related to the black peppercorn (native to India), however these spices are not related. Sichuan peppercorns are the dried berries of a rue plant, not peppercorns at all. The rue plant falls into…
January 1, 2018
(What’s that food) This is celeriac. The root vegetable is also called celery root, but in fact it’s not the root of store-bought celery. Celeriac is grown for its root rather than its stalks. It might not be the prettiest looking vegetable, but what it lacks in appearance it makes up in taste and nutrition. Looking a bit like a…