LYRA MAG.

At the recent Fancy Food Show-the popularity of global cuisines and far flung flavors- continues . Notable=Mid East+ African staples-spices-favors go mainstream with eye catching packaging... Some Tasty examples: Ready To Eat: Fabalish made a splash at last year's show with their deft use of cooked chickpea water-(Aquafaba-a dairy/egg replacer fyi) in their versatile sauces. Heat and serve-rte Baked Falafels...spare us the extra calories of fried versions-with these. KID SNACK ALERT - pop in a toaster oven/microwave for fast easy treat. Like Couscous... (or Quinoa) YOLÉLÉ FONIO -aka 'the ancient grain' is naturally gluten free and cooks up fast like couscous +can be used in recipes-similarly. A drought resitant crop-grown by rural farmers in Western Africa.. is naturally blessed with protein, fiber and iron. WIN WIN WIN WIN Available-Whole Foods, Thrive, Amazon... Yolélé  co-founded by  Chef Pierre Thiam New York Shuk spice blend offer...

A  BETTER SWEET THING So...what's old is NEW AGAIN. Again. A childhood in a rural area-had farms 'nearby' aka w/i 30 miles-selling  fresh produce and raw honey- straight outta the beekeepers' hives. Hyper Local ! And in a NYC domicile-the original Dean+Deluca and Zabars-had high quality condiments (mostly international origins) - as the first 'specialty food stores'-so it seems-in this country. Added pluses-Arthur Avenue, Hunts Point (Bronx), Chinatown-Little Italy-LES and the Meatpacking district all sold fresh everything else. Pretty much. It wasn't until college-that America's love for processed foods became apparent-as some classmates meal preferences went way beyond the occasional Cheese Whiz-Marshmallow Fluff diet, and Captain Crunch cereal as dinner. Now-the pendulum has swung back, food wise and is better yet . Urban farmers' markets sell straight off the land goods... everywhere there are humans (IRL and online options )......

Ancestral inspirations and distant islands/continents...turned up in new ways at the latest Fancy Food Show...with African, Haitian, and Australian spices livening up foodie goodies. Highlights... Departure Snacks -travels for you, no security checks-needed, tastes wise-with far flung locales-thematically adding flavors to dry roasted almonds. Pictured-Ethiopian Berbere-with smoked paprika, mild chilies, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and imo the new 'it' spice-cardamon=fragrant spice hits. Non-GMO, gluten free +vegan. 210 calories/pack.

Savory spices-from distinctive fiery to sweet n' tangy-flavor BBQ sauces and the latest  popular crunchy snacks. via GIPHY New-Top Picks To Fire Up Palates:

(it's almost- or already there. ..) New Products That Help Celebrate Snowmelts, Uncovered Grills,  Aromatic BBQ Al Fresco, and Backyard Fun... Part 1: The Eats via GIPHY Upgraded Condiments: FYI -fair warning-one tablespoon of ANY Traina ketchup -rich savory offerings -courtesy of 3lbs of tomatoes-in each bottle (!!!!)-will have you ditch those mass market-  really red  bottles-straight into recycling. It's almost like a re-invented condiment staple.

Dressed Up Burgers, Scrumptious Crunchy Salads, Sophisticated Salty+Spicy Seasonings=Tempting  Takes on Ballpark Staples to eat at home. via GIPHY California based,  Cypress Grove 's soft-ripened -Humboldt Fog jettisoned American gourmet cheeses from insular cult fav to mass adoration, as THE ORIGINAL AMERICAN® imo . Cheese burgers-or grilled cheese PLEASE...ditch the processed bleh for melted nirvana via TRUFFLE TREMOR- a creamy luscious soft-ripened goat cheese enhanced with the aromatic earthiness of black truffles. A fav of ours (outta, like 3000+ selections)- from most recent Fancy Food Show-sold in wheel and mini sizes & widely available-including  company website w/ flat rate shipping $. Corn on the cob companion, Kaiser roll/bread enhancer, or a rich full flavored BBQ enabler to grilled meats-fish-vegetables ...real deal Smoked Maplewood Amish Roll Butter by family owned Minerva Dairy may just steal THAT finger lickin' good ad slogan from...