There is no more fundamental component of culture than food and drink.   As Brillat Savarin wrote, “The fate of nations depends upon how they eat.” A starving nation is known as a failed state.
These are dark days here in Canada. Food sections have been radically down-sized.  People who merely eat have become self-proclaimed experts.  Food writing is added to magazines and newspapers almost as an afterthought.   The most stunningly–stupid nail in the coffin was driven in last week in Toronto.  With the dismissal of James Chatto from Toronto Life it …

The chill of an early May snowfall in Edmonton has not prevented me from cooking on my gas grill. Just like 43 percent of the 1009 consumers surveyed in this year’s Weber Canadian Grillwatch Survey, I choose to grill year round. I am proud to admit that I fall into the category of hardy Canadian grillers (32%) who brave the elements when the mercury drops below zero to fire up the old “Q” and rustle up a grilled meal. The “to grill” meal chosen by most of the survey’s respondents …

Karen Baxter, Brazilian born, from German immigrants, has now settled in Fergus, Ontario, where she lives with her husband and daughter. She has started her career in Business Administration, later completing her MBA at the University of Guelph with a specialization in Hotel and Food Management. Karen works as a Project Manager with Cuisine Canada and the Culinary Book awards presented at the Royal Winter Fair every Fall.
What’s your weakness? Dessert or mains?
Did you say weakness? I would consider an undeniable desire a strength. Definitely mains. With meat, stews, …

Ronald Doering is well known in the food industry having had the lead responsibility for setting up the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and serving as its President for several years. Since retiring from government in 2002, he practices regulatory law (particularly food law) in the Ottawa offices of Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, and he writes a popular monthly column on food law as the “food law guy”.
What’s your weakness? Dessert or mains?
Mains and lots of it. None of this small portion California cuisine for me.
Who or what got you …

The naked eye can’t tell the difference between sturgeon caviar and roe from Mississippi paddlefish. But with the help of DNA technology developed at the University of Guelph (U of G) in Ontario, the US is hoping to clamp down on food fraud.
Whether it’s inferior olive oil passed off as extra-virgin,  cow’s milk cheese sold under an expensive sheep’s milk label, or mouldy tomato paste sneaking past quality control and into ketchup bottles,  food fraud is a growing concern.
In a recent article,  U of Guelph technology helps US monitor …

What is the Canadian law for satiety claims?
Written by Ronald L. Doering
The food, beverage and supplement weight management product market in the U.S. last year was $3.64 billion and growing fast. There are several approaches including providing slimming ingredients that increase energy expenditure, moderating carbohydrate metabolism and blocking dietary fat absorption. For the food industry, beyond the traditional claims such as low fat (food minus), a burgeoning new field involves a shift to satiety claims (food plus). Foods marketed for satiety have enhanced levels of fibre or protein and claim …

In a recent episode of Modern Family, Phil blows out virtual birthday candles via his brand new iPad. This party trick is not the imagination of a TV writer. The application, Birthday a la Carte, exists.The screen’s sensor is so advanced it allows users to extinguish candles with their breath. And the app costs $0.99 — about the price of a package of real birthday candles you use once.
While the black-and-white, non-illuminated Kindle hasn’t made much of a dent in the cookbook market, the shiny bright iPad might. It rivals …

Beyond The Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China
Written by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (Random House Canada, 2008)
Review by Julia Aitken
In show biz, a “triple threat” means a performer who excels not only at singing and dancing but acting, too. If the cookbook world had a dictionary and you looked up “triple threat,” the definition would no doubt simply read “Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.” The married couple, renowned for their award-winning, coffee-table-style tomes (among their previous works are Hot Sour Salty Sweet, about the food …

Julia Aitken has been a food writer and editor for more than 30 years. Her latest book is 125 Best Entertaining Recipes (Robert Rose). Julia lives in Toronto with her husband.
What’s your weakness? Dessert or mains?
Mains… Unless the dessert is the finest quality homemade ice cream.
Who or what got you interested in food?
My mother. Despite having no formal culinary training she was a great cook and adventurous as all get out. She was forever bringing home bargains (conger eel and lambs’ testicles are two I remember) that she’d never cooked …

By Dana McCauley
Quite often food trends trickle down from the foodservice world to the grocery realm. Consider balsamic vinegar. In the 1980s when Cal-Ital restaurants become popular, this was a new and exotic ingredient that home cooks quickly started asking for at the grocery store. Today balsamic vinegar is a kitchen staple and sold in even well-stocked convenience stores. The modern equivalent is black garlic, which as 2009 dawned was brand new to most chefs but is now, less than 18 months later, available at chain grocers such as Longo’s …