Today, in one of suburban Boston’s larger Market Baskets, I looked for caraway seeds in their very substantial spice aisle, which contains 4 or 5 different brands (McCormick, Badia, etc). The only caraway they carry is McCormick Organic.
I have only a couple of recipes that need caraway, so a little jar lasts me a few years. I don’t recall it being hard to find before now. I’m sure online sellers like Penzey’s will continue to have it, but it got me wondering what other spices, seasonings, and other ingredients aren’t easily found anymore in supermarkets. Recently, beef liver was only available frozen, and chicken livers not at all.
Any cady flavored wintergreen is probably stuck with the mints. I still see many variations of it around, including Altoids and Lifesavers, (among others).
I don’t think I’ve seen Certs in the checkout line in AGES.
I think the ultimate out of favor flavors (at least in the U.S.) would be the floral stuff. Violet, lavender, and rose.
One only sees them nowadays in things like that the self-consciously “old fashioned” Chowards gum, or Turkish delight.
I know that these are much more popular in other cultures, esp. rosewater, but I think here it will take another generation at least before they no longer automatically remind the populace of their grandmother’s perfume.
“Curry” powder is falling out of fashion, I think.
Pesto and sun-dried tomatoes seem to be coming back in along with other late 80s/90s foods and flavors. Espresso martinis and cosmopolitans are firmly back.
Processed cheese (American/Velveeta) are out with Whole Foods moms, but darn if they don’t make the best mac n cheese and diner-type cheeseburgers. Same for cream of anything soups, it seems.
Mmmmmm… Saccharine. Tab was still going up to quite recently. And my partner just recently found a case of Squirt (grapefruit soda I haven’t seen since the early 80’s)
I remember begging my mom for it as a kid because I thought the pink can was neat and regretting every mouthful.
Never, ever bought the stuff. I remember when the original Diet Rite launched and we could get it in the school cafeteria. It … took getting used to. Don’t think I ever bought any for home consumption.
I got a few cans of Campbell’s Cream of Onion soup during the pandemic. Ordered online. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in the grocery. I’m still waiting to use it (I want to declare right now that I loathe canned cream of mushroom soup …). I suppose I could just consume it as soup, but that would be too easy.
I agree about American cheese and processed cheese. They have their delicious uses. I’m not proud.
