While you’re at it, check out Penzey’s Krakow Nights and Tsardust Memories mixes. They’ve joined TJ’s 21 Seasoning Salute as my go-to seasonings for savory dishes.
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Squirt was a big deal when I was a kid. I think the grownups mixed it with vodka…? This was extremely exotic to me because while my working-class environment was ALWAYS full of beer, there was no wine and no mixed drinks - except for Squirt + vodka, especially on Christmas Eve.
I was delighted recently to see it on the shelves around here… I should try it again.
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Krakow Nights are aMAZing on pork chops. What other things to you use it for?
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Tripe. I’ve never had it the traditional way in Britain, boiled with onions. Only ever had it at Vietnamese places in Pho.
Similar thing with frogs legs. Never eaten them at a French restaurant either here in The UK or France. I have had them at Thai & Vietnamese restaurants though.
I don’t do the Krakow Nights, but I do love the Tsardust Memories! Excellent on pork tenderloin or chops.
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If you have Hungarian, Polish or Ukrainian restaurants nearby, you might find tripe soup on the menu there, if you’re interested.
Tripe tacos are easy find in NYC.
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I haven’t bought Penzey’s since they closed their shop at Grand Central’s little Market Hall in Manhattan.
Looked up what’s in each blend so I can attempt to recreate the blends at home.
Tsardust Memories
Krakow Nights
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Tab may have tasted terrible, but I am reasonably sure that it did not taste like shit. After my recreation of the taste test described here (https://www.thisamericanlife.org/484/doppelgangers), which I posted in detail on CH, I feel confident I know what shit tastes like. At least pig shit.
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I had some times where certain spices were absent from my local store and larger chains like Kroger. One I recall not being able to find for months was cumin seed. There were others, but I don’t recall them right now. Maybe this was pandemic-related.
My local used to carry beef and chicken livers fresh, but now both are only available frozen. Calf liver as well.
They and Kroger etc. also used to carry rabbit halves frozen. I wanted rabbit with my chicken thighs in a planned weeknight paella, but they all said they’d stopped carrying it. The one guy offered to order a case of it for me but I was trying to get the paella made before the shipment would have come in.
I also noted turkey necks were only available frozen but maybe that’s just a seasonal issue. But of note, they were $4.00 a pound. For turkey necks? Sheesh.
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Plenty of imitation root beer, birch beer, Sarsaparilla but rare to find the real root based flavor. I miss real root beer frozen popsicles with two sticks of my youth .
Real licorice is harder to source.
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That’s because of the global Retsin™ shortage.
(yes, this is a joke. I’m pretty sure “Retsin” was a made-up nothingburger…).
Also
I wonder how much this might have to do with the proliferation of really decent Indian and Thai food instructional blogs?
I used to buy “red” and “yellow” curry powder, but now I just follow the recipes and the curry powder makes itself, so to speak, based on the ingredients/instructions.
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Pumpkin Pie Spice was hard to find during 2020 and 2021 around here (Ontario).
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Better to blend your own and use up the Spices in your Cabinet (assuming you have what you need) You can also customize the Blend to your tastes rather than what is cheapest.
Scotch Mints, English Mints, not as popular as they once were.
Also, Buttermints / Laura Secord Butter Puffs
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There are too many choices for curry powders that I see. I think the trend is to make your own.
Best Foods Sandwich Spread… used to luv it on a baloney sandwich.
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I know this, of course, and the thing is I have very little use for, say, allspice other than in a pickling blend. So it’s more economical for me to buy the blend than full-size bottles of a bunch of stuff that’s gonna get stale.
I have been buying some posh curry powders lately, from smaller batch companies (Arvinda’s, and another 2 I’m forgetting), and while they’re nice, the McCormick’s and Sharwoods curry powders are better for things like Coronation Chicken and Country Captain, in my experience.
Make your own curry powder doesn’t have the desired result for me.
I definitely use my own spices when trying to create a good Aloo Gobi or whatever other specific Indian dish.
Recommend Kalustyan’s for their many curry powders, which can be purchased online. I like their Malaysian curry powder , as well as Jamaican and Trinidadian curry powders.
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