Holiday Reading (Relaxing, Interesting, Gentle)

.... for food professionals, policy-makers and purveyors

Dec 31, 2021

An interesting story about truffles

50 silly food laws that will make you smile
How one man tried to take over the onion industry (and nearly succeeded)
What makes a salad a salad? (A humorous theorem)

Happy Holidays and Merry New Year!

I thought you might enjoy some food-integrity-entertainment while you wait for the next ‘official’ issue of The Rotten Apple… and try to take your mind off the global champagne shortage.

There’s no work-related content here; no food fraud incidents or horizon scanning updates, just interesting food-related articles that I got a kick out of. I hope you do too.

Issue #20 will be published on 10th January.

Enjoy the New Year Season,

P.S. Did I mention I’m adding audio to The Rotten Apple next year? Yep, I’m going to include a ‘click-to-listen’ feature inside each email, so you can catch up on the week’s food integrity news while you’re driving, walking or resting your eyelids on the couch: exciting!

An interesting story about truffles

Do you know the difference between summer truffles and the more highly prized winter truffles? Nope, me neither. But one British food writer does.

He describes the fragrances of various species of truffle using words like “fried hazelnuts”, “floral”, “petrol” and “old socks”. As well as explaining the difference between summer and winter truffles, he tells stories of truffle-mediated tax-avoidance scams and grey market truffle trading.

And he claims to have once been served a whole black truffle to share with his wife; eaten raw in a restaurant in Lyon with salt and champagne, as a hangover cure. Gorgeous!

🍏 Read it: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/don-t-be-seduced-by-fake-truffle-oil-this-christmas 🍏

The 50 Craziest Food Laws

This list of unexpected food laws is from the USA, of course – where else?!

Apparently, it’s illegal to put an ice cream cone in your back pocket on Sundays in the state of Georgia.

🍏 https://www.delish.com/food/g4540/crazy-state-food-laws/ 🍏

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How One Man Tried to Take Over the Onion Industry (and Nearly Succeeded)

It’s against the law to trade in onion futures in America; the only agricultural commodity for which such a ban exists.

This is the story of an audacious farmer who briefly became King of the Onions and made mega-millions in the process. Fascinating!

🍏 Read it: https://entrepreneurshandbook.co/how-one-man-tried-to-takeover-the-onion-industry-and-nearly-succeeded-67f63a6f7569 🍏

What Makes a Salad a Salad? (Warning, Science Nerds Only!)

If salads can contain fruit, noodles, meats, seeds and all types of dressings and sauces, how do we categorise a food as a salad? Or, to put it another way,