From cod throats to black garlic, the wacky food you might (or might not) eat in 2020
tRuE foodies will be greeting 2020 with open oven gloves, thanks to online grocery shopping. There are some weird and wonderful ingredients out there, both rarities and luxuries, but you won’t find them on supermarket shelves. luckily, we have pioneering suppliers who will deliver to the door.
From cod throats and sweet mango crickets to the most prized beef and the strangest eggs in the world, the New year will see the gourmand’s table ever better furnished. Curious? ROSE PRINCE picks the flavours of the future . . .
COD THROATS
PRIZED in spain, cod throats are known as kokotxa, and are the secret ingredient in the famous dish pil pil. They have a gelatinous texture, which takes some getting used to, and are salted, so they must be soaked in cold water for 24 hours before cooking. 500g, £11.09, thetapaslunchcompany.co.uk
CAVIAR BUTTER
THERE’s 28 per cent mashed caviar in this smooth French butter, ready to spread onto canapés. Comes in a shiny yellow tin, though you may be put off by its greyish colour. 50g, £22.50, finefoodspecialist.co.uk
ARCTIC CHAR
This has a similar, delicate flavour of sea trout, nothing like as promounced as salmon, and a firm, dense texture. Reared in dorset in former watercress beds fed by a natural spring, it is hot smoked in somerset. ideal in a brunch-time kedgeree. 250g, £12.95, brownandforrest.co.uk
BOTTARGA
SNIFF its powerful fishy aroma and you may recoil. But grated onto pasta, over toast or greens, combined with olive oil and lemon juice, it subtly transforms into the greatest seasoning. Bottarga (right) may seem pricy but a little goes a long way. £18.99 (approx 100g), vallebona.co.uk
INSECT BITES
A PARTY set of nine boxes of insect snacks, including sweet mango crickets, sour cream and onion buffalo worms, sesame and cumin mealworms. The same producer makes salted caramel mealworms . . . Well, someone will love them. £51.69, jiminis.co.uk
WONKY PICKLES
BRAVO daylesford organic Farm for initiative when it comes to wonky vegetables. For example, their pickled carrots: deliciously fermented with cider vinegar, turmeric and rosemary — they are good for both your gut and the planet and heaven with cold meats and cheese.
Market Garden Pickled Carrots from Daylesford Organic, 650g, £8.99. daylesford. com
TRUFFLE DIP
A VERY extravagant mustard infused with black melanosporum truffles from France — the most fragrant and delicious truffles of all — for dipping the poshest of breakfast bangers. 100g, £15.75, finefoodspecialist.co.uk
ORIENTAL EGGS
PERHAPS the strangest ingredient finding popularity in top london restaurants, Century Eggs are a Chinese festive delicacy. preserved in tea and salt, the outer shells of these duck eggs are greenish, with natural snowflake or pine leaf pattern.
They have a gelatinous texture and are eaten with spring onion and pickled ginger. doubtless a ‘Marmite food’ for many. £5.95 for 6 eggs. souschef.co.uk
BLACK GARLIC
MASTERCHEF fans will have noticed this curious ingredient (left) used more and more often as a seasoning or condiment, sprinkled on pizza or blended to make a glaze for red meat. To prepare it, whole garlic bulbs are very slowly heated over a period of two to three weeks until the cloves become soft, sweet but tangy — and black. The flavour is not unlike aged balsamic vinegar and the ingredient’s versatility has made it a welcome pantry item. £3.50 for one bulb, fromsouschef.co.uk
RARE FRUIT
THERE’s a rumour that Queen victoria loved the taste of mangosteens so much, she offered a knighthood to anyone who could source a fresh supply. These exotic, peculiar-looking fruits are to some the most delicious on the planet, alongside rambutans, and Alphonso mangoes. panzer’s, the famous deli near lord’s cricket ground, supplies some of the best. delivery local. £100 for a large mixed delivery (top), panzers.co.uk