"new zealand" news and stories

• The Boston Globe Magazine turns Japanese, I really think so.
• Making takeout at home.
• An evening with The Bacon Club.
• Football players love pie.
• The Food Snob's Dictionary looks like fun.
• Mmmmmm...Cider Doughnuts.
• Turduken...in a can?
• How about a taste of New Zealand?
• This week's recipes: Almond-Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon, Carrot Pate, Cauliflower with Tuna, Raisins, and Capers, and Orange-Scented Cranberry and Pecan Scones.

On Monday, the New York Times printed an opinion piece entitled, "Food That Travels Well" by James E. McWilliams. In it McWilliams states that while he is a passionate member of the "eat local" cohort, to be absolutely responsible about the carbon footprint of your food, you have to take more into account that just the place where that food was grown or raised.

He offers the convincing example of research done at Lincoln University in New Zealand (done in response to Europe's push to label their food with the number of miles it traveled from field to shelf) that found that lamb raised in New Zealand and shipped 11,000 miles to England emitted three-quarters less carbon dioxide emissions per ton than the lamb raised in England.

Until the FDA starts requiring food producers to print the amount of carbon dioxide emissions along with the fat grams on that package of chicken breasts, this isn't information to which we will have easy access. Neither do I think it means that people should stop buying their food locally when it is available and affordable. But it adds another layer of consideration to the already complex situation that we all face when we open the fridge every morning.

Photo credit

Two 14-year-old New Zealand girls made the news recently when their school science project revealed that Ribena, the popular black currant drink, did not have the high levels of vitamin C it claimed to. According to a story published yesterday in The Guardian, the girls were testing a variety of beverages, expecting to find that the less expensive ones had less vitamin C, when they discovered the opposite. Their results were picked up by a local news show and then eventually a national watchdog group. Today, The Guardian reported that GlaxoSmithKline, the drink's producer, is being fined almost $160,000 for misleading ads, which stated "the black currants in Ribena contain four times the vitamin C of oranges." A GSK press release says that that fact is true "on a weight for weight basis," but also admits that it could be misleading. There's also some discrepancy about the differing vitamin C levels in the concentrate versus the diluted product. On a personal note, I was a Ribena drinker for a while. I think it's tasty stuff. I don't think I ever believed it was good for me, however.

As I did for champagne, I have been putting together a list of some of the best buys in Sparkling Wines of the World for the holidays. I combed stores and the internet for weeks looking for great wines at great prices. Each of these sparklers is a good buy for the money, as well as tasty and interesting. I tried to include as many Rosé bubblies as well since they are becoming so hot and trendy right now. Those in the know have been enjoying their great combination of dry fruit and nose tickling effervescence for years. The following list doesn't have everything out there, but each of these is a great wine for the price, from low to high, they're all worth it. If you have any suggestions please tell us what, where, and how much. Happy Holidays Everyone!

US Sparkling Wines

• Barefoot Bubbly non-vintage Premium Extra Dry - $9
• Domaine Ste. Michelle non-vintage Blanc de Blancs- $12
• Domaine Ste. Michelle non-vintage Brut- $12
• Gruet Brut Blanc de Blancs- $13
• Korbel Sparkling Natural Chardonnay non-vintage- $13
• Piper Sonoma non-vintage Blanc de Noir- $15
• Piper Sonoma non-vintage Brut- $15
• Scharffenberger Mendocino non-vintage Brut-$15
• Mumm Napa non-vintage Blanc de Noirs- $17
• Mumm Napa non-vintage Brut Prestige- $17

South Gin is from New Zealand and is 48.2%abv / 96.4proof. Made from grain neutral spirits from Genetic Engineering (GE) free wheat ,distilled twice, then it has spring water added and is re-distilled a third time to get some regional character from the water. The nine botanicals in this gin are juniper, lemon, orange, coriander seed, angelica leaves, orris root, gentian root, local New Zealand manuka berries, and New Zealand kawakawa leaves. There are some unusual botanicals in this gin. The first is gentian root. I love the bitter herbal taste of gentian root which is the base flavor of my favorite soda, Moxie. The others are manuka berries and kawakawa leaves which are used in the traditional Maori medicine of Aotearoa called Rongoa Maori.

This gin has a very light nose, faintly spicy with a hint of juniper and citrus. The company says that the "fragrance is similar to walking through the bush after it's rained." Well I haven't been to New Zealand and walked through the bush after a storm but at least I now know what to expect when I do. Someone please take me to New Zealand... Pretty please?

The taste is spicy, sharp, complex, and unusual; with water it opens up massively to a huge hit of the sharp herbs and spice, brought together by the juniper. You can tell that there are some unusual botanicals in this Maori medicinal based brew which must come from the manuka berries and kawakawa leaves. This is a very dry and sharp gin, the exact opposite of the current trend in sweet, citrus fronted gins, much to my great pleasure. It's very different, it's gin, but again I say it's very different. A mighty good gin and I would assume from the medicinal botanicals that it's good for you to, or at least I want to think so. A strong nod back to gins traditional roots as a medicinal tonic, but with a great taste. I Like it!