"smell" news and stories

Just yesterday, a NYC maple syrup mystery was solved. For several months now, there has been a mysterious smell over Manhattan that's been identified as maple syrup-like. Scientists in New Jersey and New York examined chemical registries, air samples, weather reports and 311 call logs. So what is the cause of this stink? Mayor Bloomberg states - New Jersey.

Frutarom factory in North Bergen is responsible for what the New York Times calls an "aromatic mystery". Mayor Bloombery assured reporters yesterday that the smell is harmless. The factory produces this smell on nights when it processes fenugreek seeds. To see what these seeds look like, check out AOL's coverage on the story. So, what's the deal with these seeds?

Fenugreek seeds are often used as a spice in Indian cuisine, in particular curry. Interestingly, in the U.S., fenugreek is often used as a flavor in industrial less expensive maple syrups. In the Middle East, it's used in many sweets. And, in Egypt, it's made into a tea and sold at coffee shops. For me, what began as an intriguing story over a syrup mystery has spurred an interest in discovering this aromatic spice and herb.

Be it fish, garlic, or cabbage, dinner is delicious - until it's all gone, but its scent remains in the air, permeating the furniture and generally grossing you out.

Aside from sticking a fan in the window and setting it to 'exhaust,' Apartment Therapy has some great suggestions on how to get rid of those lingering odors:

• Leave a dish of vinegar on the counter overnight, or leave it out while you're cooking (careful of boiling it, though, because then you'll replace the fish smell with vinegar, and that's not really any better)
  
• Simmer a mixture of half-vinegar, half-water on the stove
• Simmer a mixture of lemon and orange rinds on the stove for about half an hour. Throw some cloves in, too, if you have them
• Before you cook fish, core and slice an apple into thin layers. Then submerge the apples and fry them in oil until they turn brown. Then, go ahead and cook your fish.

It appears that this time it wasn't a K-9 unit, but rather a police officer, that did the nose work. After a pizza delivery woman reported being robbed at knife-point, Bartholomew County Sheriff's Deputy Jimmy Green canvassed the Columbus, Indiana, neighborhood to investigate. Green apparently noticed the distinct aroma of sausage and pepperoni at one residence. A search of the house turned up the missing pizzas and cash, a knife, and a phonebook still open to the pizza section, according to The Associated Press. Two young men believed to be the robbers were arrested at the house.

[Via Slice]

Without naming any names, some cultures have a tradition of overcooking vegetables almost to the point of mush. If you had a grandmother or a great grandmother who liked to prepare vegetables in this way, you are probably familiar with one of the least pleasant smells that the kitchen has to offer: overcooked cabbage. When overcooked, cabbage tends to emit a faint (or strong, depending on how much cabbage is being cooked) smell of sulfur. To cope, the usual strategy is to turn on a fan or open the windows, but this week I heard about a different technique. Apparently, if you add a whole, unshelled walnut or a celery stalk to the cooking water, there will be no smell.

I don't cook enough cabbage to test this - and certainly try to avoid overcooking it, in any case - but does this actually work, or is it just an old wives' tale?

Sure, the smell of apple pie is comforting and welcoming, but when I heard that some Sheraton Four Points Hotels were going to use the scent of cinnamon apple pie as a way to make guests feel welcome, I was a little skeptical. Luckily, it appears they're also using plenty of real pie as well. A Four Points exec has even joined the board of directors of the Pie Council of America (yes, it exists). Other hotels use food smells as well, including green and white teas, fig and bergamot, according to USA Today. Coincidentally, a recent episode of Good Eats also talked about how smell relates to memory and emotion.

[Via AdJab]