"spread" news and stories

For once, it's nice to see that we have a world record in something that doesn't involve a giant hamburger or someone eating their weight in brats. The British company Duerrs is celebrating their 125th anniversary with the release of world's most expensive marmalade. The special edition preserve is a one-off product, made with Seville oranges, 62-year-old Dalmore whisky, vintage Pol Roger champagne and enough edible gold to give it a tantalizing gleam. It tastes "more tangy than usual and distinctly boozier." The 1 kg of the marmalade has been packed in a crystal jar, specially designed to hold the product and will be auctioned online to benefit the Manchester Kids charity. The estimated value of the product is at least $9,500.

And if you're going to eat marmalade - the most expensive or even an everyday brand, Duerr's has a bit of advice on hot to properly enjoy it: (1)it must be on white bread, not brown (2) and spread with butter, not margarine.

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Jam is falling out of fashion. The sweet treat, a cooked combination of sugar and fruit, seems to be being shunned for health reasons. It's not the fruit that's the problem, of course. It's the sugar.

Sugar has been villainized by the health-craze and rising carb-consciousness of recent years and, as jams are often half sugar, it might make sense that consumers could be concerned. Of course, jam is hardly a major source of sugar in people's diets, though the fruity spreads often have much more sugar than fruit, very few people are eating jam by the jarful. More than likely, candy and sodas are far exceeding the consumption of sugar from jam, but the preserves industry is taking a hit because it is something people feel they are willing to go without.

The trend is very noticeable in England, where jam or marmalade was served with toast and scones at both breakfast and tea on most days. I am certain that I'm not the only one who has noticed the proliferation of sugar-free "jams" on this side of the Atlantic, too.

I don't want to see jam go the way of other, once beloved, foods. Jam is delicious and far from the worst thing you can eat. Perhaps a campaign to spread awareness is in order.

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The love-it-or-hate-it spreadable yeast extract, Marmite, has been unchanged for over a century. The thick brown spread is made from a byproduct of the beer brewing process and is a pantry staple for the Brits who love it. But Marmite is getting a makeover. The product has always been packaged in glass jars but the makers of Marmite have been developing a new, squeezable version over the past five years. Packaged in a plastic squeeze bottle, the reformulated Marmite will be slightly thinner in consistency than the jarred version is, but company representatives insist that the flavor will be the same. The new bottle is scheduled to hit Sainsbury shelves tomorrow. The smallest glass jar size will be phased out.

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It all started at a restaurant called Spread in San Diego, California where a couple of inventive people reinvented one of the most classic comfort foods: peanut butter. Instead of sticking with the traditional "butter" label, the restaurant turned all natural ingredients into a wide variety of nut "spreads." Not only are they organic and without preservatives, but the gourmet peanut spreads and almond spreads are all made by hand and sold in 4-ounce containers. Some varieties are seasonal, but many offerings are available year round and all can be ordered online. Their best seller is the Seasonal Cinnamon, which began as a seasonal flavor, as the name suggests, but is now so popular it sells all year. Dark Chocolate with Pretzels sounds like a combination made in heaven to me, but Chili Mango and White Chocolate Espresso Almond sound fantastic as well.