The real thing

Good Food Blog

What is RSS?

Posted at 4:55PM, 22 October 2009 by Carol Wilson - Food writer

How sure are you that the luxury food item you've splashed out on is the real thing? Sadly, the likelihood is that it's not the real thing at all.

Take truffle oil, for instance. The price of fresh truffles is prohibitive, so many of us buy what we imagine is truffle-infused oil to drizzle over fish, soups, pasta and risotto, to add an extravagant touch of heady fragrance and earthy flavour. But in fact most truffle oil sold in supermarkets doesn't contain any truffle at all - instead it's flavoured with chemical compounds (dithiapentane), made from a petroleum derivative to produce a synthetic aroma, which contains only a few of the most important smell components. A black truffle may have as many as fifty different aroma compounds, but truffle 'aromas' may have only five or six. Apparently only very expensive truffle oil sold by specialists is made with real truffles.

Saffron, the world's most expensive spice, has an inimitable fragrance and vivid yellow colour and is available as threads (filaments) and ground into a powder. I always buy the more costly deep orange-red filaments as the powder can be easily adulterated. If the price seems inexplicably low, be suspicious - there are quite a few impostors on the market!

Real balsamic vinegar is very thick, sweet and syrupy and has been aged for a very long time - at least twelve years - to reach that consistency. Anything younger is not traditional balsamic vinegar. Authentic balsamic is sweet enough to taste on its own - a practice not recommended for cheap balsamic vinegars, which are mass-produced and flavoured and coloured with caramel.

Wasabi, a bright green paste that's often served as an accompaniment to sushi and sashimi, is also known as Japanese horseradish and has a slightly sweet floral flavour with a definite bite. Genuine wasabi is expensive and loses its distinctive flavour if it is dried. Low priced imitation wasabi on the other hand is made from horseradish, mustard and green food colouring.

The next time you grate Parmesan cheese over your pasta, check the label to see if it is the real thing. It seems that this cheese is the most imitated Italian food product in the world. The real thing is labelled Parmigiano-Reggiano, which must be made from cow's milk between May and November in Modena, Parma, Reggio Emilia, or parts of Bologna.

Any other imitations out there?

Comments

robert

23 October, 10:39AM
robert

Crab sticks - these are made with cheap fish, but not crab!

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
The Impatient Chef

23 October, 1:52PM
The Impatient Chef

Not luxury as such, but Feta cheese - some supermarkets sell cheaper "Greek cheese" alternatives that are of lesser flavour. Purple vegetables, such as broccoli or carrots - return to their original colour in the cooking process, yet are priced at premium.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Nicola

26 October, 10:39AM
Nicola

Wow, I never even realised! I'll be more careful in future...I've never bought 'truffle oil' before, but I certainly don't fancy putting a petroleum derivative onto my risotto!!

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
smitty

28 October, 9:34AM
smitty

maple FLAVOUR syrup as opposed to real maple syrup

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Ellie Reade

3 November, 12:32PM
Ellie Reade

As a rule, if the label incorporates the word "flavour", it's not the real thing - and this counts not only for the expensive luxury items.....in the fruit juice aisle of the supermarket watch out for Orange Flavour drink..... Sometimes it's not easy to spot on the packaging either...they really hide the details

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Dirkies food

6 November, 9:13AM
Dirkies food

purple broccoli and carrots are not frauds, but actually heritage veg. The first carrots cultivated in holland were purple or white and these were then crossed with other varieties to produce the common carrot we have today. Purple carrots are very sweet in flavour and lovely in salads but I wouldnt boil them.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:

Your binder

Here are three other great reasons to sign up:

You get an online binder, where you can store all your favourite recipes and create menus.
You can add your own recipes to this site for others to try; plus, rate and make comments on recipes, and share your views on our blog.
You can sign up for our weekly newsletter (sent out on Wednesdays) - it's packed with recipes, special offers and competitions.