Small portions

Web posted February 16, 2000

 Have a thought? Go to the @ugusta Forums.

Associated Press

The real Bologna

We're full of baloney. So says the Italian city of Bologna, whose name is synonymous in this country with a pale-pink sandwich meat that only slightly resembles its noble ancestor, the mortadella sausage. But Bologna food companies aim to change all that. On Wednesday they resumed exports of mortadella to the United States for the first time in 20 years. ``Americans sell a product which they call baloney, which is the worst possible version of our mortadella,'' one Bologna food company official said. ``Our task now is to convince the American public that our products are different and better.''

Did you know?

To keep paprika from burning, add it to meat, fish or poultry after broiling.

Water is stored in a small circle of starch in each popcorn kernel. As the kernel is heated, the water heats and turns to steam. The steam builds pressure until the kernel explodes.

Truffles no trifle

Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that the tough, rough, wrinkled-skin fungi known as truffles possessed therapeutic and aphrodisiac powers.

While they share chocolate truffles' over-the-top decadence, truffles that grow primarily around oak tree roots command $80 an ounce for the white variety and $210 for 1 1/4 ounces of the black on specialty food purveyors Dean & DeLuca's Web site.

Catapult the weekly grocery bill into the stratosphere with truffles. Or capture their heady aroma and sultry richness, maybe even their reputed powers, for a fraction of the cost with black or white truffle oil.

Imported from Italy, this haute cuisine favorite infuses black or white truffle extract with extra-light olive oil. Some brands steep the truffles in olive or vegetable oil.

Food addictions

In the book Food Addiction: The Body Knows (1989; Health Communications Inc.), author Kay Sheppard writes that the symptoms of food addiction are similar to those of other addictions:

The compulsive pursuit of a mood change by engaging repeatedly in episodes of binge eating, despite adverse consequences.

Preoccupation with food.

Inability to stop eating after one bite of binge food.

Obsession with body shape and weight.

Denial of the disease.

Tolerance of binge foods, triggering the need to eat greater amounts to achieve the same effect.

Withdrawal symptoms when binge food is cut off.

Cravings and distorted body image.

Snack compatibility

Maybe you've been looking for love in all the wrong places. A recent study reveals that people's snack choices reflect personality traits, so you should date people whose snack habits are compatible with yours. For instance, pretzel lovers, who are described as lively and energetic, match up with pretzel, potato-chip and cheese-curl fans. But tortilla-chip snackers, who are perfectionists, are happy only with other tortilla-chip people. You're on your own when it comes to sharing the dip.

Raisin to health

Want to cut back on the fat in chocolate-chip cookies? Substitute half of the chocolate chips in the recipe with raisins, the American Cancer Society advises.

Is that soy?

Recent national surveys suggest that at least half of American consumers have never knowingly eaten a soy food. Only 15 percent eat a soy food once a week. In fact, only 1 percent to 3 percent of America's huge soybean crop is eaten by humans. Still, sales of soy-based human foods are expected to top $2 billion this year.