LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2023

BLASTS FROM THE PAST

Some Like It Hot Over the past 30 years, many Canadians went from owning a single bottle of Tabasco to half a dozen spicy condiments. Here’s a timeline of this modern heat wave.

CHILIES IN OIL This Southern Italian condiment rose in tandem with individual thin-crust pizzas. Toronto’s Terroni imports their dynamite Peperoncini Piccanti (285 g, $11.99, labottegaditerroni.com) from Puglia. SRIRACHA The popularity of Thai, Vietnamese and Pan-Asian cuisine brought this garlicky hot sauce into the mainstream. Huy Fong Foods Sriracha Chili Sauce (740 mL, $6.47, walmart.ca) is the Heinz ketchup of sriracha. HARISSA When Southern Mediterranean flavours became all the rage, so did harissa, the Tunisian paste of chilies, garlic and spices. Since then, local versions have become available, including El Tounsi Harissa (4 oz, $8.49, eltounsifoods.com). MEXICAN HOT SAUCE When tacos began their ascent in Ontario, it put the spotlight on Mexican hot sauces like Valentina Red Hot Sauce (370 mL, $2.17, walmart.ca). It’s inexpensive and moderately spicy with a vinegary kick. CHILI CRISP First bottled in 1997, Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chilli Crisp (700 g, $7.99, tntsupermarket.com) took off here 20 years later. The chunky oil-based condiment adds heat, umami and crunch to noodles, dumplings and rice.

1994

1999

GAME CHANGERS

There have been countless tools, techniques and ingredients that have changed the way we cook. Here are a few of our food editor Eric Vellend’s favourites. TOOLS “We take parchment paper for granted— 30 years ago, you had to buy it at restaurant supply stores! The rasp grater is an invaluable tool for zesting citrus, mincing garlic and grating ginger. And with a high-speed blender, I no longer have to cross my fingers when making frozen cocktails.” TECHNIQUES “I got turned on to dry-brining (aka pre-salting) via Judy Rodgers’s The Zuni Cafe Cookbook (W.W. Norton, 2002), which is essential for chicken and pork. I also love reverse-searing beef roasts. The low-high method yields perfectly medium-rare meat from end to end.” INGREDIENTS “Flaky Maldon sea salt from England is so pretty and delicate I can’t imagine using any other finishing salt. Spanish smoked paprika is an easy way to add a naturally smoky flavour to dishes. Finally, made-in Canada Acid League Cabernet Port Living vinegar is the red wine vinegar of my dreams.”

2005

2011

2018

40 FOOD & DRINK AUTUMN 2023