Biscotti means “twice cooked.” The unleavened, finger-shaped wafers were baked first to cook them, then baked a second time to completely dry them out. This made them durable nourishment for for travel and a staple food of the Roman Legions. The Roman author and military commander Pliny boasted that they would be edible for centuries.

Today we enjoy biscotti for the pleasure. They’re crunchy and delicious with coffee and tea, and made in so many varieties that the prospect never gets dull (chocolate-dipped biscotti, anyone?).

But they can be so hard, you might worry that a pleasurable nibble could turn into a whopping dentist bill.

Nonni’s has addressed the concern with THINaddictives, turning dense biscotti into delicate thins. Crunch away: no harm will befall those pearly whites.

Very thin biscotti are easy on the teeth. Shown: Cranberry Almond. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

 
While we liked all three flavors, the Cinnamon Raisin, inexplicably, had less depth of flavor than the other two. It could have been the batch.

You can enjoy all flavors with anything from cheese to yogurt to ice cream.
The “skinny biscotti” are cello-wrapped in two-piece portions. That’s good, because as the name says, they can be addictive.
The line is certified kosher (parve) by MK, a Montreal certifier (the product is made in Canada). Look for THINaddictives at your retailer, or click the links above to buy online.

And the next time someone invites you over for a cup of coffee, bring a box.

Here’s a new approach to “soup and salad”: a chilled soup with a salad garnish.

We were inspired by this concept from Chef Scott Conant of Scarpetta restaurants in Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, Miami and New York City.

The idea is to create a substantial garnish that contributes eye appeal and compatible flavors to the bowl of soup. The photo shows microgreens, herbs and flowers atop tomato gazpacho. The greens are not dressed.

It‘s a summer idea: a new way to serve a bowl of refreshing chilled soup.

You’ll be eating the salad garnish with a spoon, so anything that can’t be easily scooped up should be diced, shredded or torn into navigable pieces.

You’ve got a lot of opportunity to mix and match. Pick three or four ingredients with different shapes and colors. A starter list of suggestions:

Soup garnished with salad. Photo courtesy Scott Conant | Scarpetta.

MORE SOUP GARNISH IDEAS

Whether your recipe is hot or chilled, check out all of these options for soup garnishes.

*We‘ve heard people call this “mescaline,” pronounced MESS-kuh-leen, which is a psychedelic drug. Mesclun lettuce mix is pronounced MESS-klin. The term comes from the French verb mescler, to mix, and refers to a mix of tender young salad greens.

But not all beer could withstand the long journey to India in a hot ship’s hold. A style evolved—India Pale Ale or IPA—that had higher levels of alcohol (7%-8% ABV, alcohol by volume) and hops, both of which act as preservatives to help the beer withstand the voyage of up to six months.

The two components created an assertive beer, strong from the alcohol and both bitter and aromatic from the hops. The style paired well with robust food—the red meat and strong cheeses that were popular British fare.

Today, there’s fast transportation to the Pacific Rim, and plenty of bottled water and Coca-Cola for travelers. The IPA style has evolved (or devolved, in the case of British IPAs) to 5.5% ABV, but are still highly hopped. American IPAs tend to stick with the old style, higher alcohol.

Whenever we’re handed a craft beer list, we look for the IPA. But you can do well in supermarkets, too. Boston Beer Company, brewers of Samuel Adams, has embraced the IPA style, with eight different IPAs.

Some of the IPAs from Boston Beer Company, brewers of the Samuel Adams brand. Grumpy Monk is a Belgian-style IPA. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

The Samuel Adams IPAs below differ in different styles, ABV and IBUs, International Bitterness Units, reflecting the bitterness from the hops.

Samuel Adams Dark Depths (Baltic IPA, 7.6% ABV, 60 IBUs) is a dark and fierce bottling. The brewers reimagined Baltic porter as an IPA, combining the big and contrasting flavors of dark roasted malts and six varieties of bold citrussy hops with the smoothness of a lager. Dark Depths is available year-round, nationwide.

Samuel Adams Grumpy Monk (Belgian IPA, 6.5% ABV, 55 IBUs) is a spirited reinvention of the traditional Belgian ales brewed by monks, reimagined as a complex IPA. The brew combines six hop varieties with the traditional spicy clove and fruit flavors of Belgian ale yeast. It’s a bold new twist that might make a conventionally-minded monk a bit, well, grumpy. Grumpy Monk is available on draft year-round, nationwide.

Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA (IPA, 6.0% ABV, 60 IBUs) is brewed with five different hops from the 48th latitude—the prime hop-growing territory in the Northern Hemisphere, also known as the “hop belt.” The result is a distinctive, layered IPA hop character. The 2013 batch is inspired by the new Mosaic hop variety from Washington, which imparts a bright, citrusy flavor. Latitude 48 is available year-round, nationwide.

Samuel Adams Tasman Red (Red IPA, 7.0 % ABV, 60 IBUs) is a bold and lively red IPA that combines the grapefruit, piney and earthy character of Topaz and Galaxy hops grown around the Tasmanian Sea. Smooth and roasty malts and hints of coffee also shine in this balanced and smooth brew, which has a dry, citrussy hop finish. Tasman Red is available year-round, nationwide.

Samuel Adams Third Voyage (Double IPA, 8.0% ABV, 85 IBUs) is a bright and intense double IPA with a vivid hop punch. Inspired by Captain James Cook, whose third voyage made him the first to navigate a treacherous route from England to New Zealand to the Pacific Northwest, this brew combines hops from three growing regions, uniting for a citrussy, earthy and bold character. Here’s an example of the hop profile that the brewers have chosen:

 
Here’s a list of all the different types of hops.

Third Voyage is available year-round, nationwide.

Samuel Adams Whitewater IPA (White IPA, 5.8% ABV, 61 IBUs) draws inspiration from the crisp wheat character of a white ale and the intense hop flavor of an American IPA. Fusing these two styles together, American and Australian hop varieties impart bold grapefruit notes balanced by a crisp wheat malt while the subtle addition of apricots and orange peel provides a slight sweetness and zest to round out the brew. Whitewater IPA is available year-round, nationwide.
CHECK OUT ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BEER IN OUR GLOSSARY.
  

While the Earl of Sandwich is credited with “inventing” the sandwich in 1762, he actually only introduced the concept to western Europe.

The principle of bread and a filling likely dates back to around 9000 B.C.E., when man first harvested grain and created unleavened flatbreads. Flatbread rolled with a filling became common to early cultures worldwide.

The first recorded sandwich in history was made by Rabbi Hillel (Hillel the Elder), who lived in Jerusalem in the first century B.C.E., at the time of King Herod.

At a seder, Hillel observed the Passover ritual of eating bitter herbs or maror (grated horseradish) on matzoh. Inspired, he placed another Passover food, charoset—a sweet paste of fruits and nuts seasoned with cinnamon—on a slice of matzoh alongside the maror, and topped it with a second slice of matzoh. The practice, continued today, is known as the Hillel sandwich.

Take a bite of the history of the sandwich.

A shrimp po’ boy sandwich. Photo by Jason Perlow | Wikimedia.

August is National Sandwich Month, so honor the sandwich by trying something new. Beyond the BLT, grilled cheese and tuna on whole wheat is a world of super sandwiches.

 
STILL LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT CELEBRATORY SANDWICH?

Check out the different sandwich types in our Sandwich Glossary. Or invent your own sandwich. What better way to celebrate?
 

SEE ALL THE FOOD HOLIDAYS!

We get lots of pitches for gadgets that are also-rans. But every so often, we find something that’s simply superb. That’s how we feel about CapaBunga.

And most of us can use a few of these inexpensive wine bottle resealers, so consider your stocking stuffers and small house gifts taken care of.

CapaBunga is a reusable silicone cap that reseals a bottle of wine—no need to jam the cork back in, grab the Vacu-Vin, or other technique. It fits any wine bottle. And it just slips on, like a silicone sock.

Once you remove the cork and re-seal the bottle with a CapaBunga, it creates a vacuum in the bottle and is liquid-tight. The bottle can be stored upside down without leaking (or more realistically, on its side in the fridge).

At $7.95 for two, it’s a no-brainer gift for anyone who drinks wine.

Read the full review.