In our field, we learn something new every day—and we love to discover. Recently, we came upon beer salt, which, to the uninitiated, is exactly what it sounds like: salt to shake onto the top of a beer bottle, can, or glass. Meet our Top Pick Of The Week: Twang’s line of flavored kosher salts.

First, we thought: a lime wedge in a Corona bottle, yes; a salt rim on a Margarita, absolutely; drinking shots of tequila with salt on the dorsal side* of one hand (to lick) and a wedge of lime held in the other hand (to suck), certainly—especially if you’re a fan of Ernest Hemingway.

But who thought of actually salting beer?
 
 
BEER & SALT: A MEXICAN TRADITION

The ritual of putting salt and lime into a beer is a well-known Mexican-inspired tradition. The longtime practice crossed the border in 1986, when Roger Trevino Sr., having observed the practice in Mexico, created three flavors of Twang’s beer salt in San Antonio. (The innovation was adding flavor to the salt.)

While beer and salt was well-known in border towns, it wasn’t until Twang lime and lemon-lime beer salts appeared that salting a beer grew in popularity throughout the Lone Star State and beyond.

Instead of placing the salt and lime juice inside the beer, old school, Trevino placed Twang on the rim of the beer and called it “dressing your beer.” People learned to ask the bartender for a beer, dressed.

It took the better part of 40 years for this information to end up on our desk! Blame it on our location, New York City. Not only is it far away from Texas, but it’s a salt-concerned city that requires chain restaurant menus to state the amount of excess salt in each portion, to save consumers from ingesting too much salt.

But now we know, and we can choose. To paraphrase Proust, the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes [source].

Beer + salt: As a salted-rim Margarita fan, we like it! Dress our beer, please, Mr. Bartender.

While a salt rim is a natural with Mexican beers, we’ve enjoyed it with more complex craft beers. Truth to tell, we didn’t have a bottle of Bud on which to try it. But in our [perhaps jaded] opinion, beer salt can only improve the pallid American mega-beer brands.
 
 
BEYOND BEER SALT

Over the decades, Twang has expanded into flavored salts for food, cocktail rimmer blends, Michelada mix, and more.

After you read about the products, celebrate Cinco de Mayo using one of the Twang-A-Rita cocktail rimmer blends to create the Red Clay cocktail recipe below (photo #6).

Are you ready to dress your canned cocktail or juice (photo #2)? And your popcorn (photo #4)? And your ice pop (photo #5)?
 
 
TWANG PRODUCTS

Twang’s small-batch products are made with all-natural colors and flavors, quality kosher flake salts, and pure cane sugars.

Twang Beer Salt

Dress (i.e., salt) your beer, be it in a bottle, can, or glass. It’s easy to carry the pocket size (photo #1) to your favorite watering hole.

 
Twangerz Flavored Salts

Use these flavorful blends for topping a broad assortment of foods and snacks. They’re also “eating salts”: from the shaker to the fingers to the mouth!

 
Twang-A-Rita Rimming Salts

Add a salty-sweert rim to cocktails, fruit juices, and anywhere you’d like some seasoning.

 
Reserve Michelada Cocktail Mix

Twang introduced bottled Reserve Michelada Clásica Mix after years of research (photo #3). Add it to a glass of beer for an instant Michelada. You can even add it to an open can or bottle—just drink a bit of the beer first, to make room for the Michelada mix.

And don’t forget the rimming salt.

 
 
> VISIT TWANG.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION & TO ORDER.
 
 
RECIPE: RED CLAY TEQUILA COCKTAIL

This recipe (photo #6) was created at the B-Side Cocktail Lounge, at JdV by Hyatt Hotels in Baltimore.
 
Ingredients For 1 Drink

[1] A beer stein with a pocket-size bottle of Twang Beer Salt (photos #1 through #4 © Twang).

[2] You can use the Twangerz flavored salt rimmers on canned cocktails, of hard seltzer, juice, etc.

[3] Make a great Michelada at home.

[4] The flavored salts can also season popcorn, other snacks, salads, and other foods.

[5] Ice pops, too. In Mexico, ice pops are commonly flavored with sweet-salty heat.

[6] The Red Clay cocktail, made with a rim of Safari Spice Twangarita (photo © DJ Impulse).>

1. POUR the Twangarita Safari Spice salt onto a plate. Wet the entire rim of the cocktail glass with the lime wedge. Dip the rim of the glass into the salt and rotate until the rim is fully covered.

2. COMBINE the lime juice, simple syrup, Cointreau, red bell pepper, and serrano chile in a cocktail shaker and muddle to extract the pepper flavor. Add the tequila and ice and shake vigorously/

3. STRAIN into the rimmed cocktail glass. Garnish with a dehydrated or fresh lime wheel.

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*Did you know that your hands have a dorsal side? The palm side of the hand is considered the front of the hand and is referred to as the palmar side. The back of the hand (what we erroneously called the “top” or “front” of the hand) is called the dorsal side. The word “dorsal” refers to something that is towards the back of something. The side of your hand that palms, or grasps, something, is the front. Another example: The dorsal fin of fish and marine mammals is the fin on their back. Hence, dorsal pertains to the back of something. Also see: tennis backhand.
 
 

[1] No matter what cut of steak you’re cooking, a homemade steak sauce adds palate excitement (photo © Tom’s Kitchen Chelsea).

[2] More restaurants are slicing the steak in the kitchen, making it easier for the diner to cut bite-size pieces (photo © Barbacoa | Boise).

[3] How about a sliced porterhouse (photo © The Jones Family Kitchen | Belgravia).

[4] Chimichurri tops a line of sliced steak (photo © Roast Restaurant).

[5] An extra treat: a choice of two ormore steak sauces (photo © The Jones Family Kitchen | Belgravia).

A word about National Steak Day, a new holiday created by a cloaked group of steak restaurants and online sellers of beef*. We can’t find who set up the website, which proclaimed the holiday on April 25th, 2019. It may have originated in the U.K. It may have only been held in 2019.

The timing isn’t great for National Steak Day. April 27th is National Prime Rib Day. And an earlier, risqué holiday, proclaims Steak and a [Sexual Act] Day on March 14th. June is National Steakhouse Month.

Questions notwithstanding, we’re taking the day to present five updated steak sauce concepts from chefs nationwide.

The goal of the chefs was to give the classics some trend-forward flavor. Via Flavor & The Menu, a website for chefs to find inspiration for their recipes, we present, in alphabetical order:
 
 
5 STEAK SAUCE RECIPE UPDATES
 
 
1. CHIMICHURRI SAUCE: The garlic-parsley-vinegar assertiveness of this Argentinian classic cuts through the richness of steak (here’s a recipe). For a contemporary version:

 
 
2. HORSERADISH SAUCE: To the classic, creamy horseradish heat (here’s a recipe), add:

 
 
3. HOLLANDAISE SAUCE: This classic French mother sauce is creamy and unctuous but a bit bland. Bearnaise sauce, a secondary mother sauce, kicks up the flavor by adding tarragon and shallots to a wine reduction.

But hollandaise can be the base for any bold flavor.

 
 
4. BORDELAISE SAUCE: This classic red wine sauce can be tweaked with:

 
 
5. PEPPERCORN SAUCE: This lightly creamed, peppery sauce with brandy accents, can be modernized with the addition of:

 
 
Take the plunge and make a new steak sauce. Creativity is contagious!
 
 
> CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT CUTS OF BEEF. <
 
 
 
 
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*To take part in National Steak Day your business will need to offer at least one steak at a 25% discount on April 2019, or a special menu/offer with added value for the customer. Your business will have its own dedicated webpage which will showcase your steak offer. Customers will be able to download vouchers to redeem your offer(s).

Every year for Earth Day, April 22nd, we try to implement one small thing to help save the planet. For years, we’ve been carrying empty cans and bottles back home to recycle. We established a “Saturday seek-out” to find leftovers and produce from the past week that is about to expire, and we eat them before they become food waste, a major contributor to climate change.

This year we discovered For Good compostable food wrap and zipper bags. If you’ve been hearing about the dangers of microplastics, the impact of plastic bags on the environment, and some dangers of plastic food wraps, you need to take a look at the products from For Good.

For Good is a family of sustainable, compostable household staples. The brand has wraps and bags that break down into carbon and water, leaving no trace of microplastics. You can get earth-friendly, feel-good:

 
They are as sustainable as they are functional and convenient. They are:

 
One percent of every purchase goes to providing nutritious meals to food-insecure communities.

HEAD TO FOR GOOD AND ORDER SOME BETTER-FOR-THE-EARTH SUPPLIES.

There’s free shipping on your first order

[1] For Good’s compostable food wrap (both photols © For Good).

[2] There are compostable zipper bags in three sizes.

*FSC, the Forest Stewardship Council is an international non-profit, multistakeholder organization established in 1993 that promotes responsible management of the world’s forests.

[1] A toast to Queen Elizabeth (photo © AG Photographer | Canstock Photo).

[2] There are two matcha holidays: February 6th in Japan and May 2nd in the U.S. You can celebrate both (photo © Matcha Co. | Unsplash).

[3] Hibiscus iced tea with blueberries (photo © Blueberry Council).

April 21st is the birthday of England’s Queen Elizabeth, born in 1926. It’s also National Tea Day in the U.K., created in her honor. But there are many more national tea holidays in the U.S., and others to celebrate worldwide.

So, fellow tea lovers: get ready to celebrate year-round. There’s at least one holiday in every month except July.

(July is National July Belongs to Blueberries Month, so perhaps some blueberry iced tea—photo #3?)

The holidays originated in the U.S., except as noted.

But no matter what country or people established the holiday, you can celebrate alongside them.

For National Caffeine Awareness Month (March), celebrate with decaffeinated tea or herbal tea.
 
 
WORLD TEA HOLIDAYS

 
 
> The history of tea.
 
 
> The history of iced tea.
 
 
> The history of tea bags.
 
 
> The history of afternoon tea.
 
 
> The different types of tea.

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*The Nibble created this holiday in honor of Anna, Duchess of Bedford, who created the custom of afternoon tea. She was born on September 3, 1783. Here’s the story of afternoon tea.

†There are two Japanese Tea Days celebrated in Japan, plus other tea days.

‡The world’s tea-producing countries established International Tea Day in 2004, to draw attention to the impact that the tea trade has on workers and growers. Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and Vietnam.

Here’s a quick-and-easy chickpea salad for National Chickpea Day, April 21st (photo #1). You may know today’s legume honoree by one of its other names: ceci or cece (Italian), chana or Kabuli chana (Northern India), Egyptian pea, garbanzo (Spanish), gram or Bengal gram (British India).

By any name, chickpeas are protein-packed with protein and a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Here are 10 science-backed health benefits of chickpeas.

Spell them chickpeas or chick peas, serve them as a side, enjoy them as a snack, and add them to soup.

Chickpeas can be mashed into dip (like hummus), tossed into a salad, made into falafel, and served with everything from breakfast eggs to dinner pasta.

Today’s recipe serves chickpeas Italian-style, with tomato sauce and salame (the correct spelling for what Americans chose to write as “salami”).

Thanks to Veroni for the recipe, which uses the company’s Salame Milano in the salad. The style of salame is an ancient one, characterized by an intense red color and a flavor that’s delicate and sweet, rather than spicy.

Here are Veroni’s other salame styles.

If you don’t eat pork, substitute meat of choice, including vegan, wheat-based seitan. Shrimp works nicely.

The recipe begins below, after we answer the question: Why is it called a salad if there are no raw vegetables?

> There are more delicious chickpea recipes below.

> The history of chickpeas.

> Is the chickpea a pea or a bean?

> The different types of beans and legumes.
 
 
WHY IS IT CALLED “SALAD” IF THERE ARE NO GREENS?

Think chicken salad, egg salad, potato salad, pasta salad, Waldorf salad, and so on: No greens here! What “binds” them together is a dressing, with salt.

“Salad” derives from the Latin word for salt, sal. “Salad” has nothing to do with vegetables and everything to do with the salt that enhances the flavor of the dish.

A salad can refer to any number of ingredients—fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and other ingredients that can be mixed or topped with dressings that contain salt. (Yes, even a sweet dressing contains a pinch or more of salt.)

Where did the greens come into the picture?

What we now think of as the classic dinner salad of greens and other raw vegetables has its roots in the first century C.E., in Greek and Roman cuisine.

The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (460 B.C.E. to 370 B.C.E.) believed that vegetables were easily digested (not true—they can be hard to digest). He taught his patients to eat a salad before the main course.

The salads were made with seasonal, chopped raw vegetables, dressed with oil, vinegar, and salt. They were nearly identical to the raw vegetable salads served today [source].

Here’s more of the history of salad.
 
 
RECIPE: CHICKPEA SALAD WITH SALAME & GREEK YOGURT

This chickpea salad is served with sliced bread (toasted country bread is best!), but it’s not a spread per se: It’s spoonable, not spreadable!

It’s also served with a side of Greek yogurt, in the manner of the sour cream garnish for chili.
 
Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the oil in a saucepan, and add the chopped onion and the salami.

2. SAUTÉ, stirring often. When the onion becomes transparent, add the chickpeas and onion mix, and simmer for another 5 minutes.

3. ADD the tomato purée, salt, pepper, and oregano. Continue cooking, covered, for another 15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced.

4. SERVE with Greek yogurt and sliced bread as desired.
 
 
MORE CHICKPEA RECIPES

In addition to falafel and hummus—two chickpea-based Middle Eastern staples that have been embraced by Americans, try:

 
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*Veroni Salame Milano is made from lean portions of Italian pork, which is finely minced and flavored with a blend of sea salt, black pepper, spices, and natural flavors. After seasoning, the sausage mass is placed into a special cotton bag and matured in a natural micro-climate.

Quality meat is used: the shoulder, the loin, and the trimmings of all of the most prized cuts. The quality of the fat is of equal importance.

The fat used is obtained from the guanciale, the jowls, which is the most valuable fat from the pig. It is combined with subcutaneous fat to give the product the right softness [source].

[1] Chickpea salad with salame. The recipe is below (photo © Veroni).

[2] Dried chickpeas (photo © Polina Tankilevitch | Pexels).

[3] Freshly-harvested chickpeas, before they’re dried. You can use them raw or cooked in a variety of dishes (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[4] Toss steamed (canned) or roasted chickpeas into any green salad; here, it’s kale (photo © Saffron Road).

[5] Or, toss them into any protein salad: chicken, egg, shrimp, tuna, etc. Here’s the recipe for this tuna-and-chickpea salad (photo © DeLallo).

[6] Pasta e Ceci is a famous Italian chickpea soup. Here’s the recipe Here’s the recipe (photo © DeLallo).

[7] Hummus, the most common use of chickpeas in the U.S. (photo © Monika Grabkowska | Unsplash).