Divine Bovine is everything we look for in a jerky: tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef with the added bonus of no nitrates, no preservatives, and no MSG. “Holy Cow It’s Terrific,” says the bag. We agree, and could not stop eating piece after piece until the aforementioned bag was empty.

This is not hard jerky; it does not give your jaws a workout. There is no smoke flavor, just sweet beefiness from brown sugar, pineapple juice and seasonings. It’s our kind of beef snack.

There are equally-yummy bacon, pork, and turkey jerkies.

So we’re naming Divine Bovine and friends our Top Pick Of The Week. Who are the “friends?”
 
 
A DIVINE JERKY LINEUP

Oh, how to choose from this embarrassment of jerky riches:

 
 
DIVINE BOVINE: THE BEGINNING

As the story goes, in a small village in southern Italy, there lived a butcher who loved to make jerky. He was known to his family and friends as Pops.

Pops experimented with different cuts of meats and seasonings and decided that the sweetest and most tender cut for beef jerky was brisket of beef.

Although brisket had never been used for jerky before, it created a unique blend of flavor and tenderness. Pops’ new jerky was a hit!

The tradition continues with Pops’ grandson, who lives in California. Thanks, buddy, for bringing such a divine jerky to the U.S.
 
 
STOCKING STUFFERS & MORE

A package of Divine Bovine is just the stocking stuffer we’d like.

We also like the idea of Divine Turkey as Thanksgiving party favors.

You can punch a hole in the top of the bag, thread a ribbon through, and tie a bow.
 
 
GET YOUR DIVINE BOVINE

Head to DivineBovineJerky.com.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF JERKY
 
________________

*“Except for that [MSG],” announces that bag, “which naturally occurs in soy sauce.”

[1] Tangy Teriyaki turkey breast jerky (all photos © Divine Bovine).

[2] Spicy Jalapeño Beef Jerky.

[3] Great stocking stuffers!

[4] How about turkey jerky for Thanksgiving dinner favors?

[1] Spaghetti with fig soffrito. The recipe is below (photo © California Figs).

[2] Dried Black Mission figs (photos #2 and #4 © Good Eggs).

[3] Dried Golden figs.

[4] Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Parmesan is the generic form, of more modest quality (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[5] Garnish with a pinch of crushed red chile flakes (photo © Silk Road Spices).

National Fig Week is a good time to unveil an unusual-yet-delicious pasta dish: Pasta With Fig Sofrito & Parmesan, made with dried California figs. What’s sofrito, you may ask? It’s a staple in Mediterranean, Latin American, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese cooking.

It’s different, but analogous to, the French mirepoix, which is blend of onion, carrots, and celery.

Sofrito, also called sofregit (Catalan), soffritto (Italian) and refogado (Brazilian Portuguese) is a basic preparation of aromatic ingredients cut into small pieces and sautéed or braised in cooking oil.

These typically include garlic, onion, bell pepper and tomato (some countries, such as Puerto Rico, don’t use tomatoes).

This recipe, from California Figs, is poetically named: garlic, onion, figs and basil or parsley make up the “sofrito.” And the ingredients are sautéed in butter, not olive oil.

But the results of both recipes are the same: deliciousness!
 
 
RECIPE: PASTA WITH CALIFORNIA FIG SOFRITO & PARMESAN

You can use whatever type of pasta you like. We prefer flat fettuccine to round spaghetti. You can also use shapes (farfalle/bowties, penne, etc.).

There are two types of dried California figs: Golden and Mission. The former is amber color, the latter is purple-black. You can use either; but for more eye appeal, how about a mixture of both?

The anchovy fillets add a delightful counterpoint to the figs.

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 20 minutes.
 
 
Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the water and salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just tender/al dente, about 10 minutes.

2. MELT 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet. Add the figs, garlic, onion, optional anchovy fillets, fennel seed, and black pepper. Sauté until the onions are lightly cooked, about 3 minutes.

3. ADD the basil or Italian parsley, briefly stir, and then remove the skillet from the heat. When the pasta is almost cooked…

4. REMOVE ½ cup of the water from the pot and add it to the skillet with the fig sofrito. Return the skillet to the heat and bring the water to a simmer. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and stir until melted.

5. DRAIN the pasta. Do not over drain the pasta; some water should still cling to the noodles. Immediately transfer the pasta to a bowl.

6. ADD the warm fig sofrito and the grated Parmesan cheese to the bowl. Toss the pasta to coat. Serve immediately. Garnish with red chile flakes and additional grated Parmesan cheese.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PASTA
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF PASTA
 
 
> MORE RECIPES WITH FIGS

November 3rd is National Sandwich Day. John Montague, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, “invented” the first so-named sandwich in 1762; but of course, man had been putting bread together with cheese and other ingredients as soon as they were invented.

Rabbi Hillel the Elder in the 1st century created what we now call a Hillel sandwich in the first century C.E. He sandwiched two Passover foods, maror (horseradish) and charoset (chopped sweet apples and nuts) between two slices of matzoh. He may even have added sliced lamb. The concoction was called a korech. It would be 17 more centuries before “sandwich” appeared in the vocabulary [source].

The Earl of Sandwich was simply in the right place at the right time. The time was Georgian-era England, where no person of means ate ingredients slapped between two slices of bread.

The earl had had the need for “handheld” food to eat while at the card table, so he didn’t have to stop his game in order to eat. He figured that meat between bread would fit the bill. Here’s the history of the sandwich.

Gambling is also the reason sushi was invented—not to be eaten with chopsticks but to be picked up with the fingers.
 
 
THE SANDWICH COMES TO AMERICA

An Englishwoman, Elizabeth Leslie (1787-1858), introduced the sandwich to America in 1940. Her cookbook, “Directions for Cookery,” has a recipe for ham sandwiches as a main dish:

Cut some thin slices of bread very neatly, having slightly buttered them; and, if your choose, spread on a very little mustard. Have ready some very thin slices of cold boiled ham, and lay one between two slices of bread. You may either roll them up, or lay them flat on the plates. They are used at supper or at luncheon. [source]

Sandwiches became very popular in the U.S. when bakeries began to sell presliced bread. Sandwiches became an easy, portable meal for school children and workers.

By the 1920s, says Food Timeline, “recipes proliferated to the point where entire cookbooks were devoted to this topic.”

Sandwiches were now fare for lunch, tea time, receptions. They could be plain or fancy. Just put a filling between two slices of bread.

The recipes below are from “Seven Hundred Sandwiches” by Florence A Cowles [Little, Brown:Boston] 1928. Ms. Cowles notes in her introduction: “There is a constant and insistent demand for new ideas in sandwiches, new combinations in fillings and new and attractive architectural plans for construction..” (p. v-vii)

Here are descriptions of 20 of the 700 sandwiches. Not surprisingly, some sound quite tasty, some sound good enough, and some thanks-but-no-thanks.

Thanks to Food Timeline for the research.
 
 
WOULD YOU EAT THESE SANDWICHES?

YES? NO? MAYBE?
 
Mrs. Cowles published her cookbook almost 94 years ago. There are a couple of classics here…and also two very weird ones, in our opinion (check out Crust Butter Sandwich and Tomato Soup Sandwich).
 

[1] A modern baked bean sandwich doesn’t mash the beans. Here’s the recipe (photo © New England Today | Aimee Seavey).

[2] A mashed banana sandwich doesn’t look as appealing as today’s sliced banana and peanut butter version. Here’s a modern recipe (photo © Life Needs Sweets).

[3] A beef jelly sandwich is beef in aspect, sliced onto bread instead of onto salad greens. Here’s more about different meat aspics (photo © Vintage Recipes & Cookery).

[4] We can’t quite imagine mixing a can of sardines with a can of deviled ham… (photo © La Tienda).

[5] …but we’re willing to try it if someone wants to join us. Here’s more about deviled ham (photo © New England Today | Aimee Seavey).

[6] This chopped liver sandwich is a big improvement over the Liverice. Hold the rice, add onions and hard-boiled eggs (photo © Katz’s Delicatessen).

[7] Before the arrival of cocktail franks, “pigs in a blanket” referred to oysters and bacon. Here they are, looking delicious as is. Why would you want to put them in a sandwich with mustard (photo © Aquaculture Association Of Nova Scotia)?

[8] Make a sandwich with canned salmon. Here’s a recipe (photo © Jenny Can Cook).

[10] A classic: fried egg sandwich with tomato (photo © Cracker Barrel).

[11] Would you put the contents of this can onto bread and lettuce (photo Larry Lamsa CC-BY-2.0 License).

[1] Brown Turkey figs are available fresh from California (photo © Heather Barnes | Wesual | Unsplash).

[2] Chocolate-covered figs: Delicious for entertaining and gifting (photo © California Figs).

[3] A classic appetizer: melon with figs and prosciutto (photo © Good Eggs).

[4] America’s best-known fresh fig varieties: Brown Turkey, Calimyrna, Kadota, and Mission (photo © California Figs).

[5] Another classic salad with figs: frisée and prosciutto, but you can substitute bacon lardons (photo © Stock Xchange).

[6] For a cheese course: blue cheese with honey and hazelnuts (photo © The French Farm).

[7] Appetizer bites: dried fig, jalapeño, and fig (photo © California Figs).

[8] An easy hors d’oeuvre or snack: prosciutto- or -bacon-wrapped figs (photo © Canard).

[9] Eggplant stuffed with figs and leek. Here’s the recipe (photo © G Free Foodie).

[10] Lamb chops with roasted figs (photo California Figs | Facebook).

National Fig Week is the first week in November. Dried figs are available year-round, but fresh figs from California are available only from mid-May through November. So gather ye figs while ye may!

One of the simplest desserts, enjoyed since ancient times, is fresh figs with honey. It couldn’t be easier: just decide how many figs you want to serve to each person (we serve three or four, depending on size), and plate them with a drizzle of honey.

Other decisions: Should you serve just one variety of fig, or three different ones: a black Mission fig, a green Adriatic fig, and a brown turkey fig, for example.

You can garnish one with chopped hazelnuts, one with pistachios, and one with almonds.

Next question: With or without cheese? Figs, honey, and nuts are natural pairings with cheese. Some cheese lovers call it one of the world’s great desserts—and you don’t have to cook a thing!
 
 
MORE DELICIOUS FIG RECIPES

Figs are often thought of for sweet recipes: fig scones, tarts, chocolate truffles, and of course, figgy pudding, a popular Christmas pudding.

Figs, fresh or dried, are delicious in yogurt or in hot or cold breakfast cereals.

Figgy foods aren’t just for sweet dishes. Figs are often cooked with pork, lamb, and even on pizza. Add them to stuffing; and whenever a recipe calls for prunes, you can substitute figs.

 
 
FIG NUTRITION

Figs are a naturally fat-free, cholesterol-free food. They are an excellent source of vitamin A, along with B6, and K.

They are also rich in minerals including calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

Figs are high in soluble fiber (which makes them a natural laxative, like prunes).

A half cup of figs has as much calcium as a half cup of milk.

Ounce for ounce, figs have more fiber than prunes and more potassium than bananas.

One medium (2¼ inch) fig contains 37 calories.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF FIGS

Fossils of common fig (Ficus carica), dating to about 9400 B.C.E. have been found in an early Neolithic village near Jericho, in the West Bank.

Based on this find, fig cultivation in the Fertile Crescent precedes the domestication of barley, legumes, and wheat, and may thus be the first known instance of agriculture*.

By the time of the Bible, figs had been cultivated for thousands of years (some Biblical scholars believe that figs were actually the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden).

Figs may have been the first crop* cultivated—perhaps first in Egypt. From there they spread to Crete and around the 9th century B.C.E., to Greece, where they became a staple.

In the millennia before Europe and the Middle East had access to cane sugar or beet sugar, figs were used, in addition to honey, as sweet snacks and in cakes, puddings, and other desserts.

Figs were brought from Asia Minor to Greece and Rome, then throughout the Mediterranean, and east to India. Figs spread throughout the Mediterranean.

The ancient Greeks loved figs so much that they enacted a law forbidding the export of the best quality figs (in the ancient world, at least 29 varieties of figs were cultivated).

Figs trees can produce two crops a year in warm climates, and became common food. In 160 B.C.E., Cato the Elder wrote of several different varieties that were grown in his area.

A fun fact for foie gras lovers: The Romans used figs to fatten geese for an early version of foie gras.

From the 15th century onwards, figs were growing in Northern Europe (although yielding just one crop a year in cool climates).

The word fig, first recorded in English in the 13th century, derives from the Old French figue, from the Occitan (Provençal) figa, from the Classical Latin ficus (fig or fig-tree). (Go back far enough and almost every word in the English language derives from Latin or Greek.)
 
 
Figs In The New World

Figs arrived in the New World around 1520, with Spanish explorers. When Spanish missions were established in what is now southern California, the Franciscan priests cultivated planted fig trees.

The missionaries brought a variety of figs from southern Spain to southern California. By the 1760s, they had planted them up and down the California coast.

The priests at Mission San Diego originally planted a Spanish fig variety in 1769. This dark purple fig, grown on the property of missions, became known as the “Mission” fig.

In the 1850s, settlers and Gold Rush participants brought other varieties to California: from the East Coast of the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Africa.

California, particularly central California, had an ideal climate for figs. It became America’s primary fig-growing region [source].
 
 
Figs Today

Today, Turkey is the world leader in fig production and consumption. The rest of the Top 10 are, in order, Egypt, Morocco, Iran, Algeria, Greece, Syria United States, Spain, and Tunisia,

Nearly all of the figs in the U.S. are grown in California, which has an ideal climate for fig cultivation: 100% of the nation’s dried figs and 98% of the fresh figs.

The large commercial crops in California comprise six fresh and two dried types.

 
There are more than 7,000 acres dedicated to fig growing in the state.
 
Learn more about them and find many recipes from the California Fig Commission.
 
 
FIG TRIVIA

Thanks to Valley Fig Growers of California for these fun fig facts.
 
 
Growing Figs

numerous in California; but t

 
 
Cooking With Figs

 
 
Eating Figs

 
 
______________

*Agricultural historians believe the order of cultivation to be figs, wheat, and barley, grapes, olives, sugar, tea, rice, and sesame. Different historians have different orders, and archeological digs regularly reveal new information.

We love Advent calendars, both giving them and receiving them. But they’re not a last-minute gift: You need to give them to the recipients before December 1st. That’s why for the past few years, we’ve turned to giving them to our loved ones at Thanksgiving dinner. We would spend hours poring over websites to find the right calendar for each person. This year, Aldi has made it oh-so-easy for us, as you’ll see below.

The 2021 wine and beer Advent calendars (which are the priciest) have already been released*. Others start rolling out tomorrow, November 3rd, which is National Advent Calendar Day.

“Rolling out” means that not all calendars will be available on November 3rd, so you may have to come back. However, anyone who shops at one of the 2,100-plus Aldi stores in the U.S. is probably a “regular.”
 
 
THE HISTORY OF THE ADVENT CALENDAR

The Advent calendar dates to the beginning of the 19th century, when German Lutherans made chalk marks on doors or lit candles to count down the days leading up to Christmas.

The first-known Advent calendar is from 1851, appearing in a children’s book by Elise Averdieck.

Gerhard Lang (1881-1974) was the inventor of the printed Advent calendars, beginning in 1904.

Lang’s calendar was inspired by one that his mother had made for him: 24 cookies sewn onto the lid of a box. He was allowed to eat one of them every day during the Advent period. Other parents created their own handmade versions.

Remembering mom’s cookie countdown, Lang created a pilot calendar in 1904, and produced the first printed, commercially distributed Advent calendar in 1908 [source].

The calendars became commercially viable and were made with both religious and non-religious themes.

Strictly religious calendars counted down each day with a prayer or a religious image. Secular versions for children had pieces of candy or tiny toys. The now-familiar windows were created, which opened out of the cardboard, revealing each day’s item.

The first Advent calendars were called “Nicholas calendars,” since they were given out on December 6th, St. Nicholas’ Day.

Then, calendars were made to start on December 1 and were called “Christmas calendars.” These typically didn’t follow the full four-week period of Advent, because the date varies in any particular year (it’s the fourth Sunday prior to Christmas, which can range from November 27th to December 3rd). Instead, they marked the 24 days leading up to Christmas.
 
 
The Name “Advent Calendar” Appears

The name “Advent calendar” was established when some calendars were published with the annually variable number of Advent days [source].

Advent, from the Latin word adventus, means “coming.” It’s a time of waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus, on Christmas Day.

The fun of modern Advent calendars is opening one of the 24 closed windows/doors, that mark each day until Christmas. Young or old, opening the daily window has anticipation and surprise.

For most of its history, the Advent calendar was targeted to children. The surprises behind the window were a piece of candy, a charm, a mini toy, or a holiday-themed image (Santa, Rudolph). There are still inspirational versions. The calendars can be basic or very elaborate.

In recent years there’s been a trend to adult-appropriate Advent calendars, that focus on bottles of beer or wine, fine chocolates, coffee and tea, and even beef jerky.
 
 
ALDI ADVENT CALENDARS

OMG: The Advent calendar choices are so great at Aldi, we need to go nowhere else. But caveat emptor: Some sell out quickly.

Some calendars have windows for the full 24 days, while others are for 12 days. The Sparkling Wine Countdown To The New Year has seven 187ml bottles of wine. Take your pick of 26 calendars:
 
 
Beverage & Cheese Advent Calendars

 
 
Chocolate Advent Calendars

 
 
Personal Care Advent Calendars

 
 
Pet Advent Calendars

 
 
Toy Advent Calendars

 
Personally, we’ll take the sparkling wine!

[1] Twelve days of chocolate (all photos © Aldi).

[2] Twenty-four different cups of arabica coffee await brewing.

]
[3] Twelve days of different Irish cream liqueurs: caramel, hazelnut, white chocolate, and nine more.

[4] Twenty-four milk chocolate figures.

[5] Twenty-four different 187ml bottles of red and white wines.

[6] Cheers and beers: 24 bottles from 11.2 ounces to 12 ounces.

[7] Seven bottles of sparkling wine—including cava, prosecco, moscato, and others—celebrate the countdown to the New Year.

*For wine and beer calendars, note that not all states or municipalities allow alcohol sales at grocery stores.