Is popcorn salad a way to get kids (and salad-avoiding adults) a way to eat more salad? Is it a way to get more fiber into your salad? Is it food fun? Or is it all three?
 
 
POPCORN SALAD HISTORY

While it may sound quirky and new, popcorn salad has a long history.

According to Sylvia Lovegren in the 2005 book ‘Fashionable Food: Seven Decades of Food Fads, American housewives made banana and popcorn salads back in the 1920s.

The recipe involved cutting a banana in half, placing it on a lettuce leaf, and dotting it with popcorn and dabs of mayonnaise. Sort of a green salad banana split?

Author Lauren Hough encountered popcorn salad in a church basement in Happy, Texas decades ago [source].

A popcorn salad was featured in 1994 community cookbook compiled by members of the Mercer County Historical Society in Beulah, North Dakota [Ibid].

Popcorn company like Jolly Time feature a popcorn salad recipe.

Food celebrity Molly Yeh notes that “Popcorn salad is one of those classic Midwestern dishes that you would often find in a church basement potluck.”

Yeh’s dish has roots in the mayo salad culture of the Midwest—we just can’t pinpoint the original source.

Yeh’s recipe uses fresh greens, sugar snap peas, shallots and white cheddar popcorn.

The more classic recipes are a mix of popcorn, bacon, water chestnuts, celery, carrots, chives and cheddar cheese, bound with mayonnaise.

While some people snicker at popcorn salad, food writer Allison Robicelli pointed out that, “If this [were] being served at a Michelin restaurant, people would say it’s genius. Eleven Madison Park, which was named the World’s Best Restaurant in 2017, has served popcorn with seared tuna, and the legendary Jean-Georges Vongerichten has paired popcorn with sea bass,” she notes [source].”

More recently, other grains—puffed quinoa, puffed sorghum—have made their way onto high-end plates.

So here’s a starter popcorn recipe. You can use your own creativity to take it from here.

Thanks to the National Popcorn Board for the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE: POPCORN SALAD

You can put your own touches to this salad. We added dried cranberries for a touch of sweetness (raisins work, too). We also added more greens: baby spinach leaves and frisée.

You can make it a main meal by adding diced chicken.

Our tip: Don’t mix the popcorn into the salad as a last step. Sprinkle it on top of the salad like croutons, to prevent sogginess. It will get mixed in fast enough as people dig in.

Check out popcorn nutrition below.
 
Ingredients For 8 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the popcorn in an extra large bowl.

2. SAUTÉ the bacon until crispy, then drain on paper towels. Chop or crumble the bacon and set aside.

3. MIX together the mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in small bowl. Set aside.

4. COMBINE the celery, carrot, bell pepper and green onions in medium bowl. Add the mayonnaise and mix thoroughly.

[1] Today’s retro popcorn salad (recipe and photo © National Popcorn Board).

[2] An arugula and fig salad with a popcorn garnish (photo © Le Coq Rico | NYC).

[3] A takeout popcorn salad with jalapeños (photo © Just Salad | NYC).

[4] A bowl of popcorn, the indigenous snack of the Americas (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[5] We added dried cranberries to the popcorn salad (photo © King Arthur Flour).

5. ADD the vegetable/mayonnaise mixture, bacon and cheese to the popcorn in bowl. Toss very gently to just combine. Do not over mix. (Or, per our earlier suggestion, just scatter the popcorn on top of the salad, like croutons.)

6. SCOOP on top of the lettuce. If desired, garnish with extra shredded cheese and chopped bacon.
 

POPCORN NUTRITION

 
 
> THE HISTORY OF POPCORN

> MORE POPCORN RECIPES

[1] Rich and delicious, a boozy strawberry “shortcake” (photo © Baileys).

[2] There are plenty of fresh strawberries in the market (photo © In Harvest | Facebook)

[3] Crumble shortbread cookies for the “cake” layer, or use cubed pound cake (photo © Lark Fine Foods).

Looking for something special for Mother’s Day (or Father’s Day, or Valentine’s Day, or any day you just want a nifty dessert)?

Check out this swoon-worthy strawberry recipe from Bailey, made with Baileys Strawberries & Cream Liqueur.

The result: a beautifully boozy strawberry shortcake.
 
 
RECIPE: BOOZY STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

The recipe calls for crumbled shortbread cookies. You can substitute cubes of pound cake, if you prefer.

Or heck: Use both!

And of course, you can serve a glass of Baileys Strawberries & Cream liqueu with the shortcake.

You can build the shortcakes in pint glasses, large goblets, or anything else you have on hand.
 
Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
Preparation

1. BEAT the Baileys Strawberries & Cream liqueur and the cream cheese with a balloon whisk, until smooth.

2. WHIP the cream add it to the bowl with the cream cheese mixture. Fold in the strawberries.

3. CRUMBLE the shortbread into two glasses. Add the strawberries and cream mixture. Top with the strawberry garnish and chill for 30 minutes or longer. Serve and swoon!
 
 
THE DIFFERENT FLAVORS OF BAILEYS CREAM LIQUEUR

Since the debut of Original Irish Cream Liqueur in 1974, Baileys has expanded its portfolio to include Almande (vegan, made with almond milk instead of cream), Chocolate Cherry, Espresso Crème, Salted Caramel, Strawberries & Cream and Vanilla Cinnamon.

Some flavors, such as Crème Caramel, Hazelnut, Mint Chocolate and Pumpkin Spice, have been retired, leaving behind fond memories.

No doubt, there will be new varieties on the horizon!
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF BAILEYS IRISH CREAM
 
> THE HISTORY OF CAKE & THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CAKE
 
> THE HISTORY OF SHORTBREAD
 
> THE HISTORY OF STRAWBERRIES

Soursop is in season. It’s harvested in April and May, and again in September through November.

What is soursop, you ask?

Also known as graviola and guanabana, soursop is a heart-shaped tropical fruit (photo #2) native to the Caribbean and South America.

Other names include thorny custard apple, thorny mango and thorny fruit, due to its exterior spikes (which are lightly prickly, and break off easily when ripe).

The fruit now also grows in tropical regions across Africa and Asia.

Is it sour?

Nope! Soursop is a deliciously sweet-tart fruit with a bright flavor.

The name was bestowed due to its slightly acidic taste: a pleasant tartness, like pineapple.

The flavor evokes coconut and banana, with notes of citrus, pineapple, apple or strawberry, depending on where it is grown.

The thick creamy, texture reminiscent of banana.

Ready to blend it into a smoothie?
 
 
MORE ABOUT THE TROPICAL SOURSOP

Soursop is the fruit of Annona muricata tree, a broadleaf, flowering, evergreen tree (photo #2). It is native to the tropical regions of the Americas and the Caribbean.

Soursop is in the Annonaceae family (also known as the custard apple tree family); and in the same genus, Annona,, as the cherimoya (photo #5—more about the family relationship below).

The size ranges from 4 to 12 inches long and up to 6 inches wide. A single fruit can weigh up to 10 or 15 pounds, so it is often cut up and sold in pieces (photo #1).

Soursop should be ripened at room temperature.

As it ripens, the fruit will lighten in color to a bright yellow-green color and the spines will soften. It will have a hollow sound when tapped.

A ripe soursop should yield to the touch and be somewhat fragrant of pineapple.
 
 
WAYS TO USE SOURSOP

Like most fruits, soursop is often eaten raw. You can scoop the pulpy white flesh right out of the halved fruit, with a spoon.

You can find the whole fruit in specialty produce, Caribbean and Latino markets. The pulp is also sold with the seeds removed, for easy consumption.

Important note: Don’t eat the seeds†. Otherwise, use the pulp to make:

 
 
NUTRITION & HOMEOPATHIC USES

Soursop is low in calories and high in fiber, with zero sodium or fat.

It includes a wide range of antioxidant phytochemicals*.

In terms of vitamins and minerals, soursop is packed with B-complex and vitamin C, and a hit of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.

Homeopathy

Soursop tea is used by some for medicinal purposes, for its perceived help in reducing the risk of certain types of cancers.

It may also help to alleviate pain and decrease inflammation.

However, it’s important to note that research on these applications is limited.
 
 
SOME SOURSOP RECIPES TO GET YOU STARTED

 
You can find many more soursop recipes online.
 
________________

*Phytochemicals are chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants; beta carotene from carrots is an example, as is lycopene from watermelon and tomatoes. Diindolylmethane, found in vegetables from the Brassica genus (bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens and turnips, among others) is being tested against respiratory tumors, cervical dysplasia and prostate cancer. Cooking may destroy the phytochemicals, which is why a raw diet is popular among a growing group of health-focused consumers.

†The seeds contain some toxic compounds.

[1] Soursop can be sliced and eaten like pineapple, either in larger pieces or in smaller bites for a fruit salad (photo © Mallivan | Panther Media).

[2] The fruit growing on its tree (photo © I Like Plants | CC By 2.0 License).

[3] The fruit is ideal for the “frozen group”: ice cream, ice pops and sorbet (photo © David Driver Fotografo | Panther Media).

[4] Ready for a Soursop Colada (photo © Wally G | CC By 2.0 License).

[5] Cherimoya, a similar-looking, much smaller fruit in the same genus (photo © Sid Wainer).

[1] A Mexican torta with beef on the tradition bolillo roll (photo © Hofack 2 | Panther Media).

[2] Fusion food: an avocado and beef torta on a French baguette, instead of a Mexican bolillo roll (photo © Avocados From Mexico).

[3] In Mexico around 1900, the French baguette was shortened and widened into a roll called bolillo (photo courtesy Glane23 | Wikipedia).

[4] The telera is another roll used for tortas. Here’s a recipe to bake your own (photo © King Arthur Flour).

[5] A vegetarian torta: black beans, avocado and Oaxaca cheese (photo © Frontier Foods).

May 5th is National Hoagie Day. It’s also Cinco de Mayo, where Mexican food is the cuisine of the day. So how about some fusion food: a celebratory mashup. Make a hoagie sandwich with Mexican ingredients—in other words, a torta sandwich on a hoagie roll.

First, let’s clarify: Torta means different things in different cultures (and it’s not to be confused with tart, tort or torte).

 
But in Mexico and some other parts of Latin America, torta is a sandwich, made on a roll called a bolillo (photo #1).

Telera (photo #3) is another type of roll used for a Mexican torta: flatter and thinner than the bolillo.
 
BOLILLO ROLLS

Some sources say that bakers in Mexico took inspiration from the French baguette, and made a shorter loaf called a bolillo or pan francés (French bread) to make sandwiches.

Telera rolls are also used. Here’s a recipe to bake your own (photo #4).

According to Spoon University, the most traditional torta, whether on a bolillo or telera roll, is stuffed with pork carnitas (braised slices of pork).

The torta is then either media ahogada (“half drowned” or partially dipped) in spicy salsa, or bien ahogada (“well drowned”).

Modern tortas are made in endless varieties—including vegetarian and vegan. Different regions of Latin American have their own favorite ingredients.
 
 
HOW TO MAKE A TORTA SANDWICH

Bolillo or telera, the roll is spread with butter and filled with any desired ingredient (or at home, anything at hand):

 
Compare these to typical hoagie ingredients: There’s a lot of overlap, just with a different national flair.

So celebrate two holidays at once: Instead of a bolillo or talera roll, place the ingredients on a hero roll.

Or get fancy, and use a baguette or ciabatta roll.
 
 
HOW TO MAKE A HOAGIE SANDWICH

The ingredients are not too far apart from a torta. Ingredients also vary for a traditional Italian-style hoagie versus an American variation, with roast beef or turkey and American-style cheeses.

 
Ready to celebrate? Grab the ingredients and start building those sandwiches.
 
 
> CINCO DE MAYO HISTORY
 
 
> HOAGIE HISTORY & HOW TO MAKE A GOURMET HOAGIE
 
 
> SANDWICH HISTORY

May 4th is National Orange Juice Day, and Mother’s Day is this Sunday. So here’s a cocktail to celebrate both, made with blood orange juice and gin. You can buy and squeeze your own blood orange juice (photo #3), but it’s easy to find it already squeezed in brands like Mongibello and Natalie’s.

This cocktail has no fancy name, just a generic one (“Blood Orange Thyme And Gin Cocktail’). So unleash your inner mixologist and name it after yourself, your mother, whoever.

Because this recipe came to us from Mongibello, an Italian producer of fresh citrus juices, we called it the…
 
 
RECIPE: MONGIBELLO GIN SPLASH

Ingredients Per Cocktail

 
Preparation

1. ADD a handful of ice to a cocktail shaker. Pour in the blood orange juice, gin and simple syrup.

2. SHAKE 4-5 times and strain the drink over fresh ice.

3. TOP with a splash of club soda. Garnish and serve.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF GIN

The distillation of a form of gin can be found as far back as 70 C.E. when a Greek physician named Pedanius Dioscorides published a five-volume encyclopedia on herbal medicine, De materia medica.

The encyclopedia detailed the use of juniper berries—gin’s core ingredient—steeped in wine to combat chest ailments.

As a medicinal herb, juniper had been an essential part of medical treatments from ancient times to modern herbalists and homeopaths.

From the earliest times, alcoholic products were used as medicines.

In Baghdad, the first pharmacies were established in 754 [source]. Pharmacists compounded medicines, including those that were alcohol-based.

(These old-style pharmacies existed through the early 1900s, when drug companies were able to synthetically reproduce the key properties of the natural substances in tablet form, therefore supplanting most medicines that used alcohol as a base).

The basic principles of distillation were known by ancient Greek and Egyptian scholars, including Aristotle. But the roots of modern distillation technology began the alembic still, developed in 800 C.E. by the great Persian alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan (photo #6). From his discovery, the world began to distill different types of spirits.

In the 11th century, in 1055, the Benedictine Monks of Salerno, Italy in their Compendium Solernita, included a recipe for tonic wine infused with juniper berries as well [source]. They distilled it in an alembic still, equipment still used today [source].

The Dawn Of Modern Gin

Gin as we know it originated in the 16th century when the Dutch began to produce a medicinal spirit called genever (pronounced JEN-ih-ver): a malt wine base and a large amount of juniper berries to mask the harsh flavor.

The first known written use of the word “gin” appears in a 1714 book, “The Fable of the Bees, or Private Vices, Publick Benefits,” by one Bernard Mandeville.

The British likely began calling genever “gen” for short, which evolved into “gin.” It was a popular drink.

But gin was unregulated, and unscrupulous distillers added turpentine, sulphuric acid, and even sawdust into the gin. The result: drinkers suffered insanity and death.

As a result, a distiller’s license was introduced. It cut back on the bad hooch but was so highly-priced that few people produced gin. Gin was down, but it wasn’t out.

A Revolution In Distilling

In 1830, a new still was introduced that modified the existing column still and revolutionized the production of all distilled spirits. Gin distillers were able to produce a purer, clear spirit, and the gin phoenix rose from the flames.

The British Royal Navy helped to boost gin sales. As sailors traveled to destinations where malaria was prevalent (including India), they brought quinine rations to help prevent and fight the disease.

The quinine tasted awful, even with the newly-developed, carbonated Schweppes Indian Tonic Water, launched in 1783. It delivered quinine in a more palatable form, but it still was tough to drink.

In the early 1800s, a British officer in colonial India invented the Gin and Tonic when he realized that alcohol helped the tonic water taste better. It could be sherry, gin, rum, locally distilled arrack—whatever was available.

Sugar and lime were also added. Over time, gin became the alcohol of preference. You can thank malaria for the appearance of the Gin And Tonic.

Gin as a straight spirit, and later in cocktails, became an important part of the modern bar. Today, artisan distillers are producing new styles of gin to offer new aroma and taste experiences to gin fans.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF GIN
 
 
> BLOOD ORANGE HISTORY
 
 
> ORANGES HISTORY

[1] Combine blood orange juice and gin for a tasty cocktail (photos #1, #2 and #4 © Mongibello Juice).

[2] Delicious blood orange juice is available from both domestic producers and imports. Mongibello blood oranges are grown at the base of Mount Etna, Sicily.

[3] The flesh of different varieties of blood orange can range from rosy pink to deep red (photo © Good Eggs).

[4] A blood orange grove at the base of Mount Etna, in Sicily.

[5] Gin and Tonic, possibly the most popular gin cocktail, was developed so Brits in malarial areas of the world (like India) could swallow preventative and curative doses of awful-tasting quinine (photo © Sebastian Coman Photography | Pexels.

[6] The alembic still. Numerous places sell them. This one is on Etsy (photo © CAFA Italia |Etsy).