Noma’s Smoked Mushroom Garum was the first product for home cooks from Noma Projects, a food lab that was opened last year by the innovative, 3-Michelin-star Noma restaurant in Copenhagen.

Introduced earlier this year in the U.S., it quickly sold out. The latest batch is on the verge of selling out, so see if this wonderful condiment is a gift for anyone on your list.

Smoked Mushroom Garum is a vegan version of garum*, the fermented Roman fish sauce that’s been used for thousands of years as a key condiment and seasoning.

(What’s garum?)

As ancient Rome produced garum, so did other cultures rely on fish sauce. There are several different Asian fish sauces, of which Thai fish sauce, nam pla phrik, Vietnamese fish sauce, nuoc nam, are just two.

Check out these different types of fish sauce, all made from fermented fish.

Fish sauce—and Noma’s vegan version of it—is an umami food. (What’s umami?)

A splash of fish sauce in cooking, or a few spoonfuls over a cooked dish, makes a big difference in flavor. Any serious cook would love a bottle.

If you think you’ve never had fish sauce, how about Worcestershire sauce? Delicious, isn’t it?

Worcestershire is a British variation of Asian fish sauce that contains anchovies (the history of Worcestershire sauce).
 
 
REINVENTING FISH SAUCE AS VEGAN GARUM

Noma Project food scientists turned to koji† and mushrooms instead of fermented fish to create their umami-rich, vegan Smoked Mushroom Garum.

In addition to smoke and mushroom flavors, it stands out as not as intensely salty as typical fish sauces. But it does the trick!

Do you know someone who would appreciate having a bottle to play with?

There are recipes on the website, as well as many recipes to be found using garum. Here’s a collection for starters.
 
 
GET YOUR SMOKED MUSHROOM GARUM

Don’t delay, it’s selling out again. Head to NomaProjects.com.

[1] Smoked Mushroom Garum, an exciting new condiment (photo © Noma Projects).

[2] An ancient Roman mosaic of a bottle of garum (photo via Coquinaria).

†Koji is cooked rice and/or soybeans that have been inoculated with a fermentation culture, Aspergillus oryzae, also known as kōji mold although it’s a naturally-occurring fungus. It’s used in the making of alcoholic beverages such as saké and shōchū, and to ferment the soybeans used in making soy sauce.

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[1] There’s a flavor of wine chips to pair with your favorite wine (all photos © Wine Chips).

[2] There are four varieties in the Winter Edition Cheese Collection, (photo © Williams Sonoma).

[3] Manchego potato chips pair with rosé, sparkling white wine, and full-bodied reds such as Tempranillo.

[4] At the end of the day, treat yourself to a glass of fine red and a few crunchy, cheesy potato chips.

[5] A special gift idea: a bottle of wine with matching Wine Chips.

Our Top Pick Of The Week, Wine Chips, is also a pick for holiday gifts, hostess gifts, and anytime gifts for lovers of “gourmet” potato chips.

Cheese is a time-honored pairing with wine, and these artisan cheese-infused potato chips are made to pair with wine, with different cheeses. Think cheese with a crunch!

There are also non-cheese flavors, such as gourmet salts and meats like bacon and ribeye. (Ribeye chips!)

These handmade potato chips are crafted to pair with specific types of wine, from light whites to full-bodied reds and sparkling wines.

Produced in small batches in Southern California, the savory, sophisticated snacks are made from locally grown potatoes and premium cheeses sourced mostly from Wisconsin dairy farms.

The potatoes are lattice-cut into slices much thicker than the average chip, delivering a very satisfying crunch.

You don’t have to drink wine to enjoy Wine Chips. These thick, cheesy potato chips go well with any beverage—beer, cocktails, soft drinks—or no beverage at all. Just pop open the top of the canister and enjoy a few.

> The history of potato chips.

> The history of the potato.

> The different types of potato.

> The different types of cheese.

> The history of cheese.
 
 
THE WINTER EDITION WINE CHIPS CHEESE FLAVORS

All flavors are sold in collections of three, four, or five flavors. You can see them all here.

For this winter collection, you can also buy the flavors individually, one canister with three refills.

 
 
MORE COLLECTIONS

 
 
THE PRIVATE RESERVE CLUB

Private Reserve refers to the special, exclusive, small-batch Wine Chips flavors that the company’s Batch Masters and Master Sommeliers create.

Always seeking new, enticing flavors, they craft the flavors in the company’s gourmet Innovation Kitchen in Southern California.

Members of the Club receive one unique and delicious flavor every month of these exclusive, limited-edition potato chips (recent examples: Serrano Cheddar, Sweet Coconut Curry).

This is a unique gift for the potato chip lover who has a gourmet palate.

There are Gold, Platinum, and Diamond plans. Here’s more information about the Club.
 
 
GET YOUR WINE CHIPS

Head to WineChips.com.

Looking ahead for reasons to celebrate with Wine Chips:

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What are you doing for National Bread Pudding Day, November 13th? We’ve got recipes for sweet and savory bread pudding, below.

First, a note: November 13th is also National Indian Pudding Day.

We love Indian pudding, and strongly recommend that you try the recipe. But let’s focus on bread pudding.

First, there’s some disagreement about National Bread Pudding Day. Yes, it is November 13th, but there are some dissenters:

 
> Check out more bread pudding recipes below, both sweet and savory.
 
 
ABOUT BREAD PUDDING

Bread pudding is a custard with bread cubes. It originated in the 11th or 12th century as a way to use stale bread.

At first the recipes were savory. Pieces of bread were cut or torn, combined with other ingredients (cheese, onions, mushrooms and other vegetables, bits of meat), topped with custard, and then baked until the top was set but the inside was soft and creamy.

Over the centuries, as sugar became more affordable, sweet versions emerged as desserts.

You can use any bread cubes—baguette, brioche, challah, cinnamon raisin, and panettone are delicious.

For savory recipes, baguette, brioche, and whole grain bread.

And yes, good old white bread works for both sweet and savory, if not as gloriously as the other options.

The bread is drenched in a mixture of milk and eggs (the basis of custard), plus sugar, vanilla, and spices for sweet recipes. The result is somewhat similar in flavor to French toast but with much more custard.

Bread pudding can be baked plain or with any combination of fruits, nuts, and chocolate (for sweet recipes) or herbs, vegetables, and proteins (for savory recipes).

The dish can be served hot or cold, with or without whipped cream or a sauce, such as hard sauce or custard sauce (for sweet recipes) or cheese, mushroom, or other sauce (for savory recipes).

Are you salivating for bread pudding? Check out these recipes.
 
 
SWEET BREAD PUDDING RECIPES

 
 
MORE SAVORY BREAD PUDDING RECIPES

[1] Brioche bread pudding with hard sauce. Find the recipe in Foster’s Market Cookbook (photo © Foster’s Market Cookbook).

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[2] Bake it in a pan for clean rectangular portions. You can order this one online (photo © Mackenzie Ltd).

[3] Savory bread pudding like this shiitake and spinach recipe replaces stuffing or dressing as a savory side. Here’s the recipe (photo © Food & Wine).

[4] Cranberry-pecan bread pudding with bacon (photo © Food & Wine).

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