Posted by Sheryl Kirby in news and media, what's cooking on July 4, 2007 at 8:13 pm
Did you hear the news?? Chocolate lowers blood pressure. Both the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail are reporting on a study out of Germany released yesterday that directly connects chocolate consumption with lowered blood pressure. But before everyone starts buying those bags of Hershey's Kisses, there's a caveat. The chocolate must be dark chocolate, not the milk variety, and you only need about 6 grams per day - that's a couple of squares from an average flat bar. And - it must be plain - there's no way to justify any nutritional benefit to say, an Oh Henry! bar. So it's not license to eat more chocolate if you're a chocolate lover, and may even require cutting back if you already eat the stuff every day. Sorry.
In the same vein of "foods with healing properties", the Star's main article this week is about matcha, a powdered green tea that appears to be this season's "wonder" ingredient and is being made into smoothies (because most people can't stand the taste of the stuff on its own) just about everywhere .
More wonderous is the job done by Debbie Field and FoodShare; Jennifer Bain interviews the director of the "People's Conservatory of Food" about their new location and setting up a food literacy programme in schools.
Also in the Star, Amy Pataki looks at the combination of veal and tuna in Italian eateries that she dubs "surf and turf, Italian style". Linda Barnard reviews Casa Manila, a Filipino restaurant that serves that awesome yam ice cream (they serve other stuff too, but I'm addicted to the ice cream), and Susan Sampson interviews the Ambassador of Barbeque, while Gordon Stimmell lists his wine picks for the week.
At the Globe, they're not just talking chocolate but candy, with a piece on how chewy candies like gummies are making a comeback. Chef Normand LaPrise praises the humble strawberry of Quebec, and Cinda Chavich indulges in something called a Schmoo (wasn't he a cartoon character?). Beppi Crosariol looks at the marketing of wine to the "party zone" generation, as well as the pimped-out bottle design of some premium brand vodkas.
Over at The Sun, they're joining the rest of us on the fresh and local bandwagon as Elizabeth Baird looks at the government's new (old) marketing campaign to promote Ontario produce. Joanna Richard tosses a salad or two, along with recipes.
