Food exhibits in places like Disney World or Chicago`s Museum of Science and Industry have universal appeal–we can see what the future holds for our grandchildren.
But you can get similar hints without standing in line. In case you`ve just been grabbing bananas and apples and calling it a day at your
neighborhood supermarket, take a better look. The produce departments are expanding rapidly with new and exotic foods that our children likely will find commonplace.
Jicama, plantain, carambola and chayote–produce most shoppers never heard of two years ago–are getting regular space. Mache, radicchio and purple cole are moving in next to the iceberg and romaine lettuces. And stores with a wider variety are offering daikon, salsify, long green beans, gooseberries, lychee nuts and peppers in yellow, purple and brown.
The reason is an interrelated melange of health concerns, marketing and profitability, tossed with eating fads and international politics.
”There`s an increased interest nationwide in fresh fruits and vegetables in terms of the health benefits,” says Bryan Silbermann, vice president of Produce Marketing Association in Newark, Del.
”Executives are finding that it`s no longer the meat department that sells the store. Aside from fast checkout, the thing that the consumer wants is good produce.”
Of course, sometimes the shopper has to be shown what he has been missing all his life. ”Forty years ago, bananas were a specialty,” says Frieda Caplan, founder of the Los Angeles-based Frieda`s Finest, Produce Specialties Inc. But Caplan helped change the offerings of static grocery shelves when she introduced kiwi to American markets.
”The kiwi was the story of our business,” Caplan says, recalling how a vendor`s inquiry about Chinese gooseberries in 1962 led to her promotion of the New Zealand fruit. She renamed the furry little gem with a bright green interior a kiwi, and the rest is marketing history.
”Now I don`t think there`s a market where they`re not sold,” Caplan says.
And today`s consumer seems ever ripe for something new.
Ingrid Kostrubala, owner of Ingrid`s restaurant at the Goodman Theatre, specializes in a fruit and vegetable buffet offering items such as crisp jicama, shredded daikon and braids made from marinated long green beans.
”I like to make the clientele start their adventure in my restaurant, then go on for their next adventure in the theater,” Kostrubala said.
This search for the exotic tends to start first in restaurants, then follow into the grocery stores.
”The restaurant industry tends to lead, then supermarkets tend to follow. Right now it`s `in` to be ethnic,” Silbermann says.
Many of the unusual fruits–such as jackfruit, a watermelon-sized fruit that takes up to eight months to ripen; cherimoyas; and guavas–as well as the more familiar mangoes and papayas grow profusely in the 28 nearby Caribbean nations. And we are likely to see more of them on our grocery shelves because of the Reagan administration`s Caribbean Basin Initiative, enacted in the summer of 1983.
The federal program is designed to increase the importation of these products, plus others such as coffee, cocoa beans, sugar and tobacco, by allowing them 12 years of duty-free entry into the United States.
Now that we understand a bit about why they`re here, let`s take a closer look at these unusual foods. We asked John and James Corrigan, a father/son team who own the Carrot Top retail and wholesale produce shop in Northbrook, to help us, starting with the ones you`re most likely to find, then slipping into esoterica:
RADICCHIO
Italy used to be the sole supplier of this slightly bitter, red-tinged leafy type of chicory but California has entered the market and the competition is a boon to shoppers. Whereas the Italian version used to sell for $7 to $10 a pound, the California product came in at $5 and recently slipped to $1.70 a pound. Radicchio has a slightly bitter flavor similar to endive.
How to buy and store: The most common variety is the barona, which looks like an oversized brussels sprout. However, aficionados seek the traviso, which has elongated leaves somewhat like belgian endive. In both cases, look for a compact, firm head the same way you would for lettuces. Wash, dry and keep in a crisper.
How to serve: Because the color is so lovely and the shape so distinctive, radicchio adds interest to a tossed or arranged raw salad.
CARAMBOLA
Also called the ”star fruit,” carambola is common in India and grows almost wild in Florida. ”They used to just let them fall on the ground,”
John Corrigan said. The waxy-looking fruit sells for about $2.50 to $3 a pound. When sliced, the very tart, lemon tasting carambola yields bright yellow, five-pointed stars.
How to buy and store: Look for firm, unblemished fruit. It is green before ripening to yellow. Refrigerate.
How to serve: The waxy exterior can be eaten or peeled (easier after it is sliced into stars). It can be used raw in drinks, chutneys and stir-fried dishes; a sugar syrup until tender then drained and used in fruit salads.
JICAMA
Pronounced HICK-a-ma, this root vegetable is shaped like a turnip, has a mild, sweet taste similar to costs about 79 cents to $1.50 a pound.”People in (Ingrid`s) restaurant always want to see this one. I bring a whole one out from the kitchen,” Kostrubala said.
How to buy and store: of any mold that can set in from damp storage. Keep dry in refrigerator.
How to serve: Peel the tan-colored leathery skied or baked, the sweetness intensifies.
PLANTAIN
Until a few years ago, this bananalike fruit was found strictly in Mexican and Indian stores. Cost is about 59 cents a pound.
: Larger and harder than bananas, plantains generally are sold individually rather than in bunches. Shipped unripe or green, they also can be bought in various stages from brown to black. Sincbananas, the fruit inside should be fine. Ripen green plantains at room temperature for a week to yellow-brown or two weeks to black.
How to serve: Never served raw, this fruit is baked When green, the taste resembles bland potatoes; the yellow are more like sweet potatoes; and the black more like bananas. To peel, first cut off both tips and slice in half crosswise. With a ise; use fingers to peel sidewards, rather than lengthwise as with a banana.
TOMARILLO
Also called a tree tomato, this tropical member of the tomato family is originally from omewhat sweet tomato.
How to buy and store: The oval fruits are about 2 inches long and yellow or red when ripe. The yellow are said to be sweeter. Ripen at room temperature then store to serve: Peel the tough skin before serving. Seeds are edible. Serve raw or cooked like tomatoes.
MACHE
Also called lamb`s lettuce or lamb`s quarters, this green (about $9.50rcress (about $7 a pound) but softer and sweeter. Most of the current supply is from France or Belgium. Although it is available through fall, the spring crop has a better flavor, John Corriga and store: Wash, dry and store in a crisper.
How to serve: Raw in a salad, pureed in a soup or julienned and added to sauces for a garnish.
JAPANESE PEAR
California propears, as they`re called, but the Japanese versions are considered much better. ”Usually the older trees give a better yield wi golden delicious apple but have a flavor like a Bartlett and Anjou pear,”
John Corrigan said.
How to buy and store: Look for unblemished skin. Ripen at room temperature, then store i to serve: Raw, or simmered in sugar water.
PURPLE COLE
This cross between purple kale and cabbage answers to a number of names and spellings including flowering kale, purple kegetable has a mild, cabbage- like flavor but is equally valued for its looks.”It`s so pretty that people buy about a dollar`s worth and use it as a table decoration,” James Corrigan said.
e: Look for whole plants with crisp leaves devoid of yellow leaves or wet decay spots. Wash, dry and store in a closed container in the refrigerator.
How to serve: Because it`s softer taw in salads; also use raw under entrees for decoration. It can be substituted for spinach in cooking.
ELEPHANT GARLIC
This is milder than regular garlic but much larger and eahere isn`t an odor but believe me, you know you`ve been eating it,” James Corrigan said.
How to buy and store: Look for firm, dry gnarl. Store in a dry place at room temperature.
egular garlic.
SALSIFY
Also called oyster plant, this mild tasting vegetable–which some say has a faint oyster-like flavor–was popular during Colonial times and is a rediscovent. Perhaps because it looks like a rough, homely carrot, it has been overlooked. The exterior can be white or black (scorzonera). Current supplies come from Belgium.
How to buy and storoots free from soft spots.
How to serve: Because the outside of the black salsify stains, cover hands with plastic gloveow-white salsify in water spiked with lemon or vinegar to keep from discoloring. Simmer or cook like carrots or parsnips. It`s never eaten raw.
CHERIMOYA
Caplan suggests the chthe queen of the tropical fruits, with a creamy, custard-like texture and a subtle flavor blend of papaya, pineapple and banana. The fruit is about the size of a 14-inch softball. But even thoucing these natives of Peru and Ecuador, only five or six of the fruit grow on a tree so supplies are limited, James Corrigan said.
How to buy and store: Choose ones that are firm and lw to ripen at room temperature like a peach until it yields to light pressure and is a duller green, perhaps with tan freckles or even blackened. After it is ripened, refrigerate and eat withi serve: Ripe, raw and chilled, perhaps with a squeeze of orange juice. Or peel, seed and puree for use in sherbets, pies and parfaits.
CHAYOTE
Familiar to cooks who venture int Orleans cooking, these pale green vegetables (called mirliton in Louisiana), which are similar in flavor to squash, are hitting local mainstream markets.
How to buy and store: There arom nearly smooth to deeply ridged. Most are oval, about 5 to 8 inches long, and pale green to off-white. They should be firm and crisp. Refrigerate.
How to serve: It can be substituted lander and firmer. Not served raw but can be blanched briefly and used in salads.
5Daikon
This banana-sized radish used in Oriental cooking is milder and sweeter than the familiar How to buy and store: The radishes should be firm. Store in dry place in the refrigerator.
How to serve: Remove outer r-fried dishes.
LONG GREEN BEANS
That`s what they`re called and that`s what they are: long, green beans, about 12 inches in length. They taste very similar but perhaps a bit s usual 5-inch versions.
How to buy and store: Look for firm, unblemished beans. Store in the refrigerator.
How to serve: Cook like regular green beans.
PASSION FRUIT
, THIS LATEST RAGE HAD A HEAD START. THE FRUIT, COMMON IN SOUTH AMERICA AND THE WEST INDIES, ALSO IS CALLED GRENADILLA OR
GRANADILLA AND HAS A REPUTATION AS A SEDATIVE. ITS HIGHLY AROMATIC, TAS SHOWING UP IN SORBETS AND EVEN LIQUEURS.
HOW TO BUY AND STORE: THE OUTER SKIN CAN BE ORANGE, YELLOW OR PURPLISH-BLACK AND IS WRINKLED WHEN RIPE. ”IT`S ONE OF THOSE
THINGS THAT NEEDS S FLAVOR. WHEN IT LOOKS LIKE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THROWN OUT TWO WEEKS AGO, THEN IT`S AT ITS BEST FLAVOR,”
JOHN CORRIGAN SAID. RIPEN AT ROOM TEMPERATURE THEN STORE IN REFRIGERATOR. HOW SCOOP OUT THE YELLOWISH MEAT AND EDIBLE SEEDS; OR REMOVE
THE INNER FLESH AND USE IN SORBETS OR FRUIT PUNCHES. FEIJOYA
Also called the pineapple guava, this tropical fruit indee a slight strawberry and pineapple flavor. The oval, two-inch berry has a thin, waxy skin that easily removes to reveal juicy, yellow-green flesh with small, edible black seeds.
How tom temperature until it is slightly soft like a peach; then refrigerate and eat within a few days.
How to serve: Peel the skin and eat raw, alone or in salads.
SUGAR CANE
?EDICTS THAT AMERICAN CHILDREN WILL NEVER LET THIS TREAT REPLACE BUBBLE GUM, A PIECE OF RAW SUGAR CANE CAN SATISFY THOSE
WHO WANT TO JUST CHEW ON SOMETHING SWEET. HOW TO BUY AND STORE: TN PLASTIC. KEEP AS AIRTIGHT AS POSSIBLE IN THE REFRIGERATOR AND USE WITHIN A FEW DAYS.
HOW TO SERVE: USE A KNIFE TO PEEL PORTION AND USE THE JUICE TO SWEETEN FRUIT.
HERE ARE SOME RECIPES TO GET YOU FAMILIAR WITH SOME OF THE EXOTIC PRODUCE.
MARINATED LONG GREEN BEANS
Four servings
Preparation tme: 10 minutes
Marinating time: Several hours
1 pound long beans
1/3 cup oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon each: tarragon, salt
1/2 teaspoon Pomerey or other coarse mustard
1. Cook beans in boiling salted water until just-tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. (Overcooked beans will crack during braiding.) Drain. Plunge into pan of ice and water to stop cooking.
2. Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients in a shallow dish.
3. Dangle three beans from one hand. With the other hand, braid the beans. Add to dish with marinade. Turn to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for several hours.
SAUTEED SALSIFY
Four servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
1 pound salsify
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon each: salt, pepper
1/2 cup whipping cream
Minced parsley for garnish
1. Peel salsify. (If the black variety, wear plastic gloves or plastic bags to protect hands from staining.) Cut into 3-inch pieces. Plunge into lemon-water to keep from discoloring.
2. Saute salsify in butter in large skillet until crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Turn or shake occasionally. Add salt and pepper. Reduce heat. Add cream. Cook and stir until cream thickens slightly. Garnish with parsley.
Marilyn Lewis of Chicago sent us this recipe for vegetable soup which uses jicama plus a host of other vegetables, but no added salt, sugar or fats if you use fresh tomatoes and tomato sauce. We modified the recipe to use more convenient canned tomatoes and sauce. Although she suggests pureeing half of the vegetables after they`re cooked, we liked the hearty soup just as it was, chunky and healthy tasting.
MARILYN`S HAPPY-HEART VEGETABLE SOUP
About 5 quarts
hour
Cooking time: 2 hours
Resting time: 1/2 hour
1 cup dry kidney beans
1 cup dry lima beans
1/2 cup pearl barley
2 tablespoons basil
1 cup each: cleats, jicama, onions, celery, parsnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, turnips, white potatoes
2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
2 cans (28 ounces each) whole, peeled tomatoes, uh: cleaned and diced broccoli, red cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, mushrooms, parsley, green peppers, peas, spinach, zucchini
1 cup corn kernels
4 cloves garlic, minced
n hot water for 1 hour. Drain. Reserve the water.
3. Putoed, over medium-low heat 1 1/2 hours. Add more water if needed.
5. If desired, remove half of the cooked vegetables and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Puree until smooth. Add back to soup.
6. Add soy sauce and pepper. Add water if needed to thin soup to desired consistency. Simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 1/2 hour. Taste and adjust seasonings.
THE FOLLOWING RECIPE is adapted from ”Nothing Fancy” by Diana Kennedy
(Dial Press, $18.95). It is a crisp and refreshing side dish.
JICAMA IN LIME JUICE
Four servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Marinating time: 2 hours
1 medium jicama, about 1 1/4 pounds, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch squares
2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion or green onion
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons grated romano cheese
1 canned jalapeno chile, diced or to taste
1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
Sea salt to taste
1. Put jicama and onion in a glass bowl and stir in the lime juice. Set aside to marinate for aboining ingredients. Serve at room temperature the same day.
HERE`S WHERE TO LOOK FOR UNUSUAL PRODUCE
Many small supply. Here are some shops that carry the more unusual produce:
-Big Apple Finer Foods, 2345 N. Clark St; 880-5800.
-Carrot Top, 1430 Paddock Dr., Northbrook; 729-1450.
d stores, various locations; general office, 327-4265.
-La Unica, 1515 W. Devon Ave.; 274-7788.
-City Market, 2828 N. Clark St.; 525-9072.
-Star Market, 3349 N. Clark St.;ck salsify.
