Getting trivial with food
So you think you know food? The “Foodie Craze” game will put your bragging rights to the test. Four hundred questions in 10 categories (including libations, celebrations and extreme cuisine) span a nice range of topics and levels of difficulty. Which means you might learn something. (Did you know that Piggly-Wiggly was the first full-service supermarket chain in the U.S.? Or that the most popular pizza topping in Japan is squid?) The tin, which includes score sheets, costs $30 by online mail-order only at foodiecraze.com.
Oui, tea
Mariage Freres tea from the centuries-old Paris tea importer will end the year (and start a new one) on a luxurious note. The Marco Polo black tea blend has a lovely, fruity aroma and a bold, smooth flavor; other varieties also are available for $17 per 3 1/2-ounce tin at Gethsemane Garden Center, 5739 N. Clark St., 773-878-5915.
Spanish crisp
Matiz’ tortas de aceite, savory crisp breads imported from Spain, delighted everyone who nibbled them. Handcrafted and rustic, they are made with generous amounts of Spanish olive oil, wheat flour and sesame seeds; texture-wise, think thick, soft cracker. They’re terrific plain but would taste great accompanied by cheeses and spreads, with a glass of wine alongside. Each package of six 1.27-ounce individually wrapped crisps costs $6 at Foodstuffs in Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview and Lake Forest; by mail, visit casaoliver.com.
