Today: another pair of items that is not, technically, produce. Look, I know what the title of the blog is, but it was the catchiest name I could think of. I mean, what would YOU have named it? Probably like “Weird Food” or something. That’s lame as hell. Actually come to think of it, a good name for it would be “Uncharted Aisles,” referring to aisles in a grocery store. Which is right there in the subheading, goddamnit. Why didn’t I go with that one?

OK, sorry. I’m rambling a bit here. Let’s move on.

I like cheese. I eat it often, and in large quantities. Not really a fan of blue cheese, but pretty much anything else is fair game. I’m a big fan of aged cheddar and feta cheese, in particular. So, I decided to find some weird cheeses, ones I hadn’t tried before, and give them a spin. I went down to The House of Cheese in the ByWard Market and picked out a couple of different kinds. Here’s how that went:

I tried out the Irish cheddar with Irish whiskey in it first. Now, I’ve had Irish cheddar before, and it’s pretty great, so I figured this one would be excellent as well. I did like it, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.

The other Irish cheese I had was sharper, more crumbly. It had definitely been aged more. And in contrast, it contained exactly zero percent whiskey. This whiskey cheese was a lot less aged (I’m guessing for maybe only a few months, if at all) and still retained most of its softness. It was fairly mild as well. You could definitely taste the whiskey in the background. It was an interesting and unexpected combination of flavours that came together really nicely. I also enjoyed it on some crackers I bought for the occasion.

I really didn’t know what to expect with the Moroccan spiced cheese. I didn’t even know what they meant by “Moroccan spice” as there is no information on the cheese itself in regard to what goes in it. After a little research I have come to the conclusion that it is probably a mixture of spices known as “ras el hanout.” But I have no way to know for sure. I don’t even know what type of cheese makes up the base for this. It tasted a little like parmesan, but it could be goat cheese for all I know.

What I DO know is that it’s delicious. The cheese base on its own tastes great, but then the spices just add so much more depth. It tastes a bit like what a spice rack smells like; there’s a whole bunch of things happening inside your mouth with every bite. It was delicious on crackers and on its own. If you can deal with the steep price, definitely give this one a try.

David Gurman

David has never been a big fan of veggies, but because he loves you guys so much he started this blog just for you. He currently attends the professional writing program at Algonquin College and spends his free time trying not to take anything too seriously.

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Welcome to the inaugural post of Peculiar Produce! The idea behind this blog is, I go to stores and buy food that maybe most people have never had, and then I try it and tell you all about it. Don’t let the name fool you though, I won’t be limiting this blog to just produce. There’s a whole bunch of stuff out there that hasn’t been touched by John Q. Public, and I intend to tell you guys all about it.

To start things off, we’re going to look at a couple of fruits I found at my local Loblaws. Now, chances are you’ve seen these before, what with them being found at a big store like Loblaws, but you most likely passed them by, not knowing what they were, what they taste like or even how to eat them. But no more! For here, I shall explain all of this stuff and more.

First up, we have the yellow Pitahaya:

Hailing from Colombia, this fruit is actually a type of dragon fruit. It’s apparently a lot sweeter than regular dragon fruit (which I have yet to try - more on that later) and is rich in Vitamin C. To eat it, you cut in half, then scoop the contents out with a spoon.

It actually tastes pretty great, a bit like a mixture between a honeydew melon and kiwi. The seeds within are edible as well and give the flesh of the pitahaya a nice crunch. All in all, it makes a healthy and pretty tasty snack. It’s a bit pricey, though, at around six bucks a fruit, so it’s not the sort of thing you can eat every day.

The next fruit I tried was the Kiwano, also known as the horned melon for obvious reasons:

It’s native to sub-Saharan Africa, but it is currently grown in many locations around the world. Like the Pitahaya, you’re meant to cut it open.

This time, you’re apparently meant to suck the flesh out of the rind somehow. It didn’t seem to want to cooperate, though, so I ended up just scooping the contents into a bowl.

It may look like green sludge with seeds in it, but it’s actually just hundreds of these little jelly-like seed pods.

Taste-wise, I didn’t like it quite as much as the Pitahaya, although it was not bad. It was a lot more tart and sour, kind of like sour green grapes, or possibly a Granny Smith apple. Texture-wise, it felt a lot like the flesh of a grape, and you could pretty much just drink the whole thing, seeds and all, directly from the bowl (which I ended up doing). Like the Pitahaya, it contains a good amount of Vitamin C, and also like the Pitahaya, it cost me six bucks. Probably not worth it in this case.

Tune in next time, when we discuss canned meat!

David Gurman

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Gurman, David

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