Food news antipasto

Raghavan Iyer, best known for his comprehensive book 660 Curries, is working on a new project. The idea for the venture was hatched during Iyer’s recent recovery from colorectal cancer and the ensuing treatments. He found that the hospital dietician was not speaking his culinary language, so he has devised a program that aims to assist patients and the medical community embrace comfort foods that fit their cultures and tastes. Named the Revival Foods Project: Global Comforts That Heal, it is Iyer’s mission to channel his knowledge and expertise to bring nourishing, culturally appropriate comfort foods to patients, hospitals and health care services. The project is funded by a crowdsourcing campaign.

There’s a new feud between food giant Aldi and retail behemoth Marks & Spencer. The two are in a spat over a caterpillar cake. M&S has been baking Colin the Caterpillar for over 30 years, inspiring many imitators. However, they claim that Aldi’s version of Swiss roll-style chocolate cake – named Cuthbert the Caterpillar – treads too closely to the original and violates its trademark. M&S filed an intellectual property claim with England’s High Court. Aldi responded cheekily in a social media post by saying “Cuthbert has been found GUILTY…of being delicious,” and it has branded M&S as “Marks & Snitches, more like.”

Owners of the Thermomix multi-function appliance tend to be evangelists for it. The do-it-all kitchen tool has fan clubs all over the world. This devotion to the appliance – and it’s proximity to a multi-level marketing sales model – sparked one writer to liken it to a religious sect in an article titled “Glitz, guilt and gravy: life inside the Thermomix cult.”

If you find yourself tossing out unused spices because they have dulled over time, or you hesitate to buy a spice for one recipe because you are not sure you will like it, there is a new spice company that can help you avoid those situations: Occo. The company sells tiny portions of organic, ethically sourced spices — just the right amount you need for the new recipe you want to try tonight. With pre-measured spices (each portion is 1/2 teaspoon) sealed into forever-fresh pods, Occo cards make trying a new recipe or experimenting with flavor as easy as pie.