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Lingham's Hot Sauce is one of my favorite condiments. It is unique since it is all natural and has been so since 1908 when it was created in Malaysia by an Indian gentleman, Mr. Lingham. Now owned by the Chinese Yeoh family, it continues to be made in Malaysia in the same way with only red chilli, sugar, vinegar, and salt. It has a very distinctive yellow label with its bottle’s even more distinctive red color. It is probably the best chilli sauce made. In the US it is labeled “Hot Sauce.” In the rest of the world, “Chilli Sauce.” It is also a Saveur Top 100 pick for 2010. The chiles grown for this sauce are usually grown on small plots where the individual growers can harvest them as they turn from green to red, when the chile still has a fruity character and is not all heat and no flavor.
While I am writing about nuts for snacking, I should remind you of a Corti Brothers product which I am very fond of. It is Tuerca de Maiz, light hulled, parched and fried corn, much like the 1936 creation of CornNuts. Our store director, Rick Mindermann came up with the name, which is a mis-translation from Spanish. In any event, the product is delicious and anyway, a name is just what you call something. Parched and toasted corn has antecedents in our history. It was corn made edible when cooking was not an option. Our Tuerca de Maiz has been tweaked a bit since we introduced it in Summer 2009. It is now fried in high oleic canola oil, with no trans fats. It is still as tasty, tender, and crisp as before and easy on teeth. However, if you have delicate teeth, forgo this pleasure Since gin and tonic season is coming, Tuerca de Maiz is its best accompaniment.
As we come to know wines from ever increasing sources, the wine lover has the possibility of enjoying wines that previously he would never have had. Our world of wine is no longer circumscribed by the “classic” varieties that we know and appreciate. What has happened is that varieties new to us, (they were the old varieties where they came from,) are now better grown and better vinified, making their slow way into our sight. Trincadeira is one such Portuguese variety. Known in the Port district as Tinta Amarela, and a constituent of that wine, it is grown in other areas of Portugal, namely the Ribatejo, the area to the east and north of Lisbon and in the warmer Alentejo, south of Lisbon. Eminently suited to warm growing areas, it produces a balanced, softish wine, with a spicy, almost peppery character, with rose-like notes, and good acidity. Casa Cadaval is an old estate in Ribatejo and its single variety Trincadeira, from 50 year old vines, is emblematic of the variety which you should learn about. It would be a good choice for certain areas of California and probably should be tried in our warmer areas, where other varieties tend to flatness. In any case, Casa Cadaval Trincadeira 2005 is a wonderful red wine that is satisfying, flavorful, and delicious. Its deliciousness, being the most important factor.
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Corti Brothers
Sacramento CA
