What's in a Name?
"I apologize for lying to you. I promise I won't deceive you except in matters of this sort."--Spiro T. Agnew
I hate the feeling of being duped. I blogged about my truffle oil-laced popcorn the other day, which prompted this question from Al Dente reader Bryan: "I'm not hep to truffle oil. What is it, and what can it do for me? Thanks in advance." In my quest to answer Bryan properly, I was surprised to find this New York Times article which contains this revealing tidbit: "Most commercial truffle oils are concocted by mixing olive oil with one or more compounds like 2,4-dithiapentane (the most prominent of the hundreds of aromatic molecules that make the flavor of white truffles so exciting) that have been created in a laboratory." This is crushing news, and has left me slightly melancholy. I might have to break up with truffle oil. We were only starting to get to know each other.
This came on the heels of another disappointing discovery this week. Upon close inspection of the label on my Genova Tonno can, I noticed that it's distributed by Tri Union Seafoods out of San Diego. There is no mention of Italy anywhere on the package besides allusion via the name of the product. You may be familiar with the Tri Union Seafood products marketed as Chicken of the Sea. An e-mail to Consumer Affairs via the Chicken of the Sea website resulted in this prompt reply: "The tuna used in Chicken of the Sea products is caught in the open seas in western part of North Pacific and South Pacific Oceans. This product was packed in American Samoa. Domestically packed product does not state the country of origin. We hope this helps. If we can be of further assistance, you may review our 'go fish' information at www.chickenofthesea.com or contact us again."
Thank you Consumer Affairs. It does, indeed, help. From now on I will stick with my preferred brand of tuna, Flott. In spite of it's non-Italian sounding name, Flott tuna is caught and packaged in Sicily. It's salty, and rich, and packed in olive oil. You can even purchase it in a glass jar instead of a tin can. It's more expensive than your run-of-the mill tuna, but once you try it, you'll never go back. It's so good, you can eat it straight out of the jar.
Have you been duped by product labeling lately? I'd love to hear about it. Or, if there's a product you'd like to know more about hit me up. I can do the research for you.
Photo credit (chemistry set): Tony Cenicola, New York Times
--StellaCadente*
Follow me on Twitter @pomodorista
Mohini on March 07, 2010 at 01:07 PM
Bamboo rice. Ingredients: White rice, bamboo juice. I took it right back to Whole Foods.
Bryan on March 07, 2010 at 01:38 PM
So... Ms. Cadente? I was all ready to try your popcorn recipe until I started researching the price of truffle oil...somewhere north of $30 for 3 or 4 oz.? Yikes! Imagine my relief, reading today that you're reconsidering 'truffle oil' after finding out how it's made. Have you come up with a viable alternative?
Paul A'Barge on March 07, 2010 at 01:54 PM
HMI: "you have to shop in America and England, countries where the tastebuds[sic] have been steadily debased for multiple generations now"
Um, well in Austin Texas try shopping at Whole Foods (especially the flagship store at 6th and Lamar) and Central Market (the forced flow high end of the HEB chain). Or try the single-hook caught and locally packed tuna in Portland, OR or Seattle, WA (which you can buy in Austin Texas at the aforementioned markets).
Look, if at the end of the day you want to relax over a bottle of imported Chianti and murmur to your friends in near-orgasmic tones about how much better you are than the rest of us in America, fine. Cock-a-doodle-doo.
But you know nothing about our high-end markets nor of our upwardly-based taste buds, nor about how many generations we've been enjoying the culinary high road.
And we're here to remind you and your elitist friends not only of how wrong you are but of what pompous asses you've managed to make of yourselves.
Food in Italy? Great I'm sure. Food in America? Every bit as good and at least 2 orders of magnitude more diverse.
You snob.
Sailfish on March 07, 2010 at 02:45 PM
Spiro Agnew? How old do you take your readership to be? Now, if you would have included something from say, Eliot Spitzer, most people would have understood what was being lied about.
Jim Prevor on March 07, 2010 at 03:41 PM
I think your note on the tuna issue is incomplete. The link you give for FLOTT states:
"The fishing grounds off the Northern shores of Sicily have long been a source of some of the finest Italian seafood. One of the biggest prizes of all is the Bluefin Tuna and over the centuries, Sicily has seen some of the best catches in the world."
It would seem at least worth a note that such authorities as the Seafood Watch campaign of the Monterey Bay Acquarium say that consumers should avoid buying bluefin tuna:
"Bluefin tuna is prized by sushi chefs and the high demand for this fish has taken its toll in the Atlantic, Pacific and Southern Oceans. It’s slow to mature and many fisheries are catching young bluefin tuna that haven’t had a chance to reproduce.
Bluefin tuna is caught in the Pacific, Atlantic, Southern Oceans and Mediterranean. It’s highly migratory and frequently crosses international boundaries during its yearly migration. Numerous nations, including the U.S. and Japan, participate in international management bodies that work to maintain global tuna populations. Unfortunately, these programs are proving ineffective.
Bluefin is caught with a variety of gear, including purse seines and longlines. Longlines are most common and result in large bycatch, including threatened or endangered species such as sea turtles, sharks and seabirds. Since there are no international laws to reduce bycatch, these longline fleets are contributing heavily to the long-term decline of some of these species.
Bluefin tuna ranching, where small bluefin tuna are brought from the wild and fattened in open net pens, is increasingly common. However, the depleted state of all bluefin populations combined with the large quantities of fish that must be used to feed these tuna is a serious conservation concern.
Consumers should “Avoid” all bluefin tuna."
Obviously, if, in fact, the tuna is the same variety, packed in the same way, it will have similar taste. If you really prefer FLOTT, you should, at least, investigate why you might prefer that tuna and see if other concerns -- in this case species survival concerns -- might trump your flavor preference.
Paul A'Barge on March 07, 2010 at 04:04 PM
Dude, Blue Fin Tuna never winds up in a can.
Ever.
DHL on March 07, 2010 at 07:11 PM
Stella,
You can't possibly be as stupid as you sound. I have to assume that this is a spoof. Well done!
HopeSew on March 07, 2010 at 11:26 PM
I'm just upset that tuna cans in the US were reduced in size from 6oz to 5 or 5.4oz with no accompanying reduction in price.
John Wasko on March 08, 2010 at 01:27 AM
and now this tidbit of mislabeling.
The Girl Scout's cookie "Samoa" is not made in Samoa.
We don't have Girl Scouts and I've never eaten one.
From Pago Pago, American Samoa
John Wasko
Cicciolina on March 08, 2010 at 08:29 AM
A friend of mine left for New York last year to pursue cooking school - before she left she gave me a couple cans of Genova Tonno when she was clearing out her pantry.......I too was shocked it was not from Italy, but was not so surprised since there are hardly any fish left in the Med Sea anyway!!! It was still good tuna and far more superior than the "Chicken of Sea" variety that I grew up eating as a kid.....which by the way reminds me of my cat's canned food!! From what I have researched most of the world's tuna comes from the Pacific.......
Buford Gooch on March 08, 2010 at 10:11 AM
"I'd take the fresh-made fries at In-N-Out Burger (CA chain) as generally way superior to McD's most any day of the week."
That's because you're a food snob. In-N-Out is OK with food snobs here in CA, so it's all right to like their fries. McD's taste better. McDonald's spends bazillions of dollars making sure their food tastes good, and they make good use of the results of their studies. If adding sugar makes something taste better, they add sugar. The fact that it comes from McD's doesn't make it less of a taste treat. I love good food from high end restaurants. However, I recognize that food from low end places can taste as good or better. There's a small Mexican restaurant in Palo Alto (Como Esta) whose food is as good, though different, as that from Reposado. Food snobs have trouble with this. They pretend their educated palates recognize subtle flavors and us mere plebes dont have such sophisticated palates. Bull feathers!
Scott on March 08, 2010 at 06:10 PM
Wow, Stella, you hit a nerve with this one. These people are almost as bad as the Mac vs. PC folks out there. Really, people, get a clue. For those who said they wouldn't look at another installment of Stella's blog, yeah right.
Now, for my two cents worth. I only eat fresh tuna, as I think the stuff in can has a such a foul odor that I can't get it into my mouth without gagging.
As for truffle oil, I have only used it once, and then it went rancid on me rather quickly. Since then, I have found that truffle butter lasts longer, and with the black truffle flecks in the butter, you can be assured that it is the real thing, if there is any truth in labeling.
Stella, keep your chin up, and keep writing. I enjoy your musings, and look forward to the next installment.
StellaCadente* on March 09, 2010 at 08:11 AM
Wow...I have been away from the computer for a couple of days. Seems like this post hit a nerve.
@Paul @James R. Rummel @Doug Santo: I picked up the Genova Tonno without studying the label. I prefer to eat tuna that is packed in olive oil, because I like the taste. At first glance, yes, I thought the product was Italian, because the name is, well, Italian. I do find it misleading, because as @HMI notes, Italian tuna is "markedly superior," at least in my humble opinion. I thought I was getting great tuna Italian tuna at a great price. My bad for not reading the label. The Genova Tonno is tastes fine, but it is not excellent. I don't think it's snobby to buy higher quality food that taste great regardless of where it is produced.
@John Skookum: Despite living in Southern California, I have never owned a car.
@Doug: Yes, Doug is correct. I have spent almost two years in Italy, including attending professional cooking school there, and working in a Michelin-rated restaurant. I do have a vested personal interest and curiosity about all things Italian, especially food.
@bkw: Regarding the truffle oil, I will continue to use it because I like the flavor. It's just another case of me purchasing one thing (truffle oil with artificial essence of truffle), when I thought I was purchasing another (truffle oil made from truffles). I just felt a bit duped, and wanted to share my experience with readers to help them make informed decisions about their purchases.
@B Gooch: Excellent point. I like both McDonald's fries and In-N-Out fries for different reasons.
Thanks for your comments, all. Great discussion.
StellaCadente* on March 09, 2010 at 10:07 AM
@Jim Prevor: Didn't see your remarks--Thanks for bringing this information to my attention. Will definitely look into this more. That doesn't sound good.
@Scott: Good suggestion on the truffle butter!
@Cicciolina: I am glad you enjoyed the Genova Tonno. Flott is still my favorite.
For the record, I ate at both Jack-In-The-Box and In-N-Out Burger this week. As well as http://www.yelp.com/biz/musha-restaurant-torrance. Tried to go to this dive, but this location had closed, and there was too much traffic to navigate backwards to Santa Monica: http://www.yelp.com/biz/guelaguetza-palms-restaurant-los-angeles#hrid:doQWph0U37kTFW-CYAOuVg/src:search/query:oaxacan. I wonder if this qualifies me as a food snob?
Just as I wouldn't purchase a product *solely* because it is made in Italy (or any other country for that matter), I won't purchase a product *solely* because it is made in America. There is more to it than that. Quality, taste, price, etc.
Matthieu on March 09, 2010 at 10:38 AM
Paul A'Barge, I can only imagine your shun list to be quite extensive. I love all of the back and forth here, and many valid views, but clearly Stella's point is that marketing indeed works and if one DOES care, as she clearly does, then one need pay attention to the finer details. I really don't think she's taking a "position", nor is this a highly contentious perspective. Nonetheless, love the banter.
BTW, I don't believe that the village of Portland, OR is exactly renowned for its amazing canned tuna (?).
James R. Rummel on March 09, 2010 at 11:16 AM
"Just as I wouldn't purchase a product *solely* because it is made in Italy (or any other country for that matter), I won't purchase a product *solely* because it is made in America. There is more to it than that. Quality, taste, price, etc."
The quality, taste, price, etc. of Genova was fine and dandy until you found out it was from an American company. (And you found out by doing nothing more strenuous than reading the label, although sending an Email to the company confirmed your suspicions.) So why is the fact that it is packaged by an American company even a factor?
Perform the mental exercise I suggested in my last comment. If someone used a product repeatedly with satisfactory results, and then shunned it merely because they found out it came from Sicily, then that person would be labeled a racist. And with very good reason!
How is what you are doing any different? Because it is acceptable in your mind to show bigotry against the United States?
Tortoise40 on March 09, 2010 at 11:26 AM
Your post has led me do a little digging of my own. Come to find out, Fritos are made not actually Spanish in origin, Ginsu knives are made in Rhode Island, and Budweiser beer is not imported from Budweis, Czech Republic — it's made somewhere in Missouri!
StellaCadente* on March 11, 2010 at 11:16 AM
@James R. Rummel: What I failed to point out in my original post is that the reason I ended up investigating the Genova Tonno in the first place is because, both my mother and I had eaten it for lunch and independently noted that the taste was a little lackluster in compared to other brands we had enjoyed. So, taste *was* the initial catalyst.
Paul A'Barge on March 13, 2010 at 12:39 PM
Matthieu: "BTW, I don't believe that the village of Portland, OR is exactly renowned for its amazing canned tuna"
You know, unlike many of the insufferable food-snob elitists who appear to love to congregate here, I hate to jump to conclusions but I'm going to make an exception.
You've never been to Portland (or for Seattle for that matter) and you've never been introduced to the locally caught and locally hand packed single hook caught tuna.
Have you?
vb on March 13, 2010 at 05:28 PM
I know this is a late comment, but apparently blue fin tuna is an endangered species. Depite this, the EU is waiting till fall and a new report before taking any action.
W. Richards on April 01, 2010 at 05:25 PM
I stopped eating French fries after I found out that they weren't made from real French people.
Cate on July 02, 2010 at 03:53 PM
Genova tuna tastes much better than any of the other American brands, but I was concerned about its origin. Thank you for telling me that it is a domestic product, caught on the open Pacific.
Yes, the anti-American POV is a bit too much drama. Our Italian Americans know good food too.