Food and Wine’s 100 Tastes to Try in 2008

This list always interests me. How do the editors choose? How do they even find out about half of this stuff? And more importantly, how accessible are these places, these foods, these drinks, to the general population? Before we take a sneak peek inside the 2008 list, let’s go back and look at 2007’s Tastes to Try. How many did you experience? I didn’t fare too well, but I came to the list late, so that’s my excuse. Of those I picked out, here are the 2007 tastes I still have yet to try:

#27 Peruvian Food. I seriously need to get my passport.

#43 Amaranth. A high-protein grain loved by the Aztecs. Is it anything like quinoa? I love quinoa!

#48 Syrah from South Africa. I love Aussie Shiraz, and I’m betting South African is superb. Gotta get me some!

#71 Mangosteens. Has the FDA approved this Thai fruit for import? I’m not sure. I haven’t seen it in the market yet, but I’ll keep looking. I did, however, try cherimoya, prickly pear, and the pepino melon this year.

#73 Wild Artichokes. Italian imports. Mmmmm.

And the one trend for 2007 that I will never, ever understand? Bacon in desserts.

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Now for my personal 2008 Tastes to Try. The full list is in the January 2008 issue of Food and Wine.

#4 Mochi Creams. A Tokyo craze, these desserts are made with mochi rice balls that are filled with ingredients like caramel pudding, green tea, and red sweet potato. Yum!

#25 Costa Rica. I really do need to get my passport.

#29 Napa’s Best Market. 40,000 square feet of gourmet food. What more could you want?

#35 Exquisite Tea Blends. I love tea, especially in the winter, and these blends that combine unique flavors like almond and coconut sound tremendous.

#52 Sicilian Almonds. Almonds that taste like marzipan? Sign me up!

#73 New Exotic Herbs. Rare edible plants. The environmentalist in me doesn’t like this idea, but I’m curious…

#83 Barrel-Aged Beers. I love beer—dark beer. Beer aged in oak barrels that adds wood, vanilla, and fruit essences? Oh, yes!

#99 Miso Lager and Other Japanese Beers. I’m down for the Echigo Stout, which is said to rival Guinness, and the Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout.

Hmmm. I better get busy!