The International Fancy Food Show is in its 2nd day in Washington DC and it is home to all specialty food products from cheeses, sauces, cookies, jams, chocolates, tea, and more. The number of booths is 2400 with over 180,000 products being shown and I only made it through the lower level of the convention center. I never made it to the top floor and to all you exhibitors who were there I apologize.
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. I walked the show floor looking for new and or tasty products. One of my top picks is Taste No.5 Umami Paste that is made by Brit Laura Santtini and manufactured in Italy. The product was at a distribitutor’s booth where many plied their wares. The packaging and concept caught my eye otherwise I would have easily walked by it. Once I tasted Taste No.5 Umami paste it cinched it as one of my favorite items at the show.
If you haven’t heard of Umami, it is considered the fifth taste( i.e. TasteNo.5) sensation we have on our tongue along with salty, sweet, bitter and sour. It is hard to pinpoint it other than to say it is richness of flavor you get in aged beef, dried mushrooms, cheese, ripe tomatoes also found in Asian fish sauces.
The paste, which is made of porcini mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, ripe tomato, olives, balsamic vinegar, anchovies just wakes up your flavor buds. Simply put it on a cracker or use it in sauces, check out Laura Santtini’s website for a number of recipes http://www.laurasanttini.com.
You can find Taste No.5 Umami Paste at William-Sonomas, Whole Foods and Chef Central
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