When I found one of the new Mo's Bacon Bars, the choco-puerco fiesta came to mind immediately. I ripped it open and dove right in.

They look like grubs, but crosnes are crisp and crunchy, earthy and sweet, like quinces masquerading as vegetables.

Pig ears are practically offal (and all the cool kids like offal). The story of a culinary train wreck.

In Spain, they take their olive oil seriously. Very, very seriously. The University of Córdoba offers a postgraduate degree in the stuff.

Whole wheat pasta does actually enhance some dishes. The sauce must be one that puts up a fight, to match the pasta's assertive wheatiness.

Most of the balsamic sold in the U.S. is not aged in traditional barrels. But Condimento Balsimico is a good alternative for the thrifty-minded.

Also known as pitaya, dragon fruit is the pear of an epiphytic cactus species Hylocereus undatus.

This timeless tradition gets some fresh attitude from Ian Knauer and Alan Sytsma, formerly known as Gourmet.com's 2 Guys, in this column originally published in fall 2007...

We ran out of Wickles pickles this past weekend. Right about then, my egg salad sandwich went to hell.

The question has long dogged me: What to do with palm oil, apart from using it in Brazilian and West African cooking?