Plant-based shrimp, in the Japan Pavilion at the 2024 Winter Fancy Food Show.
The 2024 Winter Fancy Food Show was held in Las Vegas January 21-23. It’s smaller than the summer show in NYC, which makes it easier to take a deep dive into a category or spend more time with exhibitors. When we weren’t tasting cheese or exploring Japanese aquaculture, here are a few tidbits that caught our eye and teased our palate.
Looks (and tastes) like chicken, but it’s soy with a realistically muscly texture.
Plant based “meats” were everywhere, and getting more sophisticated. We tasted an imitation chicken nugget that would be quite acceptable to a carnivore. The developer stressed the research they had done (it’s made out of soy) to achieve a “muscle-like” texture.
Pickled everything was another strong trend. Pickled vegetables, of course, but also pickle-flavored popcorn, nuts and even cotton candy. Pickle-flavored potato chips are not new, but boosted by the overall popularity of the salty snacks category which has now, by the Specialty Foods Association’s definition, overtaken sweets as the most popular category.
Pickle Cotton Candy, from Chocolate Storybook. (The product is not yet on their website so ask.)
Our favorite discovery: Cold Case Ice Cream. These guys were offering tastings in an outer aisle, and the product was superb. Imaginative flavors, great textures, creative mix-ins. Where can we buy this stuff? It turns out Cold Case ships direct to your home, presumably in a dry ice pack, with six assorted pints, appropriate mix-ins, and a “game” for around $110 with shipping included. That’s not cheap but it’s not outrageous for a decadent luxury at a party or maybe a sleepover. It wasn’t until we went on the website that we realized “Cold Case” refers to detective work which is also the subject of the game. Fun, but hardly necessary to enjoy the product. There’s also a “luxury” selection for $150. Check it out.
I always enjoy your Fancy Food Show posts. Has any progress been made on soy based prime rib? Or meat based vegetables?
Stop at Peter Luger? Seems prime rib impaired, but certain veggies are available.
Prime rib? Hopefully not. Meat in general? The mock chicken nugget I tasted was pretty close; the producer (this was during a tasting roundtable and I didn’t catch the name) is Korean and expects it will be used in heavily sauced snack applications like Korean fried chicken where I bet it will be acceptable to carnivores.
Did not stop at Peter Luger. Mistrust Vegas outposts of famous places in general but not a steakhouse fan in any case because I can do better at home.
Casual stuff, or bagged snacks. I can see that. I’ve read Burger King is doing good with Impossible meat. I may try an Impossible Whopper. Nothing against any veggieburger that doesn’t pretend to be meat. Tempeh makes a nice burger.
Veggie burger? Tempeh? Bite your tongue!
If sold as a veggie burger, not as meat, or in some way superior to meat, in I’m fine with it. I give BK a pass as the Whopper, flame broiled or not, was more about the bun and the slimy (in a good way) salad/condiments than the burger.
I’ve read you can cook a frozen Boca Burger in the toaster. Maybe someday.
I normally use tempeh as a country ham substitute. Needs a little salt.