Saturday, March 2, 2013

Latest Fake in China – Concrete-Filled Walnuts

Well, a splendid day to you! Nice to see you. Thanks for finding time to click by for the latest in what's really happening out there...this time it's a report from China. But first things first. Fill that mug you're holding with steamy, refreshing coffee and snag a virtual treat. Yes, indeed... 

China has long had a reputation for making counterfeit goods, but the practice in recent years the practice has been getting really extreme. After news reports of fake eggs and fake beaks made of pork, it seems concrete-filled walnuts are the latest invention of ingenious Chinese food counterfeiters.

There’s a set of photos making the rounds on the Internet these days. They show a bunch of normal-looking walnuts that when cracked open reveal a very hard filling - concrete pebbles. According to the Ministry of Tofu, these fake walnuts were bought by a certain Mr. Li, last February, from a street vendor in Zhengzou, Henan province. When he got home and started cracking them, he noticed that instead of a meaty seed, many were actually filled with concrete pebbles wrapped in tissue. But Li’s case is not an isolated one. 

Apparently, many Chinese walnut vendors try to maximize their profits by carefully cracking open the hard shell, taking out the nutmeat, replacing it with concrete and tissue so it doesn’t make a strange noise, and gluing it shut. This way they can sell the nuts and the seeds separately.

Whoa! Hold the Waldorf Salad, eh! On second thought, it's a great salad...just don't use walnuts from China, eh! Here's a recipe:

Waldorf Salad Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup chopped, slightly toasted walnuts
  • 1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup red seedless grapes, sliced (or a 1/4 cup of raisins)
  • 1 sweet apple, cored and chopped
  • 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Lettuce

Method

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise (or yogurt) and the lemon juice. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. Mix in the apple, celery, grapes, and walnuts. Serve on a bed of fresh lettuce.
Yield: Serves 2.

Want some more good walnut salad recipes? Go here: http://www.grouprecipes.com/walnut-salad

See ya, eh!

Bob

0 comments: