Things you like/love/loved that aren't there any more

[Jenise]

In the last week I have checked five different places for Spanish peanuts. You know, the small round peanuts in the red skins. They seem to have left the planet. Trader Joe's, Fred Meyer (a Kroger market), Haggens supermarket, the Co-op bulk bins and even the snack aisle at Walgreens all failed me. I do not want dry roasted. I do not want Virginia peanuts. I want the little round peanuts with the red skins. They have a taste all their own, I love the tannins in the skin, and I buy them for a cabbage salad we love and some Chinese dishes. All my life, until now, I've kept a jar in the pantry. I would be happy to buy them raw, even, and roast them myself as needed. But even that's not an option. They weren't the #1 or #2 selling item, so they're gone. I could cry.

I haven't seen Spanish peanuts, either, except as part of Indian spicy snack mixes.

One item on my "sorry it's not there any more" list: Alouette plain cheese spread. This is a Boursin knock-off and like Boursin comes flavored with garlic and herbs or with chives. Alouette also used to market a plain version of the cheese spread and that was my favorite. Unfortunately the plain version was discontinued years ago and now all you can get is the flavored varieties.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Guess what, I just bought Spanish peanuts on Amazon--Kroger brand too. They also had Planters, but the Kroger brand is probably Planters in disguise and cheaper, so that's what I ordered.

I don't know if I remember Alouette or not, but you make a good point about the missing plain version which I too used to buy. Boursin is the only one around and I like the flavored versions. That's one of Costco's great bargains--it's like $11 for a set of three where in local markets, they're $8 each.

I don't see Alouette much in the stores around here, either, but Boursin is readily available and, as you observe, a real bargain at Costco, which is where I usually buy it. I like both of the Boursin flavors but I had always had a soft spot for the plain Alouette.

Another thing that seems to have disappeared recently is Inner Beauty Hot Sauce. This is a Jamaican-style hot sauce based on scotch bonnet chiles, yellow mustard, and mango. Chris Schlesinger developed it for use at his Cambridge MA restaurant, the East Coast Grill (now closed). He had it bottled commercially and for a while he sold it at the restaurant (that's where I used to buy it), at some local specialty stores, and by mail order. Then he discontinued it. He published a home recipe for it and I now make it myself. But it turns out that an outfit in Bangor ME has been selling it commercially. But right now their website displays a banner saying, "We apologize that the inner beauty hot sauce is out of stock. We plan to have it back in stock shortly after the first of the year." I have no idea how old that message is. So it looks like Inner Beauty is gone as well, at least commercially. The home recipe is true to the original and a fine substitute.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Paul, now you're going to get me started on Lan Chi! It's an absolute crime that it went away.

Another food item I miss--don't gasp--is Gebhardt's canned tamales. I know I know--canned food? JENISE? But yeah, I grew up loving those for the taste and texture and while canned tamales still exist, none are or ever were even close to Gebhardt's. I always had a can on standby in the pantry--for a hangover, nothing better.

I feel your pain regarding Lan Chi. I like both the green label (chili paste with garlic) and the blue label (black bean sauce with chili). The green label makes excellent yuxiang (fish-fragrant) dishes when I don't have the time/ambition to make the yuxiang sauce from scratch. Fortunately I still have a few jars of it. Saigon Market--our local Asian grocery--doesn't have it, and IIRC it's not sold at K-Mart (Burlington MA for me). Last time I bought some I had to go to Boston's Chinatown to find it. It's not available online from anywhere, either, as far as I can tell.

-Paul W.

Paul, the IB FB page says it's back in stock: https://www.facebook.com/eatinnerbeauty

Jenise, Gebhardt's was bought by ConAgra in 1990. The chili powder is still made but several of their other lines, including tamales, have been discontinued.

[Jenise]

I feel your pain regarding Lan Chi. I like both the green label (chili paste with garlic) and the blue label (black bean sauce with chili). The green label makes excellent yuxiang (fish-fragrant) dishes when I don't have the time/ambition to make the yuxiang sauce from scratch. Fortunately I still have a few jars of it. Saigon Market--our local Asian grocery--doesn't have it, and IIRC it's not sold at K-Mart (Burlington MA for me). Last time I bought some I had to go to Boston's Chinatown to find it. It's not available online from anywhere, either, as far as I can tell.

-Paul W.

No it's not. It has disappeared from the Mainland. Only available so far as anyone knows in Honolulu.

[Jenise]

The chili powder is still made but several of their other lines, including tamales, have been discontinued.

Re the powder, I know, I'm still a fan and never without it (Amazon carries it). The tamales disappeared before i moved up here in 2003. My brother is also a fan and grieving over the loss to this day.

The chili powder is still made but several of their other lines, including tamales, have been discontinued.

Re the powder, I know, I'm still a fan and never without it (Amazon carries it). The tamales disappeared before i moved up here in 2003. My brother is also a fan and grieving over the loss to this day.

My fave, Max Miller, just did an episode on the powder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM6nkG4vP0Q

Ah - Boursin, a guilty pleasure.

What is your favourite flavour? We like herbs and garlic, shallot and chive and basil and chive.

[Jenise]

What is your favourite flavour? We like herbs and garlic, shallot and chive and basil and chive.

I haven't seen the basil and chive. The three pack at Costco consists of 1 and 2 respectively of the first two, so that's what I buy. I haven't formed a preference for one or the other, they're both good.


And Jeff, I had not heard of Max Miller before. But the Gebhardts chile powder has no equal--unless you want to make Skyline chili, not Mexican food. I remember when a fast-casual Mex place opened in Whittier, California, where I grew up, called The Little Old Taco Maker at around the same time Taco Bell came to town. The LOTM was by the better place, and they made their own amazing tortilla chips which they sold by the bag. They were sprinkled with Gebhardt's plus garlic salt, a flavor I loved but was too little to understand. By the time I was old enough to buy for my own kitchen, I tried Gebhardt's based on my love for the canned tamales and instantly recognized that flavor from LOTM. Man were those good. I am not at all surprised that the chile powder has endured and survived Con Agra's desire to kill everything that moves.

Gebhardts Chili powder is available on Amazon, just saw it there. Also available in single
https://www.amazon.com/Gebhardt-Chili-P ... 01&sr=8-14

[Jenise]

Karen, that's where I've been buying it.

Lan Chi Garlic Paste is available here: https://www.amazon.com/Lan-Chi-Chili-Pa ... B0019BUOU0

That page at Amazon doesn't have an "add to shopping cart" link. If you click on "See All Buying Options" you end up on a page that says the item isn't currently available and it's not known when it will be.

-Paul W.

Jenise, those Spanish peanuts sound very like what I know as beer nuts which disappeared and still seem to be in short supply I suppose they are just less popular now, I like them.

Another thing we used to buy but have a hard time finding now is Portuguese chouriço. Similar to Spanish chorizo but milder. When we were going to Hawaii, we had Portuguese friends that begged us to bring them some - for some reason no one was making or importing it there. I believe that they do manufacture it there as I have seen people saying that they have been bringing it back from Hawaii to Canada (although I expect that they might have it seized at customs if they do).

Portuguese chouriço is widely available in New England, thanks to the large Portuguese community in Southeastern Massachusetts.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Another thing we used to buy but have a hard time finding now is Portuguese chouriço. Similar to Spanish chorizo but milder. When we were going to Hawaii, we had Portuguese friends that begged us to bring them some - for some reason no one was making or importing it there. I believe that they do manufacture it there as I have seen people saying that they have been bringing it back from Hawaii to Canada (although I expect that they might have it seized at customs if they do).

Not the same thing as Linguica? My limited experience suggests that they're close to identical depending on who makes it.

Chouriço isn't the same as linguica. For one thing, chouriço comes in both mild and hot varieties while linguica does not.

I was at the supermarket yesterday and I looked for chouriço. I didn't find any. I know our market used to carry Gaspar's linguica and chouriço, but now there's only the linguica. They do carry Spanish chourizo from a different producer.

Gaspar's website does show their full range of chouriço products so they're still making it.

So yes, Portuguese chouriço seems to have disappeared.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

In Hawaii, we had a pizza once topped with red onions and portugese sausage which had been coarsely but mechanically ground for an even topping--really liked it.

[Jenise]

I have one for this thread: good green table grapes. The tangy Thompson seedless grapes that were a staple of my childhood have disappeared. Now they're all big thick and overly sweet with names like Cotton Candy. I never buy grapes anymore. [sad look]

I have one for this thread: good green table grapes. The tangy Thompson seedless grapes that were a staple of my childhood have disappeared. Now they're all big thick and overly sweet with names like Cotton Candy. I never buy grapes anymore. [sad look]

Even up by you, in what I presume is grape country? Here in NY, the farmers markets have a nice range of beautiful grape varieties, to suit a range of tastes. In fact some are already in the markets, but I'm too occupied with the summer fruits to worry about grapes just yet!!