On Monday, January 27, 2014 3:42:46 AM UTC-8, Janet wrote:
> In article >,
>
> says...
>
> >
>
> > On Sunday, January 26, 2014 9:04:39 AM UTC-8, Janet Bostwick wrote:
>
> >
>
> > > What items would you select? Now be fair. Don't pick the trashiest.
>
> > > This group tends to rear back in horror at the food choices of others
>
> > > and pretend they would never stoop so low ;o) What kinds of things do
>
> > > you count on being on the shelves of your supermarket?
>
> > >
>
> > > I need canned tomatoes of various kinds, Dijon and French's mustard,
>
> > > Heinz catsup, mayonnaise, canned enchilada sauce, diced green chilis,
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> > > Pace Picante or similar, tortillas, refried beans, boxed stock, and
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> > > yes, a couple cans of cream of mushroom and tomato soup.
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> >
>
> > Peanut oil, popcorn, peanut butter, one-minute oats, canned jalapenos, raisins
>
> > (black and golden), Crystal hot sauce, Marie Sharp's habanero sauce, poultry
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> > seasoning, white vinegar, maple syrup.
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>
>
> Europe would not consider canned tomatoes, rice, mayonnaise or black
> and golden raisins to be American :-) Or, white vinegar. To us Dijon
> French mustard is the famous kind of mustard produced in Dijon, France,
> but probably the USA brand Dijon and French is an unrelated recipe.

The seedless raisin was bred by William Thompson of Yuba City, California,
during the American Civil War. Although Mr. Thompson was a Yorkshireman,
the climate of his birthplace did not favor grape production.

California raisins used to dominate the world's supply, but Turkish raisins
have caught up. Iran is perhaps the third largest supplier, so -- if you want
non-Islamic raisins -- buy American.

I have no idea where to get white vinegar in Europe. Vinegars there come from
fruit, wine, malt, and brandy.

The funny thing is that Dijon mustard factories import mustard seed from
Canada, as Italian pasta factories import hard wheat from the prairie
provinces and the Dakotas. Adding Italian water to prairie wheat, then
forcing the resulting wheat paste through bronze dies, doesn't seem like
a big value-add.

>
> I've always thought of maple syrup as Canadian.. the pure maple syrup ==
> I buy here, is always Canadian.
>

You want impure maple syrup. The purer the syrup, the more flavorful it is.
Not that you want it adulterated with corn syrup or the like.