May 23, 2006
Old Bay Gets Dissed
It was only when this DCist moved to the Delmarva area from Texas that she realized that spice blends are truly a regional thing. Here, it’s all about the burnt-orange crab seasoning, like Old Bay or J.O. Even McCormick’s, which is based in the area and makes Old Bay, is ignored for its good work with Grill Mates and Salad Toppins. That's right, it's all about the orange dust.
This strange allegiance confounded us for some time until we came to realize this DCist, too, has a serious spice vice: Morton's Nature's Seasons, a perfectly executed blend of parsley, garlic, salt, onion, celery, and black pepper. A mere dash or two (okay, three) of this perfect mixture of herbs and spices is suitable for any savory dish and truly transforms it from “needs a bit of salt,” to ready to serve. If you’re not quite sure what else to do before plating a pork chop or ladling a bisque, throw some Nature’s Seasons on it, and you’re done. Yes, it is that easy. And it works every time.
But here’s the wrinkle: we’ve only been able to buy Nature's Seasons in Texas and a couple states in the Midwest. Since relocating out this way, we’ve spent hours rabidly searching every local grocery and high-end gourmet market for the stuff as if it were contraband. Our frustration with the lack of this wonder spice has forced us to smuggle it in from Texas or task relatives and friends with stashing some of it in their carry-ons (before we could order it online).
We still hold out hope that someday Nature’s Seasons will find a home in the shelves of Washington's local food purveyors. Until then, we can order it in bulk from Morton’s web site. So, I urge you all to shelve your crab powder in favor of this esteemed multi-spice, if just for one meal. But if anyone has happened to spy any Nature’s Seasons in the area, please let us know in the comments.
Photo by Flickr user Roadsidepictures and used under a Creative Commons license.
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Although I rarely use spice blends, when I do I am partial to Mrs. Dash. I was unaware of the regional aspect of spice blends. Does anyone have any other examples?
Not to nitpick--well, yes, to nitpick--I don't think most people would consider DC to be the "Delmarva area."
I didn't realize it was regional. I'm from PA and it's in the grocery store there. I am partial to it on pizza. I'm headed back this weekend - want me to bring some back? :)
Not so much spice blends. But I used to have a rule for visiting guests from the East Coast when I lived in California -- our house is always open, just bring me Chock Full o'Nuts. In the same way, I always got a kick out of how "gourmet" stores sold Vernor's Ginger Ale in California. Being 50% Michigander, I grew up with the stuff (and love it) but to call it gourmet was pretty funny to me.
And as long as I'm rolling out the regional food facts, did you know that German Potato Salad and German Chocolate Cake are called San Francisco Potato Salad and San Francisco Chocolate Cake in that fair city? Strange but true.
You know, it's pretty easy to make your own spice blend. It requires approximately no imagination because all of these blends have their ingredients on the side.
And as an added bonus, your make-your-own spice blend will be healthier because it won't have nearly the same amounts of sodium and other fillers that pre-made spice blends have.
I always enjoy a good regional spice essay, DCist, so not to nitpick...but: how many people wrote this article? One? Two? Eighteen? What's with all the "we's"? Does the author have family/other Texans in town who crave the unique taste of Nature's Seasons as well? I'm perplexed.
Julie, each and every single DCist contributes to each and every single article. We are an unstoppable blogforce. Bow down...and pass the season salt.
Gephardt's chili powder. Your food's crap without it.
Off-topic, but since I saw the word regionalism in the post, how come DC doesn't have a local crap beer, like Baltimore does with Natty Bo, Chicago does with Old Swill, and Pittsburgh has with Iron City? Any history of crappy DC beer going belly up?
So what is the seasoning that certain bars (ie. Open City and sometimes Bus Boys and Poets) put around the rim of the glass when serving a bloody mary? I thought that was Old Bay. If it is in fact Old Bay, I'm in love with the stuff.
I have to say that the notion of using X spice blend to make all of your food taste good smacks of putting ketchup on everything.
DELMARVA?!!
McCormick's?!!
...and not having a local crap beer is a bad thing?!?!
I grew up with Nature's Seasons in the South, and it is definitely good on everything-- eggs, corn on the cob, chicken, potatoes, and I haven't been able to find it anywhere in DC. So sad.
After dating a girl from Louisianna, you become familiar with Tony's. You put that stuff on everything.
A.J. - As you say, the ingredients are on the side. From that, I know that Mrs. Dash has both no salt and no filler. Old Bay appears to have no filler, but does have salt. Furthermore, the secret is not necessarily the ingredients, but also the proportions. That's not to say that spice blends cannot be recreated at home, but it isn't always as simple as you make it out to be. Finally, it may not necessarily be cheaper if you have to buy a bunch of spices you don't already have.
To answer j o h n, yes, not having a local crap beer is a bad thing. Crap beers, like bad baseball teams, can build attachment to a place. Iron City is terrible beer, but I always drink it when I can find it for the nostalgia value. I don't think Rock Creek Cola quite cuts it.
i'd like to nitpick and take issue with 'iron city' being labled a crap beer. it's beautiful, and not just because it's bottle is made of aluminium.
where it's from
What about Jane's Crazy Mixed-Up Salt? Is that even manufactured anymore?
Get a hold of some Jane's Krazy Mixed-up Salt and everything will be OK. You can find it at Safeway.
I do believe that DC used to brew an ale called Senate, made by the Christian Heurich Brewing Co. The owner, Christian Heurich, should be familiar to many readers of DCist. According to this article (http://www.rustycans.com/heurich.html) Senate went down the drain after a bad batch tainted its rep. It was replaced by Old Georgetown, but utltimately Heurich was beat out by the big boys (Bud and the like).
First of all, Dubba just called he's packin' it up and heading back to the land of steers and queers, and hon you're a queer who should join him!
Second, nothing beats a bushel of the Chesapeake's finest covered in Old Bay and a case of Natty Bo!
Third, yeah and sure DC is part of the Delmarva, and Oklahoma/Texas is the same place. The term Delmarva is used for the DELware, MARyland, and VirginA Peninsula, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delmarva not the three states in general.
geez, sparky. No need to be rude. But yes, there are some factual errors here. Delmarva is not an area. It is a specific geographic location. Quite distant from DC, but close to Philadelphia. McCormick's is not in the DC area; it is located a half hour north of baltimore, originally in baltimore. True, old bay is popular throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, and I think it is fine to point out washingtonians affinity for it, but is no more linked to DC than Philly cheesesteaks. Not that I’m beaming with pride over Old Bay... I’ve always thought that stuff tasted like ass.
It's all about the Uncle Brutha's hot sauce. I'm all over that stuff. I was so excited when I heard that they were opening a store over by Eastern Market, I flipped my lid!
Not only do they have spice mixes, but they have hot sauces, rubs, spicy peanuts, dips and spreads, and probably a bunch of stuff! They even have a thing that they call a tasting platform or whatever, where they let you taste probably around 50 hot sauces. I was like a kid in a candy store, or, better yet, like Dave Chappelle in "Half Baked" when he walked into the medical mary jane room in the hospital. Yeah, hot sauce to me is like cannibus to that guy. Crazy.
Another shout-out to Tony Cachere's! Good stuff, but a little salty. They should come out with a low sodium version. Old Bay's in the Midwest, too -- no one there has heard of Zatarain's. And as far as crap beer, the demise of Foggy Bottom lager/ale wasn't soon enough as far as I'm concerned.
according to the wikipedia article it looks like even bmore is not part of delmarva. the western border is the chesapeake bay.
I have low sodium Tony Chacheries' in my cabinet right now. It's called LITE and it's not less flavorful it's apparently only 11% sodium by weight...
I'm glad I'm not alone, it was a fateful day we was introduced by some sweat-inducing jumbalaya.
Um, does anyone put Lawry's season salt on popcorn? It rules.
vivo, exactly. neither is annapolis. think Long Island. you cannot be in the delmarva "area."
No no no. If you're going to put anything on popcorn you've got to put on rice seasoning (furikake). Wasabi or egg are the best flavors for popcorn. In Hawaii (and some places in San Francisco) they offer it at the condiment bar at movie theaters. They probably do the same in Japan. Nothing like the combination of seaweed, egg, bonito flakes and a dash of MSG to bring out the flavor of popcorn. Or rice, of course.
DELMARVA is the PENINSULA to our east. it does not include DC. it does not include baltimore.
stop being retarded.
So DC isn't exactly on the Delmarva pen. It is still in the region.
The real issue here is the lack of a crap beer, the utility of which cannot be overstated. Crap beer is so important that on the west coast some of the micro-breweries are producing a line of crap beer that sells at a much lower price point.
Want a truly awesome regional spice mix?
Pick yourself up some Tony Chachere's. I first had it in a a bloody mary at Lounge Lizards in New Orleans and have never looked back. Kicks the hell out of Old Bay any day.
Oop missed all the other shout outs for Tony C's, but as an aid:
You can buy Mortons Nature's Seasons here
and
Jane's Krazy Mixed up salt here. (I'm a big fan of Janes.)
C'mon folks all you have to do is google these things
As an Arkansan, I can tell you we use Tony's, Zatarain's or Cavender's (Arkie Product)down South. This Old Bay whatnot is a Yankee Contraption and does not belong on anything other than crab. Also, what's the deal with vinegar on fries? *boot*
The local DC crap beer is Foggy Bottom ale and lager. http://www.foggybottom.com/
I was eating in a crab shack up in NY a few weeks ago and they didn't have old bay seasoning for the crabs (which was pretty suprising) When I made the request for some I got paprika mixed with pepper....sigh....
Although I've seen some remaining stock in some neighborhood liquor stores, Foggy Bottom is no more.
DELMARVA?!?!?
sorry, just piling on
DC is completely in the DelMarVa area. Don't be ridiculous. The Potomac and Annacostia feed right into the Chesapeake Bay.
Don
don,
The term Delmarva is used for the DELware, MARyland, and VirginA Peninsula, not the three states in general.
don,
The term Delmarva is used for the DELware, MARyland, and VirginA Peninsula, not the three states in general.
I am from Delmarva, and I can tell you that DC is most definately not part of Delmarva. Baltimore isn't either, but it's claim is more legitimate and there is more of a linkage via historical maritime trade, plus the fact that it's in Maryland, a significant chunk of which is in Maryland, though not the chunck Baltimore sits on.
DC might be Southern. I don't know, but it definately ain't Delmarva hon.
p.s. Old Bay is nasty.
I am from Delmarva, and I can tell you that DC is most definately not part of Delmarva. Baltimore isn't either, but it's claim is more legitimate and there is more of a linkage via historical maritime trade, plus the fact that it's in Maryland, a significant chunk of which is in Maryland, though not the chunck Baltimore sits on.
DC might be Southern. I don't know, but it definately ain't Delmarva hon.
p.s. Old Bay is nasty.
Admittedly, this is a silly argument. But don, so does the Susquehanna. Does this mean the poconos and scranton are also in the Delmarva area? No. They run into the Chesapeake, not into Delmarva. Not the same thing. Delmarva is a peninsula, arguably an island. Is New Haven in the Long Island area? No. I’m not trying to be rude, just accurate. the author of this post was using the term “delmarva” to imply a cultural tie among these three states, not to specify the land body to which the term applies. Obviously, this is confusing, as it is an incorrect usage for the term. “Delmarva” has a very specific definition. Never mind there is no actual cultural tie that binds Wilmington, Fredrick and Richmond. The correct term, obviously, would have been “Chesapeake region.” (although, Delaware is arguably not even in the Chesapeake region) This, I would have actually have let go, was it not stated that the McCormick’s was in the Washington area. McCormick’s (and Old Bay, by extension), Delmarva, and Washington have nothing to do with one another.
But yes, Old Bay is the crappy all-spice that is popular in the “Chesapeake” region.
Bill, I agree with you on all counts.
except baltimore has no interest in being part of Delmarva... we know the difference, you shore crackers.
Great. I'll help you tear the bridge down.
heh.
delMARva DELmarva delmarVA delMARva DELmarva delmarVA DELMARVA!
You people are morons, even by my standards.
internet guy, I'll admit it, you're right. this argument is idiotic, and I'm in the thick of it, which probably makes me the biggest idiot.
Why do I continue to read these comments when I'm bored? I fall for it every time. Well, at least I won't piss off any of you needle dicks by mistaking the boundaries of the Delmarva peninsula. On the one hand, I did learn something. On the other, wouldn't it be great if, instead of being such fucking assholes, you just politely informed people of such insignifica as precise boundaries and moved on to a worthwhile topic of discussion? It's a fucking BLOG after all. Was anyone in doubt as to what was meant by "Delmarva area"? It's a wonder the DCists bother to jump back in the pool with you assholes.
FYI, Nature's Seasons is indeed available in this area. I spotted it this weekend in the Harris Teeter at Pentagon Row.
The Giant in Clarendon has Nature's Seasons.