The Slow Foods Ark of Taste is a list of thousands of food products, collected with the intent of promoting and preserving them before they die out. The list includes heirloom fruits and vegetables, rare livestock breeds, and prepared specialty foods like cheeses. Items are nominated to the list using criteria factoring in uniqueness, sustainability, and quality. The Slow Food USA website declares that “these foods are prized by those who eat them for their special taste.” No commercial or trademarked products are selected.
But what about foods that just… aren’t that special? What about all of the commercial products that have come and gone, perhaps dying out justly and unlamented? Obsessed as I am with the detritus of popular culture, I can’t help but wonder about extinct ingredients that no one publicly mourned.
Coralline ad, “The Practical Cook Book,” 1888