Playing with our food
I have to admit, i love these Pluots (aka dinosaur eggs). They are a hybrid mix of plums and apricots, and while I’ve always held a frightened fascination with engineered food, this delicious plum -apricot mixture is nothing but delightful. The flesh of the fruit is most like a plum, but the over-saturated taste of the plum is made more subtle by the addition of the apricot. What’s really weird about this fruit (and it’s sister the Aprium) is that they are both trademarked species of foods.
update/correction: As commented below by Chip from Cookthink - the Pluot is not genetically engineered but lovingly hand bred.
Which brings me to my other favorite food dilemma - what to do about the extinction of the banana. Bananas are easily one of my favorite foods. Would I prefer the banana to be saved by becoming genetically altered, or do I let it slip a way. A world without bananas…. hard to imagine.
Here are some banana articles:
BBC: Bananas could split for good
Popular Science: Can This Fruit Be Saved?
Snopes on the banana rumors
August 7th, 2006 at 8:37 pm
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/bananas.htm
August 15th, 2006 at 12:05 am
Once the dinosaur plum is two or three days past its prime, it develops a pungent, nail-polish like aftertaste.
August 18th, 2006 at 4:22 pm
I always love seeing pluots loved. Important to make the distinction though: pluots are not “genetically engineered.” They’re actually hand bred by a guy named Floyd Zaiger, outside of Modesto, CA. He and his family use controlled pollination, just like every other plum, peach, apple etc. Just like the bees do it, but faster, controlled, more direct — but it’s not GMO. Don’t fear them! Love them!
August 25th, 2006 at 8:55 pm
DON”T FEAR THE PLUOT! PLUOTS ARE OUR FRIENDS…