Toxic cinnamon, not-maple syrup, and a glass of 100% unnatural orange juice. So,
how'd you get tricked into buying this stuff? It all comes down to money… and beaver butts.
When some truffle varieties cost over $96,000 a pound, the market is ripe for fraud. And sometimes
cheaper species are mislabeled as more expensive ones. It could also be that the truffle oil you're
buying at $60 or more a pop relies on synthetic ingredients rather than, you know, real truffles.
Nobody wants to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars per pound for highly sought-after
truffles, only to find that they're eating something worth much less. Still, it's tough
to know what you're getting from sight alone. The chemicals in truffles vary by species and where
they were grown, so scientists can authenticate them with fairly high accuracy. Unfortunately,
there have been times when scientists have analyzed the chemical makeup of
expensive truffles only to find that they were actually a cheaper species. In some markets,
a high percentage of truffles are misidentified on purpose, so they can be sold at top price.
"It's as legitimate as anything these guys have been doing. I'm sorry, but we've been scammed."
With truffle oil, you expect the rich, umami flavors of real truffles. But what you are
usually buying is oil infused with synthetic flavor compounds like 2,4-dithiapentane,
which is the chemical found in real truffles. Some chefs don't mind since the intense flavor
of the oil means they don't need to use expensive truffles in a dish.
When you're loading up your pancakes with maple syrup, the sweet liquid pouring out
of the container may not be what you think. Maple syrup has a few tricks
up its sleeves to try to convince you that you're getting something you're not. Usually,
you can tell what you're getting just by reading the label — but not always.
"What's the matter, your mama didn't teach you how to chug?"
Plenty of maple-flavored pancake syrup has no actual maple syrup in it at all. Instead,
the manufacturers use corn syrup and infuse it with maple flavoring. Luckily,
a quick read of the ingredients list will usually tell you if you're getting maple-flavored syrup
or real maple syrup. Real maple syrup will have only one ingredient, while fake maple
syrup will have a list of several ingredients. Some fake maple syrup ingredients may include
high fructose corn syrup, caramel coloring, and preservatives. Maple-flavored syrup tends
to be cheaper and thicker and has a longer shelf life because of all the preservatives.
Unfortunately, reading the label isn't always enough. If your "real
maple syrup" doesn't taste right, it could be because it's not real
maple syrup at all. Fraudulent labeling has become enough of a concern that the maple
syrup industry has asked the FDA to get involved with testing for authenticity.
Unless you've had wasabi in Japan, you've likely never eaten real wasabi. What's usually served
as the spicy paste comes from the root of a plant in the same family as horseradish. So,
it's common for manufacturers who sell "wasabi" to use horseradish instead of the root from a
real wasabi plant. They mix other ingredients like mustard, vinegar, coloring, and thickeners to try
to make it taste more authentic. There's sometimes a minuscule percentage of wasabi mixed in with the
horseradish — we're talking 3% or less — and you'd spend far more money for the real thing.
"So what's the green stuff?"
"It's wasabi. It's like mustard. It gives it a real kick."
"Ooh, I love mustard."
Wasabi plants grow only under very specific conditions. And if you have tasted real wasabi,
you probably paid a hefty price for it. It can cost upwards of $200 per pound.
If you see "real wasabi" for sale at a price that seems too good to be true,
you're probably right. Real wasabi is pale green with a flavor that starts spicy and ends
sweet. The flavor of packaged wasabi isn't as strong as that of freshly grated wasabi,
so it's best eaten as fresh as possible. You probably didn't realize that vanilla
beans are the world's second most expensive spice, after saffron. Just a single pound can
cost hundreds of dollars. Thus, 99% of the vanilla extract you buy isn't from real vanilla. And one
particular source of artificial vanilla may be a little too natural for sensitive tastes.
Guess what? Beaver butt. There's a tiny chance the imitation vanilla you're using
includes castoreum — a gooey substance from a beaver's behind. It comes from the beaver's
castor gland rather than its anus, but the location is a little too close for comfort
for most of us. The beaver uses castoreum to communicate and warn off other animals
that it doesn't want in its territory. And then someone thought of using it as food for people.
The FDA doesn't require castoreum to be named as an ingredient, so manufacturers can list it
as "natural flavorings." Luckily, it's an intense process to "milk" the castor gland, so it's not
used often. Instead, most extracts come from a synthetic version of a chemical in real vanilla
called vanillin. Look for true vanilla bean extract to ensure you are getting the real deal.
There's only one caviar that's allowed by the FDA to be simply labeled "caviar," and that's
sturgeon roe from the Caspian or Black Sea. Every other kind of fish caviar requires a
more descriptive label. But thanks to a long history of mislabeling within the industry,
the chance that you're being duped into shelling out for a lesser fish egg is ever present. Cheap
and expensive caviar look similar, and it can be difficult to tell the difference.
Manufacturers who offer budget caviar often get their eggs from farmed fish or even other seafood
like shrimp. It's not uncommon to find eggs from fish like salmon, trout, and mackerel instead of
sturgeon. If your caviar is lesser-quality, it will feature ingredients like sea urchin
extract and oyster extract for flavoring, and be wrapped inside of a gelatin-like coating.
"Want a glass of water? Want something to drink?"
"Can I have a milkshake or something?"
Cheaper caviar will often taste sweeter, have a harder texture, and appear dull and
opaque rather than shiny. You should also be suspicious if the caviar comes from somewhere
like China or Vietnam. And while luxury caviar can be found in various colors, green or blue
colors should be a red flag for your wallet. If you're looking for real balsamic vinegar,
the first place to check is the nutrition label. If there are any other ingredients
listed besides grape must, it's not authentic balsamic vinegar. You'll find all sorts of
other ingredients in most balsamic vinegars on the shelf — even in those that come from Italy.
Some bottles labeled as "balsamic vinegar" may source a small percentage of balsamic vinegar,
but mostly be mixed with wine vinegar. Some companies add caramel color or thickeners to
make it more balsamic-like. This condiment can run up the bill,
but you don't have to spend a fortune to get 100% balsamic vinegar. Some are
available for as little as $4 for a 16-ounce bottle — and you just have to read the label.
"I want some fancy sauce."
The most expensive and most sought after variety is traditional balsamic vinegar. Like whiskey,
it goes through a barrel-aging process to make it authentic. It must be aged
for at least 12 years and come from either Reggio Emilia or Modena, Italy. Otherwise,
it's not traditional balsamic vinegar. The traditional variety also comes in a
wax-sealed bottle, with a label that confirms its classification, along with an identity number,
and a destination-of-origin stamp proving it's the real deal. If it doesn't have that,
you're not really getting balsamic vinegar. You may not realize that true cinnamon comes
from a Sri Lankan tree called Ceylon. But even so, a large portion of the cinnamon you find
in stores comes from cassia tree bark, which comes from Indonesia, China, or Saigon. They're
cousins from the same tree genus, but they're completely different species. And since the
FDA doesn't differentiate between the two, you often won't see the species listed on the labels.
Real Ceylon cinnamon has a sweet, spicy, and more floral flavor profile. It's also
darker and comes in thinner rolled sticks than cassia does. Numerous studies have
attributed health benefits to it, including having "anti-microbial, anti-parasitic,
antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties." It also can lower blood sugar,
cholesterol, and blood pressure, and improve your heart health. Not too shabby.
Cassia cinnamon has a stronger, more intense flavor profile with less natural sweetness.
But the clencher is that it contains more coumarin than Ceylon cinnamon does. According to studies,
that can make cassia varieties dangerous to consume in amounts above one teaspoon per day.
Coumarin can make blood less likely to clot, increase your risk of cancer, and cause damage
to your liver. Clearly, the differences between Ceylon and cassia cinnamon go far beyond flavor.
When the label claims that the contents inside the container are 100% juice,
it's often not quite true. All you have to do is read the label to see that the
juice might not be exactly what it seems. So, what's going on here?
"Orange mocha frappuccino."
If you've ever picked your own fruit, you know it's only ripe on a seasonal basis. So
juice companies have had to find a way to store their product to make their fresh juice all year
long. Many times, you'll find that "100% juice" is actually a combination of water
and juice concentrate. Plus, you'll find other ingredients like natural flavors, citric acid,
ascorbic acid, or pectin on the label. We've even seen mushroom extract in one juice product. We're
not sure what the manufacturers' definition of "100%" is, but it doesn't quite match ours.
Some companies boast about the contents of their 100% orange juice, saying that it's
"not from concentrate." It may not be, but it's still not 100% juice either. To keep the orange
juice from spoiling, companies remove oxygen during storage. And by the time they're ready
to use the orange juice, it doesn't have such a great flavor anymore. At that point,
they add what they call "flavor packs" to the juice. These packs contain chemicals
like ethyl butyrate to restore the aroma or valencine to restore the flavor. Since the
chemicals could have come from actual oranges, the company doesn't have to list them on the label.