Food Notes: 10/1

Provel cheese, beer, Scrabble words, and more

New York City’s late night dining scene has never recovered from the overnight subway shutdowns. There’s one place in Williamsburg with great food after midnight: Commodore. The hot chicken sandwich has been a neighborhood favorite for more than a decade.

The Processed Pizza Cheese

Adam Rorthbarth takes a look at the history of Provel, a special type of processed cheese popular in the midwest. It’s a “pizza cheese” essential for St. Louis-style pizzas made by combining Swiss, cheddar, and provolone.

What We Drink When We Drink Octoberfest

Eater looks at the style of beer commonly associated with Octoberfest. Märzen is a style brewed in spring, consumed all summer, and celebrated at the end of the season, and that tradition carries on today.

Food Words Added to Dictionary

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has added some new food-related words to the dictionary including burrata, street corn, and ultra-processed. These words aren’t exactly cutting edge, but it does mean Scrabble players can use them.

Your Favorite Foods Were Probably Just Content Marketing

Gastro Obscura looks at some of America’s favorite foods invented by marketing departments to sell processed food.

Sauce Boss

Rao’s jarred pasta sauce has become big business for Campbell’s Soup. Named for the East Harlem red sauce restaurant, the line of spaghetti sauce keeps expanding with flavors like truffle and caramelized onion.