The rise of chilli crisp is a study in how foods become fads
In lockdown, people in the West discovered an age-old Chinese condiment
For some, cooking during lockdowns was a chance to try out the kind of time-consuming, intricate food preparation that the rush of ordinary life makes impossible. Endless loaves of sourdough were produced, along with bubbling kombucha. For others, it was an experience of drudgery. Making three meals a day, especially if your diners included small children, was tedium defined—an endless loop of eggs and beans and eggs and toast and beans and toast and eggs.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Some like it hot”
Culture February 25th 2023
- At Young Thug’s blockbuster trial, rap lyrics are used as evidence
- Timothy Garton Ash travels across Europe and into its past
- The rise of chilli crisp is a study in how foods become fads
- A new book traces the evolution of the Fed’s extraordinary powers
- In “Hungry Ghosts”, spectres of Trinidad’s past haunt the island
- How an Ethiopian prince came to be buried at Windsor Castle
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