The recent International Flight Services Association (IFSA) expo in Long Beach was truly a food lover’s haven. As an avid airline food blogger I felt like a kid in a candy shop! There were just so many new and interesting products to test drive. I must confess to having a sweet tooth, which helps explain why the following products really caught my eye. Enjoy!
Biscoff Cookies
The famous Delta Air Lines cookie (which is actually offered on a number of US carriers) was discovered in 1984 by an airline food scout during a trip to Belgium in 1984. Belgium-based Lotus Bakeries created the recipe in 1932. The cookies, which are still baked in Belgium, are made with natural ingredients, and contain no artificial colours or preservatives. The great thing about these cookies is that they are Vegan friendly and contain no cholesterol or trans fats.
The cookies are served to over 1.5 billion passengers on domestic and international US airlines a year, and the company sells around 3.3 billion cookies a year in Europe. But have you tried their Biscoff spread? The spread is Europe’s alternative to peanut butter. The main ingredient is the Biscoff cookie (of course) and it’s a great alternative to, dare I say it, Nutella. Want some Biscoff cookies? You can get them on Amazon (I already checked, the delivery should be on its way soon!) You can also buy them directly from Biscoff and earn Delta miles to boot. Go to http://www.biscoff.com/delta/
Biscottea biscuits
Speaking of biscuits, during IFSA I met up with Laurance Milner from Biscottea, which offers a range of shortbread biscuits that are actually infused with real tea inside each biscuit. The range includes flavours such as: Earl Grey, Chai, Mint, Blueberry, Rooibos and Traditional teatime. The biscuits are found on US Airways.
I had the opportunity to sample some of the new range of savoury biscuits that should hit the market early next year. One of the samples had a hint of chilli and I could still taste the biscuit even an hour after sampling it, which makes me think that this biscuit will be a hit at 35,000ft. The Biscottea range also includes a range of gluten free options with flavours such as Earl Grey, Chai and Blueberry.
If tea doesn’t tickle your fancy they also offer a great range of coffee flavoured shortbread dubbed Bis*coffee with flavours such as Espresso, Cappuccino and Mocha all made with fair trade coffee. If you are travelling between LAX -SYD on Qantas you may also be lucky enough to sample the Bis*Coffee range in their premium cabins. Alaska Airlines is also a customer. www.biscottea.com
Korean Air’s fruity dessert
Nature Farm, based in South Korea, provides Korean Air with a fantastic first class dessert. This ‘half dried’ persimmon is a local delicacy that grows on the Ebanaceae family of trees, and only in Korea and Japan. Technically classified as a berry, the persimmons used are seedless and keep their original shape during the drying process. They also retain moisture and become very soft.
The fruit is prepared using traditional hand drying techniques. But it is only ‘half dried’ (as opposed to the traditional fully dried option). The product itself is a sweet delicacy that’s best served half frozen as this enhances the taste of the product. They are normally cultivated from November through to March each year, and can be enjoyed year-round.
October 17, 2012
Inflight Services