Shocking as it may sound, it could be that
your favorite restaurant is tricking you into thinking that you’re
eating a dish of a finer quality than you actually are. Food fraud is a
$50 billion global industry, and you could be buying into the scam
without even realizing it. Here are the dishes that you should be wary
of when ordering at a restaurant:
1. Kobe Beef
Although Kobe beef has become revered
around the world for being probably the finest-quality beef money can
buy, the truth is that the supply of it is so small that 99% of what’s
purported to be Kobe beef in fact isn’t. The only way to tell if you’re
eating real Kobe beef is if you’ve paid top dollar for it. Genuine Kobe
beef costs something in the region of $150 per pound…
2. Truffles
fake-foods
These things are so rare and expensive that
you’re almost certain to encounter fake truffle mushrooms and truffle
oils at restaurants. Just like Kobe beef, this is because there’s a
highly limited supply. Unless you’ve seen a truffle actually being
shaved in front of you, you’re almost guaranteed to be served something
else.
3. Wasabi
If you happen to be a sushi lover that
loves to slather wasabi all over the place, then you’re in for some bad
news. At a lot of restaurants, the stuff that’s supposed to be wasabi is
usually a combination of horseradish, mustard and food coloring. You
might get a tiny little bit of real wasabi mixed in there if you’re
lucky. Real wasabi is distinguishable by its taste – it should taste
“herbal”, be hot but without a burning aftertaste, and taste smooth.
4. Red Snapper
An extensive test was conducted on the
supply of red snapper in restaurants around the world, and it found that
some 94% of all fish purported to be red snapper was actually something
else entirely. As a rule of thumb, you should always see the fish
you’re about to eat displayed to you whole before you order. Even then,
you’re still running the risk of it being a different breed of fish, but
it’s entirely up to you if you take the chance.
5. Lobster
As shocking as it may seem to think that
you’re being served fake lobster, it’s far from being unheard of. If
you’re eating at a chain restaurant, you’re likely to be eating
langostino, which is a mix of crab and shellfish. The only way to ensure
that you’re eating real lobster is to head to a family-owned restaurant
by the sea in a port town.
6. Grouper
Real grouper is absolutely delicious, but it’s often the case that
you’ll find restaurants trying to pass off cheaper fish, such as Asian
catfish, tilapia and hake, as grouper. As with the red snapper mentioned
above, always make sure that you’re shown a whole fish before ordering.