Flavor

Years ago, curacao was the jewel of every well-stocked bar. The aqua liqueur with the orange flavor put the blue in Blue Hawaiians, Blue Lagoons and other kitschy drinks.Now, like many trends of decades past, curacao (pronounced "cure-a-sow") is enjoying a mini-revival in drinks that have definite party appeal -- particularly the frozen margarita.Curacao also wakes up simple desserts that are timeless and not necessarily blue. It pairs nicely with its color mate, the blueberry.Curacao doesn't start out blue.

Long before the throngs of audience members generate "oohs" and "ahhs," the staff of the UniverSoul Circus begins to craft its unusual performances, spending months combing the globe for fresh acts. The result includes performers such as the Shaolin Kung Fu acrobats from China and hip-hop contortionists from Guinea. With this array of international talent, it's fitting that this year's tour has been entitled "US. " "In our mind, when you come to UniverSoul, you see a culture that really mirrors society," said Paula Murphy, executive vice president of the traveling circus, which performs at Security Square Mall through Sunday.

You know Huckleberry Finn and Huckleberry Hound. But do you know the fruit for which they are named? You may not, given the confusion that swirls around the term huckleberry. In Maryland, four species of huckleberries are found. Here it is a little blue fruit with 10 hard seeds that make it less than a culinary delicacy. Some folks also call the state's wild blueberries huckleberries. But head west to Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, and you'll find people who have an entirely different idea of what a huckleberry is. Gift shops sell huckleberry jelly, candies, soaps and lotions.

Look, I'm not above sneaking a few extra vegetables and fruits into my kid's diet. I'm lucky that he's not a very picky eater and loves broccoli, so I don't have to do that much sneaking. But sure, a little spinach in a smoothie, some pasta with veggies in it? I'm there. But have we really gotten to the point where we have to trick kids into eating apples ? And do they really need a marketing ploy? They're already sweet! They're nature's candy! They keep you away from the doctor's office when eaten daily!

Sorry, Gertrude Stein, but you got it wrong with "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose. " The flower has a whole new identity: out of the bud vase and onto the plate. Long used in Persian and Indian cooking, rose is a flavor not commonly found in American fare. But some creative local chefs and bakers are working it into desserts, drinks, even savory dishes. Rose syrups, rose water and petals fresh, frozen and dried lend a surprising floral note to fruit-topped pastries and chocolate eclairs, strawberry mojitos and a couscous served with lamb.

Maruha, a Japanese steakhouse, opened last year in Columbia's Hickory Ridge shopping center in space that used to be a Blockbuster. I'm glad someone told me that, because I did think it was strange when the waitress told me I had to … I know there's a good video store-Japanese restaurant joke out there somewhere, maybe something about rewinding, but I just can't come up with it, and it's killing me. I'm not saying I spent more time...

Cumin smells like old socks. Yet what would chili be without cumin -- or curry or sausages or pickles or Edam cheese? The predominant scent in most curry powders and chili powders is cumin.Cumin is the yellowish-brown, dried fruit of a small plant in the parsley family that is native to the Upper Nile.A lot of experts say cumin tastes like caraway but that makes me wonder what's wrong with their taste buds. To me cumin tastes earthy, pungent, even a little bitter. The seeds of cumin do look something like caraway seeds -- at least they are both small and oval.

Item: Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse One Step Stuffing Mix What you get: 4 1/2 servings Cost: About $2.25 Nutritional content: Turkey flavor - 270 calories, 3 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 350 milligrams sodium, 14 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams sugars Preparation time: 2 to 2 1/2 minutes in microwave, 5 minutes on stove top Review: Pepperidge Farm, long a standard-bearer of traditional stuffing mixes that are baked in the oven, has jumped into the stove-top...

Food entrepreneurs have found a way to inject a little bit of the South Pacific into familiar foods and beverages for an exotic blend that seems to be popping up everywhere. Goodbye, strawberry and kiwi -- hello, passion fruit. Also known as granadilla, passion fruit is a purple, yellow or orange fruit with a yellow interior and edible seeds. It is 2 to 3 inches wide, has leathery skin that is often shriveled and is native to tropical regions that include the West Indies, Australia and Malaysia.

* Item: IKEA's Swedish Meatballs and Cream Gravy* What you get: 2 1/2 pounds of meatballs, 16 ounces of gravy (sold separately)* Cost: About $10 for meatballs, $2 for gravy* Preparation time: 15-20 minutes for meatballs, 20 minutes for gravy* Review: My mother -- who is of Swedish descent -- makes meatballs so light and tasty that guests are disappointed if she has a party and doesn't offer them. So maybe I'm too particular when tasting other meatballs. But I'm a big fan of IKEA's food and furniture, so I was truly disappointed when I tried these frozen meatballs.

Starbucks is offering half-off any flavor and size of its blended beverages starting Friday and running through May 13, between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. The blends, mixes of syrup, coffee, milk and ice, include flavors such as Mocha Cookie Crumble, Chocolate Cookie Crumble Crème and Mocha Coconut. And if you're tweeting, tag your Twitter photos with #FrappuccinoHappyHour to win prizes. The top 10 best beverage-inspired photos will go into a daily photo album at facebook.com/Frappuccino.

To make a cocktail, a bartender performs a complicated ballet involving spirits, mixers and garnishes, somehow juggling them all and finally bringing them in for a graceful, neat landing in your glass. At Heavy Seas Alehouse, bartender Will Helfrich has a simpler approach. He grabs a tall glass, sets it underneath the beer tap and pours eight ounces of sudsy, golden beer, Heavy Seas Classic Lager. And then tops it off with homemade pomegranate lemonade. Add a sprig of fresh rosemary and you have the Little Italy bar and restaurant's Sea Shandy.

Chef Shawn Lagergren, who co-owns Hamilton's new Cajun spot, Tooloulou, has cooking in his blood. He grew up in Louisiana, learning to cook while perched on a stool in his grandmother's kitchen. Lagergren may have made his chops in Baltimore restaurants like Luca's and Village Square Cafe. But his love for cooking and his understanding of Cajun flavors? That's all from his Maw Maw. And Maw Maw taught him well. The tiny Tooloulou, which borrows its musical name from the Cajun word for "crab," does a brisk business, serving traditional Louisiana fare and creatively topped artisan pizzas to an enthusiastic crowd of local regulars.

Rita's Italian Ice is debuting its newest flavor, Red Velvet Cake Cream Ice, on Friday. The new "rich and creams" flavor is a limited time offering. That's not the only news out of Trevose, Pa. Beginning next Wednesday, Rita's is offering 50 percent off Blendinis from 5 to 7 p.m. The Red Velvet Cake Cream Ice offer and the “Great Blendini” event will both continue through April 29.        

Tuesday is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's all over the world, including Baltimore. Stop in a participating Ben & Jerry's and get a free cone along with samples of Ben & Jerry's new Greek Frozen Yogurt. Rats, that Ben & Jerry's at the Inner Harbor closed up, so for Baltimoreans the closest participating Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop is now the one on Ellsworth Road in Silver Spring -- you have until 8 p.m. to get there. Drop by the Baltimore Diner Facebook Page to tell us your favorite Ben & Jerry's flavor.

While Maryland pays more than $2 billion annually in tobacco-related health-care costs, the tobacco industry spends upward of $1 million an hour to market its products nationwide. Even though Congress banned flavored cigarettes in 2009, Big Tobacco continues to target youth with flavored cigars sold for as little as 69 cents and packaged to look like candy. A new surgeon general's report finds that one in five high school males smokes cigars and that cigar use appears to be rising overall.

Q: I have heard that spices can lose their flavor over time. How should I store them?A: Spices should be stored in a very cool, dry and dark space, preferably not near the stove.McCormick-Schilling's manager of consumer food center, Laurie Wilson, says that spices from the capsicum family, such as sweet and chili peppers lose flavor, intensity and color faster than other spices and can also draw bugs if not stored properly. These spices include cayenne (red pepper), chili powder, paprika, or any blend that contains these.

If the man of your house dreams of spending Father's Day with a fishing rod in hand, you may have to put the steaks back in the freezer Sunday night. Consider his luck as the opportunity to try fish you might not usually find on a restaurant menu or in the seafood case: freshwater perch, bluegill, croaker and wild trout. The first step to cooking them (after they're cleaned, of course) is to recognize many of these fish are more delicate in taste and texture than the salmon or tuna you may be accustomed to throwing on the grill.

If you don't support gay marriage, you probably don't want to get caught with a cone of Ben & Jerry's new flavor. Apple-y Ever After, available in the U.K., is the activist ice cream maker's attempt to advocate for gay marriage as it comes under consideration there this month. "Because ," the company says, "everyone is equal and deserves to live Apple-y Ever After!" Since Maryland beat the Brits to the punch, legalizing gay marriage earlier this month, there are no doubt a number of folks around here who'd like a scoop, or perhaps a double.

Hampden's Alchemy may have one of the tiniest upstairs bars in Baltimore. But there are some serious, high-end cocktails being crafted in this small space. Dubbed "Potions" (see what they did there?), the cocktail menu features an extensive selection of hand-crafted and tweaked blends of traditional drinks that demonstrate a lot of care, craftsmanship and, best of all, lots of flavor. "It's fun, I love doing it. We find what's trending and give it our own twist," said bartender Matthew Ballinger.