I was going to buy your cookbook. Now I've read this column and have changed my mind. It's not that sugar is evil per se. The issue for me is that everyone offers sugar in abundance. This has led to an epidemic of obesity and as a result, many other health complications. Limited sugar intake is just fine but have you tried the recommended amount per day? It's very difficult. Even yogurt sans sweetener is hard to find. Until food companies create food without sugar it will be hard to justify the treats Ottolenghi advocates.
Womp womp. While I don't disagree - sugar is a scourge; and it's everywhere - I see Yotam's efforts here as a way to be mindful. I personally eat very very little sugar because I have some health issues. When I DO get to treat myself, I sure as hell want something as unique, flavorful, and joy inducing as one of these beautiful dishss (which don't even contain that much sugar, btw, compared to so many standard american recipes or even, as you mention, a standard yogurt which contains 30grams). I think the anti-sugar argument needs to be brought elsewhere - to large food corporations and false governmental nutritional guidelines - rather than against creative chefs making fun things in their kitchens.
(Also, I own all of his cookbooks. They are truly fabulous and I recommend them highly - especially if you, like me, love vegetables.)
(Also, I own all of his cookbooks. They are truly fabulous and I recommend them highly - especially if you, like me, love vegetables.)
6
Since Adam took that first sweet, juicy bite in Cafe Eden, we've been struggling with this beautiful temptation. Who would want it any other way?
Sugar is poison, full stop. No way around that. The Science is there, as reported repeatedly in the NY Times lately. And people's palates are ruined by excess amounts of sugar, as well. Yet, you can make so many deserts with far less sugar than in Yotam's lovely recipes, and you can sweeten with dried fruit, dates, and sweeteners like coconut sugar that have a slower burn due to fiber content. My acupuncturist in San Diego is a fantastic deserts chef (he serves them to us in the waiting room :-) and i in particular liked this recipe of his i tried recently,http://bodymindwellnesscenter.com/roasted-chickpea-nut-breakfast-cookies/
I love sugar
it makes my limbs tingle
with that diabetic pain in my shingle
love it more
with that honorific
mercenary monetary gesture
money.
it makes my limbs tingle
with that diabetic pain in my shingle
love it more
with that honorific
mercenary monetary gesture
money.
I am stoked to hear about your background, and to read all of your written pieces in NYT!!!!
2
LOVE Ottolenghi. So excited he's writing here. Can't wait to try these recipes.
5
I can't believe all the comments from people complaining about the evils of sugar, or even worse, that they don't eat sugar and it is unfair to have a column with recipes that contain sugar since it makes them feel bad. Has the world gone mad?
I love Mr. Ottolenghi's cookbooks and his Guardian columns, and am excited to see him in the NYT.
I love Mr. Ottolenghi's cookbooks and his Guardian columns, and am excited to see him in the NYT.
13
This is very exciting! I hope the recipes offer healthy ingredient variations for diabetics like me (there are a lot of us out here who would love a world-class dessert that we could enjoy without worrying about numbers).
3
This is just a suggestion, but The Times food editors should consider having trigger warnings above the headlines on deeply controversial subjects such as ice cream, and, maybe, a safe space, in the form of a photograph of organic kale (washed in filtered water), for the horribly offended or mortality-aware readers to stare at.
I find that looking at kale takes away my desire for forbidden granita if I stare at the leaves long enough.
It's understandable that recipes cause such horror, especially when compared to trivial news articles about refugees trapped across the planet as a result of unread, but signed, political commands.
I'm eating Fig Newmans.
I find that looking at kale takes away my desire for forbidden granita if I stare at the leaves long enough.
It's understandable that recipes cause such horror, especially when compared to trivial news articles about refugees trapped across the planet as a result of unread, but signed, political commands.
I'm eating Fig Newmans.
20
C'est bon? my beautiful mother used to ask, causing my eyes to narrow and draw my dessert plate closer out of a poacher's way like a feral cat. 'Don't you remember, Max Ernst, he used to laugh at your expression and would treat you to dessert for the pleasure of it?'. A case of serious bliss and concentration was taking place and it was not until in my 20s that I discovered and admired the work of this artist.
'The Case for Sugar' by Paul Rudick this weekend last caused a woman of a certain age to reply "Gloriously funny" and perhaps she treated herself to a marron glace. A new neighbor has been bringing to this table home-made cake, a particularly fine pumpkin and ginger bread treat, reminding me of 'gingerbread husbands'. The 'receipt' for the latter exists, along with a French recipe from a Parisian on how best to make 'financier' bites.
Joy! A lot of what Mr. Ottolenghi has to say is joy for one's soul. He has inspired this reader to add some pomegranate juice to cups of black tea. The most generous chef I am acquainted with, bakes extraordinary sweets. She has reached an elderly age but gets restless if a day goes by where she is not making a dessert, which she learned decades ago not far out from Baghdad.
It is a gift to be able to offer these delights to others, and I want to thank this author for The Rose Granita. Here's to La Vie en Rose!
'The Case for Sugar' by Paul Rudick this weekend last caused a woman of a certain age to reply "Gloriously funny" and perhaps she treated herself to a marron glace. A new neighbor has been bringing to this table home-made cake, a particularly fine pumpkin and ginger bread treat, reminding me of 'gingerbread husbands'. The 'receipt' for the latter exists, along with a French recipe from a Parisian on how best to make 'financier' bites.
Joy! A lot of what Mr. Ottolenghi has to say is joy for one's soul. He has inspired this reader to add some pomegranate juice to cups of black tea. The most generous chef I am acquainted with, bakes extraordinary sweets. She has reached an elderly age but gets restless if a day goes by where she is not making a dessert, which she learned decades ago not far out from Baghdad.
It is a gift to be able to offer these delights to others, and I want to thank this author for The Rose Granita. Here's to La Vie en Rose!
6
YAY! So glad Mr. Ottolenghi is writing for the NYT. His cookbooks are bibles in our house - we look at them just to see the beautiful food and to have a visit with him as he describes his life and cooking. Welcome and much success!
7
I'm with you, I like to have something sweet each day also. Usually a piece of chocolate. I too love to cook & bake ; I'd also like to be a size 4, but that's not happening, I love food too much!
8
Oh my! Having breakfast at the Machnayehuda Shuk in Jerusalem reading this. Much love to the chef from this part of the world and looking forward to reading his columns.
2
Welcome, Yotam Ottolenghi. I have all of your cookbooks and have cooked many of the recipes from them and from The Guardian. I'm looking forward to reading your new column.
3
Welcome, Mr. Ottolenghi!
I also have a bit of a sweet tooth, and sometimes it is satisfied by a spicy/sweet apple chutney served with a pork tenderloin. But sometimes it needs a taste of my grandmother's gingerbread, a recipe that is over 100 years old, and way less sweet than cakes today. I look forward to everything you have to offer us!
I also have a bit of a sweet tooth, and sometimes it is satisfied by a spicy/sweet apple chutney served with a pork tenderloin. But sometimes it needs a taste of my grandmother's gingerbread, a recipe that is over 100 years old, and way less sweet than cakes today. I look forward to everything you have to offer us!
4
Would you share that recipe with us? Sounds wonderful.
1
I really love the way Ottolenghi writes! A wonderful respite from the news of the day! His love of food and how it contributes to the quality of life shines through! So glad he will be a regular contributor. Can't wait to read and learn about new recipes I am not familiar with!
9
So that's why I love him. A little bit of sugar every day.
7
Welcome Yotam. Your cookbook, Jerusalem, is a joy to read and use. Looking forward to learning more from you.
5
Ottolenghi's recipes are great, but rarely suitable for everyday cooking - mainly due to the enormous list of ingredients. I hope his page will be useful to those of us who like to potter about the kitchen, rather than just food porn.
6
He loves to cook, he loves to bake! Thank the good lord that he does! I love to do it vicariously, reading is column.
5
So refreshing to see this. The excess sugar in most people's diets doesn't actually come from dessert but from processed or pre-packaged food. Sugar is fine, but its role should be as a special treat. The problem only happens when we eat and drink sugar with every meal, as many people do today in America. But if you skip the soda and cook your dinner from scratch then you really can have your cake and eat it too!
20
After the election I forewent my sick obsessions with politics and Trump. For a full month. The Food section was my only NYT connection. After one month I started venturing in again to the pain. It was really nice not knowing anything for that one month. I had become a know-nothing and it wasn't bad. In fact it was pretty good and healthy. But after reading about Otolenghi hooking up with the NYT, I'm back (although the Food section may still be it). Ottolenghi makes it so.
9
Fantastic news! I've always found Mr Ottolenghi's cooking inspiring and his starting contribution is just that. Spices and tahini and herbs, oh my! Loving it already. Just what the end of winter needed.
7
Love the Ottolenghi cookbooks and loved my visit to Nopi. This is such welcome addition to my NYT obsession!
2
I do have to admit that many of the chef's savory recipes call for sugar. I've made them with and without. And always go for the no sugar version. The addition of sugar seems unnecessary to me unless it is for carmelization. Then, I opt for a drop of agave or honey.
1
Moderation. Jeez. Is that so hard?
6
All of the mean little dietary privations that have become so fashionable seem rooted in a kind of masochistic arrogance that doesn't serve anyone. There are enough hardships in life--why, oh why, would one deny oneself a little bite of pleasure? Thank you so much for reminding us of the joys of tasting and sharing a bit of sweetness.
16
I am thrilled that Mr. Ottolenghi is joining my favorite food site. Very exciting news!
1
I have been cooking from Scratch for 46 years for family and friends healthy Armenian , Mediterranean , French , Italian ... plus I had collected so many cookbooks I use. Few Christmas ago my daughter gave me Plenty your cook book . I said in my mind all I needed is one more cookbook! Guess what loved them use them often plus I thought I knew it all when it came to spices ? No I am learning so much thank you! Now that I have all 3 of them and I am very excited that it would be able to read you in the New York Times.
4
As a great fan of Yotam Ottolenhghi's cuisine, I am so very disappointed that his contributions to the NYT will be focused on desserts. I first discovered his delicious way with fresh vegetables, healthy grains, and subtle middle-eastern spices in Dubai, and then had brunch almost every day at his place in London. He makes healthy food delicious. Please more recipes from him of the kind of cuisine that made him famous. There is too little of that to be found anywhere.
3
His cookbooks are wonderful and filled with lots of great savory recipes. No need for him to repeat those here. I'm thrilled he'll use this space to experiment with dessert, not redo what's already out there and easily available.
If you don't have a cook, chances are you won't be savoring these labor-intensive dishes and if you do have a cook, you also have the luxury of time to work off any excess calories. A column clearly addressed to those who peruse the NYT real estate section to anxiously monitor their ranking in the world.
2
I certainly don't have a cook. Or hours of excess time. But I find cooking relaxing and meditative and creative and fun, and I do indeed "savor these labor-intensive dishes."Clear, you don't, but that's no reason to be nasty about people whose tastes you don't share, any more than I would assume and say unpleasant things about people who are fans of football or rap music or animation, none of which I like.
1
Everything in moderation--that is the key. It is also important to know what your body can and can't handle. Fortunately, I can eat sweets, and my preference is for homemade over processed and in small quantities. I just bought my first stand mixer and have used it mostly for making breads and savory doughs. I have two Ottolenghi cookbooks, and they are among my favorites. I look forward to giving my new mixer a workout. I applaud this new column!
2
The debate over sugar is ridiculous! Honey and fruits are consumed widely in places like Ikaria which have the longest living people in the world. An occasional desert isn't going to kill you as fast as a high-stress, militant attitude.
11
Desserts are not eaten in traditional cultures
Those honey and fruit foods are meant as snacks for people with active lifestyles. Turkish royalty popularized white sugar. It's not necessary to use refined products to get amazing desserts.
This is not food I want to eat anymore. I want bakers I've never heard of writing new recipes on nyt site .... not Yolam promoting his new book
Those honey and fruit foods are meant as snacks for people with active lifestyles. Turkish royalty popularized white sugar. It's not necessary to use refined products to get amazing desserts.
This is not food I want to eat anymore. I want bakers I've never heard of writing new recipes on nyt site .... not Yolam promoting his new book
2
@Sonu:
The consumption of whole fruit is largely self-limiting, because whole fruit is filling to the appetite. When eating processed foods with added sugars, there is little satiation, and we end up eating a much larger dose of sugar. "The dose makes the poison."
The consumption of whole fruit is largely self-limiting, because whole fruit is filling to the appetite. When eating processed foods with added sugars, there is little satiation, and we end up eating a much larger dose of sugar. "The dose makes the poison."
How exciting to have Yotam Ottolenghi contributing to our already-amazing writers for NYT Cooking!! Welcome Yotam! We look forward to reading your articles, and tasting the accompanying recipes! I love your cookbooks and have used many of your recipes in my professional cooking! Thank you!
1
What a treat to have Yotam join the NYT team!!! Having enjoyed his food for years, I'm just chuffed!! I am working my way through Nopi now and am psyched to have this supplemented with additions from NYT Cooking. Thanks, Sam!
3
Welcome Yotam, what a wonderful surprise to see your name on the front of the NYT food section. (And to see sweet happy headlines)
We are big big fans of your cooking and have your cookbooks. Many wonderful dishes were made guided by your recipes. I also became addicted to Tahini and have your cauliflower dish at least once a week.
Off to make the granita.
Looking forward to sweet news and recipes which we sorely need these days.
Zeldie Stuart
We are big big fans of your cooking and have your cookbooks. Many wonderful dishes were made guided by your recipes. I also became addicted to Tahini and have your cauliflower dish at least once a week.
Off to make the granita.
Looking forward to sweet news and recipes which we sorely need these days.
Zeldie Stuart
1
Congratulations NYT ! A little bit of sugar is more than welcome in this crazy world, where food has been seen as devil. Small quantities and homemade is the key point. I´m addicted to Ottolehghi´s cookbooks!
3
Good grief! The intolerance exhibited in these comments rivals that one sees appended to political articles in the Times. If you don't like sugar, don't eat it, but where do you get off telling me what I can cook or eat, or even what I can or should read, for that matter?
Lighten up. Life's too short to be miserable all the time, and nobody likes a know-it-all.
Lighten up. Life's too short to be miserable all the time, and nobody likes a know-it-all.
11
I want to preface this by saying that I often read Mr. Ottolenghi's column in "The Guardian" and own three of his cookbooks, so I am most definitely a fan. I also want to add that I believe that sugar, like all things, should be enjoyed in moderation, so the fact that this column is going to appear only occasionally doesn't really bother me; we all have a choice when it comes to consuming sweets, and I don't know that it really makes sense to shoot the messenger.
There are two things, however, that I find somewhat troubling about this column: 1) nowhere in it does Mr. Ottolenghi mention that he is currently working on a baking book, when it seems that this column will promote his desserts and serve as a kind of preview for this upcoming release. Secondly, when you consider that Mr. Ottolenghi already has a platform for his recipes in "The Guardian" and is already a more than established author, is it not possible that this column will lead to Ottolenghi fatigue? I'm not trying to be a curmudgeon here, but there are many fine bakeries and bakers in the US--just to name a few, William Werner of SF's Craftsman & Wolves; Sandra Holl of Chicago's Floriole; Maura Kilpatrick of Boston's Soframiz; Tom Douglas of Seattle's Dahlia Bakery--so why not feature them? I realize I sound a bit like a Trumpist Republican here (I am NOT), but if the Dining Section was looking for a fresh perspective, this is not it. There are other original voices out there who could serve as contributors.
There are two things, however, that I find somewhat troubling about this column: 1) nowhere in it does Mr. Ottolenghi mention that he is currently working on a baking book, when it seems that this column will promote his desserts and serve as a kind of preview for this upcoming release. Secondly, when you consider that Mr. Ottolenghi already has a platform for his recipes in "The Guardian" and is already a more than established author, is it not possible that this column will lead to Ottolenghi fatigue? I'm not trying to be a curmudgeon here, but there are many fine bakeries and bakers in the US--just to name a few, William Werner of SF's Craftsman & Wolves; Sandra Holl of Chicago's Floriole; Maura Kilpatrick of Boston's Soframiz; Tom Douglas of Seattle's Dahlia Bakery--so why not feature them? I realize I sound a bit like a Trumpist Republican here (I am NOT), but if the Dining Section was looking for a fresh perspective, this is not it. There are other original voices out there who could serve as contributors.
8
Not appealing. Do t tell me what you think is healthy.
People who think moderation is key don't understand food addictions. It's such a common emotional response. It's why we love comfort food to begin with. Many people cannot do moderation with sweets. And a little bite is provably all this slim chef eats every day.
People who think moderation is key don't understand food addictions. It's such a common emotional response. It's why we love comfort food to begin with. Many people cannot do moderation with sweets. And a little bite is provably all this slim chef eats every day.
2
I'm afraid that very little public discourse is designed for addicts. But then, I'm not entirely sure it should be. I can imagine that anything about food, diets, etc., must be very difficult for people with eating disorders, but it wouldn't really be possible to eliminate it from public discussion for them.
For a long time we were told salt would kills us an everything went low-sodium - and then it was determined that too little sodium is as unhealthy as too much. Most people can include salt in their diet, in moderation. Then it was fat - fat is bad, fat is killing us and making us fat and only no-fat is healthy - which has also been proven false. Now the demon is sugar. This nutritional extremism was wrong for salt and fat, and I strongly suspect it will prove wrong fur sugar as well. I say - all things in moderation, including moderation. Look forward to your next column.
15
I was shocked to see the title of this article. Go Nyt--stop at nothing for new readers. Some of us, millions of us struggle every day with avoiding the poison sugar. It is in bread and crackers and cereal and tomato sauce and I for one will not read this stupid, idiotic childish denial of facts. Of course it is about sugar, are we no longer able to enjoy each other's company without sugar? Ridiculous.
1
if you have to sell people on sugar something's wrong.
It's just not appealing . And I'm really sick of the whole celebrity chef thing. I don't want their story.
Don't tell me what you think . Just make food I want to eat.
It's just not appealing . And I'm really sick of the whole celebrity chef thing. I don't want their story.
Don't tell me what you think . Just make food I want to eat.
In reply to ALoken - years ago when I was a kid, we had a home cooked meal every night. We also had desert every night (homemade, no artificial ingredients or preservatives). It was a balanced meal approach to eating and no one in our family was fat.
If you have one serving of something sweet each day, what's the problem? Does one glass of wine a day make an alcoholic?
I eat sweets every day and now at 60-something I am in the "normal range" for weight. Sugar is just - part - of my diet.
Some of the problem is lack of control. Oprah once talked about eating a "sleeve" of cookies. I've never eaten a sleeve of anything in my life.
So the old saw -
All things in moderation.
Sugar is not "evil," and neither is gluten.
Also, as pointed out in the article, heathy ingredients can be incorporate into deserts.
If you have one serving of something sweet each day, what's the problem? Does one glass of wine a day make an alcoholic?
I eat sweets every day and now at 60-something I am in the "normal range" for weight. Sugar is just - part - of my diet.
Some of the problem is lack of control. Oprah once talked about eating a "sleeve" of cookies. I've never eaten a sleeve of anything in my life.
So the old saw -
All things in moderation.
Sugar is not "evil," and neither is gluten.
Also, as pointed out in the article, heathy ingredients can be incorporate into deserts.
23
Well, the weight of evidence does indicate that sugar is actively bad for you, and gluten isn't unless you have celiac disease. That said, I don't think the problem with sugar consumption is people having a little treat every day--I think it's drinking a lot of liquid sugar and eating a lot of processed food full of sugar when it's not meant to be a sweet treat. Revel in the joy of the treat; avoid the soda and read labels, and I suspect we'll all be ok.
I have been a fan of Yotam Ottolehghi's cooking and recipes for several years. I turn to his cookbooks again and again.
8
Substitute the word "cocaine" for sugar in that article and it would read like a plea for an intervention. Speaking of which, studies have now shown in brain scans that the reward response triggered in the brain by sugar is virtually identical to the response triggered by cocaine. Sugar is more addicitive than a hard street drug, and it's killing millions of people slowly because it's in virtually every processed food out there. Turns out it is the sugar after all...
12
The Chef has given us his recipe. If we've health issues we'er free to modify where needed to satisfy taste and health needs.
2
actually ... it's the processed foods that are doing the killing
4
Sugar, as glucose, probably is "addictive" and it ought to be - last time I looked we need food to survive. However, in the way that you mean it, if you think that sugar is more addictive than cocaine than I guess I have to find better sugar.
Yeah!!!! I've been trying to obsess less over the newspaper lately, but this is a very, very welcome addition! Everything in moderation and we'll all be fine.
25
Irresponsible, considering all the terrible health consequences of sugar. This new column could/should show how tasty pastries can be made using fruits and Stevia.
7
I have found the best when to help my children establish a healthy relationship with sugar is to make them really amazing homemade desserts at home that we eat in moderation. When my youngest was 4 we went to a birthday party where there was a chocolate cake from the grocery store. My son ate a few bites and then came and told me he was done. The other parents thought it was normal until he then asked for more red peppers. He had eaten so many amazing cakes, this one was not of interest.
We just finished eating one of Yotam Ottolenghi's clementine almond cakes that we shared with a friend and ate over 3 days. His cake was far less sweet than most deserts and a small piece was all that I wanted.
We just finished eating one of Yotam Ottolenghi's clementine almond cakes that we shared with a friend and ate over 3 days. His cake was far less sweet than most deserts and a small piece was all that I wanted.
13
...or honey!
As non-baker (except bread) and non-dessert person, I just wish Mr. Ottolenghi's column could be devoted to savory stuff too -- like what's in his brilliant cookbooks.
11
Yes! Yottam is going to make the NYT food section great again!
15
I am wholeheartedly on board with how unhealthy sugar is - many of us have been aware of the original studies by John Yudkin and Ancel Keys when the debate over what causes cardiovascular disease (sadly, Keys perspective won out then). The danger is not in enjoying a desert or treat occasionally - I agree the pleasure and joy that brings is beneficial. The danger is the high, completely unnecessary sugar and sugar substitute content lurking in most processed food in the US: cereal?, salt???, canned food, "nutrition" bars, yogurt, McDonald's hamburger buns, fruit juice????, sports drinks, condiments. These we eat every day so there is a continual injection of sugar into our bodies. And sadly, the corporate machines that process our "food" has conditioned America's taste buds to think loads of sugar=good food. Read labels people! Eat a real apple instead of drinking apple juice with added sugar.
22
Or drinking apple juice as natural sugar is still an issue. Eating the apple is more filling and adds fiber too.
2
My endocrinologist wants me to reduce the amount of fruit I eat because my A1C is higher than he likes.
Perhaps you've forgotten that everything we eat eventually becomes sugar if the body is to use it.
Perhaps you've forgotten that everything we eat eventually becomes sugar if the body is to use it.
3
I couldn't agree more. By severely limiting the amount of sugar and refined carbohydrates I ate, I was able to reduce my blood pressure without use of drugs, take my triglycerides down dramatically, reduce by body weight by 12%. By sticking religiously to avoiding sugar, and taking most of my (reduced) carbohydrate intake through whole grains, I've been able to maintain these health benefits for three years. My desserts are mostly whole fruits. Some of us are lucky to be able to consume sugar with no negative effects; for the majority of us, sugar should be looked at as a treat, not a staple. A headline in the New York Times saying "Eat Your Sugar" makes me cringe.
2
As an avid baker with a huge sweet tooth, I'm looking forward to your columns!
8
Sugar is addictive and even in small amounts detrimental to your health on many levels.
Guess I won't b reading your new sweet articles.
Guess I won't b reading your new sweet articles.
13
Woo hoo!!!! Finally, someone who admits to loving sweets. I was beginning to feel like a pariah in today's carb obsessed world. I always considered homemade sweets to be the better choice over a candy bar out of a machine.
27
You go Yottam! A little bit of sweetness every day is exactly what we all need right now. Greatly looking forward to your column!
16
11
Welcome! I love your recipes from the books to the Guardian, and I look at your FB page with envy for Londoners able to shop at your stores. Looking forward to your columns.
5
Just what we need, another advocate of sugar.
The federal government pushed carbohydrates 40 years ago and this has contributed greatly to the national obesity epidemic.
Eat your desert if you wish, but do it with the requisite amount of guilt.
The federal government pushed carbohydrates 40 years ago and this has contributed greatly to the national obesity epidemic.
Eat your desert if you wish, but do it with the requisite amount of guilt.
10
This is insane. Sugar is not only a very serious threat to the health of those who eat it, it overloads the sense of taste to the point its victims have less ability to appreciate the flavors of healthier foods like fresh fruit.
This column does not belong in the Times, or anywhere. Stop it. NOW!
This column does not belong in the Times, or anywhere. Stop it. NOW!
15
Thank you! No real food should be demonized, and sweet treats are just that, treats - to be enjoyed, savored, looked forward to, without guilt!
24
Chef Ottolenghi's column is a timely and welcome celebration of the human sweet tooth. Sweets play a starring role in some of my happiest memories: I can't remember Amalfi without thinking of the cone of gelato bursting with color and flavor; I can't remember the kitchen in my parents' house without thinking of baking Kiss cookies there with my mom. No one should feel guilty about liking sweet delights and relishing the memories they create.
The war on sugar should be recast as the war on the added sugars, the secret sugars, used by food and drink manufacturers. They are the reason that people in the U.S. consume too much sugar, often without knowing it, without meaning to. No one's getting fat and sick by eating too many homemade pastry nests.
The war on sugar should be recast as the war on the added sugars, the secret sugars, used by food and drink manufacturers. They are the reason that people in the U.S. consume too much sugar, often without knowing it, without meaning to. No one's getting fat and sick by eating too many homemade pastry nests.
54
Never quite sure about the latest mind-boggling tweet, loved reading about Yotam's enrapture with sweet. Looking forward to the next wondrous treat.
4
Nothing in any newspaper has made me feel hopeful or happy in weeks, but this did. Hooray.
47
I am a great admirer of Ottolenghi, but the obliviousness to people who should not or can not eat sugar is disheartening. Half of the US population has either diabetes (like me) or pre-diabetes. We are not just low-carb , new age complainers. Not eating carbs is s matter of life or death for us. Being more conscious about us and not rubbing it in how great it feels to indulge in high sugar meals would be appreciated
8
I am celiac, but I realize that I am in a minority and do not go around telling people eating what I cannot that I should be considered. Life is unfair in many ways.
31
No one is rubbing anything in. You just need to not read articles and columns labeled Eat Your Sugar.
11
"You can please some of the people some of the time..."
2
Welcome to the NYT! I love your flavors and your writing. Thank you for sharing, I look forward to reading your column.
6
I am a huge fan of Yotam Ottolenghi and could not be more excited about his addition to the NYT team! His recipes are never overly complicated and, somehow, always delicious! I love a good dessert recipe that can feed multiple people without being too fiddly! I am very excited to see where he takes his column! Welcome Ottolenghi!
6
Mr. Ottolenghi, I hope you wrote this article yourself because you write oh so deliciously well!
5
Sugar is not the enemy of the vast majority of people in the world, but rather one of their best friends. Only a tiny, wealthy, insular elitist cabal with nothing better to do sees it otherwise. It is telling that the author feels he has to repeatedly defend and minimize sugar to the readers of the New York Times. They ought to join the rest of us back on planet Earth.
10
The vast majority of people in the world are sick.
We have a responsibility to share information and help people get/be healthy and prevent needless degenerative diseases. Natural, healthy foods (sugar is NOT a food) can be delicious.. one can be very creative with them.
We have a responsibility to share information and help people get/be healthy and prevent needless degenerative diseases. Natural, healthy foods (sugar is NOT a food) can be delicious.. one can be very creative with them.
7
Why isn't sugar a food?
3
@KLD:
Added sugars in highly processed and refined foods are very much the enemy. Epidemics of chronic disease dog every population when these foods are added to the diet.
Added sugars in highly processed and refined foods are very much the enemy. Epidemics of chronic disease dog every population when these foods are added to the diet.
In whole-hearted agreement with "Sick in Cali": Welcome! Reading your first foray at the Times, I found myself making a note to myself, eager to continue reading your thoughts about food, your impressions and inspirations, and - one can only hope - recipes! Have no fear, your passions and idiosyncrasies will be indulged.
4
Welcome Chef! I'm excited to see your contributions published in the NYTimes - I love your cookbooks <3
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Yotam, this looks great and thank you for everything you do.
4
I am a huge fan of your cookbooks! I'm vegetarian and your books are my go-to when I want inspiration. I've mostly tried your savory recipes so far. Looking forward to your sweet offerings!
2
While you're being flippant about people's caution over eating sugar more than 9% of the population is Diabetic and a lot more are undiagnosed.
6
With the threshholds for diabetes and new "diseases" like "pre-diabetes" constantly being lowered, it won't be long before we're all diagnosed with diabetes.
2
That's hyperbolic nonsense and you should consider yourself lucky not to be Diabetic. I am, so I live with the day to day severe restrictions and having been an occupational therapist with people suffering the long term consequences I'm fully aware of what can happen to people who don't take it super seriously.
4
Thank you - I look forward to your new column! I am hoping that in addition to your favorite, tried-and-true recipes, you will include more recipes that are made without eggs or nuts. While many people are intrigued by veganism, there are also many of us dealing with nut allergies at home or at school, so the beautiful nut flours and other things out there don't always work. Thank you for the granita recipe!
4
I am a great fan of Yotam Ottolenghi. I own several of his books - and I cook out of them. I've found his ideas original and inspiring and I incorporate them into my day-to-day cooking. However, I have to say I find his "it's not about the sugar" disingenuous. It's absolutely about the sugar - try making any of the recipes listed here without sugar. It just won't work. You can dress it up with rosemary or saffron or, as some current desert chefs are doing, lard. But it's still the sweet that we find so intoxicating - literally. Gary Taubes (author of "The Case Against Sugar") has labeled sugar both toxic and addictive - it is literally intoxicating. Sugar is the new tobacco. Just like tobacco, it causes disease and kills people over the long term. The NY Times decided to stop running tobacco ads in 1999. I ask that NY Time editors to begin to think about sugar in the same way they did about tobacco.
8
In this time of national strife your recipes and writings will perhaps bring comfort. I also love baking and so am looking forward to using some new unexpected ingredients.
6
The perfect moment for such a column, just as it's the worst possible moment to tell people to avoid sugar. Sorry--need it now.
5
So wonderful to see a celebration of baking and, by extension the delights sugar brings to the world, an ice cream on a sunny afternoon or a cocktail that includes a little simple syrup. I am so weary of the zealots like the writer, Gary Taubes (The Case Against Sugar) who seem determined to name sugar as the sole culprit for all disease. How could this possibly be so? With what is developing into an uncomfortably effective Puritan zeal those converted to the idea that sugar should be eliminated are conditioning us to see sugar as a singular evil that that lurks everywhere. It's processed food that's the problem, not sugar. Why are we being made to feel guilty about things that have no moral dimension, like ordering dessert?
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You are correct that it is puritanical. Mr. Taubes has written some interesting things, but in the end...he is a person who went on a low-carb diet, and lost some weight and it turned him into a food nag -- if HE lost weight this way, everyone can and should.
In the Victorian Age, people were prudish about SEX. They hid it, refused to acknowledge it -- considered it "dirty" and revolting. Today, people are prudish about FOOD; they are as ashamed to desire food as any Victorian would have been ashamed to desire sex.
And in our case, it is the fear that FOOD -- some food, any food, certain foods -- might make us FAT. We fear fat more than we fear death, and certainly more than the Victorian feared hell or social approbation.
Today, when a woman says "I've been really bad"...she does not mean she lied, hurt someone's feelings, stole money or had sex with 10 strangers. She means "I ate something with carbs" or anything sweet, enjoyable, tasty. Because most women today are terrified of food, because food has the potential to make you fat.
In the Victorian Age, people were prudish about SEX. They hid it, refused to acknowledge it -- considered it "dirty" and revolting. Today, people are prudish about FOOD; they are as ashamed to desire food as any Victorian would have been ashamed to desire sex.
And in our case, it is the fear that FOOD -- some food, any food, certain foods -- might make us FAT. We fear fat more than we fear death, and certainly more than the Victorian feared hell or social approbation.
Today, when a woman says "I've been really bad"...she does not mean she lied, hurt someone's feelings, stole money or had sex with 10 strangers. She means "I ate something with carbs" or anything sweet, enjoyable, tasty. Because most women today are terrified of food, because food has the potential to make you fat.
22
@Concerned Citizen:
Taubes never claims that "one true diet" will work for everyone, but he does survey a century of obesity and nutritional research. He makes an excellent and meticulously referenced case that dietary fats have little or no role in chronic disease or obesity, and that refined carbohydrates (including added sugars) are the more likely culprit. I recommend a read of his books.
Taubes never claims that "one true diet" will work for everyone, but he does survey a century of obesity and nutritional research. He makes an excellent and meticulously referenced case that dietary fats have little or no role in chronic disease or obesity, and that refined carbohydrates (including added sugars) are the more likely culprit. I recommend a read of his books.
According to recent research, a bit of sugar is necessary to repair depleted willpower. I have full confidence that these new treats from Mr. Ottolenghi will bring creativity and sweet/savory combinations that are innovative and delicious.
Can't wait!
Can't wait!
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Some people can handle their sweets, but most cannot. My birthday leads to holidays goes to an anniversary that ends on vacation. Every day can be an excuse for a decadent treat. Yet, our health is tied to what we eat, and most of us cant resist when temptation is offered. At a time of escalating obesity, diabetes cardiovascular disease and cancers, it's not the sweets I object to, but the white flour and collective empty calories that will be forgiven in the beautifully presented concoctions.
13
Reading about desserts contains no calories.
13
If it is your individual choice to avoid sweets, white flour, etc. then nobody has any objection to that. What we object to is when you and your ilk try to foist your opinions on the everyone else.
26
Moderation is the key. Clearly you have a problem with moderation -- not food and not sweets.
I can't imagine eating a "decadent treat" every day -- I'd have a royal stomach ache that would never end. But do you really mean "decadent"? Like some towering chocolate cake? or do you simply call half a popsicle "decadent"?
BTW: the problem isn't white flour. There is no one "bad food". The problem is the inability to be moderate and enjoy all things in proportion -- damning nothing, but also not claiming any one food is morally superior (kale or tofu or quinoa).
If you can't "handle" something as simple as a dessert -- woe until you if you have need to take opioids for serious pain post surgery. You need to get a handle on your inability to moderate behavior -- not on sweets.
I can't imagine eating a "decadent treat" every day -- I'd have a royal stomach ache that would never end. But do you really mean "decadent"? Like some towering chocolate cake? or do you simply call half a popsicle "decadent"?
BTW: the problem isn't white flour. There is no one "bad food". The problem is the inability to be moderate and enjoy all things in proportion -- damning nothing, but also not claiming any one food is morally superior (kale or tofu or quinoa).
If you can't "handle" something as simple as a dessert -- woe until you if you have need to take opioids for serious pain post surgery. You need to get a handle on your inability to moderate behavior -- not on sweets.
12
As an avid baker, I can say rosemary, orange, and oil cake has been done so much that even Betty Crocker has a version using their boxed cake mix.
I think what's missing in baking today is simplicity. Everyone is so busy trying to be creative and original, tossing together whatever ingredients are within reach, they completely obliterated pure, simple flavor. The pantry must be approached with discipline and restraint. More is not better, it's overwhelming.
I think what's missing in baking today is simplicity. Everyone is so busy trying to be creative and original, tossing together whatever ingredients are within reach, they completely obliterated pure, simple flavor. The pantry must be approached with discipline and restraint. More is not better, it's overwhelming.
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Praised be Yotam Ottolenghi for speaking out boldly and openly for sweet foods.
Whatever are the evolutionary and physiological roots of one's liking sugar, the fact is that sweets are pervasive in all the human societies. The side effects? -- Well, all is acceptable in moderation, such as animal fats, sugar, alcohol, and tobacco.
Whatever are the evolutionary and physiological roots of one's liking sugar, the fact is that sweets are pervasive in all the human societies. The side effects? -- Well, all is acceptable in moderation, such as animal fats, sugar, alcohol, and tobacco.
42
Well said, for those whose brains are so wired.
2
Not tobacco! Dear Tuvw Xyz, except for tobacco, your list of "Acceptable in moderation" is provisionally acceptable. But even a little tobacco, a puff a day, is harmful and brings little nicotine joy. To smoke or chew enough for that is a fall into destructive addiction, just as would be the habitual use of quantities of sugar.
5
Welcome! I loved reading Yotam Ottolenhi's recipes in the Guardian Uk. My mother used to tell how her grandmother,back in the Depression years of the 1930"s would dip a piece of crisp lettuce into the sugerbowl to end the meal with something sweet. That lady lived to be 103, my grandmother lived until 98, and my mother until 93. All ate sugar in moderation, and all ate real food.
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I, too, enjoy that 'quick bite' of sugar, but then I am easily able to lay off the sweet stuff and the other empty calories. For many people, it is much harder to stop, so it's bettr if they don't start.
5
Oh, your comment brought back memories of sitting with my
great-grandmother in her old kitchen, having a "little something
sweet to end the meal". She also lived well into her nineties.
great-grandmother in her old kitchen, having a "little something
sweet to end the meal". She also lived well into her nineties.
3