BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Good news for food lovers. We now give you a round up of the tastiest stories from 2014 - from bacon meat candy to a recycled food restaurant.
Bacon may not tickle everyone's taste buds, but the porky treat is becoming a sizzling trend for high-end restaurants and food retailers in Los Angeles, California.
"We describe it as meat candy. It's the perfect blend of sweet, savoury, spicy, salty and tart. It's like an explosion in your mouth," said Caroline Styne, co-owner of AOC Wine Bar & Restaurant.
According to one US trade publication, it's a trend that is now becoming a part of upscale "foodie" culture.
In South Korea, however the most popular dish remains the spicy, salty, red-broth known as "ramyeon" (ramen).
But South Koreans are slurping their way to heart problems.
"Ramyeon has a large amount of sodium and is high in salt itself. Since ramyeon is high in calories, its carbohydrate content and high salt composition can have a direct influence on blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and metabolic syndrome," said Park Deok-woo, cardiologist of ASAN Medical Center.
Over in Italy, traditional cuisine has a rival.
In the past few years new tastes and smells from the Middle East and North Africa are permeating the streets of Rome.
The kebab is the star of a new food craze, which is taking a bite out of the pizza and pasta market.
Meanwhile the only Christian village left in the West Bank is producing wine and beer - something of a novelty in the predominantly Muslim region.
Hard cider can range from 4 percent to 12 percent alcohol, but generally comes in at around 5 percent or 6 percent, comparable to the strength of beer (and half that of wine), but with a fruitier taste.
"This is kind of like a happy medium between beer and wine that is just like in my perfect wheel house," said Matthew Pryce, hard cider drinker.
The drink, which came to the United States with the pilgrims, but waned in popularity later, has been making a comeback.
Sales of hard cider in the US have tripled over the last three years to 1.3 billion dollars in 2013.
And over in Copenhagen, there's a new restaurant called 'Rub and Stub', which specialises in dishes made from "food waste" - produce that hasn't been sold and is destined for the bins.
"A lot of people are a bit sceptical when they come in here at first, both because it is 'wasted' food - things that are supposed to be thrown out - and we get a lot of questions, like 'Are you picking it out from trash cans?' and stuff like that. And then of course you just explain that that's not how it happens," said Astrid Engholm, volunteer.
Diners are surprised by the restaurant's resourcefulness and imagination.
All of the restaurant's profits go to a handful of development projects in the West African country of Sierra Leone.
(Source: CNTV.com)
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