The fine delicious details of well made stollen. (Image via Getty) Bay Area bakers rise to the occasion with the traditional German holiday bread. Stollen. Dresden Christollen. Strutzel. Striezel. Stutenbrot. It may go by many names, but this oblong cake, dusted in a thin blanket of powdered sugar, dotted inside with colorful nuts, raisins, currants and candied orange and lemon peels, marks the dessert as one of the quintessential German Christmas cakes of the season. ...

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The real deal: Fresh wasabi grown on the San Mateo Coast. (Image via Half Moon Bay Wasabi) How two local electricians started California’s only commercial wasabi operation. First off, let’s be clear: What you’ve been eating is almost definitely not wasabi. It’s American horseradish. And green dye. Yes, it’s easy to take the small green blob on the edge of the sushi plate for granted. With its pasty, Play-Doh-like consistency, and oft-described “horseradish” flavor, it’s ...

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