The Precious
November 8, 2004
I’ve had The Precious. Have you?
I once had a chef instructor at culinary school who always put a “the” in front of general objects when he should have used an “a”. “Have you ever seen the cow?” when he really meant “Have you ever seen a cow?” It always made us snicker or raise an eyebrow in class. He was an interesting man. I suppose perhaps he might have had a specific cow in mind, but if so, we certainly had never seen it.
I was reminded of this chef instructor the other day when a friend of a friend brought a jar of The Precious as a house-warming gift on a visit. I’d heard of The Precious from my friend before and was intrigued and interested to try it. Who wouldn’t be intrigued by something with a name like that? Having “the” in front of “Precious” implies that it is the only one. It isn’t just “Any Old Precious” or “The Other Precious” – it is THE Precious.
The Precious is a condiment.
It is a tomato jam or tomato butter and can be used in any number of ways. My favourite way to enjoy it so far has been simply with a piece of strong Cheddar cheese, but I’ve also found it spectacular with a pancetta and red pepper omelet, and it would be a perfect match with a tourtière in the middle of a Canadian winter. It is tangy and sweet, smooth yet with little lumps of onion or tomato here and there, and sometimes a little spicy (depending on the batch). The Precious is a good accompaniment to anything a little salty.
This particular friend of my friend is the one with the recipe for The Precious. I’m told that even under the threat of a head-lock, she won’t reveal the secret ingredients or mystical procedure. She has created the perfect marketing of a product that is not to be sold, but just distributed amongst a close circle of friends. It is like glue between these friends, almost like a secret code word in a kids’ gang. It has become a symbol of acceptance into a group. It’s simple - if you have a jar of The Precious in your fridge, you belong.
It could probably be replicated, but only in so much as anything can be replicated. One can never do precisely the same thing twice, so without the knowledge of what you did the first time, an exact copy of the original becomes extremely difficult. Besides, copying it would ruin the mystique. I don’t want to attempt to make MY Precious. I don’t even want The NEW Precious. I want the real thing – and it’s not easy to acquire. Maybe I want The EVEN MORE Precious.