How do you define bold?

Today is national Cook Something Bold Day. The charge is clear from the title. We need to take a leap and cook something bold!

But what exactly is bold? Well, it all depends on your style.

Some think bold food is food made of wacky, unusual, or expensive ingredients. I’m not a fan of this idea. First, food is expensive enough. Did you know saffron—real saffron—can cost upward of $5,000 a pound? Or that white truffles are around $4,000 per pound? I daresay a meal with both ingredients would be bold. I might even say extreme. The most expensive thing I buy (not including the chicken salad at Whole Foods—don’t ask) are crab legs. And I buy those MAYBE once a year.

I have a friend who thinks Kebabs are bold food because they are a Middle Eastern food and that is a part of the world she is unfamiliar with.

I think bold food is spicy. Not burn out your taste buds spicy, but I do like a nice kick with good flavor. Tonight, I’m making Korean BBQ lettuce wraps. I’ve never made it before, but you can find find the recipe I’m using here. The gochujang (red chili paste) guarantees its going to be hot!

If you try it, let me know and we can compare notes. I’m going to leave out the bourbon, but you don’t have to. I may also substitute ground beef for the flank steak. We’ll see.

How do YOU define bold food?