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No beer in Popeyes' Beer Can Chicken? 5 foods that lack namesake ingredients

When most people talk about "beer can chicken," they're referring to a whole chicken cooked over an open can of beer on the grill. Home BBQ cooks and celeb chefs, including Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri and Elizabeth Karmel, swear by the method for producing a moist, flavorful bird (see Al Roker's take on beer-can chicken). But Popeyes' new Beer Can Chicken is not only not cooked on a can, it also doesn'
Popeyes' Beer Can Chicken
Popeyes
Popeyes' Beer Can Chicken
Today

When most people talk about "beer can chicken," they're referring to a whole chicken cooked over an open can of beer on the grill. Home BBQ cooks and celeb chefs, including Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri and Elizabeth Karmel, swear by the method for producing a moist, flavorful bird (see Al Roker's take on beer-can chicken). 

But Popeyes' new Beer Can Chicken is not only not cooked on a can, it also doesn't contain any beer. That omission got us thinking about other foods and drinks that aren't quite what their names suggest. 

Apple ale: Don't mistake Redd's Apple Ale for a traditional hard cider — while those are made from fermented apples, this is a malt beverage that's flavored with corn syrup, malt extract and "natural flavors."

Bac'n Pieces
Today

Bacon bits: Many makers of these crunchy salad toppers leave out the pork — along with a few letters from the word "bacon." Neither Betty Crocker's Bac-Os nor McCormick's Bac'n Pieces contain any bacon, which actually gets them bonus points from some vegans. 

Chocolatey treats: When you grab a chocolate product, whether a bar, syrup, sauce or cereal, take a look to see if the label says "chocolate flavored" or "chocolatey" rather than just "chocolate." That's a sign that the product doesn't meet FDA standards to be called "chocolate," usually because it's made with cocoa (mostly cocoa solids) rather than chocolate (which contains solids and cocoa butter).

Special K Chocolatey Delight
Today

In theory, there's nothing wrong with cocoa, and it can deliver a big punch of chocolate flavor, but in practice, many "chocolate flavored" products contain a lot of ingredients some consumers would rather avoid, such as the partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil in the chocolatey chunks in Kellogg's Special K Chocolatey Delight  ("partially hydrogenated" on a label means a product contains trans fat). So read your labels and remember that ingredients are listed in the order of quantity. 

Pumpkin products: As our Facebook fans have pointed out, there's no pumpkin in Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte. The cause for confusion in this case is as simple as a missing hyphen between "pumpkin" and "spice." The flavorings include the traditional ingredients used to season pumpkin pies, such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Try our DIY Pumpkin spice latte recipe to make your own — no gourd chopping required.