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Chocolate Truffle

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Chocolate Truffle

Is your mouth watering from the thought of a chocolate truffle?

  • Chocolate truffles are confectionery sweets made primarily of a mixture of cream and chocolate, known as ‘ganache’.
  • The term ‘chocolate truffle’ is derived from the edible tuber fungus known as a ‘truffle’, which shares a similar appearance to the confectionery.
  • The internal part of a chocolate truffle is usually a soft ganache, that is generally coated or rolled in a covering of nuts, chocolate, icing sugar, coconut or cocoa powder.
  • While its history is uncertain, one tale of the chocolate truffle invention points towards the inventor as master chef Auguste Escoffier, from France, or one of his young workers, who in the 1920s, accidentally placed heated cream in a bowl of chocolate.
  • While traditionally chocolate truffles contain ganache, a heated and cooled chocolate and cream mixture, they sometimes consist of another filling, such as caramel, fudge, fruit, nuts or chocolate.
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An Assortment of Chocolate Truffles
Image courtesy of David Leggett/Flickr
  • In some areas, the 2nd of May is recognised by some people as National Truffle Day, and it is celebrated by eating chocolate truffles.
  • To make chocolate truffles, hot cream is poured over chocolate pieces; gently stirred; allowed to cool; and shaped into balls that are then coated; although ingredients and methods differ in various countries.
  • Despite its dubious origins, chocolate truffles are said to have originated in France, possibly existing as early as 1895, and created by Louis Dufour, while Antoine Dufour is believed to have popularised the confectionery through his shop in London, England.
  • Chocolate truffles are traditionally roughly spherical in shape, due to the ganache being hand rolled into balls, although they can be purchased as cubes, cones, and in other forms.
  • Chocolate truffles are generally considered a luxurious confectionery item, and they are commonly coloured either brown or white, depending on the chocolate used.
Bibliography:
Chocolate Truffle, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_truffle
The History of Chocolate Truffles, 2015, The Nibble, http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/chocolate/chocolate-truffle-history.asp
History of a Truffle, 2013, Asher’s, http://www.ashers.com/blog/2013/05/history-of-a-truffle/

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Grandidier’s Baobab

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Grandidier’s Baobab

Grandidier’s baobab is surely quite grand.

  • Grandidier’s baobabs, also known as ‘giant baobabs’ and ‘reniala’ or ‘renala’ (which means ‘mother of the forest’ in the local language), are very tall trees that are native only to the island of Madagascar in Africa.
  • The scientific name of Grandidier’s baobab is Adansonia grandidieri, and it is from the family Malvaceae, the family of mallows.
  • Grandidier’s baobabs typically grow to heights of 25 to 30 metres (80 to 100 feet), with a trunk averaging around 3 metres (10 feet) in diameter, and most or all of the branches and foliage sit at the top of the tree, thus accentuating the trunk.
  • Grandidier’s baobab trees usually bloom in the months of May to August, and produce edible fruit that ripens during November and December, while the tree usually has leaves only in the wet season, from October to May.
  • The trunk of Grandidier’s baobabs is large and cylindrical; red-grey in colour; and the thick bark has a smooth texture.

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Grandidier’s Baobab
Image courtesy of Frank Vassen/Flickr
  • The large flowers of Grandidier’s baobabs have numerous stamens; white-coloured petals that open only during the night; and the petals turn yellow as they age.
  • A Grandidier’s baobab tree can store large quantities of water in its trunk, which swells according to content; and the bark of the tree is useful for making ropes while oil can be obtained from the seeds, and the fruit and seeds are commonly eaten.
  • Grandidier’s baobabs are endangered due to land clearing for agriculture purposes, and as a result of habitat changes, the species has had difficulty reproducing.
  • Grandidier’s baobabs have flowers that are pollinated by insects and lemurs, and the blooms are said to release an odour of sour watermelon.
  • The scientific name of a Grandidier’s baobab is derived from Frenchman Alfred Grandidier, a botanist and explorer from the 1800s, who studied the island of Madagascar over a number of years.
Bibliography:
Adansonia grandidieri, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adansonia_grandidieri
Adansonia grandidieri Baill, n.d, PROTA4U, http://www.prota4u.info/protav8.asp?h=M4&t=Adansonia,Grandidieri&p=Adansonia+grandidieri
Andansonia Grandidiera Seeds (Giant Baobab), n.d, Rare Exotic Seeds, http://www.rarexoticseeds.com/en/adansonia-grandidieri-seeds-giant-baobab-seeds.html

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Channel Tunnel

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Channel Tunnel

Channel Tunnel is more than a World Wonder – it’s a beneficial construction.

  • Channel Tunnel is an underground and underwater European tunnel connecting Kent’s Folkestone, in England, to the town of Coquelles in Pas-de-Calais, France.
  • The ‘Channel Tunnel’ is also known as ‘Chunnel Tunnel’; in French, ‘Le tunnel sous la Manche’; and ‘Eurotunnel’, although this term generally refers to the company that manages the tunnel, or the shuttle service that travels through it.
  • The Channel Tunnel spans 50.5 kilometres (31.4 miles) in length, and reaches depths of 75 metres (246 feet) below sea level, and it sits underneath the English Channel.
  • The Channel Tunnel is a combination of three tunnels – two railway tunnels and a service tunnel, and passenger trains of high speeds, and freight trains that commonly carry vehicles with their passengers and pets, are able to travel in the tunnel, while the service tunnel is used by vehicles for maintenance, evacuations and other tasks.
  • The idea of constructing a Channel tunnel was evident in 1802, and was first expressed by the Frenchman Albert Mathieu-Favier, an engineer, and while various plans and ideas were put forward during the 19th century, it was not until 1880 that preliminary boring work began, although it was quickly abandoned due to perceived national security hazards.
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Inside the Service Tunnel of Channel Tunnel
Image courtesy of Jaguar MENA/Flickr
  • It was not until more than a century later, after various ideas were put forward, that construction of the Channel Tunnel began, after Britain and France agreed on a treaty, known as the Treaty of Canterbury, that allowed the beginning of the construction of the tunnel in late 1987; and the project was finished in 1994.
  • In the 20th century, the Channel Tunnel had the greatest length of tunnel, 37.9 kilometres (23.5 miles), underwater in the world, however the Japanese Seikan Tunnel was slightly longer in total length, and much deeper.
  • Channel Tunnel was officially opened in 1994, on the 6th May, by Queen Elizabeth II and France’s President François Mitterrand after a cost of then 4.65 billion pounds (worth 12 billion pounds in 2015).
  • A number of train failures have occurred in Channel Tunnel, and fires requiring temporary tunnel closures have also occurred over the years, while the 1996 and the 2008 fires caused extensive damage and partially closed the tunnel for approximately 6 months each.
  • In the late 1990s and the early 2000s, Channel Tunnel was commonly used illegally by those seeking asylum in Britain; and to help rectify the problem, a now closed refugee centre was made available, and later a £5 million fence and other security measures were put in place.
Bibliography:
Channel Tunnel, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel Infrastructure, 2015, Groupe Eurotunnel, http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/the-channel-tunnel/infrastructure/

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Tactile Paving

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Tactile Paving

Tactile paving is placed quite tactfully.

  • Tactile paving is generally a group of patterned tiles or pavers, that are located in pedestrian areas to help direct visually impaired or blind people.
  • The surfaces known as ‘tactile paving’, are also known as ‘tactile tiles’, ‘detectable warnings’, ‘detectable warning surfaces’, ‘truncated domes’, ‘tactile indicators’, ‘tenji blocks’, ‘textured paving blocks’ and ‘tactile ground surface indicators’.
  • Hazardous areas, including changes in ground height, are areas where tactile paving is used as a warning for those visually impaired, as they can be sensed using a cane or by one’s feet.
  • Tactile paving is often yellow, or another bright or contrasting colour to the surrounding area, which marks as a secondary warning to those who have poor vision.
  • Tactile paving is a Japanese invention, and was originally designed in 1965 by Seiichi Miyake, who had the desire to help visually impaired people to safely move around outside, and its use was popularised by the Japan Railway due to its widespread installation on train platforms in the 1970s.

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  • Tactile paving is typically square or rectangular in shape, and the tiles contain significant bumps on the surface, that are generally either circular or rectangular, and usually the circular bumps indicate ‘stop’, while the rectangular bumps signify ‘go’.
  • Generally, tactile paving has various requirements and standards, regulated by each country, that determine the size, shape, colour, and distribution of the bumps, and their placement in relation to hazardous areas.
  • Britain, Japan and Australia were among the countries that adopted tactile paving first, and the United States and Canada embraced the invention during the 1990s.
  • Tactile paving is usually made of hard material like heavy duty polyurethane, stainless steel, concrete, ceramic or other durable substance, and the paving can be found on steps, transport platforms, footpaths, and in other areas, although the use of the tiles on steep slopes is not normally recommended.
  • For general pedestrians, as well as the visually impaired, the issue of safety regarding tactile paving is often controversial, as the bumps can cause difficulties for those in wheelchairs, and sometimes the tiles are hazardous or can become slippery, although there have been efforts to reduce these issues.
Bibliography:
The History of Tactile Paving for the Blind, 2015, Share Ask, http://share-ask.com/the-history-of-tactile-pavement-for-the-blind/
Integrated Tactile Ground Surface Indicators, 2012, TGSI, http://www.tactileindicators.net/integrated_tactiles.htm
Tactile Paving, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactile_paving

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Train

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Train

Do you prefer the slow or the fast trains?

  • Trains are transportation vehicles that travel along rails and can transport large quantities of people or other objects, while the engine or powered part of the vehicle is generally known as a ‘locomotive’.
  • Today, trains are typically moved via the use of diesel fuel or electric power; and other means, like magnetic levitation, are utilised in some circumstances, while steam, gravity and horse power were common past fuels.
  • The term ‘train’ originates from the word ‘trahere’, a Latin word that means ‘to pull or draw’.
  • Train cars or carriages containing luggage, cargo or people are typically pulled by a locomotive, or two or more, depending on the power required, or they can be self-powered.
  • Trains are generally classified under short and long distance variants, the former often connecting city suburbs or other smaller cities, while the latter travels through many cities or far distances.

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  • Trains generally move along two parallel rails that are part of a railway track, although some use only one rail, such as monorails, while others use alternative technology.
  • The invention of the train grew out of the creation of the earlier wagonways, and it was made more possible after the steam engine was built, although it was not until 1763, when Scottish engineer James Watt remodeled the original engine, did the power source become practical.
  • Many high-speed trains can run at operational speeds of 350 km/hour (217 miles/hour), while the record for the fastest was set in 2007, by the French-owned TGV, and ran at 574.8 km/hour (357.2 miles/hour).
  • The first steam locomotive was invented in 1804 in Britain by engineer Richard Trevithick, although it was not until Englishmen Matthew Murray and George Stephenson built on the ideas of Trevithick in 1812 and 1814 respectively, that trains became a feasible transport option.
  • Specific trains are named primarily to increase their popularity, and a notable named train in history was the ‘Orient Express’, that ran in Europe from 1883 to 2009.
Bibliography:
Train, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Train
Train Invention – Who Invented Train?, n.d, Train History, http://www.trainhistory.net/train-invention/who-invented-train/
Who Invented The Train?, Who Invented It?, 2015, http://invention.yukozimo.com/who-invented-the-train/

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Jackal

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Jackal

Go Egyptian with jackals.

  • Jackals are mammals that are native to southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe and Africa.
  • The jackal term covers three species: the ‘black-backed’ – Canis mesomelas; the ‘golden’ – Canis aureus; and the ‘side-striped’ – Canis adustus, all belonging to the Canis genus, and they are from the family Canidae, the family of dogs.
  • Jackals grow to be 38 to 51 centimetres (15 to 20 inches) in height, up to 81 cm (32 inches) in length, and generally weigh between 6 to 14 kilograms (13 to 31 pounds).
  • The fur of a jackal’s body is generally coloured a combination of brown, tan, grey and white, while the golden species is usually mostly a golden brown colour; and the black-backed and the side-striped have black or dark coloured markings on either their back or sides respectively.
  • Jackals may gather in groups of up to 30, hunting as packs, although they often live by themselves or as a pair, in a lifelong partnership with the opposite sex.
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Black-backed Jackal
Image courtesy of Åsa Berndtsson/Flickr
  • The habitat of jackals is primarily wooded areas or grassy plains, depending on the species, and they preyed upon by eagles, leopards and hyenas.
  • The diet of jackals is primarily carnivorous, often consisting of reptiles, antelopes, birds and insects, as well as the occasional plant.
  • Jackals mark their territory with their own body waste, to indicate to fellow animals that they are not permitted to enter their zone, and violations typically result in attacks.
  • Female jackals have litters of between two to six pups, that are born and raised in dens, with the young being relocated every fortnight or so, and they generally have a lifespan of between 8 to 15 years.
  • Jackals have good stamina and can run at speeds of 16 km/hour (10 miles/hour) for extended times, and they have the ability to run at speeds of up to 32 km/hour (20 miles/hour).
Bibliography:
Jackal, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/jackal/
Jackal, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackal
Jackal, n.d, Out of Africa, http://www.outtoafrica.nl/animals/engjackal.html

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