Category Archives: Culinary

Jelly Bean

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Jelly Bean

Every event requires a jar of jelly beans.

  • Jelly beans are small, brightly coloured confectionery items made mostly of sugar.
  • A ‘jelly bean’ is also known as a ‘jellybean’, or a ‘Jelly Belly’, and the latter is named after the popular brand.
  • Jelly beans are typically shaped as a bean, with a hard exterior and a softer inside.
  • The basis and idea for jelly beans is said to have originated from the traditional confectionery known as ‘Turkish delight’, that is like a firm jelly, as well as ‘Jordan almonds’, that have a hard sugary exterior.
  • Jelly beans are believed to have existed as early as the 1860s, and were made by confectioner William Schrafft, from Boston, United States, who suggested they be sent to the soldiers fighting in the American Civil War.

Jelly Bean, Colourful, Assortment, Jelly Belly, Many, Lollies, Candy, Confectionery, Culinary , Ten Random Facts

  • Jelly beans are typically made of sugar, glucose syrup from corn or wheat, as well as starch, and generally contain flavourings and colourings.
  • The 22nd of April is annually celebrated and declared as National Jelly Bean Day.
  • Jelly beans come in numerous colours and flavours, and generally a particular colour is associated with a particular flavour.
  • In the United States, jelly beans became popular in the early 1900s and became strongly associated with Easter in the 1930s.
  • Jelly beans are generally sweet, although they can be purposefully sour, while the Jelly Belly company has over 50 different flavours of the confectionery.

 

Bibliography:
Jelly Bean, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelly_bean
Moncel B, The History of Jelly Beans, 2014, About Food, http://foodreference.about.com/od/history_myths/a/The-History-Of-Jelly-Beans.htm
Prince J, A Brief History of Jelly Beans, 2014, Candy Favourites, http://www.candyfavorites.com/shop/jelly-bean-history.php

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Sesame Seed

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Sesame Seed

Ever heard of the phrase ‘Open Sesame’? It is said that it is a reference to the way sesame seed pods open to reveal their seeds.

  • Sesame seeds are oilseeds from the sesame plant Sesamun indicum, that comes from the Pedaliaceae family, the family of sesames or pedaliums.
  • Sesame seeds are extracted from a pod approximately 2 to 8 centimetres (0.8 to 3.15 inches) in length on a plant that grows 50 to 100 centimetres (1.6 to 3.3 feet) in height.
  • Sesame seeds are generally 3 to 4 millimetres in length (0.1 inches) and can be a variety of colours including cream, tan, black, grey, red and gold.
  • Sesame seeds have been harvested since 4000 to 2000BC in ancient civilisations including Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and other Middle Eastern civilisations.
  • Once sesame seeds have been extracted from pods, the seeds are often sorted for quality and colour using a type of scanner.

Sesame Seeds, Black, White, Assorted, Ten Random Facts, Small, Food, Culinary

  • In 2010, Burma, in Asia, was the largest producer of sesame seeds in the world, with 0.72 million tonnes (0.79 million tons) of the 3.84 million tonnes (4.23 million tons) produced worldwide, while India and China ranked second and third respectively.
  • Sesame seeds can cause a severe allergic reaction and an anaphylactic response, with symptoms include swelling, hives, hay fever and throat problems.
  • Sesame seeds have a nutty flavour, evident once cooked, and are often used to flavour bread items, and can be added to main meals, as well as breakfast cereals.
  • Sesame seeds contain numerous phytosterols that can lower cholesterol levels, reduce the likelihood of specific cancers and increasethe performance of the immunity system.
  • Sesame seeds are very high in calcium, iron, copper, manganese and magnesium, and contain many other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Sesame, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesame
Sesame Seeds, 2014, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=84

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Katsuobushi

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Katsuobushi

Foreign food, like katsuobushi, is quite interesting.

  • Katsuobushi is a Japanese food product of fermented, smoked and dried fish, such as bonito or most commonly skipjack tuna.
  • ‘Katsuobushi’ is also known as ‘okaka’, both Japanese words, as well as ‘dried bonito’ and ‘dancing fish flakes’.
  • Katsuobushi is commonly used in Japanese cuisine to make soups and sauce, or more specifically, broth, as well as a garnish or topping that imparts flavour to the dish.
  • Katsuobushi has a savoury taste, and the product includes fungi that is part of the fermentation process.
  • Heat emissions and steam can cause Katsuobushi to move as if the substance is alive, and it is often used decoratively on hot foods for this reason.

Kastuobushi, Dried Bonito Flakes, Bowl, Japanese, Food, Culinary, Small, Ten Random Facts

  • Katsuobushi can be bought either in blocks or as shavings, often in sachets, in a coarse or fine version, and it is typically pink to brown in colour.
  • Katsuobushi is made by filleting the fish, boiling and smoking the fillets, sun-drying them and spraying them with moisture-absorbing fungus, and letting them ferment, while the entire process takes many months.
  • The final product of Katsuobushi, before shaving, is generally a very dry, hard block that looks similar to wood, and weighs over 80% less then the original fillet, and once shaved it resembles wood shavings
  • Katsuobushi is available in fine or coarse flakes, while the larger flakes generally have a stronger taste and are bulkier.
  • Katsuobushi was first made in the 1670s, in Japan, while a more modern version was brought into use by 1770.

 

Bibliography:
Fujita C, Dried Bonito, 2009, The Tokyo Foundation, http://www.tokyofoundation.org/en/topics/japanese-traditional-foods/vol.-15-dried-bonito
Katsuobushi, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katsuobushi
What is Katsuobushi, 2014, WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-katsuobushi.htm

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Worcestershire Sauce

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Worcestershire Sauce

Worcestershire sauce must be the most mysterious condiment out there!

  • Worcestershire sauce is a condiment in the form of a liquid, made primarily through the process of fermenting.
  • ‘Worcestershire sauce’ is also known as ‘Worcester sauce’ and, in Spanish, ‘salsa inglesa’, meaning ‘English sauce’.
  • Worcestershire sauce is most often used as a flavouring in beef and other meat based dishes, Caesar salad and hamburgers, as well as cocktail beverages.
  • Worcestershire sauce is typically made of anchovies, garlic, spices, molasses and onion, as well as a mixture of other ingredients that often includes vinegar.
  • Although its history is uncertain, Worcestershire sauce is said to have been first invented by English pharmacists John Lea and William Perrins, in England’s Worcester, in Worcestershire,  Europe, and it was sold commercially by them by the year 1838 under the Lea & Perrins brand, now the most popular brand in the world.

Worcestershire Sauce, Worcester Sauce, Condiment, Food, Culinary, Flavour, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

  • The initial Worcestershire sauce made by Lea and Perrins is said to have been very strong and unpleasant and therefore placed in a cellar, however, years later it was tasted and discovered it was pleasant after fermenting.
  • Worcestershire sauce is high in sodium, iron, potassium and vitamin C and it contains many other vitamins and minerals.
  • It is widely accepted that the Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce recipe is derived from an Indian condiment, that the Englishmen tried to replicate for an acquaintance who had visited or lived in the country.
  • Worcestershire sauce is commonly available in supermarkets and is usually sold in bottles, under various brand names.
  • The list of ingredients, but no method, of the original Worcestershire sauce by Lea & Perrins was first uncovered in 2009 in a rubbish bin, and the document now resides in the Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum.

 

Bibliography:
Docio A, History of Worcestershire Sauce, 2013, British Local Food, http://britishlocalfood.com/history-of-worcestershire-sauce/
Smallwood K, What is in Worcestershire Sauce and Why is It Called That?, 2012, Today I Found Out, http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/10/worcestershire-sauce-called/
Worcestershire Sauce, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcestershire_sauce

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Breakfast Cereal

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Breakfast Cereal

Remember to eat some breakfast cereal for a healthy start to your day!

  • Breakfast cereal, also known as ‘cereal’, is a processed grain-based food, usually eaten during the morning, often as the first dish of the day.
  • Breakfast cereal can be eaten both cold or hot, with milk, fruit, yoghurt and sometimes sweeteners added, and it is generally considered as a healthy breakfast option, however, some ready-to-eat cereals are high in sugar.
  • Read-to-eat breakfast cereal has been the subject of a constant increase in popularity, and over 500 cereals or variations have been manufactured throughout the world.
  • Porridge, a type of breakfast cereal, has been eaten since ancient times, and is made of ground, chopped or rolled oats, rice, corn, barley, semolina, wheat or other grains.
  • It is likely that the 1863 Granula breakfast cereal produced by a nutritionist from the United States, James Jackson, was the first to be invented, although the item required a period of soaking before consumption, making it impractical.

Breakfast Cereal, Bowl, Fruit, Flakes, Dry, Uncle Tobys Antioxidant, Ten Random Facts, Food,

  •  Breakfast cereal was originally scooped from large barrels for each customer, and around the late 1800s it started to become prepackaged in boxes that helped to increase its popularity.
  • Breakfast cereal was popularised around the late 1800s by the American, John Kellogg, a physician and the cofounder of Kellogg’s, along with his brother William, as well as Charles Post, a salesman who became a cereal manufacturer after visiting Kellogg’s sanitarium.
  • Breakfast cereal is available in a wide variety of shapes and colours, but is typically flaky or grainy in texture, and is generally brown to orange in colour, depending on the ingredients.
  • Breakfast cereal often has a high content of fibre, as well as many added vitamins, although some cereals contain a substantial quantity of sugar.
  • Breakfast cereal can be targeted specifically towards adults or children, and is often more sophisticated and healthy for adults, but sweeter, bright and more colourful for children.

 

Bibliography:
Avey T, What’s for Breakfast? Discover the History of Cereal, 2012, PBS, http://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-of-cereal/
Breakfast Cereal, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakfast_cereal
History of Cereals, 2014, Ceereals, http://www.ceereal.eu/asp2/why_breakfast/l1.asp?doc_id=420

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Cream of Tartar

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Cream of Tartar

Do not take an overdose of potassium with richly filled cream of tartar.

  • Cream of tartar is a white compound of powdered potassium acid salt that is derived from tartaric acid.
  • Crystallised cream of tartar forms inside barrels of fermenting grape juice and sometimes in bottles of wine, that have been cooled at 10°C (50°F) or lower.
  • Cream of tartar is often used for culinary purposes as a stabiliser, to boost the volume of egg whites and their resilience to heat; to keep the fluffiness of whipped cream; to stop crystallisation of sugar based liquids; and to stabilise colour enzymes of vegetables so that they keep their colour.
  • Cream of tartar is often used to make baking powder as well as in salt replacements that require limited or no sodium.
  • Cream of tartar is a combination of potassium, carbon, oxygen and hydrogen in the chemical makeup of KC4H5O6.

Cream of Tartar, Powder, White, Acid, Potassium, Ten Random Facts, Culinary, Australia

  • ‘Cream of tartar’ is officially known as ‘potassium bitartrate’, and is also called  ‘potassium hydrogen tartrate’, ‘potassium acid tartrate’ and ‘monopotassium tartrate’.
  • A mixture of dissolved cream of tartar in either an acid solution or water can be used for cleaning; the former for metals including aluminium, brass and copper and the latter for most other objects.
  • Cream of tartar was originally made in wine barrels, until a modern method was produced by CW Scheele, a chemist from Sweden in 1769, and characteristics of the substance were documented in 1832 by Jean-Baptiste Biot, a French physicist.
  • Cream of tartar is very high in potassium, so consuming large quantities of the powder can lead to potassium-related illnesses such as hyperkalemia, and women that are pregnant and elderly people should be careful about ingesting it.
  • ‘Tartar’ of ‘cream of tartar’ has been used since the 1300s, and is originally from the Greek word ‘tartaron’, and later the Medieval Latin word ‘tartarum’.
Bibliography:
Cream of Tartar: What is it anyway?, 2012, Huffpost Taste, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/19/cream-of-tar-tar_n_2322569.html
Potassium Bitartrate, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_bitartrate
What is the History of Cream of Tartar?, 2013, Innovate Us, http://www.innovateus.net/food/what-history-cream-tartar

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