Category Archives: Culinary

Caraway Seed

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Caraway Seed

Do not be carried away with caraway seeds.

  • Caraway seeds grow on the caraway plant, that has the scientific name of ‘Carum carvi’, and is from the family Apiaceae, the family of parsley and carrot.
  • Caraway seeds are shaped as a crescent and grow to be 2 millimetres (0.08 inches) in length.
  • Caraway seeds are technically dry fruit, rather than seeds, from the European, and possibly Asian and North African, biennial plant of the same name that grows to be 40 to 60 centimetres (15 to 24 inches) in height.
  • Caraway seeds have a taste hinting of anise and a smell of sweet pepper, and sometimes caraway thyme can be used as a replacement, along with similar flavoured spices that include anise, fennel, dill, cumin, liquorice-root and coriander.
  • Caraway seeds are often used as spice, most famously in bread, but are also used in cakes, desserts, alcoholic beverages, German sausages, curry and Indian traditional food, among others.

Caraway Seeds, Spice, Fruit, plant, Bowl, Many, Ten random facts, food

  • Oil can be distilled from caraway seeds, that is then used to add a pleasant smell to soap, perfume and other fragrant toiletry products.
  • Caraway seeds are probably one of the oldest used spices, having been eaten for thousands of years, and in Ancient Egypt they were used to treat digestive system problems, and is still believed to be effective for the digestion of foods, soothe stomach pains and cramps, and to help prevent wind buildup.
  • Caraway seeds have significant quantities of zinc, vitamin C, manganese, potassium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus and protein, and are high in calcium and dietary fibre.
  • Caraway seeds were believed to ward off witches, so they were historically used as a ‘protection food’.
  • Caraway seeds are typically brown to grey in colour, with a pale outline, and are harvested in the middle of summer upon ripening.
Bibliography:
Caraway, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caraway
Grieve M, Caraway, 2014, Botanical.com, http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/carawa20.html
History of Caraway, 2014, Our Herb Garden, http://www.ourherbgarden.com/herb-history/caraway.html

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Cocoa Powder

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Cocoa Powder

No cocoa, no chocolate… that would be the end of the world.

  • ‘Cocoa powder’ is also known as  ‘cocoa’, ‘cocoa solids’ and ‘cacao’.
  • Cocoa powder is processed from cacao beans, that grow in pods on Theobroma cacao trees that are native to south and central America.
  • Cacao beans, when fermented, dried and ground, contain a mix of 50 to 60% cocoa butter and 40 to 50% cocoa solids, and the latter is generally sold as ‘cocoa powder’.
  • Cocoa powder, combined with cocoa butter, is the main ingredient of chocolate, so therefore it is also used in many chocolate flavoured products like cakes, biscuits, flavoured dairy products, and chocolate syrup.
  • Cocoa powder is coloured in many shades of brown, from light brown to red-brown to dark brown.

Cacoa Powder, Brown, Cacoa, Chocolate, Solid, Food, Flavour, Ten Random Facts

  • Cocoa powder is very high iron, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus, with 100 grams (3.5 ounces) making up over 100% of the recommended dietary intake, and it is high in zinc.
  • In 1828, the Dutchmen Casparus van Houten, a chocolate factory owner, made an hydraulic press to separate cocoa powder and cocoa butter.
  • Cocoa powder is said to be the food with the highest content of flavonoids, which may positively affect the cardiovascular system.
  • Cocoa powder was originally processed to easily make beverages of hot chocolate, that had become popular in the 17th and 18th centuries, which can be quite healthy without extra sugar or the like.
  • Cocoa powder contains a number of chemicals that can make people feel happy and promote positive feelings.
Bibliography:
Cocoa Solids, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoa_solids
Some like It Hot: Best Hot Chocolate Mix & Cocoa Mix, 2014, The Nibble, http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/beverages/cocoas/hot-chocolate-overview.asp
Teta K, Cocoa: Benefits for Health, Fitness & Fat Loss, 2011, Metabolic Effect, http://www.metaboliceffect.com/cocoa/

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Saffron

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Saffron

Saffron, an expensive spice, use it wisely!

  • Saffron is a spice that comes from the stigmas of the purple flowers of the plant Crocus sativus, and each flower contains three stigmas that are handpicked, and then dried.
  • Saffron is native to the Middle East, and is from the family Iridaceae, the family of irises, and was historically popular among royalty, particularly kings and pharaohs.
  • To make 1 gram (0.033 oz) of dried saffron, approximately 150 flowers are needed, making it the most expensive spice in the world.
  • Saffron is typically an orange-red colour, due to the content of crocetin, a type of acid and crocin.
  • Saffron spice sometimes has additives, such as dyed vegetable or plant fibres, making the spice impure.

Saffron, Bowl, dried, String, Raw, Spice, Expensive, Bowl Ten Random Facts

  • Saffron has historically been used in cooking and to make cloth dye, perfume, herbal medicine, body wash, hair dye, and woven into textile items.
  • The Middle East’s Iran produces more than 90% of the world’s production of saffron, much of which is exported.
  • Saffron is typically prepared by toasting or soaking the spice in hot water to release the flavour before adding to other ingredients, and is most commonly prepared in dishes from India, Persia, Europe, Arab and Turkey, such as risotto, paella, and bouillabaisse, and as a flavouring for rice, while it is occasionally used in alcohol, cakes, lollies and other drinks.
  • Saffron can be sold, or bought, for up to $11,000 USD per kilograms and $5,000 USD per pound.
  • Saffron has the taste of hay-like, bitter honey, and contains significant amounts of vitamin C, manganese and magnesium, while it is said to have a number of medicinal benefits, including improvement of vision, anti cancer properties, and benefits for depression.
Bibliography:
Saffron, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron
Stradley L, Saffron – Crocus sativus, 2004, What’s Cooking America, http://whatscookingamerica.net/saffron.htm

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Liquorice

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Liquorice

Liquorice… love it or hate it?

  • Liquorice is a sweet that is traditionally flavoured with the plant of the same name, and it is believed that this type of sweet was first made in Holland in the early 1600s.
  • ‘Liquorice’ sometimes has a different spelling – ‘licorice’, and is also known as ‘black licorice’.
  • Licorice is often moulded in the shape of large straps, rope, or cylindrical shapes, although many other shapes are also available.
  • Liquorice, and is sometimes combined with other ingredients like chocolate or sweet candy to make confectionery like liquorice allsorts and chocolate bullets,
  • The main ingredients of liquorice is sugar, flavouring and wheat flour, and often molasses is used, as well as a shiny glaze such as bee wax, while Dutch licorice has a significant quantity of salt added to give it a salty flavour.

Black, Licorice, Liquorice, Rope, Twisted, Black, Shiny, Cut, Ten Random Facts, Sweet,

  • Liquorice is generally made by melting and cooking the ingredients, then pouring the mixture into a mould, or hand shaping the mixture, and then cooled.
  • Liquorice traditionally contains a sweetener, glycyrrhizin, found in the flavouring extract, which has potentially significant negative side effects if too much is eaten at once, including rises in blood pressure, heart failure and swelling, although some positive effects can also be experienced, including the removal of mucous from the respiratory system.
  • Although liquorice is typically black, red and other coloured versions are also manufactured, and they mostly come in different flavours.
  • Some liquorice products contain anise or aniseed, instead of, or in addition to licorice root extract, due to the similar flavour it has.
  • Liquorice is generally low in fat, and it also has a lower sugar and carbohydrate content compared to other confectionery.
Bibliography:
Liquorice (Confectionary), 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquorice_(confectionery)
Ross A, Liquorice: All sorts of Health Benefits, The Sydney Morning Herald, http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/liquorice-all-sorts-of-health-benefits-20120605-1zts1.html

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Marmalade

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Marmalade

No slice of toast for breakfast is complete without marmalade.

  • Marmalade is a special citrus jam that is made from the peel and juices of citrus fruit, as well as sugar and water.
  • The word ‘marmalade’ comes from the Portuguese word ‘marmelada’, which means ‘quince jam’.
  • Marmalade has been the most popular among the British, but in recent years it has seen a decline in sales, due to the younger generation favouring other spreads and breakfast options.
  • In the 1500s, the use of the term ‘marmalade’ became a common term for jam or fruit preserves, not just quince or citrus jam, and depending on the country you live in, ‘marmalade’ today, can be a reference to only citrus preserves, or it can be a broad term for any fruit jams.
  • Preserves have been made for hundreds of years, and by the 1400s, quince pastes (like thick jam) were being made, and were known as ‘marmalade’.

Marmalade, Homemade, Orange, Citrus, Jar, Peel, Jam, Preserves, Ten Random Facts, Spread,

  • Scottish Janet Keiller of Dundee city made a jam out of oranges, most likely adapting a quince recipe, and commercialised the marmalade in the late 1700s.
  • Marmalade is popularly used as a spread on toast or bread, commonly at breakfast.
  • Marmalade often has a tangy taste, particularly when using tangier oranges such as the traditionally used, Seville oranges.
  • It is said that marmalade was originally a type of sweet, and that it was beneficial for digestive issues.
  • Marmalade is typically orange in colour, but it can be red, brown or many other colours, depending on the fruit used, the length of time cooked, and the ingredients included.
Bibliography:
Marmalade, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmalade
Marmalade: A preserve we must preserve, 2010, The Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/7175487/Marmalade-a-preserve-we-must-preserve.html

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Turkey Meat

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Turkey meat, roasted, brown, white, whole, Ten Random Facts, Bird, Australia, Christmas

No Thanksgiving or Christmas is complete without turkey meat!

  • Turkey meat is the cooked meat of turkey, particularly those that are bred on a farm.
  • Turkey meat is commonly eaten at popular celebrations, such as Thanksgiving (USA and Canada) or Christmas, with nearly 8 million turkeys eaten at Christmas time in the UK, in 2009.
  • Most parts of turkey meat are eaten, except the bones, head, feathers and feet, and they can generally be bought whole or ground, with other cuts being available sometimes, as well as already cooked sliced meat.
  • Once cooked, turkey meat from wild turkeys is typically dark-coloured, while domestic meat is usually light-coloured, and the wild turkeys often have a great flavour than the domestic ones.
  • Turkey meat started to be used in celebrations from as early as the 1500s, originally in England.

Turkey meat, roasted, brown, white, whole, Ten Random Facts, Bird, Australia, Christmas

  • Frozen, whole turkey meat generally takes a considerably long time to defrost, and it can take 3 days or more, depending on the size of the bird.
  • Turkey meat is generally cooked by a baking or oven roasting process, although sometimes it is deep-fried, and whole birds are usually stuffed, while the meat is often served with the addition of cranberry sauce or gravy.
  • Turkey meat has a high protein content, more than most commonly eaten meats, and is also high in vitamin B6, niacin, zinc, selenium and phosphorus.
  • Turkey meat contains an amino acid named tryptophan, which causes sleepiness, but the quantity eaten in one meal is not as likely to make you drowsy, than the rest of the carbohydrates and fats on one’s plate.
  • The English author, Charles Dickens, helped to make turkey meat popular, due to turkey featuring in his novel ‘A Christmas Carol’.
Bibliography:
History and Lore, 2013, Turkey for the Holidays, http://urbanext.illinois.edu/turkey/history.cfm
Turkey Meat, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_meat

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