Category Archives: Culinary

Butter

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Butter

What would it be like without butter?

  • Butter is a dairy foodstuff made by churning milk fats, known as cream, of the milk of certain mammals.
  • Butter can be made from cow’s, yak’s, sheep’s, goat’s or buffalo’s milk, as well as others.
  • Butter is a solid when cooled, becomes soft at room temperatures and starts to melt into a liquid at 32 to 35°C (90 to 95°F).
  • Butter is coloured from white to deep yellow, although typically pale yellow, with food colourings sometimes added.
  • Commercial butter generally contains approximately 80% fat, with the remaining percentages made of water and milk solids.

Butter,Block, Yellow, Deep, spread, Ten Random Facts, Homebrand, Australia

  • Butter was made by hand, typically on farms, before the 1800s, and was sometimes used as a substitute for lamp oil during the Middle Ages.
  • Butter is commonly used as a spread on bread and is one of the main ingredients in many recipes, including cakes, biscuits, sauces.
  • Butter is a good source of vitamin A and has one of the lowest fat contents out of most common cooking fats, although one of the highest in saturated fat.
  • Butter was used in Ancient Rome to smooth the skin and make hair shiny.
  • Butter has been made for thousands of years, with many ancient references, including the Bible, and civilisations such as Egypt, making mention of it.
Bibliography:
Butter, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter
Explore the History and Making of Butter, n.d, Butter through the Ages, http://www.webexhibits.org/butter/
The History of Butter, n.d, Dairy Goodness, http://www.dairygoodness.ca/butter/the-history-of-butter

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Broccoli

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Broccoli

Don’t let the broccoli grow too high!

  • Broccoli is an edible flower head and colours rang from green to purple-green.
  • Broccoli is native to the Mediterranean region and is also known as ‘Italian asparagus’, due to the popularity of the vegetable in Italy.
  • Broccoli is from the family Brassicaceae, which is the family of cabbages, and its scientific name is Brassica oleracea italica.
  • Broccoli is often cooked, steamed or boiled, but can be eaten raw, with leaves of the plant sometimes included.
  • ‘Broccoli’ is named after the plural of ‘broccolo’, an Italian word, meaning the flower head of a cabbage, which comes from ‘brocco’ meaning ‘branch’ or ‘shoot’.

Broccoli, Green, Stalk, Woolworths, Vegetable, Ten Random Facts, Single, Australia

  • Broccoli is very high in vitamin C and vitamin K, and has significant cancer preventing and DNA cell repairing properties.
  • Broccoli likes growing in cool weather, being at best supply during winter and preferring temperatures from 18 to 23°C (64 to 73°F) during the day.
  • There are three types of broccoli typically grown, and the most common type, Calabrese, has large heads that are 10 to 20 centimetres (4 to 8 inches) in diameter.
  • In 2008, China produced over two fifths of the total world production of 19,000,000 tonnes (21,000,000 tons).
  • Bitter, yellow flower heads grow from broccoli, so they are best stored in temperatures less than 2°C (35.6°F) to prevent their onset.

 

Bibliography:
Broccoli, 2011, Fresh for Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/veg_pages/broccoli/broccoli.html
Broccoli, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli

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Mustard

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Mustard

Pass the mustard, please!

  • Mustard is a type of spice and can be in the form of a paste, a sauce, a seed and a ground spice and is often added as a flavouring addition to poultry, wholemeal breads, meats, salads or other mixtures such as dressings.
  • Mustard comes from the seeds of  native European and Asian mustard plant’s from the Brassicaceae family, the family of mustards.
  • Mustard seeds can be coloured from white to yellow to black, and this gives mustard condiments their colour and also their heat, with white seeds being the mildest, and brown and black seeds being the hottest.
  • Mustard paste is made by grinding or cracking the seeds, adding a liquid and sometimes flavours.
  • Romans made a type of mustard by grinding the seeds and then adding grape juice or other liquids, and a recipe using the spice has been found in a Roman cookbook dating back to 300-400 AD .

Mustard, Yellow, Seeds, Mixture Powder, Yellow, Brown, Blobs, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Mustard is very high in selenium, and significantly high in fibre, omega 3 and manganese, phosphorous, iron, calcium and magnesium and is good for the digestive system, although some people are allergic to mustard.
  • Romans probably brought mustard to Gaul in the 900s, which then became popular in Europe, and by the 1200s, Paris was making the mustard paste.
  • ‘Mustard’ is from the words ‘mostarde’ and ‘mustarde’, from Old-French and Anglo-Norman respectively, which is a combination of the Latin words ‘mustum ardens‘ which means ‘burning’ or ‘hot’ ‘must’ (as in wine grape juice).
  • The type of mustard sauce used on hot dogs is called ‘yellow’ or ‘American’, due to its vivid yellow colour and popularity in America, and it sometimes has honey added.
  • Mustard was originally used for medicinal purposes, which included the treatment of tooth aches and scorpion stings.
Bibliography:
Mustard (Condiment), 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_(condiment)>
Mustard Seeds, 2013, The World’s Healthiest Foods, <http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=106>

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Banana

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Banana

Don’t go bananas!

  • Bananas grow on what some people call ‘trees’, up to 15 metres (49 feet) high, that are actually flowering herbs, or plants, generally from the Musa genus, which belong to the family Musaceae, which also includes the genus of ensetes, similar to common bananas, some of which are also a valuable food source.
  • Bananas can be different sizes or firmness, but are usually a curved shape and have soft flesh, and when ripe, the skin can be yellow, red, purple, green or brown in colour.
  • Bananas are native to South to Southeast Asia, which includes the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, and they are believed to have been cultivated since at least 5000 BC in Papua New Guinea.
  • Bananas can also be known as plantains, although there are some small differences, like plantains are generally cooked, have less sugar than the common fruit, and more starch, and common green fruit can also be used for cooking purposes.
  • Commercial bananas are generally seedless, unlike the wild varieties, and are often eaten raw but can be eaten baked, steamed or deep-fried, dehydrated, made into jam, used as a flavouring addition or added to desserts, salads and main dishes like curry, and also made into flour for baking purposes.

Banana, Yellow, Peeled, Unpeeled, Ripe, Bunches, Hands, Long, Flesh, Ten Random Facts, Australia, Aldi

  • Bananas are the most sold edible fruit and one of the most important food crops in the world, ranking number four after rice, wheat and maize, and in 2011, India produce 29.7 million tonnes (32.7 million tons) of the fruit, which was one fifth of the total world production.
  • The term ‘banana’ is derived from the Arabic word ‘banan’ or the West African Wolof word ‘banaana’, and they are grown in tiers known as ‘hands’, with up to 20 pieces of fruit per hand, and each banana is called a ‘finger’.
  • Commercial bananas are often picked unripe and stored in a refrigerated room at 13 to 15°C (56 to 59 °F) to slow down the ripening process, but if the ripening process needs to be sped up, they can be stored with an apple or tomato for 12 hours or so in a paper bag.
  • Bananas are high in Vitamin B6, and have significant amounts of vitamin C, potassium, manganese and magnesium, and are the most radioactive fruit due to the potassium content, but do little or no damage to the human body.
  • There are between 500 and 1000 varieties of bananas, and the yellow Cavendish variety are the most commonly exported bananas, mainly due to easier transportation.

 

Bibliography:
All About Bananas, n.d, Bananalink, <http://www.bananalink.org.uk/all-about-bananas>
Banana, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana>

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Peanut Butter

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Peanut Butter

Peanuts are spreadable! Try peanut butter.

  • Peanut butter is an edible spread, usually used on bread or toast, made from ground roasted peanuts, generally with the addition of sugar, salt and oil or fat.
  • United States and China are the major exporters of peanut butter, and it is eaten in many countries around the world, being popular in North America, Australia, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and others.
  • The Native American Aztecs and Incas mashed peanuts in to a compound that could be described as the first peanut butter.
  • In 1884, Marcellus Edson, from Canada, patented peanut butter that was made by heating up roasted peanuts, and in the early 1890s, the substance was given to patients who had difficulty chewing food.
  • In the United States, over 340 million kilograms (750 million pounds) of peanut butter is eaten annually, and national Peanut Butter Day is held on 24th of January.

Crunchy Peanut Butter, Homebrand, Scoop, Jar, Bottle, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • A type of oil, typically vegetable oil, is added to peanut butter to make the product easier to spread.
  • Peanut butter is full of nutrients and is high in protein, vitamin B6, vitamin E, niacin, manganese, magnesium, folate, copper, zinc, phosphorous, and potassium, but it is very high in fats.
  • Peanut butter sandwiches have been banned in many schools due to severe peanut allergies.
  • Peanut butter generally comes in two types, smooth or crunchy, and the crunchy version contains small chunks of peanut in the spread, and can be made into cookies and candy, and eaten with chocolate, cheese or jam.
  • Peanut butter is sometimes known as ‘peanut paste’ and in World War II, it was dubbed ‘monkey butter’.

 

Bibliography:
Brooks S, The Truth about Peanut Butter, 2013, She Knows’ Foods & Recipes, <http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/981321/the-truth-about-peanut-butter>
Peanut Butter, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_butter>

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Chia Seed

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Chia Seed

Teensy little chia seeds.

  • Chia seeds are generally small ovular shaped seeds that are brown, black, grey or white in colour.
  • Chia seeds are said to have the most omega 3, fibre and protein of all plant based food, and are also a good source of manganese, phosphorous, and calcium.
  • The scientific name of chia seeds is salvia hispanica, and they grow on a blue, purple or white flowering herb from the family of Lamiaceae, which is the family of mint.
  • Chia seeds are a traditional ingredient that comes from Mexico and Guatemala, where the plant is native, and in the south west of the United States they are also commonly consumed.
  • It is suggested that a small quantity, a tablespoon for an adult and a teaspoon for a child, of chia seeds be eaten each day, because of their source of nutrients.

Chia seeds, Brown, White, Seeds, Focus, Large, Pile, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • The word ‘Chia’ comes from the native Mexican language, from the Nahuatl word ‘chian’, which means ‘oily’.
  • Chia can be eaten whole in its raw form or milled, or can be added to foods such as bread, drinks, cereals, muesli bars, baked goods, or yoghurt.
  • Chia seeds do not have much flavour so they do not change the flavour of foods that they are combined with.
  • Chia seeds are 1 millimetre (0.04inches) in diameter but the chia herb grows to 1 metre (3.3 feet) in height.
  • Chia seeds can be used as an egg replacement, as the seeds form a gel-like substance which thicken and combine with other ingredients.
Bibliography:
Salvia Hispanica, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_hispanica>
Seeds of Goodness, 2013, Life & Style, <http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/blogs/chew-on-this/seeds-of-goodness-20130429-2inue.html>

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