Tag Archives: America

Wheat Tortilla

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Wheat Tortilla

Did you know that wheat tortillas are really popular?

  • Wheat tortillas are wheat based bread items that are generally thin and soft in texture.
  • ‘Wheat tortillas’ are also known as ‘flour tortillas’, or simply as ‘tortillas’, although this is used as a general term.
  • Wheat tortillas have their origins in the similar corn versions of Ancient North and Central American societies, after wheat was introduced to the area.
  • Wheat tortillas are typically circular in shape and range from 6 to 30 centimetres (2.4 to 12 inches) in diameter, and are able to be rolled out to larger diameters than those made from corn.
  • Food that often accompanies wheat tortillas includes cheese, meat, potato and/or salad.

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  • Wheat tortillas are generally made using a unique machine, which, every hour, can create 60,000 of them.
  • The typical process of making wheat tortillas involves making the unleavened bread mix, and then pressing and cooking it.
  • Wheat tortillas are very popular in Central and North America, and have become a prominent food item especially in northern Mexican cuisine; while tortillas have become the second most common bread item on the continent.
  • Wheat tortillas are commonly used in outer space trips originating from America, as the food creates limited mess, unlike common bread, which helps to prevent machinery malfunctions from small particles.
  • Wheat tortillas are high in fibre, sodium, carbohydrates, and protein, and packaged tortillas often contain preservatives to prolong shelf life.
Bibliography:
Tortilla, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortilla
Tortilla Talk, n.d, TIA, http://www.tortilla-info.com/default.asp?contentID=6

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Selkirk Mountains

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Selkirk Mountains

Welcome to the not so Scottish, Selkirk Mountains.

  • Selkirk Mountains is a range of mountains located in Canada’s British Columbia and the United State’s Idaho and Washington states, and it is made primarily of granite rock and forms part of the Columbia Mountains group.
  • Selkirk Mountains cover a distance of 525 kilometres (326 miles) and are 175 kilometres (109 miles) in width.
  • The Selkirk Mountains are named after the 5th Earl of Selkirk, Thomas Douglas, a Scottish nobleman, who purchased land in Canada and helped to colonise some areas with poor Scottish farmers.
  • The peak of Mount Sir Sandford is the highest point of Selkirk Mountains, at 3,519 metres (11,545 feet) above sea level.
  • A number of valuable metals or stone deposits have been found in some areas of the Selkirk Mountains, including coal, copper, mercury, zinc, silver, marble and gold, while the latter was discovered in the mid 1800s.
Selkirk Mountain, Scenic, America, Ten Random Facts, Trees, Country, Range
Part of Selkirk Mountains
Image courtesy of Jesse Taylor/Flickr
  • A major obstacle of the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway was the Selkirk Mountains; and a pass through the mountains was discovered by American surveyor, Albert Rogers in 1881, and as a result the pass was named ‘Rogers Pass’.
  • Selkirk Mountains is the home to much wildlife, including woodland caribou, deer, bears, eagles, herons, wolves, moose, foxes and bobcats, while vegetation and trees such as conifers and cedars are prominent.
  • Selkirk Mountains are predominately cared for and managed by the Idaho Panhandle National Forest agency.
  • Selkirk Mountains have been previously inhabited by native American Indians of the tribe, the Lower Kootenai.
  • Selkirk Mountains are the home to many sights including 76 lakes, such as the very clear Priest Lake, and numerous mountain peaks, including 30 that are over 2133 metres (7,000 feet) high.
Bibliography:
Selkirk Mountains, 2014, The Free Dictionary, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Selkirk+Mountains
Selkirk Mountains, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selkirk_Mountains
Selkirk Range, 2013, SummitPost.org, http://www.summitpost.org/selkirk-range/171132

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Blue Ridge Parkway

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Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway is a road trip that you won’t get bored on.

  • Blue Ridge Parkway is a road and long park, situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains area, in North Carolina and Virginia, in the United States.
  • Blue Ridge Parkway is 755 kilometres (469 miles) long, and as a result, is the lengthiest linear park in the United States.
  • Blue Ridge Parkway is a protected area governed by the United States National Park Service, and out of the all the areas owned by the National Park Service, it is the most visited.
  • Twenty six tunnels and 168 bridges can be found along Blue Ridge Parkway; and some sections of the road can be closed due to dangerous weather conditions or repairs.
  • The building process for Blue Ridge Parkway began in late 1935, and it was constructed by various companies, and while it was almost finished in 1965, it took until 1987 for it to be complete, due to protests from the owner of Grandfather Mountain, who wanted to protect it.
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Part of Blue Ridge Parkway
Image courtesy of G N Basset/Flickr
  • Much vegetation can be found around Blue Ridge Parkway, including, but not limited to, wildflowers, trees, annual and perennial plants, and bushes, such as rhododendrons and daisies.
  • Blue Ridge Parkway has turn-offs that connect with other roads and highways, although it is not necessary to stop for traffic along the way.
  • Speeds are limited to a maximum of 72 kilometres per hour (45 miles per hour) on Blue Ridge Parkway.
  • Blue Ridge Parkway is popular with visitors due to its scenery, and during 2013, it was visited by a count of almost 13 million people.
  • Blue Ridge Parkway is the home to numerous species of fauna, including 225 bird species, 60 species of mammals, 99 fish species and 31 species of reptiles.
Bibliography:
Blue Ridge Parkway, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ridge_Parkway
Nature & Science, 2014, National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/blri/naturescience/index.htm

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Bacon

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Bacon

Do you like the smell of bacon frying?

  • Bacon is a type of meat derived from pigs, usually preserved using salt in a process of curing.
  • Bacon is generally cut from the side, back or the belly of pork, and is sold as pieces, strips, or ‘rashers’ as they are known, as well as cubes.
  • Bacon is typically made by curing the pork with salt and generally then left to sit, and is often boiled, smoked and or dried before commercially packing.
  • Bacon is popularly eaten for breakfast, accompanying eggs, but it has more recently been served coated in chocolate, put in sandwiches or deep fried in a batter.
  • The popularity of bacon has recently increased in the United States, with sales in 2013 increasing by 9.5%.

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  • Bacon has fat that becomes runny when hot, which usually solidifies when cool, and it makes lard or grease that meat and other foods can be cooked in.
  • Bacon was originally produced on farms or in homes, with various recipes and methods, although they mostly used a dry curing process, until the introduction of mass production during the Industrial Revolution, and the modern processing methods that followed.
  • Other meats can be prepared in a similar way to bacon, such as turkey meat, and vegetarian versions are also available.
  • Bacon is generally required to be cooked before consumption, and it is typically pink and white when raw, and it usually darkens when cooked.
  • Bacon is high in protein, sodium, niacin, selenium, saturated fat and phosphorus, and due to the high salt content, when large quantities are eaten over periods of time, cardiovascular problems can occur.

 

Bibliography:
Bacon, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon
History of Bacon, 2014, The English Breakfast Society, http://englishbreakfastsociety.com/history-of-bacon.html

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Musha Cay

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Musha Cay

Musha Cay is more than just majestic and beautiful.

  • Musha Cay is an island found among the 700 islands and islets of the Bahamas, in the Atlantic Ocean, and is part of the Exuma Chain district.
  • Musha Cay is owned privately by David Copperfield, an illusionist from America, who purchased it and ten other nearby islands for approximately $50 million in 2006.
  • Musha Cay covers an area of 0.6 square kilometres (0.23 square miles) and is one of the 11 islands in what is known as ‘Copperfield Bay’.
  • Musha Cay is a resort, and home to a main manor and a small number of guest villas, that are maintained by around 30 staff.
  • Musha Cay has white sand beaches, crystal blue water, and extensive tropical vegetation, and the temperature typically ranges between 21 and 28°C (70 and 82°F).
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Musha Cay
Image courtesy of Daniel Piraino/Flickr
  • People can hire Musha Cay for a vacation or a getaway for their exclusive use, and only one group, of up to 24 people, are permitted to stay on the island at a time.
  • Sergey Brin, the cofounder of Google, was married on the island of Musha Cay in early 2007, and actress Penelope Cruz is also said to have married there in 2010.
  • The are many, typical resort style activities that one can participate in at Musha Cay, including boating, fishing and diving, as well as some that are unique to the island, including a treasure hunt, secret village, olympic style competitions, and goldfish racing.
  • The buildings on Musha Cay were designed by the architect Howard Holtzman, and artifacts from David Copperfield’s International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts can also be found there.
  • To stay at Musha Cay, a fee of tens of thousands of dollars is payable per night, making it one of the most expensive islands to holiday at in the world, and while food and many activities are included in the price, massages, international telephone calls, scuba diving, and others, are not.
Bibliography:
About Musha Cay, Private Islands, 2014, Island Hideaway, http://www.islandhideaways.com/private-islands/villas/musha-cay/
Walther G, Musha Cay, David Copperfield’s Magic Private-Island Resort In The Bahamas, 2012, Forbes, http://www.forbes.com/sites/garywalther/2012/11/27/muscha-cay-david-copperfields-magic-island-in-the-bahamas/
Musha Cay, nd, Musha Cay: The Islands of Copperfield Bay, http://www.mushacay.com/

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Tapioca

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Tapioca

Tapioca is a diverse substance.

  • Tapioca is a starch taken from the root of the plant with the scientific name, Manihot esculenta, that is commonly known as cassava.
  • The cassava or manioc tuber, as it is sometimes called, that tapioca is derived from, is native to South America, and was eventually taken to Africa and Asia as a result of explorers from Portugal and Spain.
  • Tapioca can be bought as powder, flakes, pearls, sticks and meal, and the latter four often require soaking before use.
  • Tapioca is often made into desserts; is used as a thickener in liquids; and can be used as a flour in baked goods.
  • The roots of cassava are poisonous and contain cyanide until they are thoroughly processed, after which the tapioca is extracted.

Tapioca, Starch, White, Pearls, Ten Random Facts, Food, Culinary, Invention

  • Tapioca was a staple food item during the food shortages in Southeast Asia during World War II.
  • The word ‘tapioca’ comes from the native Tupí language term for the method of making the cassava root fit for consumption, known as ‘tipi’óka’.
  • Tapioca is commonly used in gluten free cooking, and it helps to give a crispy or chewy feel to baked goods, depending on the item.
  • Tapioca is high in iron and manganese and is very high in carbohydrates.
  • Tapioca is typically white in colour, but very rarely does it affect the colour of other food, and it generally does not provide flavour, although too much of the starch in a food item can cause an unpleasant or slimy texture, as well as taste.
Bibliography:
Tapioca, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapioca
Tapioca Flour, 2014, Bob’s Red Mill, http://www.bobsredmill.com/tapioca-flour.html
WHAT IS TAPIOCA STARCH AND TAPIOCA FLOUR? {GLUTEN FREE FOOD FACTS}, 2012, Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures, http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2012/10/what-is-tapioca-starch-and-tapioca-flour-gluten-free-food-facts.html

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