Tag Archives: Asia

Rhubarb

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Rhubarb

Try to hear past all the rhubarb.

  • Rhubarb is an edible stalk-based vegetable that grows as a perennial, native to Siberia and other parts of central and eastern Asia.
  • The scientific name of rhubarb is Rheum rhabarbarum and it is from the family Polygonaceae, the family of knotweed.
  • Although normally considered a vegetable, rhubarb is sometimes known as a fruit, even leading to a court in the United State’s New York to declare the food a fruit in 1947.
  • Rhubarb is grown both outdoors and indoors successfully, particularly in greenhouses where mild temperatures can be retained all year; and the produce varies in texture, taste and colour depending on where it was grown.
  • The stalks of rhubarb are stereotypically coloured red and they have leaves that are green, although stalks may also be pink, or partially or fully green.
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Rhubarb
Image courtesy of H. Michael Milley/Flickr
  • Commonly rhubarb stalks are cooked by gently boiling them, and the vegetable is often made into sauces or other dishes, as well as added to desserts such as pies and tarts.
  • The texture of rhubarb is quite crisp, and it has a very tart flavour, causing it to often have the addition of sugar to sweeten it.
  • The leaves of a rhubarb plant are toxic due to chemicals they contain, like oxalic acid, which can negatively impact human health upon consumption.
  • For thousands of years, rhubarb has been used medicinally, especially in China, and it has been used for digestive issues, as a laxative, and for numerous other health complaints.
  • Rhubarb is very high in vitamin K, and is high in manganese, potassium, calcium, fibre and vitamin C.
Bibliography:
Rhubarb, 2011, Fresh For Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/veg_pages/rhubarb/rhubarb.html
Rhubarb, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb

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Curonian Spit

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Curonian Spit

Enjoy some fish on a spit at the Curonian Spit.

  • The Curonian Spit is a long, thin piece of land, known as a ‘spit’, that separates two water bodies – the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon, in Lithuania in northern Europe, and western Russia.
  • The UNESCO World Heritage Convention designated the Curonian Spit, also known as ‘Kuršių nerija’ a World Heritage Site in the year 2000, and the area contains a number of reserves and national parks.
  • As a sand dune formation, the creation of the Curonian Spit possibly occurred through wind and water movements that piled sand at levels high enough to deter water.
  • The Curonian Spit spreads a length of 98 kilometres (61 miles) with a width ranging from 0.4 to 3.8 kilometres (0.25 to 2.4 miles), and some of the sand dunes can reach heights of up to 60 metres (197 feet).
  • Curonians, Russians, Lithuanians, Germans and Prussians have all occupied the Curonian Spit at various stages, and according to a native Balt legend, the spit was created by a child Neringa, a giantess, who enjoyed the shore as a play site.
Curonian Spit, Sand, Water, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Beach, Russia, Place
Curonian Spit
Image courtesy of Borya/Flickr
  • Around the mid 1700s, after significant deforestation caused a lack of sand dune stabilisation, 14 villages on the Curonian Spit were buried by sand.
  • Successful large scale revegetation of the Curonian Spit sand dunes has occurred over two centuries, and a sand ridge was also created during this time to impede sand movement.
  • Despite the prominence of sand dunes in the Curonian Spit vicinity, areas of the spit are rich in flora and fauna, while approximately 10 to 20 million birds migrate across the area annually.
  • A stone sundial has been constructed on the top of Parnidis dune, one of the Curonian Spit’s many dunes, located in the town of Nida.
  • The Curonian Spit is popular among tourists for bird watching, boating and fishing, although a permit to catch fish is required, and there are a number of historic villages and museums to visit in the area.
Bibliography:
Curonian Spit, 2015, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/994
Curonian Spit, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curonian_Spit
Human Impact, nd, Kuršių nerijos, http://www.nerija.lt/en/culture/human-impact

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Nashi Pear

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Nashi Pear

You cannot get more exotic than nashi pears.

  • Nashi pears are a fruit of roughly spherical shape that grow on trees from the same genus as pears.
  • ‘Nashi pears’ are also known as ‘Japanese pears’, ‘Chinese pears’, ‘nashis’, ‘Korean pears’, ‘Asian pears’, ‘Japanese apple pears’, ‘apple-pears’, ‘Oriental pears’, ‘Taiwan pears’ and ‘sand pears’.
  • The scientific name of the nashi pear tree is Pyrus pyrifolia and it is from the family Rosaceae, the family of roses.
  • The skin of nashi pears is a little course and is typically speckled, and can be a light yellow, green, golden brown or cream colour, depending on the variety.
  • The flesh of nashi pears is almost white, and it tends to be crispy, grainy, watery, and sweet.

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Nashi Pear
Image courtesy of Apple and Pear Australia Ltd/Flickr

 

  • Nashi pears are popularly eaten both raw and cooked, sometimes used as a sweetener, and they can be baked, grilled, poached and barbecued.
  • Nashi pears have their origins in Japan and China, in East Asia, where the tree’s flower has become a sign of spring.
  • Nashi pears are best stored in a dry and cool area, where they can be kept for a number of weeks.
  • Due to their high water content, nashi pears can bruise quite easily, and as a result they require hand picking and sufficient cushioning for transportation purposes.
  • Nashi pears have significant quantities of vitamin K and vitamin C, as well as fibre and potassium.
Bibliography:
Nashi, 2011, Fresh For Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/fruit_pages/nashi/nashi.html
Pyrus pyrifolia, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrus_pyrifolia

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Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

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Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was once a monument of beauty, but is now the building blocks of construction.

  • The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was a tomb located in modern day Bodrum in south-west Turkey, in western Asia, which was built on a hill overlooking Halicarnassus, and made of marble and other stone.
  • The ‘Mausoleum at Halicarnassus’ is also known as the ‘Tomb of Mausolus’, and the term ‘mausoleum’ that is used today in reference to grand burial sites was derived from the Greek word ‘Mausoleion’, the name that was applied to this particular site.
  • The Persian ruler Artemisia II of Caria is believed to have had the Mausoleum built at Halicarnassus for the remains of her husband and brother, Mausolus, and her own remains were also entombed there.
  • The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was built around 353 BC, the year Mausolus died, by the Greek architects Satyros and Pytheos, and sculptors Timotheus, Bryaxis, Leochares and Scopas, all contributed to the design.
  • The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was famous for its aspiring beauty of architecture, decorative aspects and sculptures, including life-size (or larger) statues of lions, chariots, horses and human figures.

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Seven Wonder of Ancient World, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Structure

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Image courtesy of Carole Radato/Flickr
  • The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus has been listed under the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and it was the second longest surviving construction on the list, after the Pyramid of Giza.
  • The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus reached a height of around 45 metres (148 feet) and the rectangular shaped building had dimensions of roughly 30 by 40 metres (98 by 131 feet), and included 36 pillars, while the structure was topped with a pyramid-like roof.
  • Between the mid 1100s and the late 1400s it is thought that the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was devastated by a number of earthquakes.
  • Crusaders destroyed much of the visible remains of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus in the late 1400s and early 1500s, using much of the stone and debris to extend or fortify the Bodrum castle, some of which can be seen today in the structure.
  • The ruins of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus were discovered by Charles Thomas Newton, a British archaeologist, in the mid 1800s, under the direction of the British Museum, after he successfully used deduction and logic to correctly choose and determine the site location; while art pieces buried by the earthquakes are now displayed in the British Museum.
Bibliography:
The Mausoleum at Haliciarnassus, 2000, Bodrum Pages, http://www.bodrumpages.com/English/mausoleum.html
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, 2011, The Museum of UnNatural History, http://www.unmuseum.org/maus.htm
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_at_Halicarnassus
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, n.d, Social Studies for Kids, http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhistory/mausoleum.htm

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Saola

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Saola

I’m not surprised if you’ve never heard of saolas – they are just a little rare after all.

  • Saolas are an antelope species native to regions of Laos and Vietnam in Southeast Asia.
  • ‘Saolas’ are also known as ‘Vu Quang oxes’, ‘Vu Quang bovids’, ‘Asian unicorns’ and ‘Asian biocorns’.
  • The scientific name of a saola is Pseudoryx nghetinhensis and it is from the family Bovidae, the family of bovids, or ruminant animals with cloven hooves.
  • Typically saolas grow to be 80 to 90 centimetres (31.5 to 35.4) in height excluding the head, and 80 to 100 kilograms (176 to 220 pounds) in weight.
  • The short fur of saolas is generally coloured a combination of brown, red and black shades, and they have horns reaching 35 to 50 centimetres (14 to 20 inches) in length.
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Saola
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
  • Saolas usually live in damp mountainous areas that contain dense forests and woodlands, near valleys and rivers and other water sources.
  • Saolas, despite often living a solitary life, may group in herds of two to three, with some native observers noticing groups of up to seven.
  • The diet of saolas consists of vegetation including leaves, stems and grasses, and it may also consist of seeds, berries and fruit.
  • Saolas are listed as critically endangered due to hunting and habitat loss, with extant numbers estimated to be 250 or less.
  • Saolas first became known to the modern world in 1992, in the Vu Quang Nature Reserve through a group survey, when the group came across a new horn type on a hunter’s wall; and as a result, many observations were later taken from captive species or native reports.
Bibliography:
Saola, 2015, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/saola/
Saola, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saola

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Honeydew Melon

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Honeydew Melon

Honeydew melons are sweeter than watermelon and perhaps healthier than honey.

  • Honeydew melons are a melon fruit of roughly spherical shape, and it is said that they originated in Algeria in North Africa, and possibly other surrounding areas including the Middle East and southern Europe.
  • Honeydew melons are a cultivar known as ‘inodorus’ of the muskmelon species that has the scientific name Cucumis melo, and is from the family Cucurbitaceae, the family of cucurbits or some gourds.
  • ‘Honeydew melons’ are also known as ‘honeymelons’ and simply ‘honeydews’, and they can also be referred to as ‘winter melons’ (not to be confused with the gourds of the same name) and ‘White Antibes melons’.
  • The rough size of honeydew melons is 15 to 22 centimetres (6 to 9 inches) in length and 1.8 to 3.6 kilograms (4 to 8 pounds) in weight.
  • The skin of honeydew melons can be green, white or yellow, while the interior flesh is usually a light green colour.
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Honeydew Melon
Image courtesy of Tracy Ducasse; edited/Flickr
  • Honeydew melons are very sweet due to their high content of natural sugars, and the sugar content increases as the fruit ripens.
  • The skin texture of a good quality honeydew melon is generally waxy, and the melon will be weighty, which indicates that it contains significant quantities of juice.
  • Honeydew melons have been favoured by Napoleon, Cleopatra VII and Pope Paul II, and they were originally reserved for the noble or wealthy.
  • Raw is the most common way to eat honeydew melons, although the fruit may be cooked in dishes for a sweet addition or used to flavour beverages.
  • Honeydew melons are very high in vitamin C and are a good source of potassium, and they contain other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Honeydew, 2011, Fresh for Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/fruit_pages/honeydew/honeydew.html
Honeydew (Melon), 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeydew_(melon)

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