Tag Archives: Culinary

Choko

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Choko

Do not choke on these choko facts.

  • A choko is the fruit of a vine with the scientific name Sechium edule, that is a perennial and grows vigorously.
  • ‘Chokos’ are also known by eighteen other names, including ‘cho-cho’, ‘pear squash’, ‘mirliton’, ‘chayote’, ‘vegetable pear’ and ‘christophine’.
  • Chokos are native to Mexico, in southern North America, and they were later grown in Europe, other parts of America and Australasia.
  • Chokos are from the family Cucurbitaceae, the family of gourds, and the fruit of the plant, as well as the leaves, roots and seeds are edible.
  • Chokos are typically shaped as a pear with significant ridges and are a mid to light green colour.

Choko, Green, Gourd, Vegetable, Australian, Wrinkled, Ten Random Facts, Chayote

  • Chokos have a length ranging from 10 to 20 centimetres (4 to 8 inches) and are usually used as a vegetable and peeled before cooking.
  • Chokos are most often cooked, although they can be eaten raw, and are typically used in stir-fry, relish, soup, salads, seasoned or as side vegetables, and can also be used in baked goods.
  • It has been commonly suggested that the apple pies of Australia’s McDonald’s fast food outlets contain chokos, however, this is incorrect.
  • Chokos are high in folate and are a good source of vitamin C and manganese.
  • Chokos can positively affect the cardiovascular system and limit inflammation, while the leaves can be made into a tea for medicinal purposes.
Bibliography:
Chayote, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote
Choko, 2014, Burke’s Backyard, http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/2001/archives/2001_archives?p=1320

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Cherry Ripe Chocolate Bar

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Cherry Ripe Chocolate Bar

“The Big Cherry Taste” – the slogan of Cherry Ripe.

  • Cherry Ripe is a rectangular chocolate bar that is an original Australian product.
  • Cherry Ripe bars are manufactured by Cadbury Australia and New Zealand.
  • Cherry Ripe bars consists of a coconut and cherry filling mix that is covered with a unique dark chocolate blend called ‘Old Gold’.
  • Cherry Ripes were invented in 1924 by MacRobertson’s Steam Confectionery Works, that was founded by Sir Macpherson Robertson.
  • Cherry Ripes are the oldest chocolate bars to be manufactured in Australia.

Cherry Ripe, Packet, Bar, Mini, Cadbury, Chocolate, Inside, Dark chocolate, Ten Random Facts, Delicious, Australia

  • According to a survey conducted by Roy Morgan Research, Cherry Ripe was Australia’s most popular chocolate bar in 2012 to 2013, with 10% of the population consuming one in a typical four week period.
  • The original MacRobertson’s Cherry Ripe logo was used on the wrapper until 2002, when it was redesigned.
  • Cherry Ripes comes in sizes of 18 grams (0.6 ounces), 52 grams (1.8 ounces), 80 grams (2.8 ounces) and 216 grams (7.6 ounces).
  • Cherry Ripe bars have a flavour of sweetness and a soft texture, and can be used as a dessert ingredient, to make mud cake, cheesecake or brownies.
  • A homemade slice of the same name, that mimics the flavour and texture of Cherry Ripe bars is popular and can be made using readily available ingredients.

 

Bibliography:
Cadbury Cherry Ripe, 2010, Candyblog, http://www.candyblog.net/blog/item/cadbury_cherry_ripe
Cherry Ripe, 2014, Cadbury, https://www.cadbury.com.au/Products/Chocolate-Bars/Cherry-Ripe-Bar.aspx
Cherry Ripe, 2014, Real Australian Travel, http://www.realaustraliatravel.com/cherry-ripe.html
Cherry Ripe (Chocolate Bar), 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_Ripe_(chocolate_bar)

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Nutcracker

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Nutcrackers have many uses: nut cracking, displaying, starring in ballets…

  • Nutcrackers are items used to break nut shells to access the nut, using combined mechanical and human power.
  • A nutcracker in ancient times was a partially hollowed stone that held the nut, and another stone was used to crack the nut shell.
  • The oldest nutcracker known to the world and made from metal, was found in the Taranto area in Italy, Europe, and dates back to 300 to 200 BC.
  • Modern nutcrackers are generally similar to pliers, except the ends near the nut are pivoted, causing a different lever action, and they are typically made of metal or wood, but ivory, china, bone, silver, and brass have been used.
  • From the 1400s, nutcrackers were very decorative, resembling a person or fictional character, and were commonly made in France and England.

Nutcracker, Old, Black, Macadamias, Ten Random Facts, Invention, Culinary, Food, Tool

  • Nutcracker figurines today are used more often ornamentally, notably during the Christmas season, and for this reason they are becoming a Christmas symbol.
  • The nutcracker has been depicted in the famous book and ballet of the same name, and the English term was in use as early as 1481.
  • Some nutcrackers have a screw type mechanism which is wound down on to the nut to force the shell to crack, and these can be useful to crack very hard shelled nuts like macadamia nuts.
  • In the early years of German nutcrackers, the crackers were believed to be protectors based on their appearance and stature.
  • Decorative nutcrackers are popular items to be collected, particularly those from the remote mountainous region of Sonneberg, in Thuringia, Germany.

Bibliography:

History of Nutcrackers, 2014, Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, http://www.nutcrackermuseum.com/history.htm
Nutcracker, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutcracker

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Baked Beans

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Baked Beans

Do you delight in baked beans?

  • Baked beans are a culinary dish that includes both stewed, or less commonly baked, beans and a sauce.
  • Baked beans are most commonly made of white navy or haricot beans, that are one of the many varieties of Phaseolus vulgaris, which includes common beans, and others.
  • Baked beans are a popular quick-preparation meal, and for this reason, are often eaten at camps or rural areas.
  • Baked beans are commonly eaten for breakfast, along with other meals, and are popular with toast, chips, pork or waffles, among others.
  • Baked beans were canned and sold as early as 1861 in the United States, and they often contained pork and molasses, and of all convenience foods to become popular in the Western world, beans were among the first.

Baked Beans, Red, White, Sauce,Container, Ten Random Facts, Food, Convenience,

  • Baked beans have a savoury-sweet taste, and are typically coloured red, orange or brown, and they are typically sweetened by sugar, molasses or maple syrup, and the sweetener varies by country.
  • Traditionally, baked bean products have been high in salt and sugar, although some producers have lowered the quantities to make a healthier product.
  • Baked beans are very high in fibre, and are high in phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, thiamine, copper and protein, and they contain significant quantites of other vitamins and minerals.
  • Baked beans are sometimes homemade, although they are commonly sold commercially in a can, and a notable manufacturer is Heinz.
  • Baked beans originated as a mixture of British and, particularly, American bean dishes, with the notable Boston variety.
Bibliography: Baked Beans, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baked_beans
O Thring, 2011, Consider Baked Beans, http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/feb/22/consider-baked-beans

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Papaya

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Papaya

No fruit salad is complete without papayas!

  • Papayas are fruit that grow on plants native to the American tropics, with the ‘trees’ that they grow being as tall as 5 to 10 metres (16 to 33 feet).
  • A ‘papaya’ is also known as a ‘pawpaw’ and a ‘papaw’.
  • Papayas come from a plant that has the scientific name Carica papaya and are from the family Caricaceae, a family of small trees and shrubs.
  • The largest producers of papayas in the 2008 to 2010 period, was India, producing approximately 38.6% of the world production.
  • Papayas commonly have green coloured skin that turns yellow or orange when ripe, and the flesh is either yellow, orange or red, depending on the species.

Papaya, Yellow, Fruit, Black, Half, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • Papayas have soft and sweet musky flavoured flesh and are popularly eaten raw or cooked, in salads, curries or soups, and the black seeds can be used as black pepper replacements.
  • Papayas, when unripe, contain latex, which can cause allergic reactions and possibly miscarriages.
  • Papayas can grow up to 51 centimetres (20 inches) in length and are generally pear or round shaped.
  • Papayas are very high in vitamin C, and are high in folate, vitamin A and dietary fibre.
  • Papaya has been used in traditional medicine and in some hair products, and is commonly made into ointment for the treatment of cuts, rashes, burns and other skin conditions.

 

Bibliography:
Papaya, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaya
Papaya, 2014, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=47

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Passionfruit

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Passionfruit

What is a fruit with passion? A passionfruit!

  • Passionfruit are fruit that grow up to 4 to 7.5 centimetres (1.5 to 3 inches) in diameter, and are native to South America.
  • ‘Passionfruit’ are also known as ‘passion fruit’, ‘granadilla’ and ‘purple granadilla’, and some of the varieties are ‘purple’, ‘yellow’, ‘panama’ and ‘banana’.
  • Passionfruit is roughly spherical or ovoid in shape, with skin coloured purple, pink or yellow when ripe, that is either smooth, or slightly wrinkled.
  • Passionfruit have yellow to orange pulp containing juice and many black edible seeds, and they generally have sweet flavoured juice and tart flavoured seeds.
  • Passionfruit can be eaten raw, added to fruit salad, used as a dessert topping and flavouring, made into a variety of beverages and used as a flavouring in icing or cream for baked goods.

Passionfruit, Halve, Whole, Yellow, Pulp, Black, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Passionfruit grow on vines that have the scientific name of Passiflora edulis and are from the family Passifloraceae, a family of approximately 530 flowering plant species.
  • Passionfruit are often found in home gardens grown on fences or trellises, and are commercially grown in warm climates that are frost free.
  • Passionfruit, before ripening, have softer, green coloured skin, and when ripe, it is best to choose heavy fruit as they will contain more pulp and seeds.
  • ‘Passionfruit’ were named by Spanish missionaries in South America as the flowers were interpreted to symbolise ‘Christ’s passion (suffering) on the cross’.
  • Passionfruit are very high in vitamin C, vitamin A and dietary fibre, and also contain iron, potassium and other vitamins and minerals.

 

Bibliography:
Passiflora edulis, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_edulis
Passionfruit, 2011, Fresh for Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/fruit_pages/passionfruit/passionfruit.html
Passionfruit, 2014, Purdue Agriculture, https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/passionfruit.html

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