Tag Archives: Culinary

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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Food Hamper

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Food Hamper

Food to last you a week: a food hamper.

  • Food hampers are typically a basket, bag or box of food, but the contents are not restricted to food items, and are often given as gifts in the United Kingdom, Australia, and other western countries.
  • A ‘hamper’, derived from the old French word ‘hanepier’, meaning ‘a case for goblets’, in British English, means ‘a basket for food’.
  • Food hampers were traditionally a wicker basket full of items, and baskets were used because they were a lighter weight material than other options, like wood, available at the time.
  • Food hampers are often given as a gift to family or friends, or by businesses to their workers, although historically they were often given to those who were poor, or under financial difficulty, and this is often still the case.
  • Food hampers are usually given to the recipient in person, even if to a stranger; so this generally limits the size of the hamper.

Food Hamper, Christmas, Wicker Basket, Pudding, Chocolate, Sweets, Ten Random facts, Gift ideas

  • Shops typically sell custom or ready-made food hampers, particularly during occasions such as Christmas.
  • Food hampers are commonly given away as competition prizes, particularly raffles or competitions hosted by retailers.
  • Throughout history, food hampers were commonly given by the rich, to the workers of the household, as well as to those in need.
  • It is said that food hampers originated in France, and by the 1100s they were seen in England, but they only became popular for gift giving in the mid to late 18oos.
  • Popular edible additions to food hampers include wine, occasion-related foodstuff, crackers, coffee, chocolate, lollies or other long-lasting items.
Bibliography:
Hamper, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamper
Hurst M, The History behind Christmas Hampers, n.d, Christmas Spirit, http://christmasspirit.soup.io/post/251403767/The-history-behind-Christmas-hampers

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Pfeffernüsse

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Pfeffernüsse

Delicious pfeffernüsse cookies, perfect for Christmas.

  • Pfeffernüsse are cookies that are made of flour, sugar and spices, often pepper, and sometimes ground nuts.
  • Pfeffernüsse are generally believed to be of German origin, although some people believe they are a Dutch cookie known as ‘pepernoten’, however, a number of Scandinavian countries have their own recipes of a similar named and tasting cookie, which is probably the main cause for confusion.
  • ‘Pfeffernüsse’ are also known as ‘peppernødders’, ‘pfeffernusse’, ‘peppernuts’ and ‘pebernødder’.
  • Pfeffernüsse are popularly and traditionally eaten during holidays, particularly at Christmas or during the Christmas season.
  • Pfeffernüsse were traditionally eaten at special feasts in Germany, Netherlands and Belgiums on the 5 and 6 of December, and are similar to the German ‘lebkuchen’, a type of gingerbread.

Pfeffernusse, Christmas Cookies, Peppernut, Ginger, Pepper, White, Brown, Broken, Oval, Snow, Ten Random Facts, treat, Aldi

  • Pfeffernüsse are sometimes bitter due to the spice combination, so are often coated in powdered sugar (icing sugar).
  • Pfeffernüsse are traditionally very hard and firm once cooked, so they are typically dunked in liquid prior to consuming.
  • Pfeffernüsse are typically ginger-coloured, with a snowy white coating, and home made cookies are best left to develop their flavours and soften for a few days before being eaten.
  • Pfeffernüsse are among the biscuits with the least amount of fat, as they generally lack butter and oil, although recipes vary greatly, and some do use butter.
  • Pfeffernüsse are generally shaped as round balls or drops, and can be often purchased from supermarkets and other shops, although these are usually soft cookies.
Bibliography:
Pfeffernüsse, 2012, The Chic Brûlée, http://thechicbrulee.com/2012/11/30/pfeffernusse/
Pfeffernüsse, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfeffernusse

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Fruitcake

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Fruitcake

Fruitcake may sound healthy… But it has lots of sugar!

  • Fruitcake is typically made of dried and/or candied fruit, with added spices, flour, sugar, egg, butter, and often nuts.
  • ‘Fruitcake’ is also known as ‘fruit cake’, ‘Christmas cake’ and ‘black cake’.
  • Fruitcake is a cake that is commonly eaten during the Christmas season or at weddings, and sometimes at other occasions including special anniversaries.
  • Fruitcake, in some countries, is covered with icing, or marzipan, or eaten with cream or similar, while many countries eat it plain.
  • Fruitcake started to become popular during Ancient Rome, where preserved fruit was made into a cake with other ingredients.

Fruitcake, Christmas cake, Sultana, Fruit, Slice, Ten Random Facts, Dessert, Food,

  • Many countries of the Commonwealth cook dark brown coloured fruit cakes, known as ‘traditional fruit cakes’, that emphasize the use of nuts and fruit, and light fruit cakes are sometimes baked in these and other countries.
  • Some Christmas cake recipes use alcohol, like rum, brandy or whiskey, to enhance the flavour and extend the shelf-life of the cake.
  • Fruitcake has been used as a tossing item in competitions, particularly in the tossing tournament in the US’s Colorado.
  • Once candied fruit was being produced in the 1500s, fruit cake became more common and cheaper.
  • Fruitcake can be preserved for over 20 years with the use of alcohol, even without refrigeration, and has been used by soldiers due to its long shelf life.
Bibliography:
Douglas J, Ultimate Guide to Fruitcake, 2013, TLC, http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/menus/fruitcake1.htm
Fruitcake, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitcake

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Sausage

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Sausage

Will these sausage facts make you lose your appetite?

  • Sausages are edible food products typically made of encased ground meat and often include seasonings, and thousands of years ago were originally used as a way to preserve meat, typically with salt.
  • Sausage casings were first made using cleaned intestines and hollow stomachs from the animals that were killed for their meat – generally sheep, cows, goats and pigs although other animals have been used.
  • ‘Sausage’ comes from the old French word ‘saussiche’, which has its origin in the Latin word ‘salsus’, which means ‘salted’.
  • Modern sausage casings are often manmade and the options include cellulose, collagen and plastic, although plastic casings are not usually used due to health concerns.
  • Sausage varieties can be made with different methods of salting, cooking, drying and smoking, or they can be raw and are edible due to a fermentation process.

Sausage, Long, Uncooked, Raw, Pink, Beef, Pile, Meat, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Some countries in Europe are the home of thousands of different sausage varieties that range in size, shape, taste, or other attributes.
  • Sausages can be made without a casing, and can be made vegetarian, with nuts, soya products, vegetables and tofu, and include ingredients that hold the sausage together when cooked.
  • Sausages generally have a significant fat content that makes up 20 to 50 percent of its weight, and they usually need at least 20% fat to stay moist after cooking.
  • Sausages are called many different names, depending on their method of production and their ingredients, and they include ‘hot dogs’, ‘salami’, ‘saveloys’, ‘pepperoni’, ‘bratwurst’, ‘cabanossi’ and many others.
  • Sausage casings are generally filled with meat, and then twisted at intervals to section off the big long casing tube, often into the size of an individual portion.
Bibliography:
Sausage, 2003, Encyclopedia.com, http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/sausage.aspx
Sausage, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sausage

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Peach

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Peach

Everything’s peaches!

  • Peaches are from the genus of cherries and plums, Prunus, and the family of roses, Rosaceae, and they typically have white, yellow or orange coloured flesh, with skin that is generally red or yellow.
  • Peaches are furry and feel like velvet, unlike nectarines that are the same species and are technically fuzz-less peaches, even though they are sold as two different fruits.
  • Peaches grow on deciduous trees with the scientific name Prunis persica, that grow to be 4 to 10 metres (13 to 33 feet) in height.
  • Peaches are stone fruits that have one seed that is 1.3 to 2 centimetres (0.5 to 0.8 inches) long, that is encased in a larger, hard, grooved shell.
  • The word ‘peach’ comes from the French word ‘pêche’, and the scientific name of peaches suggests the fruit comes from Persia, however, it is believed that the fruit is native to China.

Peach

  • Peaches often need to be eaten within two weeks after picking, as they continue to ripen after picking and they can spoil easily.
  • China was the biggest producer of peaches in 2011, producing just over half of the total world’s production of 21.5 million tonnes (24 million tons).
  • Peaches contain significant amounts of fibre, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C, with many smaller quantities of many other minerals and vitamins.
  • A peach can be either a ‘clingstone’ or a ‘freestone’, meaning that the flesh either ‘clings’ to the stone (seed case), or easily comes free from the stone, respectively.
  • Peaches can be eaten raw, canned, dried, cooked, used in baked goods, and made into sauces, and the juices and oil of a peach can be used as a moisturiser.
Bibliography:
Peach, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peach
Peaches, 2011, Fresh for Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/fruit_pages/peach/peach.html

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