Tag Archives: Culinary

Garlic

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Garlic

These facts, like garlic, will scare the vampires.

  • Garlic is an edible bulb, containing around 84% water , and there are two main varieties – ‘hardnecks’ and ‘softnecks’, and ten main types that are distinguishable by size, shape, colour and taste, although most bulbs have a white, or white and purple outer skin.
  • The scientific name of garlic is Allium sativum and it is a species of Allium, which also includes onions, leeks, chives and shallots, that all belong to the Amaryllidaceae family, which is the family of amaryllis.
  • Garlic plants can grow to 1.2 metres (4 feet) tall are native to central Asia, although they have spread to other parts of Asia, Africa and Europe.
  • Garlic can be purchased whole and raw, or in separate cloves, and also comes crushed, powered or as dried flakes in jars and is used as a flavouring in oil, main meals, sauces, on bread to make garlic bread, and can be eaten raw, crushed or chopped, although leaves, flowers and heads are also edible.
  • China, in 2010, produced 13.7 million tonnes (15 million tons) of garlic, which was a total of 77% of the world’s production of 17.7 million tonnes (19.5 million tons).

Garlic

  • In the Ancient world, garlic was commonly used in many countries as medical treatments for a variety of ailments.
  • Garlic is very high in vitamin C, vitamin B6 and manganese, and is also high in many other vitamins and minerals.
  • The juice of garlic bulbs can be used to make glue that can adhere to glass, and the crushed cloves have antibiotic properties.
  • Garlic can cause foul breath, and sometimes a foul body smell, along with other effects and can cause allergic reactions in some people, with reactions such as nausea, diarrhoea and breathing problems.
  • In folk tales from England, and some other countries, garlic is used to protect from monsters, particularly vampires.

 

Bibliography:
Garlic, 2013, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=60
Garlic, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic

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Asparagus

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Asparagus

Long asparagus.

  • Asparagus are long, spear-headed, edible vegetables that are popular across the globe.
  • Asparagus can be green, white or purple in colour, and is native to west Asia, north Africa and Europe.
  • The scientific name of asparagus is ‘asparagus officinalis’, which is one of the 300 species in the asparagaceae family, although some other asparagus species are edible.
  • Asparagus are the young shoots of the perennial plant with the same name that grows from 1 to 1.5 metres (3 to 5 feet) in height.
  • Historically, asparagus was commonly eaten in Ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, Spain and Syria.

Asparagus, Green, Long, Sticks, Multiple, Spears, Lily, Ten Random Facts, Australia, Vegetable

  • Asparagus is is 93% water and very high in vitamin K, and is high in vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, folate and iron.
  • In 2010, China was by far the biggest producer of asparagus, harvesting nearly 7 million tonnes (7.6 million tons) of the vegetable.
  • The word ‘Asparagus’ has Latin, Greek and Persian origins, originally meaning ‘shoot’ or ‘sprout’ in Persian,  and was originally termed as ‘sperage’ in English.
  • After consumption, asparagus can cause a foul smell emitted from the consumer’s urine due to the organic chemicals found in the vegetable.
  • Asparagus is served and eaten in stirfries, soup, raw in salad, grilled, and pickled, and when raw or lightly cooked, it has a crunchy texture.
Bibliography:
Asparagus, 2013, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=12
Asparagus, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus

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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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Baking Paper

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Baking Paper

Rip off the baking paper and put it on the tray.

  • ‘Baking paper’ is also known as ‘parchment paper’, ‘bakery release paper’, ‘silicone paper’, silicone baking paper’ and ‘butter paper’.
  • Baking paper is a non-stick paper used in baking, often to line tins, pans and trays, to prevent food from sticking to the pans.
  • Baking paper is typically made by submerging paper pulp in chemicals, such as sulphuric acid or zinc chloride, or paper is covered with an agent such as silicone.
  • Baking paper is also often reusable, although can wear after a number of uses, and it can be disposed of easily.
  • Baking paper is made from vegetable or plant based materials, specifically cellulose.

Baking paper, white, parchment paper, Woolworths Select, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • A French tradition, called ‘en papillote’ (in parchment) involves wrapping food with baking paper.
  • Baking paper is a practical replacement of cooking grease and wax paper.
  • Baking paper can be used as a stencil or template, an icing cone or a bag.
  • Parchment, which is made in a similar way to baking paper, was first invented in the Ptolemaic Dynasty, in Egypt, during 305 to 283BC.
  • Baking paper is heat resistant, and generally a partially transparent white colour.
Bibliography: Parchment Paper (Baking), 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parchment_paper_(baking)
What is Parchment Paper, 2013, WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-parchment-paper.htm

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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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Toaster

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Toaster

Pop goes the toaster.

  • Toasters are typically electrical bread cookers found in most kitchens around the world which makes the bread crunchy, and helps to keep bread longer.
  • Two-slice toasters typically toast bread for 1 to 3 minutes using 600 to 1200 watts of power.
  • Bread was originally toasted over a fire with a stick, the basic concept of a toaster, with modern appliances appearing in the late 1800s, but toast was popular throughout the Roman colony.
  • The first practical electrical toaster was invented by Scottish scientist, Alan MacMasters, around 1893, as previous hazardous attempts had been made by multiple inventors.
  • The first pop-up toaster was invented by American Charles Strite, which was patented in 1921.

Toaster, Metal, Four Slice, Silver, Grey, Breville, Gleaming, Kitchen, Ten Random Facts, Bread, Australia

  • Some toasters are a small ovens, while others toast bread on a conveyor belt-like mechanism, toasting 350-900 pieces per hour.
  • Toasters have been adapted to not only toast bread, but waffles and crumpets, and even hot dogs.
  • The term ‘toast’, where the word ‘toaster’ is derived from, comes from the words ‘torrere’ and ‘tostum’ of Latin origin, meaning ‘to burn’ or ‘scorch’.
  • There are many designs of toasters, with different colours and shapes, as well as multiple toasting spots with two slots being the most common, although four slice toasters are not unusual.
  • A toaster was invented in 1990 that could be controlled over the internet, and in 2012, a toaster was made that could recognise the toast’s colour shades.

 

Bibliography:
Bellis M, The History of your Toaster, 2013, About.com, <http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltoaster.htm>
Toaster, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toaster>

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