Tag Archives: Culinary

Mustard

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Mustard

Pass the mustard, please!

  • Mustard is a type of spice and can be in the form of a paste, a sauce, a seed and a ground spice and is often added as a flavouring addition to poultry, wholemeal breads, meats, salads or other mixtures such as dressings.
  • Mustard comes from the seeds of  native European and Asian mustard plant’s from the Brassicaceae family, the family of mustards.
  • Mustard seeds can be coloured from white to yellow to black, and this gives mustard condiments their colour and also their heat, with white seeds being the mildest, and brown and black seeds being the hottest.
  • Mustard paste is made by grinding or cracking the seeds, adding a liquid and sometimes flavours.
  • Romans made a type of mustard by grinding the seeds and then adding grape juice or other liquids, and a recipe using the spice has been found in a Roman cookbook dating back to 300-400 AD .

Mustard, Yellow, Seeds, Mixture Powder, Yellow, Brown, Blobs, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Mustard is very high in selenium, and significantly high in fibre, omega 3 and manganese, phosphorous, iron, calcium and magnesium and is good for the digestive system, although some people are allergic to mustard.
  • Romans probably brought mustard to Gaul in the 900s, which then became popular in Europe, and by the 1200s, Paris was making the mustard paste.
  • ‘Mustard’ is from the words ‘mostarde’ and ‘mustarde’, from Old-French and Anglo-Norman respectively, which is a combination of the Latin words ‘mustum ardens‘ which means ‘burning’ or ‘hot’ ‘must’ (as in wine grape juice).
  • The type of mustard sauce used on hot dogs is called ‘yellow’ or ‘American’, due to its vivid yellow colour and popularity in America, and it sometimes has honey added.
  • Mustard was originally used for medicinal purposes, which included the treatment of tooth aches and scorpion stings.
Bibliography:
Mustard (Condiment), 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_(condiment)>
Mustard Seeds, 2013, The World’s Healthiest Foods, <http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=106>

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Banana

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Banana

Don’t go bananas!

  • Bananas grow on what some people call ‘trees’, up to 15 metres (49 feet) high, that are actually flowering herbs, or plants, generally from the Musa genus, which belong to the family Musaceae, which also includes the genus of ensetes, similar to common bananas, some of which are also a valuable food source.
  • Bananas can be different sizes or firmness, but are usually a curved shape and have soft flesh, and when ripe, the skin can be yellow, red, purple, green or brown in colour.
  • Bananas are native to South to Southeast Asia, which includes the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, and they are believed to have been cultivated since at least 5000 BC in Papua New Guinea.
  • Bananas can also be known as plantains, although there are some small differences, like plantains are generally cooked, have less sugar than the common fruit, and more starch, and common green fruit can also be used for cooking purposes.
  • Commercial bananas are generally seedless, unlike the wild varieties, and are often eaten raw but can be eaten baked, steamed or deep-fried, dehydrated, made into jam, used as a flavouring addition or added to desserts, salads and main dishes like curry, and also made into flour for baking purposes.

Banana, Yellow, Peeled, Unpeeled, Ripe, Bunches, Hands, Long, Flesh, Ten Random Facts, Australia, Aldi

  • Bananas are the most sold edible fruit and one of the most important food crops in the world, ranking number four after rice, wheat and maize, and in 2011, India produce 29.7 million tonnes (32.7 million tons) of the fruit, which was one fifth of the total world production.
  • The term ‘banana’ is derived from the Arabic word ‘banan’ or the West African Wolof word ‘banaana’, and they are grown in tiers known as ‘hands’, with up to 20 pieces of fruit per hand, and each banana is called a ‘finger’.
  • Commercial bananas are often picked unripe and stored in a refrigerated room at 13 to 15°C (56 to 59 °F) to slow down the ripening process, but if the ripening process needs to be sped up, they can be stored with an apple or tomato for 12 hours or so in a paper bag.
  • Bananas are high in Vitamin B6, and have significant amounts of vitamin C, potassium, manganese and magnesium, and are the most radioactive fruit due to the potassium content, but do little or no damage to the human body.
  • There are between 500 and 1000 varieties of bananas, and the yellow Cavendish variety are the most commonly exported bananas, mainly due to easier transportation.

 

Bibliography:
All About Bananas, n.d, Bananalink, <http://www.bananalink.org.uk/all-about-bananas>
Banana, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana>

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Peanut Butter

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Peanut Butter

Peanuts are spreadable! Try peanut butter.

  • Peanut butter is an edible spread, usually used on bread or toast, made from ground roasted peanuts, generally with the addition of sugar, salt and oil or fat.
  • United States and China are the major exporters of peanut butter, and it is eaten in many countries around the world, being popular in North America, Australia, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and others.
  • The Native American Aztecs and Incas mashed peanuts in to a compound that could be described as the first peanut butter.
  • In 1884, Marcellus Edson, from Canada, patented peanut butter that was made by heating up roasted peanuts, and in the early 1890s, the substance was given to patients who had difficulty chewing food.
  • In the United States, over 340 million kilograms (750 million pounds) of peanut butter is eaten annually, and national Peanut Butter Day is held on 24th of January.

Crunchy Peanut Butter, Homebrand, Scoop, Jar, Bottle, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • A type of oil, typically vegetable oil, is added to peanut butter to make the product easier to spread.
  • Peanut butter is full of nutrients and is high in protein, vitamin B6, vitamin E, niacin, manganese, magnesium, folate, copper, zinc, phosphorous, and potassium, but it is very high in fats.
  • Peanut butter sandwiches have been banned in many schools due to severe peanut allergies.
  • Peanut butter generally comes in two types, smooth or crunchy, and the crunchy version contains small chunks of peanut in the spread, and can be made into cookies and candy, and eaten with chocolate, cheese or jam.
  • Peanut butter is sometimes known as ‘peanut paste’ and in World War II, it was dubbed ‘monkey butter’.

 

Bibliography:
Brooks S, The Truth about Peanut Butter, 2013, She Knows’ Foods & Recipes, <http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/981321/the-truth-about-peanut-butter>
Peanut Butter, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_butter>

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Chia Seed

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Chia Seed

Teensy little chia seeds.

  • Chia seeds are generally small ovular shaped seeds that are brown, black, grey or white in colour.
  • Chia seeds are said to have the most omega 3, fibre and protein of all plant based food, and are also a good source of manganese, phosphorous, and calcium.
  • The scientific name of chia seeds is salvia hispanica, and they grow on a blue, purple or white flowering herb from the family of Lamiaceae, which is the family of mint.
  • Chia seeds are a traditional ingredient that comes from Mexico and Guatemala, where the plant is native, and in the south west of the United States they are also commonly consumed.
  • It is suggested that a small quantity, a tablespoon for an adult and a teaspoon for a child, of chia seeds be eaten each day, because of their source of nutrients.

Chia seeds, Brown, White, Seeds, Focus, Large, Pile, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • The word ‘Chia’ comes from the native Mexican language, from the Nahuatl word ‘chian’, which means ‘oily’.
  • Chia can be eaten whole in its raw form or milled, or can be added to foods such as bread, drinks, cereals, muesli bars, baked goods, or yoghurt.
  • Chia seeds do not have much flavour so they do not change the flavour of foods that they are combined with.
  • Chia seeds are 1 millimetre (0.04inches) in diameter but the chia herb grows to 1 metre (3.3 feet) in height.
  • Chia seeds can be used as an egg replacement, as the seeds form a gel-like substance which thicken and combine with other ingredients.
Bibliography:
Salvia Hispanica, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_hispanica>
Seeds of Goodness, 2013, Life & Style, <http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/blogs/chew-on-this/seeds-of-goodness-20130429-2inue.html>

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Walnut

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Walnut

Abstract shaped walnuts.

  • Walnuts grow on trees with the scientific name ‘Juglans’, of which there are over 20 species, and they belong to the family Juglandaceae, the family of walnuts.
  • Walnut trees are deciduous and grow from 10-40 metres (32-131ft) in height, and can live for a few hundred years, bearing fruit (a green husk) which is not edible but do contain edible seeds, known as walnuts, which are encased in a hard shell.
  • Walnuts are generally dried for two weeks before they are stored or sold, and can easily become mouldy or insect infected if not suitably stored, and if this occurs, the whole batch of nuts must be discarded.
  • Walnut kernels have a bumpy texture, an abstract shape, and are typically a creamy brown colour.
  • Commercial walnuts are usually from Juglans regia trees, known as the ‘English’ or ‘Persian walnut’, and are popular because they have a large kernel and a thin shell, and the ‘black walnut’ is also available commercially, but not as common.

Walnut, Food, Nut, Pile, Ten Random Facts

  • China and USA are the two biggest producers of walnuts, with almost all of the nuts in America, grown in California.
  • Walnuts are a good source of protein, folate and copper; a very good source of omega 3, manganese, magnesium, and phosphorous; contain the highest amount of antioxidants out of all the nuts, and have many beneficial health effects.
  • The US Air Force used to use ground walnut shells to clean parts of their aircraft until a Chinook helicopter crashed, causing deaths, due to the nut’s grit clogging up the machinery.
  • Walnuts can be eaten raw or with salad dishes, vegetable and fruit meals or snacks and desserts or used in baking, and sometimes the oil is extracted and used for various purposes.
  • Depending on the species, walnuts are native to various countries around the world, including Iran, North America and Japan.

 

Bibliography:
Walnut, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walnut>
Walnuts, 2013, The World’s Healthiest Foods, <http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=99>

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Stomach

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Stomach

Don’t upset your stomach!

  • The stomach is an organ that is hollow and consists of muscle, and is used in the process of digesting food by breaking it down and destroying any bacteria.
  • The stomach is located in the middle of a human, above the small intestine and below the esophagus, and when empty, it is shaped like a letter ‘J’, and is approximately 25 cm (10 inch) long.
  • The stomach creates protein enzymes, named protease, and acid to help break down and digest food.
  • The job of the stomach is to send partially digested food to the intestines so nutrients can be extracted, and it also holds food, ready to be received by the intestines.
  • A typical adult stomach has an empty volume of 45 to 75 millilitres (1.5 to 2.5 fluid ounces) which enlarges to generally contain 1 litre (0.25 gallon) of food, however it can hold up to 2-3 litres (0.5 – 0.8 gallon) of food.

Stomach, pink, digital, art, human, organ, digestive, Ten Random Facts, Flickr,

Stomach
Image courtesy of Dream Designs/ Free Digital Photos
  • Some stomach related diseases include gastric ulcers, peptic ulcers, gastritis and stomach cancer.
  • The ‘stomach’ is also known as the ‘gaster’ which is a Greek word, hence the stomach related words ‘gastro’ and ‘gastric’.
  • Some deadly stomach cancers require those patients to have a total gastrectomy (stomach removal) to prevent loss of life, however, even though they face challenges with what and how they eat, and have to change the regularity and quantity of food intake, patients can live quite successfully without a stomach.
  • The capacity of a newborn baby’s stomach is approximately 30 ml (1 fl oz).
  • Muscles in the stomach move every 2 seconds to break down the food, and it takes 40 minutes to a few hours to process the food.
Bibliography:
Hill K, What does your Stomach do?, 2013, The Big Site of Amazing Facts, <http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com/what-does-your-stomach-do>
Stomach, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stomach>

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