Tag Archives: Culinary

Soy Sauce

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Soy Sauce

Just a little flavour.

  • Soy sauce is a liqiud flavouring, generally used in cooking Asian dishes, and has a muddy, dark brownish colour.
  • Soy sauce is also known as soya sauce.
  • Soy sauce is generally made from soybeans, wheat, salt and water, although tamari, a traditional Japanese soy sauce, usually does not include wheat, which makes it suitable for a gluten free diet.
  • Soy sauce is said to have originated in China in 2BC.
  • Most varieties of soy sauce have lots of salt, meaning high sodium.

Light Soy Sauce, Flavour, Japanese, Chinese, Soya, Plate, Small, Chang's Naturally Brewed, Ten Random Facts

  • Soy sauce is high in lactic acid bacteria and dark Chinese soy sauce is very high in antioxidants.
  • Aspergillus, a fungus, is used to produce a mould, koji, which is vital to the fermentation process which produces the distinct flavour of soy sauce.
  • ‘Soy sauce’ comes from the Japanese word ‘Shoyo’ (しょうゆ).
  • There are numerous varieties and styles of soy sauce, and Japan, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Korea and Vietnam are among those who produce the sauce.
  • Soy sauce can be made in two ways: blended or brewed.
Bibliography:
Soy Sauce 10 March 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_sauce>

Black Pepper

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Black Pepper

Many different types of pepper; black, white and more.

  • Pepper is a vine that flowers and produces fruit, peppercorns, that are simply referred to as pepper.
  • Cooked and dried, unripe peppercorns makes black pepper; dried unripe peppercorns makes green pepper; and dried peppercorn seeds makes white pepper.
  • Pepper is native to South and South-East Asia, most notably India.
  • Dried peppercorn is most often used as a spice, and out of all known spices, peppercorn is traded the most.
  • The chemical piperine is responsible for the peppercorn’s spice.

Pepper, Black Pepper, Grounded, Powder, Ten Random Facts

  • Oil and pepper spirit, which is used in beverages such as Coca Cola, can be extracted from peppercorn when dried.
  • Pepper vines grow up to 4 metres (13 feet) in height and produce numerous pepper drupes (berry fruit) on long curvy shaped spikes on the stems of the plant.
  • Peppercorn was discovered rammed up the Egyptian Pharaoh Rameses II’s nose (1213 BC).
  • Historically, pepper was said to cure many health problems, from earaches to heart and lung diseases, and it is still sometimes used in modern times for medicinal purposes.
  • Vietnam, the world’s biggest producer of pepper, produces 34% of the world’s pepper products.
Bibliography:
Black Pepper 4 March 2013 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pepper>

Scone

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Scone

Yum Yum!

  • A scone is a small, single serve, cake-like bread.
  • Scones are generally made from wheat, barley or oats, and are best mixed by hand.
  • Scones are believed to have originated from Scotland.
  • Scones are pronounced ‘s-con’ or ‘s-cone’.
  • Scones were originally round and flat instead of the modern bulky round shape.

Scone, Cream, Jam, Apricot, Homemade, One, Single, Delicious, Yummy, Crumbly, Ten Random Facts, Gormet

  • Scones were originally made with unleavened oats.
  • Scones commonly include raisins, currents, cheese or dates in the batter.
  • Some people in Australia add pumpkin to the batter to make delicous pumpkin flavoured scones.y
  • The English Oxford Dictionary says the term ‘scones’ used for the cake was first used in 1513.
  • Scones are commonly served with jam and cream.
Bibliography:
Scone 18 February 2013, Wikipedia,<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scone>

 

Pear

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Pear

Pears in a pear tree. Sweet n juicy.

  • There are approximately 3000 varieties of pears grown around the world, and they are from the species of Pyrus and the family of roses, Rosaceae.
  • In Ancient Greece, pears were used in medicine as a treatment for nausea.
  • Pears are native to the coastal and mild temperature areas in Europe, Africa and Asia.
  • Pears grow on pear trees that reach 10-17 metres (31.8 – 55.8 feet) tall and are normally harvested when they are green, before they ripen.
  • China is by far the greatest producer of pears in the world, producing nearly 16 million tonnes in 2011, followed by Italy and the United States of America with less than 1 million tonnes each.

Pear, yellow fleshed, orange, five, yummy, sweet, Ten Random Facts

  • Pears are eaten fresh, canned or dried and the pear juice can be made into jelly, jam and cider.
  • Pears ripen faster when placed in a bowl with bananas.
  • Before the introduction of tobacco in Europe, pear leaves were originally smoked.
  • Pears are good sources of vitamin C and dietary fibre, most of which can be found in the skin.
  • Pear tree wood is a valued timber for carving and the construction of instruments, as it is very stable and does not warp.
Bibliography:
Pear 10 February 2013, Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pear>

Popcorn

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Popcorn

Pop! Pop! Pop Pop Pop!

  • Popcorn is also known as popping corn and is a type of corn kernel that puffs up when heated.
  • Popcorn kernels build up pressure due to the moisture and starch inside, and then open up, or pop, when heated.
  • Popcorn was sold for 5-10 cents a bag during the Great Depression.
  • At least six states of the United States of America claim to be the ‘popcorn’ state.
  • Popcorn is generally popped in special machines, which include hot air poppers, specifically made to pop popcorn.

Popcorn, Butterfly, Plain, seeds, Corn Kernals, Ten Random Facts

  • Popcorn is popularly eaten in movie theatres, commonly served buttered and salted.  Numerous other flavours can be added to popcorn to create a tasty treat.
  • Popcorn is high in dietary fibre, and when eaten in its natural state and popped without oil, it is a healthy snack.
  • Popcorn is not recommended for children under four years old, since the popcorn could cause them to choke.
  • Sometimes popcorn is threaded on string and hung as a decoration, especially at Christmas time.
  • Popped corn is called a ‘flake’ and can take the shape of a ‘mushroom’ or a ‘butterfly’, and are used differently for commercial purposes.
Bibliography:
Popcorn 1 February 2013, Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn>

Avocado

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Avocado

The pear shaped fruit and trees.

  • Avocados are native to Central Mexico and are also known as alligator pear or avocado pear..
  • Avocado trees are flowering plants from the family Lauraceae, the same family of cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel.
  • Avocado fruit have black or green, smooth or bumpy skin, depending on the variety, a large seed inside, and soft, creamy yellow to green flesh.
  • Avocado trees grow up to 20 meters (66 feet) in height and are often started from a pit, initially grown indoors.
  • Avocado fruit can grow from 7 cm (2.8 inches) to 20 cm (7.9 inches) long.

Avocado, Green, Vegetable, Fruit, Lots, Ripe, Ten Random Facts

  • Avocado fruit mature on the tree and then drop to the ground and ripen.  Once the avocado is cut, the flesh quickly turns brown.
  • Mexico grows more than one billion kilograms of avocado fruit per year, the most in the world.
  • Avocado fruit are rich in vitamins B, E and K, and potassium, and are high in fibre.
  • Avocado fruit and parts of the plant are toxic to many animals, including some birds.
  • Avocados are normally eaten raw in salad and on sandwiches, and in some countries combined to make juice, desserts, drinks, and dips.  Sometimes it is served cooked in certain dishes.
Bibliography:
Avocado 31 January 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado>
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