Tag Archives: Culinary

Ranch Dressing

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Ranch Dressing

Get into the American taste with ranch dressing.

  • Ranch dressing is a condiment popularly used as flavouring for a variety of foods.
  • Typically, ranch dressing is made of buttermilk, mayonnaise, herbs and onion, with the occasional spice, however, many different versions are available, that come in a variety of flavours.
  • Ranch dressing was invented in the early 1950s by American Steve Henson, and was served to the guests of his tourist accommodation known as Hidden Valley Ranch.
  • The ranch dressing served to tourists was well received, leading to the sauce being made so that it could be sent home with the guests, and later began being manufactured commercially.
  • Hidden Valley Ranch Food Products Inc were the original producers of ranch dressing, and it was sold to The Clorox Company in 1972 for eight million dollars.
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Ranch Dressing
Image courtesy of Brad.K/Flickr
  • Ranch dressing is commonly used to flavour salads, and it is also used as a dip and as a sauce, for both vegetables and meat.
  • Ranch dressing took the status of the United State’s most commercially popular dressing as of 1992, a title previously held by Italian dressing, and held that spot for at least 20 years.
  • Ranch dressing was originally difficult to store, due to the quantity of dairy in the recipe, however, in 1983, the recipe was developed so that a shelf stable product could be sold in supermarkets, where it could be obtained in a bottle without the need of refrigeration.
  • The popularity of ranch dressing saw a sharp increase during the 1980s, as restaurants began to offer the dressing as part of their menu, and its ready availability in supermarkets also contributed to its prominence.
  • Depending on the recipe, ranch dressing may be high in vitamin K, and it has significant quantities of fat, and sodium.
Bibliography:
Jones A, History of Ranch Dressing, 2015, eHow, http://www.ehow.com/about_5065787_history-ranch-dressing.html
Koerner J, Ranch Dressing, 2015, Slate, http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/number_1/2005/08/ranch_dressing.html
Ranch Dressing, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranch_dressing

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Nori

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Nori

Faces crinkle when nori is eaten!

  • Nori is a food item traditionally eaten as part of Japanese and Korean cuisine, and it is also consumed in China, but is less common.
  • Typically nori is made of an edible species of red seaweed, from the Pyropia and Porphyra genera, such as Pyropia yezoensis (the most commonly used species) and Pyropia tenera, both of which were previously part of the Porphyra genus, that are especially farmed for this purpose.
  • Nori is made by washing the seaweed in clean water, cutting it into small pieces via a machine, mixing the pieces with water and pouring the mixture onto mats to create sheets, which are passed through a drier, after which the sheets may be toasted, a process comparable to that of paper-making.
  • Nori is traditionally used as a wrapping around rice to make sushi and onigiri, and it may be used to flavour other rice dishes as well as soup and noodles.
  • Nori can be found in Asian grocery stores, although it is becoming increasingly common to find the product in general supermarkets, and it is typically sold as sheets in airtight packets, often including a moisture absorbent, as the product is susceptible to moisture, and thus should be stored in a dry place.
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Nori
Image courtesy of John Lodder/Flickr
  • The production of nori has occurred since at least 700 AD, as a paste, although it was not made into dry sheets until the early 1700s, while British scientist, Kathleen Drew-Baker contributed to a major breakthrough in the industry in the mid 1900s, and ‘one man’ machines have also revolutionised production since 1975.
  • Japan is the greatest producer of nori in the world, and produced 10 billion sheets in 2003, and it is the most widely eaten seaweed in Japan.
  • Nori is very high in iodine and is high in vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese, and contains many other vitamins and minerals.
  • ‘Nori’ is also known as ‘laver’ in some western cultures, and it can be flavoured and eaten as a food by itself, and it has a crispy texture in the packet, but once it is in use, it becomes limp and chewy.
  • The darker the colour of nori, the higher quality it is, and the product is typically roasted or toasted before consuming, although this is often done prior to packaging, which will turn it from a deep red, purple or almost black colour, to a dark green.
Bibliography:
About Seaweed, 2014, Seaweed Industry Association, https://seaweedindustry.com/seaweed/type/pyropia-yezoensis
Nori, 2015, All About Sushi Guide, http://www.allaboutsushiguide.com/nori.html
Nori, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nori
Reavis R, Nori – Japan’s Most Famous Seaweed: Part I, History and Traditional Use, 2012, Glendale Community College Blog, https://glendalecommunitycollege.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/nori-japans-most-famous-seaweed-part-i-history-and-traditional-use/

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Salsa

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Salsa

Do you do a jig or does your mouth water when you hear of salsa?

  • Salsa is a condiment popularly used as a dip or flavouring in a variety of dishes, and it often has a spicy flavour.
  • ‘Salsa’ can be translated from Spanish as ‘sauce’ and the term originates from the same word in Latin, meaning ‘salt’.
  • Tomato and chili pepper are the typical primary ingredients of salsa, although the tomato can be substituted with ingredients like mango and pineapple, while onion, spices, avocado and corn are common additions.
  • Traditionally, salsa ingredients are crushed together using a mortar and pestle type tool, although many modern recipes use a blender, or are simply chopped instead.
  • Salsa can range from being a somewhat smooth and runny sauce, to quite a chunky mixture, and it is generally served cold or at room temperature.

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  • Salsa originated from at least as early as the 1500s by native people from regions in Central and South America.
  • Commercialised salsa was only first produced in the United States in 1916, by Charles Erath, from New Orleans, despite being so close in distance, to the fresh product’s origins centuries prior.
  • Salsa is most popularly used in Mexican dishes; and it is often served with meat and seafood; as a side; or with corn chips.
  • Salsa is sometimes cooked and packaged in containers made of glass, giving it a long shelf life, and it is readily available in supermarkets, while fresh salsa can often be found in shops in plastic containers.
  • Some salsa ingredients may be cooked prior to chopping or crushing, and sometimes the ingredients are cooked all together, prior to serving, while other recipes have all of the ingredients served raw.
Bibliography:
History of Salsa Sauce, 2015, Food Editorial, http://www.streetdirectory.com/food_editorials/snacks/dips_and_sauces/history_of_salsa_sauce_the_mexican_connection.html
The Origin of Salsa, 2013, Thornhill Capital, http://thornhillcapital.info/north-america/the-origin-of-salsa
Salsa (Sauce), 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salsa_(sauce)
Santos-Neves C, The Art of Making Delicious Salsa, 2015, Epicurious, http://www.epicurious.com/archive/holidays/cincodemayo/mexican-salsa

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Tzatziki

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Tzatziki

Tzatziki is the perfect way to hide those greens.

  • Tzatziki is a condiment that is often eaten with a variety of meats or breads, or used as dipping sauce.
  • Typically tzatziki is made of Greek yoghurt, cucumber, and garlic, with various additions which can include mint, dill, other herbs, pepper, salt, lemon juice, vinegar, and oil.
  • The term ‘tzatziki’ sometimes has the spelling ‘tzatsiki’ or ‘tsatsiki’, and the word is believed to have come from the Turkish ‘cacık’, which has the possible meaning ‘chutney’.
  • Tzatziki was popularised by, and is normally attributed to Greece, although the condiment is virtually the same as the Turkish cacık, and is similar to recipes from other nearby countries.
  • Tzatziki is traditionally eaten as part of an entrée with pita bread as its accompaniment, or on gyros or souvlaki.

Tzatziki, Dip, Condiment, Green, Greek Yoghurt, Food, Culinary, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Invention

  • The colour of tzatzki ranges from a white to a light mint green depending on the quantity or processing of the cucumber.
  • Tzatziki is high in calcium, fat, sodium, protein and vitamin K, and contains many other vitamins and minerals.
  • Generally tzatziki is served cold, and it is sometimes used as a salad dressing.
  • The flavour of tzatziki is often strong and tangy, and it has a creamy texture, due to the yoghurt content.
  • To make tzatziki, the yoghurt is typically strained for a period of time to remove excess water; the cucumber is grated or finely chopped and often squeezed or salted to draw out the moisture; and the garlic crushed or chopped; after which, all ingredients are mixed together.
Bibliography:
Cloake H,  How to Make the Perfect Tzatziki, 2015, The Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/aug/06/how-to-make-perfect-tzatziki-felicity-cloake
How Old is the Greek Recipe for Tzatziki?, 2009, Yahoo!, https://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100312001655AAhVcIe
Tzatziki, 2007, Why Go Greece, http://www.greecelogue.com/tzatziki.html
Tzatziki, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzatziki
What is Tzatziki?, 2015, WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-tzatziki.htm

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Feta

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Feta

Things can’t get cheesier without feta.

  • Feta is a variant of cheese made from the milk of either sheep or goats, or most commonly both, although sometimes cow’s milk is substituted.
  • The term ‘feta’ comes from the Greek word with the same spelling, or alternatively ‘pheta’, and can be translated as ‘slice’.
  • Feta is a white pickled cheese, made from curd that has been drained, cut and salted, immersed in brine and aged for a period of time.
  • Feta was made and consumed in Ancient Greece, and the cheese was mentioned in the 700s BC famous poem of the era, Odyssey.
  • It can take three months or more for feta to fully age, in a combination of refrigerated and room temperatures, and it needs to be stored in a mild brine solution so that it does not dry out.

Feta, Cheese, Dairy, Food, Packaged, Yellow, Light, Ten Random Facts, Variant, Type

  • The flavour of feta is typically a mix of sour, tangy and salty, and it is sometimes flavoured with oil, herbs and spices, or other ingredients.
  • There are regulations in place for commercial feta as a ‘protected designation of origin’ product, and to be called such in the European Union, it must be made of at least 70 percent sheep’s milk, and made from animals raised in particular areas of Greece.’
  • Feta can come in both soft and firm varieties, with the former generally more inexpensive but of a lesser quality, and the firmer cheese usually has more holes and a crumblier texture.
  • Feta is commonly added to a dish for flavour, and it is eaten in salads; served with olives and oil; cooked in pies, grills, and omelettes; and also used in sandwiches.
  • Feta is very high in riboflavin, sodium, calcium, phosphorus and fat, and is a good source of vitamin B12 and protein.
Bibliography:
Feta, 2015, Cheese.com, http://www.cheese.com/feta/
Feta, 2015, New England Cheese Making, http://www.cheesemaking.com/Feta.html
Feta, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feta

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Sweet Corn

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Sweet Corn

You cannot get jokes more sweet corn-y.

  • Sweet corn is a maize variety that has a particularly sweet taste in comparison to other varieties of maize, and it is also known as ‘pole corn’ and ‘sugar corn’.
  • The scientific name of the sweet corn plant is Zea mays saccharata or Zea mays rugosa, and it is from the family Poaceae, the family of true grasses.
  • Sweet corn has a higher quantity of sugar and less starch than other maize varieties, and it is believed that this is caused by a natural mutation, and the cobs are harvested before they are mature, to ensure maximum sweetness.
  • A single sweet corn plant produces a range of one to three cobs each, that typically range from 20 to 25 centimetres (8 to 10 inches) in length.
  • Generally sweet corn hardens and becomes starchy easily, meaning it should be eaten soon after picking and stored only for short periods of time in a cool location.

Sweet Corn, Yellow, Green, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Food, Maize, Culinary, Cob

  • Sweet corn can be steamed, microwaved, baked, boiled and barbecued, and is readily available in supermarkets and can be bought fresh, frozen or canned, and sometimes ‘creamed’.
  • Even though sweet corn is technically a grain, it is often eaten as a vegetable, commonly with peas, as a side to a main meal; with beans in Central and South America; and once the kernels are removed from the cob they are commonly used in salads and main meal dishes.
  • Sweet corn kernels are typically a yellow or white colour and they have a sweet flavour, and while on the cob, they are typically surrounded with a green leafy husk and strands of hair, known as ‘silk’.
  • Native American tribes were the original growers of sweet corn, and it grew in popularity around the late 1700s, when it became accessible to Europeans.
  • Sweet corn is very high in fibre, folate, thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin C, and contains many other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Corn, 2013, Fresh For Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/veg_pages/corn/corn.html
How To Grow: Sweet Corn, 2013, SBS, http://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2012/09/06/how-grow-sweet-corn
Sweet Corn, 2015, Victoria State Government Agriculture, http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/vegetables/vegetables-a-z/sweet-corn
Sweet Corn, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_corn

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