Tag Archives: Europe

Foie Gras

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Foie Gras

Foie gras is a luxurious delicacy at one destination and an illegal product at another.

  • ‘Foie gras’, a French term that can be translated into English as ‘fat liver’, is a food made of an enlarged bird liver, that is consumed as a delicacy in various parts of the world.
  • Ducks, often the hybrid Mulard species that are a cross between a Pekin and a Muscovy duck, are most commonly used to produce foie gras, totalling just over 98% of French production in 2014, while the remainder are usually geese.
  • Ducks and geese that are used for foie gras are prepared by force feeding two to three times a day using a small pipe inserted into their throat, a process known as ‘gavage’, which takes a total time of around two to three seconds for each bird.
  • Foie gras is served both hot and cold, generally cooked by roasting, grilling and pan-searing, or slow cooking methods as in a terrine, and is typically served with vegetables or other meats.
  • Many areas in the world, including a number of European countries like Germany, Denmark and Norway; India; Australia; and some parts of the United States, have marked foie gras as an illegal product to produce, as force feeding the birds may be considered inhumane or cruel, and some of these countries has also banned the import and consumption of the product.
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Foie Gras
Image courtesy of Jeremy Couture/Flickr
  • Force feeding of birds for foie gras generally occurs after 63 to 90 days from hatching, and this method of feeding lasts for around 12 to 25 days, when the liver is roughly six to ten times the normal size, after which they are slaughtered.
  • France is one of the greatest advocators of foie gras, stating it is a “cultural and gastronomical heritage” of the country, and have thus gone to lengths to protect the industry.
  • From around 2500 BC Ancient Egyptians force fed birds to fatten them, similar to the foie gras production process, and the practice eventually spread across Europe, while the earliest known mention of the consumption of fat bird livers is during Roman times.
  • France is the largest producer of foie gras in the world, with a total of 19,300 tonnes (21,275 tons) in 2014, or 72% of the total world production, of roughly 26,600 tonnes (29,321 tons).
  • Foie gras is very high in fat, cholesterol, vitamin A, vitamin B12, iron and selenium, and has a buttery feel in the mouth, and rich flavour.
Bibliography:
Foie Gras, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foie_gras
Foie Gras: Cruelty to Ducks and Geese, n.d, PETA, http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/ducks-geese/foie-gras/
López-Al J, The Physiology of Foie: Why Foie Gras is Not Unethical, n.d, Serious Eats, http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/1 2/the-physiology-of-foie-why-foie-gras-is-not-u.html

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Bryggen

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Bryggen

Who would know a wharf like Bryggen would attract such a history?

  • Bryggen is a wharf, as well as a block of buildings that sits adjacent to it, in Norway’s Bergen, in Europe, that has been a major trading point throughout history.
  • ‘Bryggen’ can be translated from Norwegian as ‘the wharf’ and it is also called ‘Tyskebryggen’, meaning ‘German wharf’, in reference to the Germans that originally lived and worked there.
  • The UNESCO World Heritage Convention designated Bryggen as a World Heritage Site in 1979, due to its cultural and historical significance.
  • Bryggen was used as a trade centre from the 1100s, although it was not until the mid 1300s when the Hanseatic League began to expand in the area, that trade began to boom.
  • The buildings located along Bryggen are similar in style, often three storeys tall with a gabled tiled roof and timber cladding.
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Bryggen
Image courtesy of Kamil Porembiński/Flickr
  • Just over 60 historic buildings exist in Bryggen, which equals around 25% of what was initially there, however most of these buildings are not completely original, as many have been rebuilt or restored over the centuries, primarily due to majors fires in 1476, 1702 and 1955, although authentic techniques and materials have been used as much as possible.
  • The mostly wooden buildings of Bryggen can be seen in a variety of colours, such as white, brown, red, mustard and orange, and they were mostly used for storing goods and trading purposes, as well as housing merchants.
  • The buildings that make up the area of Bryggen, include St Mary’s Church which was constructed in the 12th century and is the oldest building in the area; and two museums, one of which is a modern construction built in 1976; while many of the old buildings house restaurants, shops, and workshops for artisans.
  • Over 500 hundred historic runes that refer to or describe the daily life of the residents of Bryggen up until the late 1300s, were discovered during excavations after the major fire in the area in 1955.
  • In 2011, Bryggen was visited by nearly 870,000 tourists, and is among the most popular destinations in the region.
Bibliography:
Bryggen – the historic wharf in Bergen, 2015, Visit Norway, http://www.visitnorway.com/en/where-to-go/fjord-norway/bergen/what-to-do-in-bergen/attractions-in-bergen/bryggen-the-hanseatic-wharf-in-bergen/
Bryggen, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryggen
Bryggen, 2015, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/59

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Curonian Spit

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Curonian Spit

Enjoy some fish on a spit at the Curonian Spit.

  • The Curonian Spit is a long, thin piece of land, known as a ‘spit’, that separates two water bodies – the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon, in Lithuania in northern Europe, and western Russia.
  • The UNESCO World Heritage Convention designated the Curonian Spit, also known as ‘Kuršių nerija’ a World Heritage Site in the year 2000, and the area contains a number of reserves and national parks.
  • As a sand dune formation, the creation of the Curonian Spit possibly occurred through wind and water movements that piled sand at levels high enough to deter water.
  • The Curonian Spit spreads a length of 98 kilometres (61 miles) with a width ranging from 0.4 to 3.8 kilometres (0.25 to 2.4 miles), and some of the sand dunes can reach heights of up to 60 metres (197 feet).
  • Curonians, Russians, Lithuanians, Germans and Prussians have all occupied the Curonian Spit at various stages, and according to a native Balt legend, the spit was created by a child Neringa, a giantess, who enjoyed the shore as a play site.
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Curonian Spit
Image courtesy of Borya/Flickr
  • Around the mid 1700s, after significant deforestation caused a lack of sand dune stabilisation, 14 villages on the Curonian Spit were buried by sand.
  • Successful large scale revegetation of the Curonian Spit sand dunes has occurred over two centuries, and a sand ridge was also created during this time to impede sand movement.
  • Despite the prominence of sand dunes in the Curonian Spit vicinity, areas of the spit are rich in flora and fauna, while approximately 10 to 20 million birds migrate across the area annually.
  • A stone sundial has been constructed on the top of Parnidis dune, one of the Curonian Spit’s many dunes, located in the town of Nida.
  • The Curonian Spit is popular among tourists for bird watching, boating and fishing, although a permit to catch fish is required, and there are a number of historic villages and museums to visit in the area.
Bibliography:
Curonian Spit, 2015, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/994
Curonian Spit, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curonian_Spit
Human Impact, nd, Kuršių nerijos, http://www.nerija.lt/en/culture/human-impact

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Brussels Sprouts

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Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts sprout on stalks that sprout from soil.

  • Brussels sprouts, also known as ‘brussel sprouts’, are a vegetable eaten primarily for its leaves and they grow as buds along the stalk of a plant.
  • The scientific name of the Brussels sprout plant is Brassica oleracea variety gemmifera, from the Brassica genus, which include species of cabbages and cruciferous vegetables, and it is from the Brassicaceae family, the family of mustards.
  • Generally Brussels sprouts are a rough oval shape, with an appearance of a tiny cabbage, and they grow to sizes of 2.5 to 5 centimetres (1 to 2 inches) in length.
  • The exact origin of Brussels sprouts is unknown, although it is thought Europe’s Belgium first cultivated the vegetable, possibly in the capital Brussels sometime around the 1200s, hence the vegetable’s name, although concrete evidence only exists from the late 1500s.
  • The United States of America saw the introduction of Brussels sprouts in the 1700s by some immigrants from France.
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Brussels Sprouts
Image courtesy of Jacqueline/Flickr
  • The typical lush green colour of Brussels sprouts can vary in shade, and they can become a yellow or other discoloured colour when of poor quality, however purple coloured varieties are available.
  • Brussels sprouts are popularly cooked through boiling, stir-frying, grilling or roasting techniques, and are commonly flavoured with spices or sauces, and they are also able to be eaten raw and are sometimes used in salads.
  • Brussels sprouts contain a sulphur compound, glucosinolate sinigrin, that can produce a displeasing smell and a bitter taste when overcooked.
  • The Netherlands in Europe is one of the largest producer of Brussels sprouts in the world with 82,000 tonnes (90,390 tons), while the United Kingdom has a fairly high consumption rate of the vegetable.
  • Brussels sprouts are very high in vitamin C and vitamin K, and are a good source of folate, and they also contain other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Brussels Sprouts, 2011, Fresh For Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/veg_pages/brussels_sprout/brussels_sprout.html
Brussels Sprouts, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_sprout
Brussels Sprouts, 2015, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=10

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Angel of the North

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Angel of the North

The guardian of the north is the Angel of the North.

  • The Angel of the North is a modern-styled statue depicting an angel with spread wings, found in the area of England’s Gateshead, in Europe.
  • Known as the largest angel statue in the world, the Angel of the North reaches 20 metres (65 feet) in height and has wings that spread over a distance of 54 metres (177 feet) in length.
  • The wings of the Angel of the North, also called ‘Gateshead Flasher‘, feature a 3.5° forward tilt, chosen to display a feeling of embrace.
  • British sculptor Sir Antony Gormley designed the Angel of the North under commission by the Gateshead Council in 1994, and it was completed in early 1998.
  • The Angel of the North was designed to mark a coal mine located below the site; to symbolise movement into an information age; and act as a pivotal point for hopes and fears.
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The Angel of the North
Image courtesy of Auntie P/Flickr
  • The Angel of the North has been engineered to withstand gales of around 160 kilometres per hour (100 miles per hour), and it was carefully engineered by Ove Arup & Partners.
  • Weather resistant brown steel, known as corten steel, that contains a small amount of copper, was used as the main material to enhance the Angel of the North‘s durability in outside weather, and the sculpture was built in four parts – the two wings and body which were manufactured off-site, plus the concrete foundations created on-site.
  • The wings and body of the Angel of the North combined, weigh 200 tonnes (220.5 tons), while the foundation weighs 600 tonnes (661.5 tons) and reaches at least 20 metres (66 feet) underground.
  • The final Angel of the North statue had a total cost of 800,000 pounds (roughly 1.24 million USD), while smaller scaled models have been sold for as much as 1 and 2 million pounds.
  • The viewing rate of the Angel of the North averages around 90,000 people each day due to vehicles passing by in the area, which equates to over a person a second, while the approximate number of visitors to the sculpture in a year is 150,000 people.
Bibliography:
Angel of the North, 2015, Gateshead Council, http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/Leisure%20and%20Culture/attractions/Angel/Home.aspx
Angel of the North, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_of_the_North

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Hagia Sophia

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Hagia Sophia

Nothing can tear down Hagia Sophia.

  • Hagia Sophia is a building located in Turkey’s city of Istanbul, in Europe, initially built as an Eastern Orthodox church, and the UNESCO World Heritage Convention included it as part of the ‘Historic Areas of Istanbul’ World Heritage Site in 1985.
  • ‘Hagia Sophia’ translates as ‘holy wisdom’, and it is also known as the ‘Church of the Holy Wisdom’ in English, as well as ‘Sancta Sophia’ in Latin and ‘Ayasofya’ in Turkish.
  • Two churches were previously constructed on the site of Hagia Sophia, in 360 and later in 415, however both were destroyed by arson due to riots.
  • The third and existing Hagia Sophia building was built from early 532 until late 537, under orders of Emperor Justinian I, and in excess of ten thousand people are said to have contributed their work to the construction of the church.
  • Hagia Sophia is made primarily of stone and brick, with marble low relief work and pillars common throughout the building.
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Hagia Sophia
Image courtesy of Dennis Jarvis/Flickr
  • A dome tops the construction of Hagia Sophia, which spans 31 metres (102 feet) in diameter, and the dome has been reconstructed or renovated on a number of occasions, which has caused its originally spherical shape to be a little skewed.
  • A number of disasters have been inflicted onto Hagia Sophia, particularly during its earlier years, from earthquakes to fires, though the current building has survived over 1400 years.
  • Hagia Sophia was used as an imperial mosque from 1453, and in 1935 it was turned into a museum after orders by the then Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
  • The paintings, mosaics, and other artwork in Hagia Sophia have become increasingly jeopardised by water from leaks, as well as increased humidity.
  • Hagia Sophia reaches a total height of 55 metres (180 feet) and has the base dimensions of 73 by 82 metres (240 by 270 feet).
Bibliography:
Hagia Sophia, 2015, Encyclopaedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/topic/Hagia-Sophia
Hagia Sophia, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, 2015, Sacred Destinations, http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-hagia-sophia

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