Category Food

India is the largest producer of millets in the world. Millets are a group of small-seeded cereal grains. They are called superfoods as they are rich in macro and micronutrient. The year 2023 has been declared the UN International Year of Millets so as to create awareness about these superfoods and encourage their consumption. They are a group of planet-friendly crops as they possess superior climate resilience properties and require fewer inputs. Let's learn about a few millet varieties.

KODO MILLET

 A millet indigenous to India, the kodo millet is hardy and drought-resistant. It is a good source of protein and dietary fibre. It is said to have been domesticated some 3000 years ago. The millet is grown mostly by the tribal communities of Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

FOXTAIL MILLET

Also called kangni, the foxtail millet is a drought-resistant crop. It is largely grown in Rajasthan, UP, Haryana, and the drylands of the Deccan Plateau. When compared to mainstream cereals, foxtail millet is highly nutritious. It is a rich source of protein and has a good amount of fat and fibre. Foxtail millet originated in China. The crop has a very short growth cycle.

LITTLE MILLET

A small-grained cereal crop, the little millet is also called kutki. It is largely cultivated as a cereal across India, Nepal, and western Myanmar. This crop can withstand both drought and waterlogging. The little millet is native to India and is called "Indian millet. It's an excellent source of protein and fibre. Widely produced in States such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, the little millet is used by many tribal communities.

FINGER MILLET

The finger millet is a powerhouse of nutrients. It packs in it a lot of protein, amino acids, calcium, minerals, fibre and iron. It also has low fat content. One of the most nutritious cereals, the finger millet does not contain gluten and is easy to digest. Also called ragi, the finger millet is grown mostly in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. It is said to have been domesticated some 5000 years ago, at the beginning of the Iron Age in the highlands of Eastern Africa. Seen here is a tribal woman harvesting her new ragi crop.

BROWNTOP MILLET

A crop grown mostly in the southern parts of the country, the browntop millet also goes by the name korale. A crop native to South Asia, it is traditionally cultivated as a cereal crop. It has a high nutritional value and is rich in fibre, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. As it requires less energy input, it leaves a lower carbon footprint in agriculture. Seen here is a field carpeted with ready-to-harvest browntop millet.

BARNYARD MILLET

Grown mostly in the regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana, the barnyard millet is a drought-resistant crop. It is also called sanwa. Barnyard millet is a good source of protein, carbohydrates, and fibre. It also contains more micronutrients such as iron and zinc. Despite the fact that this crop can withstand adverse weather conditions much better than other cereals and has excellent nutritional and agronomic value, it is still an underutilised crop. Indian barnyard millet and Japanese barnyard millet are the two popular varieties of this millet species. The oldest archaeological records of the cultivation of Indian barnyard millet date back to 5000 B.C in India. Japanese millet is believed to have originated in Japan.

PEARL MILLET

One if the most widely grown crops in India, the pearl millet is also called bjra. In fact, it is the fourth most widely cultivated food crop after rice, wheat, and maize. It is grown majorly in areas such as Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana. This is an easy-to-digest cereal grain and is considered important due to its climate- resilent nature. It is draught resistant and can easily be cultivated in regions having not-so-good agro climatic conditions such as low and erratic rainfall, high mean temperature, infertile soil, and so on. It has its origins in West Africa, with the oldest usage dating back to 1000 BC. It is also used as feed and fodder for livestock.  

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Research has proved that irradiated food does not retain any radioactive property. Absolutely. The process of food irradiation involves exposing the food to the energy from short-wave radiations like gamma rays, x-rays or electrons. But research over the last 40 years has proved that irradiated food does not retain any radioactive property and hence is completely safe. Moreover, irradiation does not diminish the nutritive value of the food.

This technology is used to destroy the bacterial, fungal or viral growth in food that can spoil it or cause diseases. Irradiated food thus has a longer shelf life. As irradiation is a cold process it causes no change in the freshness or texture of the food unlike certain other procedures that involve heat. In fact, it is difficult to tell an irradiated apple from a normal one as it remains as juicy and crisp. Presently over 40 food items such as fruits, vegetables, spices, seafood, grains, meat and poultry are available in irradiated form. Many specially-marked irradiated fruits and vegetables are commercially sold in the U.S., France, China, South Africa and the Netherlands.

Although the process of irradiation greatly reduces the growth of bacteria it does not completely eliminate it. Hence irradiated poultry needs refrigeration. As for irradiated fruits, refrigeration is not essential though they will last much longer in a refrigerator.

Around 20,000 million tonnes of food and allied products are irradiated in India annually. These include agricultural produce such as onion, potato, mango, grains and other products such as onion powder, garlic powder, spices, Ayurvedic products and animal feed.

DID YOU KNOW?

*The Radura logo is an international symbol that indicates a food product has been irradiated. The logo, usually green in colour, depicts a flower represented by a dot and two leaves within a half-broken circle.

* Around 20,000 million tonnes of food are irradiated in India annually.

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Every country has its own set of unique dishes. Some dishes are so woven into the fabric of the land that they have become synonymous with the place. However in the case of India, which has a highly diverse culinary culture, it is impossible to pinpoint a few classic dishes. Hop on as we take you on a gastronomical journey. We also look at some of the authentic dishes that have crossed over to other lands, becoming ‘global’ dishes.

HAMBURGERS – THE U.S.

 Who doesn’t love a good hamburger? Even as the origin of the hamburger is debated, the dish is well loved in the U.S. and is more of an emotion. This classic dish comes with different toppings and accompaniments and has turned into a global delicacy.

ACKEE AND SALTFISH – JAMAICA

“Ackee, rice, saltfish are nice…” sang Harry Belafonte in his iconic song Jamaica Farewell’. One of the most famed delicacies in Jamaica, it is a combination of saltfish (traditionally cod) and Ackee, a West African fruit. While Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica, Ackee and codfish is the national dish.

POT-AU-FEU – FRANCE

Pot-au-Feu translates to “pot on fire. A soup fashioned out of meat and root vegetables and spruced up with herbs, Pot-au-Feu is the signature dish of France. This traditional dish often uses beef as the meat. The dish is served in two courses. The broth is sieved and served separately from the meat. This is a well-loved meal in France.

KUNAFA – PALESTINE

Here is an overload of sweetness and cheesy goodness. With a golden crust and a gooey, cheesy core, the kunafa, a dish from Palestine, makes for the ideal dessert. It traces its origin to the Palestinian city of Nablus. The base of the dish is Phyllo dough and cheese. It is topped crushed pistachio and is paired with sugar syrup.

IRISH STEW- IRELAND

On any given day, a good broth is always comfort food. The Irish Stew is one of the most popular dishes in Ireland. The thick broth is a medley of mutton and root vegetables.

PIZZA – ITALY

Italy is synonymous with pizza. The dish has traversed the world and is loved globally. The flatbread is often topped with a myriad range of toppings. The origin of pizza dates back to 1700s in Naples. The city’s tradition of making pizza has even been accorded intangible heritage status by UNESCO.

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Fondue is a delicious, warm dish made of cheese. Get to know how it is eaten

Fondue is a delicious (warm) cheese dish of Switzerland, France and Italy. It is considered a national dish in Switzerland.

Fondue is basically a communal dish, which means it is generally eaten by a group of people, rather than individually. The fondue is served in a communal pot (called a fondue pot), at the centre of the table. It is kept warm by heating it on a low flame, usually with a candle or a spirit lamp. People seated at the table, dip pieces of bread into the fondue with long-stemmed forks and eat them.

According to tradition, if anyone’s bread piece falls into the cheese then he or she has to pay a penalty as punishment! This style of eating is not only fun, but also gives the diners a certain sense of equality and sharing.

There are different types of cheese and so there are different types of fondue. The word fondue comes from the French word fondre, which means ‘to melt. The term fondue’ is now used to describe other dishes where pieces of solid food are dipped into a liquid that is kept warm in a fondue pot. For example, in the case of chocolate fondue, pieces of fruit or pastry are dipped into melted chocolate, kept warm in a pot. Other kinds of dessert fondue include honey, caramel, coconut and marshmallow.

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Baklava is a rich sweet pastry that originated in West Asia. The word ‘baklava’ is Turkish in origin.

Baklava is made up of layers of filo, filled with chopped nuts and soaked in sugar syrup or honey. Filo (or phyllo) is a kind of dough that can be stretched into thin sheets.

There are regional variations- almonds are traditionally used in Iran, while walnuts are preferred in Turkey. In Iraq and Iran the sugar syrup is flavoured with rose water, but the Greeks use a mixture of honey, lemon juice and cinnamon instead.

Modern-day chefs have introduced innovations by adding dates or chocolate chips to the baklava. Baklava is made in different ways and the recipes are closely-guarded secrets handed down the generations.

Once the baklava is glazed with butter and naked, it is cut into diamonds, squares or triangles. It is served with Turkish coffee on special occasions.

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If two solutions of different concentrations are separated by a semi-permeable membrane (that is, a membrane that allows some substances but not others to pass through), the water from the weaker solution will start moving into the stronger solution. This is the process of osmosis.

The flow will continue till the solutions on both sides have the same concentration. When grapes are put in the thick sugar syrup, the skin of the grapes act as a semi-permeable membrane and water from the grapes moves into the sugar syrup. The grapes shrivel up as a result.

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Loganberries are a cross between raspberries and blackberries. The loganberry (Rubus loganobaccus) was created in 1881 in California by American judge and horticulturist James Harvey Logan, when he planted two blackberry plants next to a raspberry plant, all of which flowered and fruited together. The 50 seedlings produced from this mix gave rise to larger plants, one of which was the loganberry. The deep red, conical shaped loganberries are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are processed into juice, syrup, frozen for jams or used for wine-making.

Loganberry plants are sturdy and more disease- and frost-resistant than many other berries. However, they are not very popular with commercial growers due to several problems which increase labor costs, since the plants tend to be thorny and the berries are often hidden by the leaves. Additionally, berries of varying maturity may grow on a single plant, making it difficult to completely harvest each plant. Loganberries are therefore more commonly grown in household gardens.

Loganberries are consumed fresh, or used for juice or in jams, pies, crumbles, fruit syrups, and country wines.

In the UK, fresh or canned (tinned) loganberries are often paired with English Sherry trifle, or their juice (or syrup) paired with the sherry.

Loganberry is a popular beverage flavoring in Western New York and parts of Southern Ontario, beginning there as a drink sold at Crystal Beach Park in Crystal Beach, Ontario. Even though the park has long been closed down, several companies still sell varieties of loganberry drinks through stores throughout the area, which are sold at several local fast-food franchises such as Mighty Taco in Buffalo, Sport of Kings Restaurant in Batavia, New York as well as at supermarkets. There are also milkshakes flavored with loganberry syrup.

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Include these locally-available foods that are rich in fibre, antioxidants, essential vitamins, minerls and healthy fats in your diet.

GOOSEBERRY

Few can resist the joy of eating a gooseberry preserved in brine. Offering a delicious mix of salty, sour and sweet after tastes, the gooseberry has always had a place in our hearts. Had as pickles or plucked directly off the tree and eaten, this every-day berry has a number of health properties. It is a natural blood purifier, boosts immunity, helps in weight management and is good for the skin and hair. Next time you find gooseberries, make sure you eat them.

MORINGA

Packed with anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals, the moringa is a powerhouse of nutrients. Containing seven times more Vitamin C than oranges and 15 times more potassium than bananas, in addition to iron and amino acids, it helps build muscle and helps the body heal. Eat it as a simple curry or add it to a salad. You could even add moringa leaves to your pasta.

JACKFRUIT

The humble jackfruit is today celebrated for its multiple health benefits. It is considered more nutritious than other fruits because consuming a small cup of sliced jackfruit can give you carbohydrates, protein, fibre, Vitamin A and C, riboflavin, magnesium, pottassium. copper and manganese that your body needs. It helps prevent diseases, especially diabetes. You can eat it ripe or cook raw jackfruit into a stir-fry. Jackfruit is used to make chips, too, and its flour is now used to make cakes, biscuits and even papads.

RAGI

Also known as finger millet, ragi is a cereal rich in protein and minerals. Known for its anti-microbial properties, ragi helps boost immunity and bone health. Ragi is also known for its ability to prevent cancer. Normally had as a porridge or dosa or steamed like an idli or mudde, ragi ncan be had in fancy forms too – it can be added to cookies, muffins, and even in cakes.

BANANA BLOSSOM

A rich source of vitamins, minerals and fibre, the banana flower helps in development of a healthy body and mind. It has the power to cure infections, too and aids digestion. If you don’t want to have it as a traditional stir-fry, you could make an interesting salad out of it, by adding other vegetables or fruits, as the banana blossom can also be had raw.

TURMERIC

Many of us started consuming more of turmeric during the first wave of COVID-19. This is because turmeric can help build immunity against viral infections. It contains curcumin, a substance that helps reduce inflammation. In addition to turmeric’s anti-spectic and anti-bacterial properties, it can also help relieve pain. So, next time you have your favourite curry, add an extra spoon of turmeric to it.

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Bananas are versatile fruits and are eaten all over the world. But did you know they are radioactive? Bananas are rich in potassium, and this makes them slightly radioactive. Potassium-40 (or K-40), a radioisotope, is naturally occurring and can be found in plants and animal tissue, and accounts for 0.012% of the potassium in bananas. Is it safe to eat bananas then? Yes. If at all one were to die from radiation poisoning by eating bananas, then he will have to eat 10,000,000 bananas at once, according to an estimate. In fact, you are radioactive too! A typical adult contains around 140g of potassium, of which about 16mg is potassium-40-making you 280 times more radioactive than a banana!

Everything in the world is composed of elements, (remember the periodic table?) which in turn are made of atoms. Some of these atoms are unstable and decay, or break apart. When this happens, they emit what we call “radiation” that can take the form of subatomic particles such as electrons, alpha particles and neutrons, or electromagnetic waves known as gamma rays. All of these carry energy and are capable of breaking down, or “ionizing,” molecules they encounter. It is damage to important biomolecules such as proteins or DNA that can trigger radiation sickness or cancer. As with chemical toxins, extent of exposure is critical and that is dependent on the nature of the radioactive element in question, the amount of the element, the distance we are from the radioactive material and the presence of shielding substances that may be between us and the source.

Potassium (K) is a widely encountered element with a very small fraction of its atoms, about 0.012%, being radioactive. These K-40 atoms spontaneously decay, releasing electrons (beta radiation) as well as gamma rays. Both of these are capable of doing damage to tissues. However, K-40 is not very radioactive, having a half-life of 1.3 billion years, meaning that only a few thousand atoms decay each second The question is how much damage can this do? What is the actual risk of eating a banana? That can be determined by the dose of the radiation that is absorbed by relevant human tissues as measured in “rem,” a unit that takes into account the amount of radiation absorbed and the medical effects of that radiation.

Rem measurement is complex, suffice it to say that a 10 millirem (mrem) dose increases an average adult’s risk of death by one in a million. (That is said to be an increase of 1 “micromort,” with the understanding that 1 mort means certain death.) A banana contains about 450 mg of potassium, and when eaten exposes the consumer to about 0.01 mrem due to its K-40 content. For comparison, a chest x-ray delivers 10 mrem. A quick calculation (10/.01) shows that it would take an ingestion of at least a thousand bananas  to result in an exposure of 10 mrem, which would then increase the risk of death by 1 in a million. In other words, for death to ensue, a million times a thousand, or a billion, bananas would have to be consumed. And that would have to be at one sitting. Quite a challenge.

But what about the risk of eating bananas over a lifetime? Cumulative damage? That doesn’t happen since our bodies contain potassium as a natural component (about 120 grams), and the body maintains the amount of potassium at a constant level (homeostatic control). Some potassium is always taken in via the diet, and some is always excreted, meaning that there is no buildup of radioactive potassium. So, while bananas are indeed radioactive, the dose of radioactivity they deliver does not pose a risk. There is a greater, but still insignificant, exposure to radioactivity by sleeping next to someone. And if they are breathing heavy, exposure is increased due to C-14 in their exhaled carbon dioxide.

Credit : Mc Gill

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Ingredients :  Large banana, sliced: Apple, cored and chopped: ½,  Honey: 1/2 tbsp, Milk: 1, 1/2 cup

Method: Combine banana chunks, apple pieces and honey in a blender jar. Add milk. Blend it all to a smooth puree. If you feel that it’s too thick, then add more milk to dilute it and blend it again for a few seconds. Pour into serving glasses, garnish with banana wheels and serve immediately.

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In China and especially in India the production of cane-sugar is ancient. The Arabs turned this into sucar. The Greeks called it saccaron and today we have sucre in French. Zucchero in Italian, azucar in Spanish and sakhar in Russian.

The Egyptians during the Middle Ages had already developed a sugar industry. But the real story of this product begins with the introduction of the sugar-cane to America after the discovery of that continent in 1942. Christopher Columbus took the first specimen plants over from the Canary Islands to the Antilles in the West Indies where the plant found perfect conditions for growth.

To extract the sugar the cane had to be crushed between iron rollers. The juice was heated several times and refined by adding lime to it. It was then passed from   pan to pan and boiled until it turned into a sort of paste. This paste was then cooled in coneshaped vats.

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When cheese met cake

Cheesecakes have been around for a long, long time. The Greeks baked them, and after the Romans conquered Greece, the recipe went to them. Did you know that the Romans called a cheesecake “placenta”? Smaller versions of this cake called libum were given as temple offerings and offered to the athletes who took part in the first Olympic Games held in 776 BC. A 1st century AD treatise on agriculture written by a Roman politician includes a recipe for cheesecake!

Fruitcake and wedding bells

Fruitcakes have a long and undoubtedly delicious history. It goes way back 2,000 years ago when the Romans made it with raisins, pomegranate seeds and pine nuts mixed up in a barley mush. Here’s something interesting: A well-preserved fruitcake can be eaten even after 25 years. In England, unmarried wedding guests were encouraged to sleep with a fruitcake under the pillow so that they could find the person they would marry in their dreams. Who knew fruitcakes had such powers!

Red velvet revenge

Red velvet cakes look and taste special. Originally, the rich crimson colour of the cake was obtained by adding boiled beetroot juice. Just like you would to, a woman thought it tasted fantastic and asked for the recipe at the restaurant where she tried it. The restaurant obliged, of course, but made her pay $300 for it! Rightfully enraged, the woman planned her revenge – she passed on the recipe, for free, to hundreds of others through chain mail!

Hip, hip, whoopie!

Whoopie pies are heavenly delights made of two cakes with cream filling between them. The Amish people were probably the first who made this cake. Apparently, parents used leftover cake batter to make these pies for their children, and when they opened their lunch bag, more likely than not, they shouted “Whoopie!” in joy – and that could very well be the reason why it got its name.

Australia’s special dessert

Australia boasts of Lamington cake as its very own special dessert. The legend goes that Lord Lamington who was the governor of Queensland in the late 19 century had unexpected guests and no dessert at home. His clever chef improvised by dipping leftover sponge cake in melted chocolate and coating it in a layer of desiccated coconut. Coconut was not a major ingredient in Western cooking back then, and it was instantly recognized as a unique dessert so much so that it was served at all state ceremonial events. Here’s a secret Lord Lamington didn’t really fancy these cakes at all!

The sought-after Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin is an amazing upside-down apple cake. To know more about this cake, you need to know about two French sisters who ran l’Hotel Tatin in 1888. Their specialty was a crusty apple tart. One day, one of the sisters placed the tart the wrong way down in the oven. People loved this strange-looking dessert and when it reached the ears of the owner of Hotel Maxim in Paris, he wanted the recipe – badly! So he sent a spy who went to the sisters’ hotel disguised as a gardener and managed to get the recipe.

Mooncakes and secret messages

The Chinese bake and eat mooncakes during the mid-autumn lunar festival. A mooncake isn’t your typical spongy flour cake. It contains unique fillings paste made of sweet red bean, jujube fruit or lotus seeds. During the Yuan Dynasty, Ming revolutionaries wanted to overthrow the rulers and mooncake played an important role in this plan. Secret messages were printed as a mosaic pattern on the top. Destroying the evidence, obviously was a piece of cake!

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The coronavirus outbreak has sparked an interest in veganism with more and more people finding themselves drawn towards plant-based foods and drinks.

Veganism is the practice of avoiding animal products, especially in one’s diet. It seeks to exclude all forms of exploitation of animals for food and fibre. In other words, it rejects the idea of commodifying animals.

Those who adopt this philosophy as a way of life are called vegans. They not only avoid animal foods such as meat fish, milk and other dairy items eggs and honey, and animal-derived products such as leather, but also refuse to patronise zoos and circuses that use animals for entertainment. The tem ‘vegan’ was coined by Donald Watson of Britain in 1944 to describe non-dairy vegetarians.

Many vegans eschew meat as it amounts to cruelty to animals. Some practise veganism to improve their health. Environmental concern arising out of animal agriculture is also one of the reasons that makes people go vegan. Then, what do vegans eat? A vegan diet comprises food from plants such as fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, rice wheat and vegetable oils. Vegans consume soymilk, almond milk and coconut milk in the place of dairy milk.

Health benefits

Vegan foods are rich in fibre and antioxidants. They help protect against diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Besides, a plant-based diet could lower cholesterol and the risk for certain coronary diseases while keeping body weight in check.

Though a vegan diet can be male healthy and nutritive with the available alternatives, there is one nutrient – vitamin B12 which our body needs to make red blood cells – that is present only in animal products.

Did you know?

The total number of vegans, vegetarians, and related categories was estimated to be about 8% of the world population as of 2018.

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What is WFP?

The World Food

Programme is a Rome based United Nations agency that provides aid to nearly 100 million people in about 88 countries worldwide, Entirely funded by donations from government, corporates and individuals, it focusses on providing food aid during emergencies such as wars, conflicts and natural disasters.

The beginning

The agency was founded in 1961, thanks to the efforts of the U.S. under the administration of John F. Kennedy. The idea to provide food aid through the UN system was mooted by the previous president Dwight Eisenhower. The agency, which began functioning with a mandate of three years, soon justified its existence by effectively responding to various crises such as the Iran earthquake that claimed 12.000 lives, a typhoon in Thailand and the Algerian war. It became a full-fledged UN programme in 1965. In the nearly six decades since its inception, the WFP has grown to be the largest humanitarian agency in the world.

Reaching aid

Most of WFP’s work is concentrated in conflict-ridden areas as people there are more likely to be undernourished than those elsewhere. Besides specialising in reaching aid to some of the most dangerous and remotest places in the world, the WFP focusses on providing development and rehabilitation aid. It is engaged in supporting school meals projects in different countries, including India. It works in association with two other UN agencies – the Food and Agriculture Organisation, which helps countries draw up policy to support sustainable agriculture, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, which finances projects in rural areas. According to the WFP, it distributes over 15 billion rations of food yearly. It has over 5,000 trucks, 30 ships and 100 aircraft engaged daily in delivering food and other assistance to those in need across the globe. That’s not all, WFP has created an emergency delivery service that has ensured continuous flow of aid during this pandemic. Can you believe that the WFP has managed to dispatch medical supplies to over a hundred countries to help governments battling COVID-19 in the absence of commercial flights?

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This is an old Irish custom of celebrating New Year’s Day, which was also known as the Day of the Buttered Bread. It is not popular among the people of Ireland today. According to food anthropologists, until the 20th Century, buttered bread was either placed on the doorstep for passers-by or thrown at the door and taken back to be consumed. Butter and bread were luxurious products during that period and this tradition was a symbol of banishing hunger and welcoming plenitude.

Usually sold in flattened rounds, it is often served toasted with butter along with a cup of tea in the afternoon. The dough is sweeter than sandwich bread, but not as rich as cake, and the sultanas and raisins add flavour and texture to the final product.

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Vasilopita is a cake cut in Greek households on New Year’s Eve to bring good luck for the year ahead. This sponge cake is made with flour, almonds, yeast, sugar and milk. A coin or a trinket is usually hidden within the cake and the person who gets the slice with it is believed to be blessed with good luck for the upcoming year.

This age old tradition commenced in the fourth century, when Saint Basil the Great, who was a bishop, wanted to distribute money to the poor in his Diocese. He wanted to preserve their dignity, so as not to look like charity, he commissioned some women to bake sweetened bread, in which he arranged to place gold coins. Thus the families in cutting the bread to nourish themselves, were pleasantly surprised to find the coins.

The Vasilopita is a beautiful tradition, and a custom which should not be neglected by Greek Orthodox Christians. It is such a wonderful way to begin each New Year.

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Germany and its neighbour Austria’s Sylvesterabend (Saint Sylvester’s Day) celebrations coincide with New Year’s. Glucksschwein or marzipan pig is a popular traditional confection distributed among family and friends during the New Year’s Eve feast. This treat, made with sugar and almond paste, is a tradition meant for good fortune. Schwein gehabt is German for “having a pig”, an expression to state that someone is lucky. The tradition is believed to have its roots in the medieval period, when a farmer who bred a lot of pigs was considered fortunate.

Some Glücksschweinchen or good luck piggies come with a little clover on them. Legend has it; Eve took a four-leaf clover out of the Garden of Eden. So when you find one, you have found yourself a little piece of paradise.

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Cotechino con lenticchie (sausage with lentil stew) is an inseparable part of Italian New Year celebrations. According to traditional beliefs, lentils represent money and good fortune, and pork (in the form of sausages) is a symbol of prosperity and richness and is believed to bring good luck.

You may be wondering why Lentils are used in this Traditional Italian dish? Lentils are seen as coin-shaped legumes which has a relation to wealth. It is therefore believed that Lentils are symbolic for this tradition and so it is always served with Cotechino or Zampone at Midnight New Years Eve to bring you prosperity & wealth in the New Year.

Lentils can be purchased from almost any Supermarket or Delicatessen and come in dry form or in tins depending on your preferred cooking style.

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Pomegranates represent fortune, fertility, abundance and good luck in Turkey. Though pomegranates are a vital part of their cuisine, on New Year’s Eve the fruit is usually smashed against the ground. This is mostly done at the doorstep. It is believed that the more the seeds that burst out, the more good fortune one will acquire. This practice is based on the legend that one fruit bears multiple seeds and has the ability to become many trees in the future. This tradition is also followed in the neighbouring country Armenia.

Each autumn, when pomegranates are at their best, you will see stalls spring up all over Turkey selling fresh juice in markets and on street corners. Pomegranates are grown throughout Turkey, especially in coastal regions around the Aegean and Mediterranean and tourist resorts like Dalyan and Side. Many properties in Turkey have pomegranate bushes in their gardens, the Turks believing the harvest will bring luck to their family home. Pomegranates are also incorporated in many Turkish dishes. The kernels are often found in salads, and a sweet and popular pomegranate molasses (syrup) is widely used by chefs to marinate meat or incorporated into sauces.

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In Japan, people eat soba noodles (thin noodles made with buckwheat) at midnight with their loved ones, as they bid farewell to the old year and welcome the next year. The noodles, thin and long, are believed to represent long life. The noodles are, therefore, slurped whole instead of being bitten. The Japanese also follow another tradition known as the mochitsuki, where families gather to pound mocha (Japanese rice cakes). The cakes are then eaten as a desert after the meal.

The most basic soba dish is mori soba in which boiled, cold soba noodles are eaten with a soya based dipping sauce (tsuyu). Many soba dishes are eaten throughout the year, while others are only available seasonally.

Like pasta, soba noodles are available in dried form in supermarkets, but they taste best if freshly made by hand from flour and water. Soba making has long been a popular hands-on activity for domestic and international travelers. The activity is offered by many craft villages and travel tour companies.

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Known as the New Year soup, Tteokguk is a soup made with meat stock and rice cakes. The white tteok (rice cakes) used in the soup symbolizes purity and is seen as a symbol of a fresh start. Though the origin of the soup is unknown, one of the first mentions of the dish dates back to a 19th Century cookbook. Due to the high price of rice, the soup was reserved only for special occasions such as the New Year and birthdays. New Year is seen as an important event as Korean consider themselves a year older every New Year. The day, therefore, marks the “Korean birthday” for most of them.

The broth is generally made by simmering the main protein (beef, chicken, pork, pheasant, seafood) in a ganjang-seasoned stock. The stock is then strained to clarify the broth, and long cylinder-shaped garaetteok are thin-sliced diagonally and boiled in the clear broth. Garnish is added before serving; the garnish may vary by region and personal taste, but usual staples are pan-fried julienned egg yolks and whites, gim and spring onions.[4]A drizzle of sesame oil is common just prior to serving the teokguk.

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In Spain, the locals welcome the New Year by eating 12 grapes, one by one, for every toll of the clock bell. It is considered a symbol of luck if all the 12 grapes are consumed on time. In order to finish all the grapes, some even peel and de-seed them for easier consumption. According to popular legend, the grapes represent the months of the year and sweet grapes indicate a happy month whereas a sour one indicates a rough month. This tradition is also adopted in several Spanish-speaking countries such as Mexico.

The twelve grapes date back from at least 1895 but became established in 1909. In December of that year, some alicantese vine growers popularized this custom to better sell huge numbers of grapes from an excellent harvest. According to the tradition, eating the twelve grapes leads to a year of good luck and prosperity. In some areas, it is believed that it wards away witches and general evil, although this “magic” is treated like an old heritage, and in modern days it’s viewed as a cultural tradition to welcome the new year.

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Chilling food in your refrigerator slows down the two main causes of decay – the growth of mould and bacteria, and chemical breakdown, as in the over-ripening of fruit.

In a domestic refrigerator the temperature is kept between about 34 and 41°F  (1 and 5°C). This is low enough to keep most of the food we use fresh for up to a week. Growth of decay causing organisms is slowed down but low temperatures do not destroy the organisms. Similarly, chemical breakdown is also slowed but not stopped completely so the food will spoil if kept for too long.

The temperature in a home freezer is normally about 0°F (-18°C), which will preserve food for anything from a month to a year, depending on the quality and type of food frozen.

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Switch on the microwave oven, and you are switching on a powerful magnetic field which oscillates in the same frequency band that is used for radio broadcasts and radar. Microwaves in the field can be used to cook food rapidly by making the water molecules in the food vibrate at almost 2500 million times a second. This action absorbs energy from the magnetic field and heats the food.

As all the energy is absorbed by the food and not wasted on heating the surrounding air on the oven itself, the process is far quicker and more economical than traditional cooking methods.

The microwave energy does not heat the utensils in the oven because the materials they are made of such as China and glass do not absorb energy from the magnetic field. However, the plates do not come out of the oven cold, because they are heated by the food.

Special cookware

Many other materials besides China and glass can be used in a microwave oven – such as plastic, paper and cardboard. And special cookware – which is transparent to microwaves – has been developed for use in microwave ovens.

Metal container should not be used because metal does not transmit microwaves but reflects them. So foods should not be covered with aluminium file. Wooden utensils are also best avoided in microwave ovens because wood always contains some moisture, and this can cause it to split when it heats up.

 Long wave radio waves have a wavelength measured in thousands of metres. The microwaves used in microwave ovens have a wavelength of about 5in (120 mm).

An electromagnetic wave is a vibration of electrical and magnetic fields, constantly going from negative to positive. Microwave oven is operate with the waves that vibrate 2450 million times a second- a frequency of 2450 megahertz MHZ.

Water molecules have a positively charged end and negatively charged end. The vibrating positive negative microwaves interact with the positive negative water molecules, attracting and repelling them and making them twist first one way, then the other. This also happens 2450 million times a second.

The most important part of the microwave oven is the electronic tube, or magnetron, that generates the microwaves. The magnetron was developed in 1940 by British researchers at Birmingham University, and was first applied usefully in radar. It’s domestic potential was first realised buy the Raytheon Company in the United States in the early 1950s.

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As long as 5000 years ago, seaweed was used as a food and medicine in China. And today it is still eaten around the world. It is found in the Japanese fish and rice dishes sushi, in Welsh laver bread (seaweed fried with oatmeal) – and in ice cream.

Seaweeds provide ingredients called alginates and carrageenans, which are used in ice cream as stabilisers, so that ice cream does not become grainy in the freezer.

When ice cream is made, most of the water content freezes into very small ice crystals about 50 microns in size. (A micron is 1000th of a millimetre). As the thermostat of a deep freezer switches the refrigeration off and on, the temperature in the freezer fluctuates. Water melts off the crystals as the temperature rises, causing smaller ones to disappear. Then as the temperature drops again, the water freezes on to the remaining crystals, which grow in size. This causes the texture to coarsen.

Stabiliser slow the growth of the ice crystals, by forming protective layer around them, so the ice cream retains its smooth texture longer.

Carrageenan is obtained from red seaweeds found around rocky shores in northern Europe and North America. The seaweed is harvested, then dried to preserve it. Carrageenan can be extracted by immersing the dried seaweed in hot water. The extract is purified and then ground to a fine, cream-coloured powder. Alginates are exhorted in a similar way from brown seaweed in several parts of the world.

Before being used in ice cream, the alginate or carrageenan is usually blended with other compounds such as guar gum (extracted from the seed of the guar plant of India and Pakistan) and Locust bean gum (from the seeds of the Locust bean or carob tree, which grows in the Mediterranean area) to provide mixtures which are more effective than a single stabiliser.

Stabilisers are used in ice cream at about 0.2% of weight, so that a litre of ice cream contains less than a gram of the seaweed extract.

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Blue cheeses are the result of moulds that produced blue pigments. Originally cheeses must have been accidentally contaminated by natural moulds floating in the air as spores. Once the mould had grown, it would colonise cheese cellars or storage caves and subsequent cheeses stored there would also be contaminated.

Modern blue cheese production minimises the chances of the mould failing to grow. A suspension of the mould spores is either added to milk at the same time as starter bacteria or is sprayed over or injected into curd pieces which have been drained of the liquid component of milk, whey.

The mould used to make blue cheese is called Penicillium roquefortii, named after Roquefort in France.

The cheese has to be porous since the mould needs oxygen and space to grow, so pressing – the compression of curd in the mould, used for some other types of cheese – is avoided.

The cheeses drain slowly and are relatively soft. They have to be turned each day or they lose shape.

The temperature and humidity vary according to the type of cheese and its age. Typical conditions at between 41 to 59ºF (5 to 15°C) with humidity of 90-95%. Too high humidity encourages excessive growths of yeast and bacteria; to low causes the cheese to crack.

As the cheese matures, the supply of oxygen to the mould growing in the pores can be increased by piercing the cheese with stainless steel needles. For Stilton cheese, 4-48 holes maybe made at each piercing. The former use of copper needles led to the popular misconception that the blue colouring was caused by copper wires oxidising in the cheese. As the mould grows it not only produces the blue colour, but also enzymes. These break down the fats and proteins, producing the characteristic flavour, and making that cheese softer.

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The French author Honore de Balzac drank his coffee black, cold and thick as soup to keep him awake while writing through the night. He is said to have consumed 50,000 cup in his lifetime. The French philosopher Voltaire drank an estimated 72 cups a day and Beethoven is said to have used 60 beans for every cup.

Today, coffee drinkers in many countries use the instant variety, which is what remains after ground coffee beans have been ‘brewed’ and the water evaporated. In Japan, Australia and Britain, about 90% of coffee drunk is instant. In the USA, however, it accounts for only a quarter of the coffee drunk, while almost all Scandinavian and Italians prefer their coffee freshly ground.

Attempts to make instant coffee in the late 1800s failed because of poor flavour. Then, in 1906, George Washington, a Belgian born engineer of English parentage, was visiting a mountainous region of Guatemala when he noticed a brown deposit on the outside of a coffee pot that had boiled over. Tasting it, he thought its flavour was pleasant and the deduced that this was due to lower atmospheric pressure at high altitude. The lower boiling point of water at the higher attitude, he decided, allowed the water to evaporate with less heat damage to the dissolved coffee.

Three years later, he opened the G. Washington coffee refining company in Brooklyn, New York. His instant coffee’s immediate success was boosted during the first world war, when the US Army included it in infantry rations.

Making instant coffee involves ‘brewing up’ on a giant scale. Coffee is delivered to the manufacturer ready roasted, blended and ground. It is then percolated – the process of filtering hot water through the grounds – in batches of up to 2000lb (900kg) at a time. Some of the water is evaporated from the coffee to leave a highly concentrated liquid.

To produce powered is instant coffee, the liquid passes through a large cylinder in which it is subjected to hot air, which evaporates the remaining water. This leaves the powdered coffee ready for sealing into jars or packets.

Granular instant coffee is made by freeze drying. The concentrate is first frozen, and broken up into granules. The granules are then heated gently inside a vacuum chamber. Because water boils at low-temperature in a vacuum, the remaining moisture can be evaporated off without subjecting the coffee to create heat and impairing the flavour.

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Any hacker who has ever bivouacked up a mountain will appreciate the advantages of freeze-dried ready meals. They are a quarter of the weight of fresh foods, remain tasty for years in sealed packages and can be eaten hot by adding boiling water.

The process was first used in the 1950s when the American government sponsored a scheme to provide lightweight ration packs for astronauts, explorers and the armed services.

The freeze drying process preserves food by rapid freezing, followed by complete dehydration to remove all the moisture. The food is placed in a tightly sealed chamber between hollow plates containing refrigerant liquid, which freezes the food while a high-powdered pump creates a vacuum.

When the food is frozen hard and the pump has removed nearly all the air, the cold refrigerant liquid in the hollow plate is replaced by warm gas. The ice in the food is then converted directly into vapour without first turning into the water.

To keep its nutrients, flavour and appearance, the food must be frozen as quickly as possible, but the drying process is quite slow. The steam is immediately removed by the vacuum pump, but the food takes about 20 hours to dehydrate completely. It must then be packaged to protect the contents during handling, and to seal out all oxygen and moisture.

The freeze drying process gives the food an open texture, and if oxygen enters, any fat becomes a rancid . If moisture gets in, microbes in the food group, causing it to decay like fresh food.

Because the food must be frozen rapidly, the best results are obtained with the food which is sliced or ground. Fish, meat, vegetables and fruit can all be freeze dried, but coffee and made up meals with chopped ingredients are particularly successful.

Today, improvements in technology have shortened the process and ‘accelerated freeze dried’ products are becoming more common. They are still expensive, but are extremely convenient when weight and lack of every refrigeration have to be considered. The are reconstituted by adding boiling water, and retain their nutrients, appearance and flavour very well for several years.

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Meals that have been bombarded with the radiation are served to transplant patients – and patients in intensive care units – in many hospitals. Some countries irradiate supermarket foods. Similar food is also eaten by American and Russian astronauts during their missions in space.

Food irradiation is designed to kill bacteria that cause food poisoning – a particularly grave threat to weak hospital patients, or astronauts who are cut off from medical help. Irradiation also helps to prevent food from going bad while it is being stored. Although at the low recommended doses it does not give indefinite preservation.

The process has been known since 1921 when an American scientist discovered that X-rays could  kill a parasite, Trichinella spiralis, which can contaminate pork.

Irradiation now is done by exposing food on a conveyor belt to the radio active isotopes caesium 137 or cobalt 60 in the lead shielded chamber with walls 5 feet (1.5m) thick. The isotopes give off electromagnetic ionising radiation in the form of gamma rays. Alternative methods used X-rays or beta rays, both forms of radiation.

Doses of radiation

The effect of radiation is measured in units known as Grays (Gy). Doses less then 1kGy are used to kill parasites in meat. Low doses are also used to kill or sterilise insects in cereals, cocoa beans and other groups. They prevents stored crops such as potatoes and onions from sprouting, and slow down the ripening of some fruits.

Medium doses from 1-10kGy – can extend the shelf life of food by reducing spoiling organisms in meat, fish, fruit, vegetables and spices. They also killed food poisoning bacteria such as salmonella, in raw poultry and shellfish. About half the poultry sold contains live in salmonella, which are usually killed by cooking. However, some of the bacteria can survive if the poultry is not cooked right through.

For complete sterilisation of foods, high doses of above 10kGy are used. Animals on sterile diets regularly eat food irradiated up to 25kGy with no observed ill effects. Sterile diets are used when scientists are seeking side effects in various trials – and want to eliminate food poisoning.

Food irradiation is governed by international agreement through United Nations agencies.

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Every year 1 million tons of prawns and shrimps are caught for the frozen food industry and sold through restaurants in supermarkets. Until the late 1950s, when peeling machines were developed, shrimps and prawns had to be shelled by hand, making them a luxury food. Now they are almost all shelled by machines and have become more reasonably priced items supermarket freezes.  Whereas an expert hand peeler can be 56lb (25kg) of prawns an hour, machine can peel 880lb (400kg) an hour.

The great bulk of a prawn fishermen’s catch, however, is wasted. Only about sixth consists of shrimps and prawns the rest is called ‘trash fish’ or ‘by-catch’ which is thrown back into the sea.

The head of the prawns, which is in fact the stomach, thorax and head, is usually removed by hand at sea immediately after the catch has been sorted. It has to be removed as quickly as possible because enzymes and bacteria can cause unsightly dark patches on the prawns called black spot. The fishermen are experts at snapping the heads off two prawns at a time, one in each hand.

After the heads have been removed the catch can be stored in ice for up to 4 days. Once it has been landed it is quickly transferred to a processing factory.

The prawns are inspected for quality and graded in size on the machine with angled rollers. As the gap between the rollers gradually widens, successively larger prawns fall through onto different conveyor belts.

The prawns are carried to machines which have been adjusted to peel a specific size range. The prawns slide into slots where they are pressed down onto a blade that splits the shell and flesh down to the ‘vein’ along the length of the tail.

The prawns then pass onto a bed of narrowly spaced dollars. Adjacent rollers turn in opposite directions, pulling the shells through the gaps and leaving the flesh which is too large to pass between.

Finally the vein has to be removed. The vein is really the prawn’s intestine, which is full of food and sand. Removing it increases the value of the prawns and improves their keeping quality. The vein should have already been dislodged by the cutting process and as the prawn passes through a revolving cylinder with a rough surface, the vein catches on the indentations and is washed away by water.

The prawns are cooked in boiling water, emerged in iced brine and individually quick frozen, packaged and distributed.

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In 1987, just one fast food chain- McDonald’s hamburgers – sold upwards of 200,000 million French fries or chips, throughout the world. And they were all nearly identical in length and thickness.

To ensure that their chips have a consistent taste and that they are ready at the same time as the hamburgers, a fast food chain puts call it’s potato through the same preparation process.

Before the potatoes are even planted, the company agrees to buy a farmers entire crop. It also specifies the type of potatoes and their growing conditions, such as soil treatment and fertilisers. Varieties of potatoes are chosen – such as Majestic Maris Piper or Russet Burbanks – for their keeping quality, because they will be needed all year round. Large, round ones are preferable because they are easy to peel and clean and there is little waste.

Once harvested, the potatoes are loaded into silos or large boxes and kept in the dark at a constant temperature of 48-50°F (9-10ºC), which shows down organic changes that would make them deteriorate. They are regularly inspected and batches that show any signs of rotting are removed.

At the processing plant potatoes are again inspected and weighed to check their density, which reveals if they have become soft and ‘floury’. They are passed over sieves to remove small stones on dirt, and magnets and electronic detectors remove any metal particles. After the potatoes have been washed, the skins are softened with alkali and removed with steam.

Next, they are sliced into square sectioned strips. Thin strips will cook faster but will become hard if they are overcooked. An ideal size for fast food chips is a cross-section of about 1/4in (6mm).

The cut strips are blanched on the wire mesh conveyor belt which passes them through a tank of hot water or a dilute solution of phosphate or citrate salt. This helps to prevent them discolouring.

The cut potatoes are done frozen, bagged in polythene, packed into cartons and kept at -4°F (-20°C) until collected for delivery to the fast food outlets in refrigerated vans.

Within only minutes of being removed from freezers in the restaurants, a bagful can be fried and served up.

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Stuffed olives – those popular cocktail – hour appetisers- are usually stoned and stuffed by machines. The pimiento (red pepper) filling is a kind of paste, made by mixing the pimiento with a gelling agent.

The olives are aligned in rows on a perforated conveyor belt, and the stones removed by an automatic machine head, rather like a dentist’s drill. A nozzle then pumps the pimiento paste into the drilled hole in the olives.

The stones are later ground and used for animal feed – or to produce a low-grade oil.

Some high quality stuffed olives, containing anchovy, smoked salmon, chopped almonds or other nut fillings, are stoned with handheld scoop and then filled by hand.

Olive stuffing machines can process 1800 olives a minute. Manual olive stuffers mostly in Portugal can average only around 18 a minute, and a poorly paid.

Olives are grown around the Mediterranean, and in Peru, Chile, California, British Columbia and Australia. The green variety, preferable for stuffing because of their firmer texture, are the unripe fruit.

Before the stuffing process, olives are soaked in the solution of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), which reduces their bitter flavour. Then, after washing in water, they are immersed in brine with added lactic acid to neutralise any remaining alkali. While soaking they are allowed to ferment, which encourages harmless bacteria and yeast to grow to achieve the correct characteristic flavour and texture.

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Cut a fresh pineapple on the kitchen chopping board and the slices will vary in diameter, because of the tapering shape of the food. But buy a can of sliced pineapple and the rings are all the same diameter. This is because the pineapples are put through an almost entirely mechanical process to make them fit into the cans.

A machine called a Ginaca processes up to 120 pineapples a minute. It cuts out a cylinder of the pineapples and juicy flesh, removes the horny outer shell, cuts off the shell at top and bottom and punches out the core. A device called an eradicator scraps off surplus flesh adhering to the shell to make crushed pineapple juice.

The cylinders of pineapple flesh are inspected on the conveyor belt my teams of trimmers, who remove remaining fragments of shell and any blemishes. The cylinders are then carried to a slicing machine, which produces the precision-rings. Packers inspect the rings and put them in the cans.

Each can of rings is topped up with either syrup or pineapple juice, mechanically lidded and sealed under vacuum. They are then cooked in pressure cookers known as retorts. Finally, sterilised cans of fruit are cooled in water or by air labelled and packed.

Most of the worlds pineapples are grown in Hawaii., The Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Kenya and the Ivory Coast.

Over a three-year period, pineapple plant produces two fruits, each weighing about 4.8lb (2.2kg). To simplify harvesting, the plants are made up to flower at the same time being sprayed with a growth regulator such as ethephon. This means that the fruits all ripen at about same time – between June and September. In Australia there are two harvests, one in May-June and a summer harvest in January.

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Have you ever cooked? Made a sandwich, perhaps? Or something more interesting that needed lightning a stove or switching on the oven?

Cooking is a useful skill. Good cooks are in great demand, they have more friends than others. Cooking will make sure you will never starve. Sure, readymade foods are a dime a dozen now, and shops fill their shelves with “add-hot-water-and-eat” food items, but can all this be equal to homemade stuff? And psychologists tell us that cooking is therapeutic. It helps to develop patience, it teaches us to be careful, and when the dishes come out, the effort and result give us a sense of achievement. Confidence with a plate of corn fritters!

So, it is a good idea to know the different ways of cooking. Dependency on the type of ingredients and the recipes you choose to follow, you can pick from these various methods of preparing a dish.

Baking

Baking is when you apply dry convention heat to your food in an enclosed environment. Baking can be done in an oven run on coal, wood, electricity or microwave. Most people today bake in ovens run on electricity. The dry heat in the baking process makes the outside of the food go brown, and keeps the moisture locked in. There are any number of very tasty items you can bake, but the most popular are cakes, pastries, bread, casseroles in bake-and-serve dishes. Ever tasted lasagne? A mug cake – made in a mug and eaten from it?

Steaming

As the name suggests, in this method, food is cooked or a large vessel and the food is placed over it in another vessel. When put on the burner, the water boils, sends steam up and steam cooks the food. Some people even bake a cake by steaming it. The best examples of steamed food items are the south-Indian puttu and idlis. Steaming is a healthy form of cooking.

Frying

This means cooking your food in fat. There are different ways to fry food.

Deep-frying, where the food is completely immersed in hot oil. Stir-frying, where you fry the food very quickly on high heat in a pan with a little oil. Pan-frying, where food is cooked in a frying pan with oil. Sautéing, where the food is browned on one side and then the other with a small quantity of fat or oil.

Frying is one of the quickest ways to cook food. There are some dishes that need this form of cooking. How do you make puris? Or French Fries without immersing the potato slivers in hot oil? The only problem with frying is that doctors tell us that reuse of the frying oil is harmful for health.

Roasting

When you roast chicken, what do you do? Roasting is cooking food on high heat. It is a form of baking, but unlike baking, roasting is done openly. In earlier times, when people cooked in open spaces, say after a hunt, they would install two Y-shaped sticks at some feet away, rest a strong stick across the crooks of the Ys and hang a pig by its legs from the stick in the middle. This is called a “spit.” Cooks would light a fire below and keep turning the pig so it would cook slowly in the heat. The animal will be cooked in its own fat. In this form of cooking, the meat gets drier and browner on the outside and soft on the inside. Of course, you can roast vegetables by coating them with oil.

Poaching

Here is how you “poach” an egg. Break the egg, take what is inside in a large spoon. Lower it gently in a vessel with water boiling in it. See that the egg does not scatter. You can do that by holding it in the spoon till it cooks a bit. Food is “poached” in water, but try milk, broth or vegetable stock! Common foods cooked by poaching are fish, eggs and fruit.

Stewing

A stew is what you need on a cold day, or when you are nursing a cold. You first shallow fry or sauté the meat, chicken or vegetables and then cook it in liquid with herbs, pepper and salt. That is, the food is sautéed or seared first, and then cooked in liquid. To make a stew, you need to cut the vegetables and meat into small cubes.

Grilling

In this method, cooking is fast, dry and done on high heat. The food (have you tasted grilled sandwiches?) is placed under intense radiant heat. Grilling can be done with wood burning, coal, gas flame, or electric heating. For grilling, you prepare the food by coating it with various herbs, lemon juice, etc. Close to grilling is broiling, where the heat source comes from the top instead of the bottom.

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How it all began?

The origin of gingerbread is unclear, but many food historians believe it was born after the 11th Century crusaders returning from the eastern Mediterranean brought ginger to Western Europe.

It was initially prepared only in aristocratic households. However, as the price of ginger and a few other spices dropped, gingerbread became popular among the common people. Some historians say the first-known recipe for gingerbread came from Greece in 2400 B.C. However, there is no definite proof to this theory.

In Medieval period, “gingerbread fairs” were held regularly, and gingerbread was a very popular dish among the people. These gingerbreads were made in several shapes such as animals, birds and humans. An evidence of the cookie’s popularity is its mention in Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost” (1597).

A royal connection

Queen Elizabeth I is credited with the invention of the gingerbread men. She gifted the dignitaries visiting her court, gingerbread cookies that resembled them.

All the way from Germany

The iconic gingerbread houses prepared in western countries during Christmas, originated in Germany during the 16th Century.

However, these intricately decorated cookie houses became popular only following the 1812 fairytale of ‘Hansel and Gretel”, written by Brothers Grimm.

Across the ocean

Gingerbread was introduced in a few other regions, including North America, during the period of colonisation. Today, gingerbread is an inseparable part of North American holiday season.

The type of gingerbread prepared in this part of the world is a little different from those in Europe. For instance, the gingerbread prepared in the U.S. is moist and soft, whereas the ones in Britain are dense and harder.

Why is gingerbread a Christmas tradition?

Nutrition experts suggest that this could be due to the medicinal properties of ginger. Ginger, as a spice, can provide warmth for the body during winter and can also be an effective calming agent for a festive season that involves eating a lot of heavy treats. Some believe that during the Medieval period, gingerbread preparation was restricted to gingerbread chefs or masters most of the year, except during Christmas and Easter, due to the high price of ginger. The common people, therefore, prepared the dish only during the festive season, making gingerbread a season-specific dish.

Wide varieties

The three most iconic-flavours of gingerbread are brown, wafer-based and honey. There are several offbeat flavours as well, and these include cranberry, oatmeal, gluten-free, paleo, orange-scented, caramel, chocolate and almond spice. Apart from the usual gingerbread men and houses, there are many other adaptation such as gingerbread pie, cheesecake, cake, granola, latte, French toast, scones, pancakes, trifle, doughnuts and waffles.

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Happy Brownie Day!

Born in the U.S., chocolate brownie is one of the most favourite desserts for those in America and the country is one of the highest consumers of this rich and chocolaty treat. The country celebrates National Brownie Day each year on December 8.

The birth of brownies

There are a few legends on the invention of the chocolate brownie. For instance, some believe the first brownie was invented by accident, when the home chef didn’t have enough flour.

A few say that a woman in Bangor, Maine, the U.S., forget to add baking powder to her chocolate cake and that resulted in the birth of the first brownie.

However, the most common story behind the origin of brownies lead to Bertha Palmer, owner of Palmer House Hotel, Chicago, the U.S. Palmer was the president of the Ladies Board for Managers for the World Columbian Exposition of 1893. Incharge of making desserts for the event, she instructed her chefs to create a dessert easier to eat than a piece of pie and ones that could be carried in boxes. Herchefs made fuddy cakes with chocolates, walnuts and apricot glaze. They became a huge hit at the event, and are believed to be the first-ever brownies to be made.

Palmer;s chocolate dessert was not known as brownies when they were made.

The very first mention of the word brownies was seen in the 1896 version of the “Boston Cooking-School Cook Book” by American culinary expert Fannie Farmer. However, this recepie reportedly did not include chocolate. Food historians suggest that the first evidence of chocolate brownies with a recepie similar to today’s can be found in a few American cookbooks in the early 1900s.

How is it different from a chocolate cake?

Brownies and chocolate cake are not the same. Change in proportions of sugar, flour and butter gives the variation between the two. Usually, cakes consist of twice the amount of flour required to make brownies. Another notable difference between cakes and fuddy brownies is the usage of leavening agents such as baking powder or baking soda. These ingredients are hardly used in the preparation of brownies. This makes brownies denser than cakes. Most brownies also make use of more chocolate than a regular chocolate cake.

Brownies for all

Brownies can also be made without chocolate. These are known as blondies. These are several new adaptations of brownies for those with dietary restrictions. For instance, vegan brownie bars without eggs, glueten-free, keto, paleo and sugar-free brownies.

There are also many quirky varieties of brownies such as red velvet, pumpkins, sweet potato, salted caramel, ginger, peanut butter, mint and avocado.

So, what are brownie points?

You might have heard the phrase “brownie points”. This is an informal and a humorous idiom used to praise or approve something someone has done. Here’s an example: ‘I hoped to score brownie points by helping her compose her album.”

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It all began at New York

All of the several accounts of how potato chips were invented lead to the Moon’s Lake House restaurant at Saratoga Springs, New York, the U.S. In 1853, George Crum was a chef at Moon’s Lake House, serving some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in New York. Well-respected but notorious for his crankiness and arrogance, the chef claimed that he could transform the most basic and meagre ingredients into food fit for royalty.

One night, business tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt, who was dining at Moon’s Lake House, returned a plate of Crum’s fried potatoes saying they were cut too thick. In the next batch, Crum had cut the potatoes thinner but the guest sent those back too, saying they weren’t crisp and tasty enough. This was too much for Crum. To teach Vanderbilt a lesson, he fried wafer-thin potato slices, making them impossible to pick up with a fork, and seasoned them with extra salt. Picking up the food with fingers was unthinkable back then – the wafer-thin slices were Crum’s revenge: a way to embarrass his guest. Vanderbilt, however, loved the snack, lavishly complimented the chef and asked for more. Other diners ordered it too. Soon, potato chips became the signature dish for Moon’s Lake House, Saratoga. Although popular, this tale was refuted by Saratoga County historian, Violet B. Dunn. From her conversations with Crum’s contemporaries, she found no evidence that Crum had anything at all to do with inventing the potato chip.

A good accident!

A more credible version of the legend relates to a kitchen accident at Moon’s Lake House. Katie Speck Wicks, who worked alongside Crum, was frying crullers (a deep-fried pastry) and peeling potatoes at the same time. A thin slice of potato landed in the hot oil. By the time she fished it out, it had become crisp. Crum tasted it and called it “a good accident”.

The newly invented ‘Saratoga Chips’ remained confined to Saratoga for several decades – as no more than a side-dish served in baskets and paper cones – until Cleveland entrepreneur William Tappenden, judging its potential, took it out of the kitchen and into one of his barns: the first-ever potato chips started appearing in grocery stores, to be stored in barrels or glass cases and sold by weight. This was in 1895. By the 1900s, several large, medium and small potato chip factories opened up across America. Many of these are still in business albeit under different names.

The smart move

Laura Scudder, a lawyer, former restaurant owner and a strong-willed woman who had also started her potato chip factory in the 1900s, realised that both the grocer and the customer had to go through a lot of trouble, transferring the chips from their barrels and weighing them out into bags. Besides, the chips at the bottom of the barrel typically crumbled, staled and were wasted. Her solution was simple: She asked her employees, mainly women, to iron wax strips on top of the empty paper bags. The chips would be filled directly into the wax-lined paper bags, which could be sealed airtight by just ironing the top again, keeping the chips fresher for longer. The bags of chips would be displayed on shelves with ‘freshness dates’. With the invention and use of cellophane, truly air-tight packaging for potato chips was perfected.

And it evolves…

The potato chip industry continued to evolve. Farmers began cultivating and supplying chipping potatoes directly to potato chip factories. Chipping potatoes contains less water and are better suited for frying than the ones used in home kitchens. As markets expanded and demand increased, kettle cookers, which were used to make the chips in small batches, made way for continuous fryers. Huge amount of potato chips were available in only one flavour – plain salted. Then, technology made it possible to season the chips directly. The first flavoured chips were cheese and onion and salt ‘n vinegar.

The next time you visit a supermarket, just look at the potato chips shelf to appreciate how far potato chips have travelled from that accident in a kitchen in upstate in New York. It continued to spark the imagination of anyone wanting to experiment with exotic flavours.

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Instant noodles are popular among all age-groups across the globe as they are quick and extremely easy to be prepared.

Birth of instant noodles

In post-Second World War Japan (after1945), food ration was highly limited. People often waited in long queues to buy a bowl of hot ramen (pulled noodles). The Japanese government was given food aid by the U.S. government and this consisted of oil and wheat flour. Therefore, the Japanese officials urged the locals to use these products. Japanese businessman Momofuku Ando saw this as an opportunity and invented the instant noodles. Momofuku used flour, salt and water to make noodles and flash-fried them.

In 1958, the first batch of these dry blocks of noodles was sold for about 35 Yen per piece (in today’s money, that’s about Rs. 350) in supermarkets across Japan. Though they were expensive, they became a huge hit among the working class and students.

This invention is believed to have fuelled Japan’s modern post-war economic rise.

In 1971, Momofuku came up with another important invention – the cup noodles. Following this, instant noodles went global.

Japan most successful invention

Instant noodle is considered one of Japan’s greatest inventions of the 20th Century.

According to a study conducted by the Fuji Research Institute, the Japanese people see instant noodles as the best Japanese invention. Many locals believe that instant noodles represent their country.

Though it was invented in Japan, the largest consumers of instant noodles are the Chinese. Japan stands at the third position with respect to the rate of instant noodle consumption, after Indonesia.

Ever-expanding varieties

One of the most iconic features of instant noodles is that they can be adapted to fit anyone’s taste buds. The traditional ramen noodles consists of wheat noodles served in a tangy, soupy broth and is topped with slices of meat or tofu.

Different countries have their own versions. In Thailand, green curry flavour is a hit. In Mexico, instant noodles are eaten with salsa and a dash of lime juice, and in India, desi masala flavour is a local favourite. Chefs and food experts have been experimenting on newer varieties of noodles. A few quirky types include sweet rose, pizza, ground seaweed, mustard and wasabi noodles.

The cup noodles museum

The cup noodles museum in Osaka, Japan, displays the story of the invention of instant noodles and the growth of this industry.

The museum, opened on November 21, 1999, allows visitors to make their own ramen concoctions and add customised naruto (fish cake) pieces on them. This museum comprises over 5,460 flavour combinations of ramen.

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Eaten as an entire with ketchup, mayonnaise or salsa or as part of the main course along with burgers, steaks or flavoured rice, French fries are one of the most popular dishes prepared across the world. The origin of this deep-fried snack is murky as both France and Belgium claim it to be their own.

Many food historians claim that original potato fries originated in Namur, Belgium. According to lore, fried fish was their staple. In the 1680s, when the River Meuse froze, unable to catch any fish, the locals of Namur fried potatoes instead of fish. This is considered to be the birth of fries. It is believed that the American soldiers stationed in this francophone region during World War I, called these deep-fried potatoes “French Fries”. Belgium recently petitioned the UNESCO to endorse fries as an official icon of Belgian cultural heritage. While Belgium claims the fries to be its own. French culinary experts and historians believe the very first fries were sol by street vendors in the 1780s, on Paris’ oldest standing bridge, Pont Neuf.

In addition to this, they state that deep-frying of potatoes could not have been plausible for the peasants of Namur, considering their socio-economic conditions. Former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson is generally credited with introducing French Fries to the U.S. Jefferson is said to have encountered them while serving as American Minister to France from 1784 to 1789. In his manuscript written in the early 19th Century, he talks about “Pommes de terre frites en petites tranches”, which is french for “small slices of deep-fried potatoes”. The French fries, eventually came to be known as fries in the U.S. and it became extremely popular there by the 1900s. In the mid-1960s, American entrepreneur J.R. Simplot invented the frozen fries. This revolutionary invention paved the way for the fries to become a massive hit across the world.

Across the globe

Fries are prepared differently in each part of the world. In Canada, a form of fries, known as poutine, is considered the national dish. The combination of fries, cheese curds and gravy first appeared in rural Quebec, Canada, in the 1950s. In Britain, fish and chips (firies) is a staple. French classic steak-frites is a combination of fried potatoes with grilled meat. In South Africa, slap chips, a softer version of the fries are very famous. South Koreans enjoy eating a sweet type of French fries known as honey butter fries.

A museum just for fries

The first and only museum dedicated to potato fries is in Bruges, Belgium. Known as Frietmuseum, it explains the history of potatoes and fries. The museum is housed in the oldest building in Bruges – the Saaihaile – and is owned by entrepreneur Eddy Van Belle and his son Cedric.

Record-breaking fries

An Indian food expert, Chandresh Bayad holds the Guinness world records for the largest serving of chips (fries) and the largest molded potato chip (French fry). This serving of fries weighed 659 kg and was achieved at an event in Gujarat on September 22, 2018. Bayad prepared the molded potato chip weighing 11 kg in Gujarat, on October 7, 208.

Can fries be cooked in space?

In a 2014 study, a pair of Greek researchers teamed up with the European Space Agency to test how gravity affects deep frying. They attached a deep-fryer onto the arms of a Centrifuge at the European Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands.

Using this device they found that as gravity gets stronger, fries get crispier. This means, fries cooked in zero gravity could end up soggy, with barely any crust.

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Origin & Evolution

The origins of biryani can be traced back to Persia (present-day Iran). The name biryani is derived from the Persian term ‘birinj birian’, which means ‘fried rice’. In Iran, biryani is traditionally made in a pot called deg. The rice and meat are slow-cooked in the latter’s own juices for several hours.

Biryani is believed to have been brought to India by the Mughals. There are various theories relating to the evolution of biryani in India. One such is that Timur, a Turk-Mongol conqueror, brought a variant of biryani with him when he came to India in 1398. Another theory suggests, the dish was brought to the Malabar cost in Kerala by Arab traders.

Ancient 2 A.D. Tamil texts have records of a rice dish known as ‘oon doru’, believed to be a predecessor of biryani. Oon soru, a food item consumed by soldiers, is said to have been made of rice, ghee, meat and spices.

Variations across India

Since its arrival, biryani has donned different forms to appeal to regional taste preferences. From the sweet and savoury Thalassery biryani to the famous Hyderabadi Dum biryani, there are several types of biryani prepared across the country. A few of these include Sindhi, Dindigul, Calcutta, Tahari, Beary, Awadhi, Bombay and Bhatkali biryanis.

Main ingredients

Rice, ghee, onions, tomatoes, meat, yoghurt, spices such as nutmeg, pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, saffron and bay leaves.

Quirky adaptations

Over the last few years, there have been several interesting adaptations of this rich Persian delicacy. Ever heard of bamboo, pot or potli (pockets made of dough) biryani? Instead of being served in a platter or a bowl, they are served in bamboo stems, earthen pots or pockets of dough. Biryani has also been very versatile in creating fusion recipes. There are several eateries that prepare offbeat biryani varieties such as biryani wraps, burgers, ice-creams and dimsum.

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