Tag: food history

Posted in Daily, Food

Being Chocolaty, Peanuts

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“‘Peanuts’ is a life-long influence, going back to before I could even read.” Adrian Tomine

INGREDIENTS
1 package semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chopped
Salted peanuts, no skin
Both ingredients in equal measure.

Taxonomic classified as Arachis hypogaea, popularly known as groundnuts, goober, monkey nuts or peanuts (not the comic strip); they are a favored snack among all ages. With the above ingredients, there’s nothing more befitting than experimenting in a little mix of the all time favourites; i.e. chocolate and peanuts.

“Chocolate is one of the world’s most beloved discoveries, and when we need a quick boost of energy and endorphins, chocolate is the go-to treat.” Marcus Samuelsson

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Commercially chocolate coated peanuts ere earliest sold and marketed under the brand ‘Goobers” in 1925. Later other companies like M & M’s too made them. Interestingly, the name “Goober” is probably derived from the Gullah language (African Americans who live in the Low-country region of the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina), word guber (meaning “peanut”), which is in turn derived from the KiKongo (or Kongo) word n’guba. Keeping with the rising vegan trend, “Vegan chocolate-coated peanuts” are made of non-refined sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter and vanillin.

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Being all time snack and culinary favourite; peanuts can be artfully and tastefully served as “ants on a log”, the traditional roasted “chikki”, deep fried or coated and roasted, or the all time sauce thickener to bring a change to the regular stew and curry ( Kare-kare, mirchi ka salan, peanut chutney). With winter drawing to a close and the peanut season coming to an end, there’s nothing better to celebrate the end of the season than with “peanuts”.

“Ants on a log : a snack made by spreading peanut butter, cream cheese, ricotta cheese or any number of spreads on celery and placing raisins on top”

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Café au Lait Mornings

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“I thought ‘café au lait’ was Spanish.” “No, it’s French for coffee and milk. ‘Lait’ is milk.” . “Really? I thought it was “Café–olé! Like, ‘Coffee–all right!'”- Lorelai Gilmore

For the viewers of the American comedy-drama television series, Gilmore Girls; the above dialogue may seem familiar. Yet for ardent coffee lovers, there is no confusion in the mind.

Café au lait (French for “coffee with milk”) is simply coffee with hot milk added. Call it by any name, similar varieties are seen mainly across Europe, from the Spanish café con leche in Spain, Polish kawa biala and German Milchkaffee (“milk coffee”) to list a few. The reverse version holds true in the certain areas of Switzerland, where the popular variation is made by adding espresso to the milk base, known as the café renversé (“reverse coffee”).

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Traditionally the brew is primarily of French origin, prepared at home from dark coffee (preferable French beans) and heated milk; while in the cafes, the espresso machine takes over.

Yet the ‘ café au lait’ isn’t the dame as “Café latte”. Originated in Italy, the latter is typically made using one or two shots of espresso, topped-up with steamed milk, and finished with a small layer of foam on top. On the contrary, café au lait has no foam added to it.

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One popular variation of the café au lait served at coffee shops in New Orleans, is making it by using chicory which gives the beverage a distinctive, strong, and bitter flavor. Known as American café au lait, scalded milk is used rather than steamed milk and served usually with sweet powdered sugary beignets to offset the bitter flavour. The roots go back to the American Civil War days when coffee was in short supply and demand strong. Hence the trend of using chicory to pad out the available coffee had started and stayed on.

Either way, to start off the milky sweet mornings, ‘café au lait’ is there for all the coffee lovers, old or young.

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Posted in Daily, Food, Uncategorized

With regards,From Italy

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“L’uomo è ciò che mangia” (a man is what he eats)- Ludwig Feuerbach

For those of us who know Italian or in love with Italian food, these words would sound familiar and seen sometimes across the menu cards. One of the most popular global cuisines apart from the American snack industry, French cuisine or Indian “curries” would be the Italian cuisine, which is actually in popular demand, ranging from the “pizza” to pasta, panini, lasagne, risottos, tortelinni. Although most would be familair with a selct few, Italian cusine offers a whole range and variety of meals which is quite simple to cook, especially for those of us who want a change from the regular.

“Italian food is all about ingredients and it’s not fussy and it’s not fancy.” Wolfgang Puck

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Like with most European cuisines, the Italian cuisine developed over centuries with its’ roots primarily spreading and growing with the fall of the Roman Empire. With traces from Athens as well, the Sicilian cuisine was initially well liked and many believe it to be the first real Italian cuisine; especially in the Middle Ages. A lot of the cuisine varies from region to region primarily because of the Mediterranean and Arab influences in South compared to the Germanic and Roman roots of the north. In fact each area has its’ own specialty like cuisines from Basilicata, Lomabarde, Saridinia or Tuscany to list a few.

“In the 20th century, the French managed to get a death on the myth that they produce the world’s best food. The hype has been carefully orchestrated, and despite the fact that the most popular food in the last quarter has undoubtedly been Italian, the French have managed to maintain that mental grip.” Clarissa Dickson Wright, English Chef and Author

The versatility of Italian cooking lies in the explicit use of vegetables, cheese as well as meat along with the ease and simplicity in its’ making. For novice Italian cooking, the pasta and risotto are quite easy to make. With many recipes available online, its’ not that hard to bring a change to the menu once in a while and gives a healthy break from fast food and restaurant dinners.

Anche l’occhio vuole la sua parte (The eyes want their part – in the sense that something has to be pleasing to the eyes – apart from having other qualities)…An Italian Saying

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Posted in Daily, Food, Stories Around the World

Nutella from Gianduja

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Sugar, Modified Palm Oil, Hazelnuts, Cocoa, Skimmed Milk Powder, Whey Powder, Lecithin and Vanillin.

The correct proportion of the above ingredients with “some plus and minus” gives the final “new-tell-uh” or as written as “Nutella”, gluten free, Kosher but not vegan.

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The origin of Nutella can be traced to the Piedmont chocolatiers of Italy who had made blocks of chocolate. With the Napoleanic Wars and shortage of chocolate; chocolatiers of Turin added chopped hazelnuts to the chocolate trying to stretch the supply. Thus was born the “gianduja”, a fateful paste. Later on with the World Wars and high expense with scarcity of chocolate; Pietro Ferrero an Italian pastry maker made the “Pasta Gianduja” a block of cocolate laced with hazelnut which was made spreadable as a creamy version “Supercrema Gianduja” over the years. In 1954, it was rechristened as “Nutella”.

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The versatility of Nutella being used as a spread is not confined to bread alone but to a variety of crepes, drinks and so on. Adding Nutella to the recipe gets the creativity into flow and new food art takes shape. Simply delicious, this calorie laden treat should be indulged in high moderation. Although nutella has a fair share of hazelnuts, this choclate spread is calorie laden and not to be on the regular menu for weight watchers, diabetics and the like. The old adage that “all things are better enjoyed in moderation” holds specially true in this case.

Today various brands like “Cadbury’s Dairymilk”, “Pilsbury” as well as similar spreads like “Nocilla”, “Nugatti” and so on have stormed the chocolate world. Yet Nutella still retains its’ special position on the shelves and breakfast table.

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Posted in Daily, Food, Photography Art, Quotes

Hot, Dark and Chocolaty

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Watch the sunrise at least once a year, put a lot of marshmallows in your hot chocolate, lie on your back and look at the stars, never buy a coffee table you can’t put your feet on, never pass up a chance to jump on a trampoline, don’t overlook life’s small joys while searching for the big ones.” H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

First believed to have been created by the Mayans 3000 years ago, this drink has been popularized across the world transitioning from religious or medicinal purposes to being a luxurious and recreational or comfort concoction. Popularly known as hot chocolate or cocoa, (aka drinking chocolate and chocolate tea in Nigeria); it would be a grave error for any chocolate fan to give this drink a miss.

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“Love is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off. It takes you by surprise at first, but keeps you warm for a long time.” Henri Frederic Amiel

Hot chocolate comes in multiple variations including the Latin American spiced chocolate para mesa, the very thick Italian cioccolata calda, Spannish chocolate a la taza to the thinner hot cocoa consumed in the United States. The distiction between “hot cocoa” (from powder made by removing most of the rich cocoa butter from the ground cacao beans) and “hot chocolate” ( melt bar chocolate, already rich in cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter) lies in the cocoa butter, the absence of which makes hot cocoa significantly lower in fat than hot chocolate while still preserving all the antioxidants found in chocolate.

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“Some days you get up and you already know that things aren’t going to go well. They’re the type of days when you should just give in, put your pajamas back on, make some hot chocolate and read comic books in bed with the covers up until the world looks more encouraging. Of course, they never let you do that.” Bill Watterson

Add a higher percentage of cocoa solids and cocoa butter, eliminate or decrease the sugar and voila, dark chocolate (also known as black chocolate, plain chocolate, or bitter chocolate) is ready. Although the percentages may vary as per brand, government and industry regulations; dark chocolate has taken the 21st century by storm. Either way, hot or cold; dark or light, bitter or milky; chocolate still reigns supreme among the desserts, gifts, treats and moments of deliciousness and is here to stay.

“You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk, and it becomes a delicious drink. That is the chocolate I am talking about.” Ray Nagin

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Posted in Daily, Food

Of Crescent and Croissants

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“You are going to have to take the rest of these croissants to work with you, I cannot be trusted alone in the house with a half-dozen buttery, crispy pillows of deliciousness.” Stacey Ballis

These fluffy, light and inviting goodness has now and then replaced the regular doughnut or bagel sessions with coffee or tea, often earning themselves a very special spot on most cafe’ menus. The croissant, a buttery, flaky, viennoiserie pastry although most popularized through the French cuisine, is of Austrian origin, named for its historical crescent shape. Made of a layered yeast-leavened dough by a technique known as laminating almost similar to the making of a puff pastry.

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Most culinary experts declare the ancestor of the croissant to be “the kipferl”, a traditional Austrian yeast based roll made as early as 13th century in varied shapes, plain or filled with nuts and the like. Although the true origin of “kipferl” is not known, it is believed to be based on the “feteer halali”, a flaky crescent-shaped Egyptian pastry that is a version of the “feteer meshaltet” pastry known since their ancient times. Essentially it all boils down to dough and yeast, one of the better versions of the good old bread.

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” James Beard

As with most popular food fads of today, croissants have their own culinary legends surrounding it. One legend was that they were invented to celebrate the defeat of the Umayyad forces by the Franks at the Battle of Tours in 732 in Europe, with the shape representing the Islamic crescent. Whereas some say that it was invented in Buda; or, according to other sources, in Vienna in 1683 to celebrate the defeat of the Ottomans by Christian forces as they laid siege of the city. The shape of croissants was a tribute by the bakers as a reference to the crescents on the Ottoman flags, for these bakers staying up all night heard the tunneling operation and sounded the alarm.

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“”Croissant”: However you choose to pronounce it at home, it is perhaps worth nothing that outside the United States, the closer you can come to saying “kwass-ohn,” the sooner you can expect to be presented with one.” Bill Bryson

Croissants has their own family of cousins with the Italian cornetto or brioche, Spanish cuerno, the Turkish ay çöregi to list a few. Handmade or readily available in the grocery, croissants have made their mark. As the years progressed, their fillings grew more interesting leading to the birth of “croissan’wich”. As time goes on, so will the art of croissants be more diverse and varied.

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Chocolate to Cake

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“Part of life and part of the enjoyment of life is a croissant and a chocolate cake and eggs and milkshakes and oatmeal. There’s so many things, you have to learn to appreciate it all. When I don’t eat as much as I should, I’m not fun to be around; I’m fussy.” — Nina Dobrev

Almost like development of civilization, chocolate cake or chocolate gâteau made an entrance around late 1800s. Retrospectively that’s a long time considering that chocolate drink was there around the times of the Mayans and Aztecs. Chocolate cake lovers’ need to thank Coenraad van Houten (1828) for extraction of cacao butter and “rock cacao”. With Rodolphe Lindt (1879) developing “conching” for silky smooth chocolate; slowly the experimentation of chocolate began from fillings and glazes to the cake batter.

“Let’s face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me.” Audrey Hepburn

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Chocolate decadence took on full swing with molten chocolate cakes with liquid chocolate centers. Furthermore the cakes were infused chocolates with exotic flavors such as tea, red pepper, passion fruit and champagne were popular. Chocolate lounges and artisanal chocolate makers took on the show.

“I had a little epiphany when I was a writer at ‘Chicago’ magazine. I sat down to dinner at the Ritz-Carlton. Somebody poured a white dessert wine with chocolate cake. It was a wine I would never have expected to make sense. The idea of any wine tasting fabulous with chocolate cake was fascinating to me.”  Ted Allen

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There are many varieties and variants of chocolate cake especially chocolate layer cake, fudge cake, Joffre cake and Devil’s food cake to list a few. When one feels like celebrating or enjoying the feel of “breaded chocolate”, it triggers the memories and anticipation of delving into that piece of cake of chocolaty goodness. Besides it would be quite remiss for a chocolate lover to crush the taste buds on “National Chocolate Cake Day”. So here’s to that little splurge of calories but irresistible goodness.

“I like quinoa. I like gingerbread. I feel they should be kept separate. I’m not in favor of this thing of making kind of raw, vegan chocolate cake and saying it’s as good as chocolate cake. I mean, just eat cake and be done with it. And then have a separate meal of quinoa.” Bee Wilson

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