Parsley
Is very common in the Middle Eastern Europe and American cooking, people use the leafs in much the same way as coriander (which is known as Chinese parsley or cilantro). There are two forms of parsley curly or Italian or flat leaf. Curly parsley is usually used as a garnish. The flat leaf has a stronger flavor due to the high levels of essential oils. There is another type of parsley grown as a root vegetables, it is commonly used in Central or Eastern European cuisines where they use it in soups and stews it looks like a parsnips but does not tastes the same.
Cultivation
Parsley germination is very difficult, tales have been told that the lengeth of the germinations was slow because the seeds had to travel to hell and back several times before they could grow. Soaking the seeds in water over night will speed up the germination periods it us ususally 3-6 weeks. Parsley grows well in a deep pot, which helps accommodate the long taproot. Parsley grown indoors requires at least five hours of sunlight a day. Parsley is a key ingredent in West Asain salads such as tabbauleh. In Southern and Central Europe parsley is part of a bouquet garni (which a bundle of fresh herbs tied together) which is usually put in soups, stocks or sauces for flavor. It is also used a garnish.
Medical Uses
People also use parsley for medical uses. Chinese and German herbologish recemmond parsley tea to help control high blood pressure. Cherokee Indians use parsley as a tonic to help strengthen the bladder. When crushed and rubbed on the skin parsley can reduce itching in a mosquito bites. Parsley should not be used by pregnant women the oils in the parsley can lead to early preterm labor.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Oregano
Oregano
Oregano or Pot Marjoram is a native to Europe the Mediterranean region and southern and Central Asia. This is a perennial herb that grows about 20-80 cm tall with opposite leaves 1-4 cm long. The flowers are a purple color 3-4 mm long, they produce an erect spike.
Cultivation and Uses
Oregano is an important herb in Greek and Italian cuisine. It is the leaves that are used in cooking dried herbs are usually more flavorful than fresh. It is commonly used in Tomato sauces, fried vegetables and in grilled meats. Together with basil it makes up a lot of the Italian dishes. This herb combines nicely with all sorts of foods like picked olives, capers. Unlike other Italian herbs it can be combines with hot and spicy foods, which is very popular in Southern Italy.
It has an aromatic warm and slightly bitter taste. It also varies in intensity; good quality is so strong that it almost numbs the tongue, but Oregano that is cultivated in colder climates has an unsatisfactory flavor. A closely related plant is marjoram it differs in taste because phenolic compounds are missing in their essential oils, gold marjoram equals gold oregano. The most popular dish made with Oregano is pizza. According to the legend, the first pizza was made in 1889 when King Umberto and wife Margherita when they arrived in Naples. At this time, white bread flavoured with tomato paste was a popular food for the poor masses. honour the queen, a local baker devised a richer pie. In addition to the red tomato paste, white mozzarella cheese and green basil leaves were employed to reflect the colours of the Italian flag. This invention became known as pizza Margherita and spread all over Italy and now, over the rest of the world.
Health Benefits
Oregano is high in antioxidants due to the high contacts of phenolic acids and flavonoids. Oregano has demonstrated it has antimicrobial activity against food borne pathegons. In the Philippians oregano is not used for cooking but used as a primarily medicinal plant, it us used for relieving coughs in children.
Other Plants called Oregano
Mexican Oregano stems for the plant called Lippa gaveolens which is closely related to lemon verbena it is a highly studied herb some say it is used in medical uses and it is common used in Curandera (a folk healer or a shaman in Hispanic-American it is dedicated to curing physical and or spiritual healing). Mexican oregano has a very similar flavour, albeit stronger. It is increasingly traded, especially in the United States.
Oregano or Pot Marjoram is a native to Europe the Mediterranean region and southern and Central Asia. This is a perennial herb that grows about 20-80 cm tall with opposite leaves 1-4 cm long. The flowers are a purple color 3-4 mm long, they produce an erect spike.
Cultivation and Uses
Oregano is an important herb in Greek and Italian cuisine. It is the leaves that are used in cooking dried herbs are usually more flavorful than fresh. It is commonly used in Tomato sauces, fried vegetables and in grilled meats. Together with basil it makes up a lot of the Italian dishes. This herb combines nicely with all sorts of foods like picked olives, capers. Unlike other Italian herbs it can be combines with hot and spicy foods, which is very popular in Southern Italy.
It has an aromatic warm and slightly bitter taste. It also varies in intensity; good quality is so strong that it almost numbs the tongue, but Oregano that is cultivated in colder climates has an unsatisfactory flavor. A closely related plant is marjoram it differs in taste because phenolic compounds are missing in their essential oils, gold marjoram equals gold oregano. The most popular dish made with Oregano is pizza. According to the legend, the first pizza was made in 1889 when King Umberto and wife Margherita when they arrived in Naples. At this time, white bread flavoured with tomato paste was a popular food for the poor masses. honour the queen, a local baker devised a richer pie. In addition to the red tomato paste, white mozzarella cheese and green basil leaves were employed to reflect the colours of the Italian flag. This invention became known as pizza Margherita and spread all over Italy and now, over the rest of the world.
Health Benefits
Oregano is high in antioxidants due to the high contacts of phenolic acids and flavonoids. Oregano has demonstrated it has antimicrobial activity against food borne pathegons. In the Philippians oregano is not used for cooking but used as a primarily medicinal plant, it us used for relieving coughs in children.
Other Plants called Oregano
Mexican Oregano stems for the plant called Lippa gaveolens which is closely related to lemon verbena it is a highly studied herb some say it is used in medical uses and it is common used in Curandera (a folk healer or a shaman in Hispanic-American it is dedicated to curing physical and or spiritual healing). Mexican oregano has a very similar flavour, albeit stronger. It is increasingly traded, especially in the United States.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Basil
Basil
Basil is part of the (Ocimum basilicum) family also known as sweet basil. Basil is originally a native of India and other tropical regions of Asia; it has been cultivated for about 5000 years. It is featured in various cuisines such as Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Laotian. The plant tastes somewhat like anises, with a strong, pungent, sweet smell. Basil is very sensitive to the cold it grows best in hot dry conditions. While most common varieties are treated as annual and some perennial, including African Blue and Holy Thai Basil.
Culinary Uses
Basil is commonly recommended to be used fresh, and in cooked recipes it is added at the last moment, as cooking destroys the flavor quickly. Fresh herbs can be kept for a short time in stored in the refrigerator or in the freezer for a longer period after being blanched quickly in boiling water. Dried herb loses it flavor and what flavor it has tastes very different flavor almost like hay. Basil is one of the main ingredients in Pesto light green Italian oil and herb sauce from the city of Genoa its other ingredients are olive oil and pine nuts. Chinese cuisine used basil fresh or dried in soups and other foods. In Taiwan they use fresh basil in thick soups they also eat fried chicken and fried basil leaves. Mediterranean cuisine use basil with combining it with tomatoes. Basil is sometimes used in fresh fruit and jams in particular with strawberries, raspberries and plums. When several varieties of basil seeds are soaked in water they become gelatinous and are used in some Asian drinks and desserts such as sherbets.
Cultivation
Basil likes hot weather it will not survive if there is any chance of frost. It grows best in soft peat pots when starting out indoors then planted in the late spring early summer; it fairs best in a well drained sunny spot. If the basil leaves are wilting it is from a lack of water. It will recover once it is watered and places in a sunny spot. Yellow leaves near the bottom of the plant means it needs more sunny light and less fertilizer.
In sunnier climates in Southern Europe and the Southern United States it thrives outside in the summertime but it dies out in when the temperatures reach a freezing point, to go again next year let it go to seed. It will need regular watering but not as much attention as needed in other climates. If the plant goes to flower it will slow its leaf production, and the stems become woody and the essential oils production declines, to prevent this pinch off any flower stems before them fully mature.
Cultural aspects
There so many rituals and beliefs associated with basil. Jewish folklore suggests it adds strength while fasting. In France it called the herb royal. It is a symbol of love in Italy but quite the opposite in Greek it is the symbol of hatred. In African legend basil was used to protect against scorpions. In the Greek Orthodox Church basil is used to prepare the holy water. It is also said to be found around Christ’s tomb after his resurrection. In Europe they place basil in the hands of the dead for a safe journey and in India they place it the mouths of the dead to make sure that they reach God.
Basil is part of the (Ocimum basilicum) family also known as sweet basil. Basil is originally a native of India and other tropical regions of Asia; it has been cultivated for about 5000 years. It is featured in various cuisines such as Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Laotian. The plant tastes somewhat like anises, with a strong, pungent, sweet smell. Basil is very sensitive to the cold it grows best in hot dry conditions. While most common varieties are treated as annual and some perennial, including African Blue and Holy Thai Basil.
Culinary Uses
Basil is commonly recommended to be used fresh, and in cooked recipes it is added at the last moment, as cooking destroys the flavor quickly. Fresh herbs can be kept for a short time in stored in the refrigerator or in the freezer for a longer period after being blanched quickly in boiling water. Dried herb loses it flavor and what flavor it has tastes very different flavor almost like hay. Basil is one of the main ingredients in Pesto light green Italian oil and herb sauce from the city of Genoa its other ingredients are olive oil and pine nuts. Chinese cuisine used basil fresh or dried in soups and other foods. In Taiwan they use fresh basil in thick soups they also eat fried chicken and fried basil leaves. Mediterranean cuisine use basil with combining it with tomatoes. Basil is sometimes used in fresh fruit and jams in particular with strawberries, raspberries and plums. When several varieties of basil seeds are soaked in water they become gelatinous and are used in some Asian drinks and desserts such as sherbets.
Cultivation
Basil likes hot weather it will not survive if there is any chance of frost. It grows best in soft peat pots when starting out indoors then planted in the late spring early summer; it fairs best in a well drained sunny spot. If the basil leaves are wilting it is from a lack of water. It will recover once it is watered and places in a sunny spot. Yellow leaves near the bottom of the plant means it needs more sunny light and less fertilizer.
In sunnier climates in Southern Europe and the Southern United States it thrives outside in the summertime but it dies out in when the temperatures reach a freezing point, to go again next year let it go to seed. It will need regular watering but not as much attention as needed in other climates. If the plant goes to flower it will slow its leaf production, and the stems become woody and the essential oils production declines, to prevent this pinch off any flower stems before them fully mature.
Cultural aspects
There so many rituals and beliefs associated with basil. Jewish folklore suggests it adds strength while fasting. In France it called the herb royal. It is a symbol of love in Italy but quite the opposite in Greek it is the symbol of hatred. In African legend basil was used to protect against scorpions. In the Greek Orthodox Church basil is used to prepare the holy water. It is also said to be found around Christ’s tomb after his resurrection. In Europe they place basil in the hands of the dead for a safe journey and in India they place it the mouths of the dead to make sure that they reach God.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Blueberries
Blueberries
Blueberries are a flowering plant which flowers is a bell shaped, white, pink or red and sometimes green. They grow in shrubs that vary in size from 10cm to 4 m in height, the smaller species are called lowbush blueberries and the larger species are called highbush blueberries. The fruit is called a berry and is 5-66 mm in diameter with a flared crown at the end they start as a pale green color and then they turn a reddish-purple color and finally a dark purple when ripe. They have a sweet taste when mature; the blueberry season is from May to October peaking in July.
Although blueberries are native to North America but now they are grown in Australia, New Zealand, and South American countries and can be air shipped as fresh produce all around the world. The blueberry is one of the few human foods that are naturally colored blue.
In 2005 the blueberry was categorized as a functional food called superfruits having a favorable combination of nutrient richness, antioxidant strength and versatility for manufacturing novel consumer products.
Cultivation
Blueberries are either cultivated or wild. The wild blueberries are smaller and much more expensive then the cultivated ones. They are also prized for their intense flavor and color. Low bush species are fire-tolerant and blueberry production often increases following a forest fire as the plants regenerate rapidly and benefit from removal of competing vegetation.
The Starkleberry is a common wild species on sandy soil in the Southeastern US, its fruit is important to the wildlife and the flowers are important to the beekeepers.
Growing Areas
Maine produces about 25% of all of the blueberries for North America making it the largest producer in the world. Maine’s 60, 000 acres were spread from native plants that occur naturally in the under storey of its coastal forest. The Maine crop requires about 50,000 beehives to pollinate the crops with most of the beehives being trucked in from other states. Quebec and Nova Scotia are also major producers of wild blueberries. The town of Oxford in Nova Scotia is known as the Wild Blueberry capital of Canada.
Blueberries were first introduced to Australia in the 1950s, but the effort was unsuccessful. "In the early 1970's David Jones from the Victorian Department of Agriculture imported seed from the U.S. and a selection trial was started. This work was continued by Ridley Bell" who imported more American varieties. In the mid-1970s the Australian Blueberry Growers Association (ABGA) was formed.
Blueberries especially the wild ones contain antioxidant pigments and other phytochemicals (promotes the function of the immune system) which may have a role in reducing some cancer. In 2004 the International Conference of Longvity has reported that eating blueberries and cranberries may have alleviated the cognitive decline in Alzehimer’s and other conditions of aging. Also feeding blueberries to animals lower stroke damage. The also have been known in helping prevent uninary tract infections
140 grams of fresh blueberries contain about 3g of fiber and also they are high in manganses and well as vitamin K.
Blueberries are a flowering plant which flowers is a bell shaped, white, pink or red and sometimes green. They grow in shrubs that vary in size from 10cm to 4 m in height, the smaller species are called lowbush blueberries and the larger species are called highbush blueberries. The fruit is called a berry and is 5-66 mm in diameter with a flared crown at the end they start as a pale green color and then they turn a reddish-purple color and finally a dark purple when ripe. They have a sweet taste when mature; the blueberry season is from May to October peaking in July.
Although blueberries are native to North America but now they are grown in Australia, New Zealand, and South American countries and can be air shipped as fresh produce all around the world. The blueberry is one of the few human foods that are naturally colored blue.
In 2005 the blueberry was categorized as a functional food called superfruits having a favorable combination of nutrient richness, antioxidant strength and versatility for manufacturing novel consumer products.
Cultivation
Blueberries are either cultivated or wild. The wild blueberries are smaller and much more expensive then the cultivated ones. They are also prized for their intense flavor and color. Low bush species are fire-tolerant and blueberry production often increases following a forest fire as the plants regenerate rapidly and benefit from removal of competing vegetation.
The Starkleberry is a common wild species on sandy soil in the Southeastern US, its fruit is important to the wildlife and the flowers are important to the beekeepers.
Growing Areas
Maine produces about 25% of all of the blueberries for North America making it the largest producer in the world. Maine’s 60, 000 acres were spread from native plants that occur naturally in the under storey of its coastal forest. The Maine crop requires about 50,000 beehives to pollinate the crops with most of the beehives being trucked in from other states. Quebec and Nova Scotia are also major producers of wild blueberries. The town of Oxford in Nova Scotia is known as the Wild Blueberry capital of Canada.
Blueberries were first introduced to Australia in the 1950s, but the effort was unsuccessful. "In the early 1970's David Jones from the Victorian Department of Agriculture imported seed from the U.S. and a selection trial was started. This work was continued by Ridley Bell" who imported more American varieties. In the mid-1970s the Australian Blueberry Growers Association (ABGA) was formed.
Blueberries especially the wild ones contain antioxidant pigments and other phytochemicals (promotes the function of the immune system) which may have a role in reducing some cancer. In 2004 the International Conference of Longvity has reported that eating blueberries and cranberries may have alleviated the cognitive decline in Alzehimer’s and other conditions of aging. Also feeding blueberries to animals lower stroke damage. The also have been known in helping prevent uninary tract infections
140 grams of fresh blueberries contain about 3g of fiber and also they are high in manganses and well as vitamin K.
Friday, May 25, 2007
How to Grow Strawberries
The Strawberry
There are more than 20 named species and many hybrids of strawberries. The most common strawberry is the Garden Strawberry. The Garden Strawberry (Fragaria x Ananassa) originated in Europe in the early 18th century.
Fragaria comes from “fragans” meaning odorous referring to the perfumed flesh of the fruit. Madam Tallien a great figure in the French Revolution, used to take baths full of strawberries to keep her skin radiant. Many people in the 18th century thought that their long lives were due to eating of strawberries while in Argentina they were considered poisonous until the late 18th century.
Strawberries come in different sizes, shape, color, flavor, degree in fertility, seasoning of ripening, they also vary in foliage and some vary materially in the relative development of their sexual organs. In most cases the flowers appear hermaphroditic in structure, but function as either male or female. One cup of Strawberries is about 45 calories and an excellent source of vitamin C and Flavonoids (antioxidant activity).
Cultivation
Cultivation follows one or two models, annual plasticulture or a perennial systems or matted rows or mounds. Also a small amount of strawberries are produced in greenhouses during their off season.
Plasticulture is used by commercial production in this method raised beds are formed each year and then covered with plastic, which prevents the growth of weeds and erosion. Under the plastic is an irrigation tube. Then holes are punched in the plastic and then the strawberries are planted in the holes. The runners are then removed from the plants as they appear to encourage the plants to put most of their energy into fruit development. As the end of the season, the plastic is removed and the plants are plowed into the ground. Strawberry plants older than 2 years old will begin to decline in productivity and fruit quality, this system of replacing plants each year allows for improved yield and more dense plants. This is not a good practice for everyone because it is costly to form and cover all of the mounds again and purchase all new plants.
The other method is to maintain the plants year after year. The runners are kept on the plants so they can root to adjoin the plants together. The do best in strong loam (soil composed of sand, silt and clay) and it should be kept very moist. The ground should be trenched 50-100 cm deep and supplied with a lot of manure a good portion should lay just below the roots, 25-30-cm from the surface. The plants should be planted 50-60 cm apart. The plantation should be renewed every second or third year or less frequent if the runners are cut off, and the old leaves are cut off after gathering the fruit. A top layer of loam should be added to the spring when they are being to grow, but they should not be disturbed either at the root layer or at the top layer during the summer time. The fruit should not be picked until it is very ripe and dry usually it is in June or early summer.
Pollination
Most cultivars are somewhat self fertile, but bees have been shown to help with the pollination. Most commercial growers will put bee hives around their fields to increase the pollination.
Forcing
Once the strawberries are firmly rooted they are removed and transferred into well drained pots or strong enriched loam. They should be set in an open airy place, if there is going to be frost they should be covered with dry litter. The two main points of forcing strawberries you need to use stocky plants, leaves of which have grown sturdy from being exposed to light and grow them slowly until the fruit has set. The plants should be removed from the house as soon as the crop is gathered. The forced plants properly hardened make first-rate outdoor plantations, and if put out early in summer, in good ground, will often produce a useful autumnal crop.
There are more than 20 named species and many hybrids of strawberries. The most common strawberry is the Garden Strawberry. The Garden Strawberry (Fragaria x Ananassa) originated in Europe in the early 18th century.
Fragaria comes from “fragans” meaning odorous referring to the perfumed flesh of the fruit. Madam Tallien a great figure in the French Revolution, used to take baths full of strawberries to keep her skin radiant. Many people in the 18th century thought that their long lives were due to eating of strawberries while in Argentina they were considered poisonous until the late 18th century.
Strawberries come in different sizes, shape, color, flavor, degree in fertility, seasoning of ripening, they also vary in foliage and some vary materially in the relative development of their sexual organs. In most cases the flowers appear hermaphroditic in structure, but function as either male or female. One cup of Strawberries is about 45 calories and an excellent source of vitamin C and Flavonoids (antioxidant activity).
Cultivation
Cultivation follows one or two models, annual plasticulture or a perennial systems or matted rows or mounds. Also a small amount of strawberries are produced in greenhouses during their off season.
Plasticulture is used by commercial production in this method raised beds are formed each year and then covered with plastic, which prevents the growth of weeds and erosion. Under the plastic is an irrigation tube. Then holes are punched in the plastic and then the strawberries are planted in the holes. The runners are then removed from the plants as they appear to encourage the plants to put most of their energy into fruit development. As the end of the season, the plastic is removed and the plants are plowed into the ground. Strawberry plants older than 2 years old will begin to decline in productivity and fruit quality, this system of replacing plants each year allows for improved yield and more dense plants. This is not a good practice for everyone because it is costly to form and cover all of the mounds again and purchase all new plants.
The other method is to maintain the plants year after year. The runners are kept on the plants so they can root to adjoin the plants together. The do best in strong loam (soil composed of sand, silt and clay) and it should be kept very moist. The ground should be trenched 50-100 cm deep and supplied with a lot of manure a good portion should lay just below the roots, 25-30-cm from the surface. The plants should be planted 50-60 cm apart. The plantation should be renewed every second or third year or less frequent if the runners are cut off, and the old leaves are cut off after gathering the fruit. A top layer of loam should be added to the spring when they are being to grow, but they should not be disturbed either at the root layer or at the top layer during the summer time. The fruit should not be picked until it is very ripe and dry usually it is in June or early summer.
Pollination
Most cultivars are somewhat self fertile, but bees have been shown to help with the pollination. Most commercial growers will put bee hives around their fields to increase the pollination.
Forcing
Once the strawberries are firmly rooted they are removed and transferred into well drained pots or strong enriched loam. They should be set in an open airy place, if there is going to be frost they should be covered with dry litter. The two main points of forcing strawberries you need to use stocky plants, leaves of which have grown sturdy from being exposed to light and grow them slowly until the fruit has set. The plants should be removed from the house as soon as the crop is gathered. The forced plants properly hardened make first-rate outdoor plantations, and if put out early in summer, in good ground, will often produce a useful autumnal crop.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
All About Pasta
Pasta
Pasta is typically made from flour water and or eggs; it is kneaded and made into various shapes. Pasta can either be found fresh or dried. If it is dry pasta it is made with Semolina instead of flour and are rolled between copper rollers and cooked al dente (with a slight bite). Pasta can also be made from other grains such as buckwheat flour which Pizzoccheri is made from and milled potatoes which gnocchi are made from.
When pasta is made it is forced through holes in a plate known as a die or by lamination where the dough is kneaded, folded, rolled to a certain thickness, then cut by slitters. Fresh pasta cooks quicker then dry, but spoils a lot quicker due to the high water contain. Dried pasta has a shelf life of about 3 years. Pasta can also be found either refrigerated or frozen, which has a shelf life of 7 weeks.
History of Pasta
Some people think that the spread of Pasta into Europe started with the Arabs. This theory is based on the belief that nomadic people needed to prove themselves with a supply of preserved foods. It is based on the assumption that the nomads either lived near cereal farmers or they were millers themselves either by milling by little hand mills or with a larger mills. The Greeks and Romans were known as farmers or wheat and refined consumers of this product. It is said that leavened bread over all other cereal based dishes remained solely in the conception of the Western societies. By this reasoning it is said that gruels and mushes represented the first stage of cereal based diets. The origin of pasta is a subject of many myths. Some scholars don’t believe the legend of Marco Polo’s importation of pasta from China. Before his return in 1296 the Mediterranean basin was for trade in obra de pasta as pasta products were at the time known in Cagliari, Sardinia. That indicates that pasta was a part of certain Mediterranean people. Other believes that a peasant woman Libista was the inventor of the ravioli. Similarly lasagna has been created by Meluzza Comasca who was given a celebrity’s funeral after her death.
The words macharoni and vermicelli are attested in Italy as early as the thirteen and fourteenth century, it took culinary text until the fifteenth century to confirm the existence of these two shapes. By the fourteenth century, the Italian people developed forks for eating pasta, indicated the popular consumption of pasta.
Accompaniments
The common pasta sauces of Northern Italy are Pesto (basil, olive oil, garlic and grated cheese) and ragu alla Bolognese (a meat sauce). In Central Italy it is a simple tomato sauce and amatrician and carbonara. In Southern Italy it is a spicy tomato, garlic and olive oil based sauces it is often paired with fresh vegetables or seafood. In the United States the most popular dished are Fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti with tomato sauce with or without meatballs or just plain butter and cheese.
Pasta Varieties
There are many different shapes and sizes, it comes in simple string shapes called spaghetti and vermicelli. Long ribbon shaped called fettuccine and linguine. Short tube pasta like elbow and penne, long sheet like lasagna and stuffed with fillings like ravioli, manicotti and tortellini.
Pasta is typically made from flour water and or eggs; it is kneaded and made into various shapes. Pasta can either be found fresh or dried. If it is dry pasta it is made with Semolina instead of flour and are rolled between copper rollers and cooked al dente (with a slight bite). Pasta can also be made from other grains such as buckwheat flour which Pizzoccheri is made from and milled potatoes which gnocchi are made from.
When pasta is made it is forced through holes in a plate known as a die or by lamination where the dough is kneaded, folded, rolled to a certain thickness, then cut by slitters. Fresh pasta cooks quicker then dry, but spoils a lot quicker due to the high water contain. Dried pasta has a shelf life of about 3 years. Pasta can also be found either refrigerated or frozen, which has a shelf life of 7 weeks.
History of Pasta
Some people think that the spread of Pasta into Europe started with the Arabs. This theory is based on the belief that nomadic people needed to prove themselves with a supply of preserved foods. It is based on the assumption that the nomads either lived near cereal farmers or they were millers themselves either by milling by little hand mills or with a larger mills. The Greeks and Romans were known as farmers or wheat and refined consumers of this product. It is said that leavened bread over all other cereal based dishes remained solely in the conception of the Western societies. By this reasoning it is said that gruels and mushes represented the first stage of cereal based diets. The origin of pasta is a subject of many myths. Some scholars don’t believe the legend of Marco Polo’s importation of pasta from China. Before his return in 1296 the Mediterranean basin was for trade in obra de pasta as pasta products were at the time known in Cagliari, Sardinia. That indicates that pasta was a part of certain Mediterranean people. Other believes that a peasant woman Libista was the inventor of the ravioli. Similarly lasagna has been created by Meluzza Comasca who was given a celebrity’s funeral after her death.
The words macharoni and vermicelli are attested in Italy as early as the thirteen and fourteenth century, it took culinary text until the fifteenth century to confirm the existence of these two shapes. By the fourteenth century, the Italian people developed forks for eating pasta, indicated the popular consumption of pasta.
Accompaniments
The common pasta sauces of Northern Italy are Pesto (basil, olive oil, garlic and grated cheese) and ragu alla Bolognese (a meat sauce). In Central Italy it is a simple tomato sauce and amatrician and carbonara. In Southern Italy it is a spicy tomato, garlic and olive oil based sauces it is often paired with fresh vegetables or seafood. In the United States the most popular dished are Fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti with tomato sauce with or without meatballs or just plain butter and cheese.
Pasta Varieties
There are many different shapes and sizes, it comes in simple string shapes called spaghetti and vermicelli. Long ribbon shaped called fettuccine and linguine. Short tube pasta like elbow and penne, long sheet like lasagna and stuffed with fillings like ravioli, manicotti and tortellini.
Friday, May 4, 2007
All About Pizza
An Overview of Pizza
Pizza is usually a round piece of bread covered in tomato sauce and cheese and other optional toppings. It originated as a part of Neapolitan cuisine, and now is extremely popular all over the world. The crust is usually plain but sometimes it is seasoned with butter, garlic or herbs even stuffed with cheese.
The world’s first true pizzeria was Antica Pizzeria Port Alba opened in Naples in 1830 and still serves pizza from the same pizzeria today. Marinara is the oldest type of pizza which has tomato, oregano, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and basil for toppings. It was named Marinara because it was the food that fisherman ate when they returned home from their fishing trips in the Bay of Naples.
The Margherita pizza introduced cheese to pizza. Raffaele Esposito baked three different pizza’s in 1889 for his visit to King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy. The Queen’s favorite pizza had the toppings of basil leaves, mozzarella and tomatoes which are the same colors that make up the Italian flag. In her honor they named the pizza the Margherita pizza.
The first official pizzeria in the United States is said to be in Little Italy, Manhattan New York, founded by Gennero Lombardi. He opened a grocery store in 1897 which later became the first pizzeria which was established in 1905 with a New York’s issuance of mercantile license. An employee of his began making pizza to sell at the store. The price for an entire was pizza was five cents, but many people could not afford to buy entire pizza, but they could say how much they could afford that is how sliced became available.
Pizza Types
The United States has developed a large number of regional forms of pizza many resembling the Italian original.
There are many different kinds of crust thin as in hand-tossed or thick as in a pizza pan or a very thick as in Chicago style pizza.
-Chicago style pizza contains a crust that is formed in a deep dish pan and the toppings are reversed they start with the cheese then the filling then the sauce.
-New York style pizza it is usually sold in thin oversized flexible slices. It is a hand tossed pizza with tomato sauce and cheese.
-California style pizza is called the gourmet pizza because of its non traditional toppings, chicken with peanut sauce, bean sprouts, and carrots.
-Hawaiian style pizza has ham and pineapples for a topping
-Grilled pizza this kind of pizza was invented in Providence Rhode Island, it is a thin crust that is cooked on a grill the toppings are place on the baked side after it has been flipped.
-Greek Pizza has a thick chewing crust and is baked in a pan. With olive oil is the common part of the toppings including feta cheese, olives and oregano.
Pizza Styles
Neapolitan Pizza dough consists of Italian wheat flour and Neapolitan yeast of brewer’s yeast, salt, water. Then the dough is kneaded by hand or by a mixer then the dough needs to rise. This type of dough is formed by hand not by rolling with a rolling pin. Then it is placed in a 485 degree stone oven with oak wood fire for 60-90 seconds. When cooked it should be soft and fragrant. The Neapolitan pizza has gained the status of “guaranteed traditional specialty” in Italy. There are three official variants:
-Pizza Marinara which consist of tomato, garlic oregano and oil
-Pizza Margherita: tomato, sliced mozzarella, basil and oil
-Pizza Margherita Extra: tomato, buffalo mozzarella, basil and oil.
Lazio (Rome) this pizza is cooked in a long rectangular baking pan, this dough is similar of an English muffin and cooked in an electric oven. When purchased it is both cut by scissors or a knife and priced by weight.
Pizza Romana (in Naples) has tomato, mozzarella anchovies, oregano and oil.
Sicilian style pizza has the toppings baked right into the crust. An authentic recipe does not use cheese or anchovies. In the United States has different varieties of this pizza it is made with a thick rectangular crust topped with tomato sauce and cheese.
Pizza is usually a round piece of bread covered in tomato sauce and cheese and other optional toppings. It originated as a part of Neapolitan cuisine, and now is extremely popular all over the world. The crust is usually plain but sometimes it is seasoned with butter, garlic or herbs even stuffed with cheese.
The world’s first true pizzeria was Antica Pizzeria Port Alba opened in Naples in 1830 and still serves pizza from the same pizzeria today. Marinara is the oldest type of pizza which has tomato, oregano, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and basil for toppings. It was named Marinara because it was the food that fisherman ate when they returned home from their fishing trips in the Bay of Naples.
The Margherita pizza introduced cheese to pizza. Raffaele Esposito baked three different pizza’s in 1889 for his visit to King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy. The Queen’s favorite pizza had the toppings of basil leaves, mozzarella and tomatoes which are the same colors that make up the Italian flag. In her honor they named the pizza the Margherita pizza.
The first official pizzeria in the United States is said to be in Little Italy, Manhattan New York, founded by Gennero Lombardi. He opened a grocery store in 1897 which later became the first pizzeria which was established in 1905 with a New York’s issuance of mercantile license. An employee of his began making pizza to sell at the store. The price for an entire was pizza was five cents, but many people could not afford to buy entire pizza, but they could say how much they could afford that is how sliced became available.
Pizza Types
The United States has developed a large number of regional forms of pizza many resembling the Italian original.
There are many different kinds of crust thin as in hand-tossed or thick as in a pizza pan or a very thick as in Chicago style pizza.
-Chicago style pizza contains a crust that is formed in a deep dish pan and the toppings are reversed they start with the cheese then the filling then the sauce.
-New York style pizza it is usually sold in thin oversized flexible slices. It is a hand tossed pizza with tomato sauce and cheese.
-California style pizza is called the gourmet pizza because of its non traditional toppings, chicken with peanut sauce, bean sprouts, and carrots.
-Hawaiian style pizza has ham and pineapples for a topping
-Grilled pizza this kind of pizza was invented in Providence Rhode Island, it is a thin crust that is cooked on a grill the toppings are place on the baked side after it has been flipped.
-Greek Pizza has a thick chewing crust and is baked in a pan. With olive oil is the common part of the toppings including feta cheese, olives and oregano.
Pizza Styles
Neapolitan Pizza dough consists of Italian wheat flour and Neapolitan yeast of brewer’s yeast, salt, water. Then the dough is kneaded by hand or by a mixer then the dough needs to rise. This type of dough is formed by hand not by rolling with a rolling pin. Then it is placed in a 485 degree stone oven with oak wood fire for 60-90 seconds. When cooked it should be soft and fragrant. The Neapolitan pizza has gained the status of “guaranteed traditional specialty” in Italy. There are three official variants:
-Pizza Marinara which consist of tomato, garlic oregano and oil
-Pizza Margherita: tomato, sliced mozzarella, basil and oil
-Pizza Margherita Extra: tomato, buffalo mozzarella, basil and oil.
Lazio (Rome) this pizza is cooked in a long rectangular baking pan, this dough is similar of an English muffin and cooked in an electric oven. When purchased it is both cut by scissors or a knife and priced by weight.
Pizza Romana (in Naples) has tomato, mozzarella anchovies, oregano and oil.
Sicilian style pizza has the toppings baked right into the crust. An authentic recipe does not use cheese or anchovies. In the United States has different varieties of this pizza it is made with a thick rectangular crust topped with tomato sauce and cheese.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
The History, Overview, and Types of Bread
Bread Overview
Bread is the staple food for the Middle East, Indian Cultures and Europe, which is usually prepared by baking, steaming or frying the dough. Bread is made up of flour, water and salt, usually there is a leavening agent such as yeast. Some bread contains sugar, spices, fruit (such as raisins, pumpkin or bananas), vegetables (like onions or zucchini) nuts and seeds. Most bread is either wrapped in paper or plastics, or stored in an airtight container such as a breadbox to keep fresh longer. If bread is kept in a warm moist environment it is prone to grow mold although keeping it in the refrigerator makes the bread go stale quicker but does not grow mold.
History
Bread is the one of the oldest prepared foods, dating back to the Neolithic era. The first bread produced were probably cooked versions of grain-paste, made from ground cereal grains and water and developed by accident. The development of leavened bread can probably be traced back to prehistoric times. Yeast spores occur everywhere, including on the surface of cereal grains, so any dough that is left to rest will become naturally leavened. Parts of the ancient world that would drink wine instead of beer would use a paste composed of grape juice and flour that was allowed to begin fermenting or wheat bran steeped in wine, as a source of yeast. The most common source of leavening was to retain a piece of dough from the previous day to utilize as a form of sourdough starter.
Even within antiquity there was a wide variety of breads available like griddle cakes, honey and oil breads, mushroom shaped loaves covered in poppy seeds, and the military specialty of rolls bakes on a spit. Breads that were made of wheat compared to the ones made of barley are more nourishing, and more digestible and in every way more superior.
Otto Rohwedder is considered to the father of sliced bread. In 1912 he started to work on inventing a machine that would slice bread but the bakeries were reluctant to use it since they thought that sliced bread would go stale quicker. In 1928 he invented a machine that both sliced and wrapped the bread.
In 1961, The Chorleywood Bread Process developed which used the intense mechanical working or dough to dramatically reduce the fermentation period and time taken to produce a loaf or bread. This process is now widely used around the world.
Composition and Chemistry
The amount of water and flour are the most significant measurements in bread making. Professional bakers use a system of percentages known as Bakers’ Percentage, and measure ingredients by weight instead of volume. Flour is always 100% and the rest of the ingredients are a percent of the mount by weight. The US Common table bread is approximately 50% water, resulting in a finely textured, lighter bread. Most artisan bread formulas contain anywhere from 60-75% water. In yeast breads the higher the water percentage results in more CO2 bubbles and a courser bread.
Wheat flour is the most commonly used in making bread. Wheat flour contains three water soluble proteins grouns, albumin, globulin and preteoses and two non-water proteins. When the flour is mixed with water the water soluble proteins dissolve, leaving the glutenin and gliadin to from the structure of the dough. When kneading the glutenins forms strands of ling thin chainlike molecules while shorter glidins forms bridges between the stands of glutenin. The resulting network of strands produced by these two proteins is called gluten.
You need some type of liquid to add to the flour to make a paste. Commonly used is water but you can also use dairy products, fruit juices or beer.
By adding gas to the dough is called leavening which makes the bread lighter and more easily chewed after baking. There are chemical leavening agents like buttermilk or baking soda or baker’s yeast.
Types of Bread
There are many types of the basic recipe of bread including pizza, chapaties, tortillas, baguettes, bruiche, pitas, lavash, biscuits, pretzels naan, bagels, puris and many many more.
-In Spain bread is called pan. There is a region in Spain called “Tierra del Pan” (land of the bread).
-In Britian and the US the mostly consumed type of bread is soft textured with a thin crust and sold already sliced.
-South Asia flat breads are commonly used. They use mustard flour instead of white flour. It is usually baked in a brick oven, rarely prepared at home.
-Morocco and West North Africa round bread which is about four inches tall is usually eating with Mediterranean’s watery cuisines. They also have a thick chewy fried bread which is smothered in oil before fried.
-Italy has Focaccia which is usually seasoned with herbs and olive oil and topped with cheese.
Germany and Chile are the two biggest consumers per capita of bread.
Bread is the staple food for the Middle East, Indian Cultures and Europe, which is usually prepared by baking, steaming or frying the dough. Bread is made up of flour, water and salt, usually there is a leavening agent such as yeast. Some bread contains sugar, spices, fruit (such as raisins, pumpkin or bananas), vegetables (like onions or zucchini) nuts and seeds. Most bread is either wrapped in paper or plastics, or stored in an airtight container such as a breadbox to keep fresh longer. If bread is kept in a warm moist environment it is prone to grow mold although keeping it in the refrigerator makes the bread go stale quicker but does not grow mold.
History
Bread is the one of the oldest prepared foods, dating back to the Neolithic era. The first bread produced were probably cooked versions of grain-paste, made from ground cereal grains and water and developed by accident. The development of leavened bread can probably be traced back to prehistoric times. Yeast spores occur everywhere, including on the surface of cereal grains, so any dough that is left to rest will become naturally leavened. Parts of the ancient world that would drink wine instead of beer would use a paste composed of grape juice and flour that was allowed to begin fermenting or wheat bran steeped in wine, as a source of yeast. The most common source of leavening was to retain a piece of dough from the previous day to utilize as a form of sourdough starter.
Even within antiquity there was a wide variety of breads available like griddle cakes, honey and oil breads, mushroom shaped loaves covered in poppy seeds, and the military specialty of rolls bakes on a spit. Breads that were made of wheat compared to the ones made of barley are more nourishing, and more digestible and in every way more superior.
Otto Rohwedder is considered to the father of sliced bread. In 1912 he started to work on inventing a machine that would slice bread but the bakeries were reluctant to use it since they thought that sliced bread would go stale quicker. In 1928 he invented a machine that both sliced and wrapped the bread.
In 1961, The Chorleywood Bread Process developed which used the intense mechanical working or dough to dramatically reduce the fermentation period and time taken to produce a loaf or bread. This process is now widely used around the world.
Composition and Chemistry
The amount of water and flour are the most significant measurements in bread making. Professional bakers use a system of percentages known as Bakers’ Percentage, and measure ingredients by weight instead of volume. Flour is always 100% and the rest of the ingredients are a percent of the mount by weight. The US Common table bread is approximately 50% water, resulting in a finely textured, lighter bread. Most artisan bread formulas contain anywhere from 60-75% water. In yeast breads the higher the water percentage results in more CO2 bubbles and a courser bread.
Wheat flour is the most commonly used in making bread. Wheat flour contains three water soluble proteins grouns, albumin, globulin and preteoses and two non-water proteins. When the flour is mixed with water the water soluble proteins dissolve, leaving the glutenin and gliadin to from the structure of the dough. When kneading the glutenins forms strands of ling thin chainlike molecules while shorter glidins forms bridges between the stands of glutenin. The resulting network of strands produced by these two proteins is called gluten.
You need some type of liquid to add to the flour to make a paste. Commonly used is water but you can also use dairy products, fruit juices or beer.
By adding gas to the dough is called leavening which makes the bread lighter and more easily chewed after baking. There are chemical leavening agents like buttermilk or baking soda or baker’s yeast.
Types of Bread
There are many types of the basic recipe of bread including pizza, chapaties, tortillas, baguettes, bruiche, pitas, lavash, biscuits, pretzels naan, bagels, puris and many many more.
-In Spain bread is called pan. There is a region in Spain called “Tierra del Pan” (land of the bread).
-In Britian and the US the mostly consumed type of bread is soft textured with a thin crust and sold already sliced.
-South Asia flat breads are commonly used. They use mustard flour instead of white flour. It is usually baked in a brick oven, rarely prepared at home.
-Morocco and West North Africa round bread which is about four inches tall is usually eating with Mediterranean’s watery cuisines. They also have a thick chewy fried bread which is smothered in oil before fried.
-Italy has Focaccia which is usually seasoned with herbs and olive oil and topped with cheese.
Germany and Chile are the two biggest consumers per capita of bread.
Monday, April 16, 2007
An Overview, History, and Types of Cheese
Overview of Cheese
Cheese by definition is a solid food made from the milk of mammals such as cows, sheep and goats. Cheese is made by curdling milk using a combination of acidification and rennet, an enzyme mixture obtained from the stomach lining of young cattle. Rennet can also be produce synthetically in the laboratory.
There are literally hundreds of types of cheese produces in various areas of the globe. The different styles and flavors of cheese result from a number of factors including:
Using the milk from various mammals
Butterfat contents
Using various species of mold or bacteria
The length of the aging process and processing treatments
Animal diet
The addition of herbs, spices, wood smoke and other flavoring agents
The use of pasteurized verses un-pasteurized milk
The yellow to red coloring of some cheeses results from the addition of annatto, a red or yellowish-red dyeing material prepared from the pulp surrounding the seeds of the Bixa orellana tree found in tropical regions of America.
Most cheeses are acidified by bacteria, which turn milk sugars into lactic acid, following the addition of rennet to complete the curdling.
History of Cheese
The origins of cheese predate recorded history as there is no conclusive evidence indicating where cheese making originated. The practice of cheese making had spread within Europe prior to Roman times and had become a sophisticated enterprise by the time the Roman Empire came into being.
Cheese is a good travel food and helped mitigate the risk of famine. It is a valuable staple due to its high content of fat, protein, calcium, and phosphorous. It is also easily portable and has a long shelf life.
Although the exact origins of cheese making are unknown, credit for the discovery most likely goes to nomadic Turkic tribes in Central Asia or to people in the Middle East. Folklore about the discovery of cheese tells of an Arab nomad carrying milk across the dessert in a container fashioned from the stomach of an animal. Upon reaching his destination he discovered that the mild had separated into curd and whey by the rennet from the animal’s stomach.
The earliest archeological evidence of cheese making has been found in Egyptian tomb murals the date back to approximately 2300 BC. The earliest of cheeses would have had a similar texture to cottage cheese or feta and have been sour and salty.
Types of Cheese
Cheese cannot be placed into exact categories however some common systems that are used are as follows:
Length of aging
Texture (hard or soft)
Methods of making
Fat content
Type of milk used
Fresh Cheese
The simplest of cheeses are made with little processing other than curdling and draining the milk. Examples of these cheeses include cottage cheese, Romanian Cas, Neufchatel and goat’s milk chevre. These cheeses are mild in taste, soft, and are easily spread.
Whey cheeses are made from the discarded whey that results from the processing. These cheeses include Provencal Brousse, Corsican Brocciu, Italian Ricotta, Romanian Urda and Norweigian Geitost.
Mozzarella is a fresh cheese that is made by stretching and kneading the curds in hot water to form a ball
Fresh cheeses without additional preservatives can spoil in a matter of days.
Texture Categories of Cheese
The firmness of cheese results from the moisture content. The lower the moisture content the harder the cheese. Categories of cheese texture fall into soft, semi-soft, semi-hard, and hard although the delineation is an inexact science. Hard cheeses are generally packed into molds under more pressure and are aged for a longer period of time.
Cheddar is an example of a semi-hard to hard cheese whose curd is cut, heated, piled, and stirred before being pressed into forms. Colby and Monterey Jack are similar but milder cheeses whose curd is rinsed before being pressed into forms. The rinsing process washes away some acidity and calcium. The process for making cheeses such as Edam and Gouda include a similar curd washing technique.
Swiss-style cheeses like Emmental and Gruyere are usually firm and are made with bacteria. The bacteria give Emmental its holes and contribute to the aromatic and sharp flavor. The hardest cheeses such as Parmesan, Pecorino, and Romano are packed firmly into forms and aged for months to years.
Nutritional Benefits and Health Risk of Cheese
Cheese supplies large amounts of calcium, protein, and phosphorous. An ounce of cheddar cheese contains approximately seven grams of protein and 200 milligrams of calcium. While cheese is virtually concentrated milk it would take approximately seven ounces of milk to provide 200 milligrams of protein.
There are nutritional disadvantages to cheese similar to those of milk. Cheese is America’s number one source of saturated fat. A diet consisting of foods high in saturated fats, such as cheese, may lead to an increased risk of heart disease. However, levels of heart disease in France and Greece, the leading two cheese consumption countries, are relatively lower than other countries. This may be explained by the French Paradox where levels of the consumption of red wine is higher than average.
The consumption of raw-milk cheeses can cause listeriosis, brucellosis, salmonellosis, and tuberculosis. The US enacted a law in 1944 stating that all raw-milk cheeses must be aged at least 60 days. Some argue that concerns are unwarranted as the consumption of raw-milk cheeses remains legal in Europe and most cheese related illnesses were traced to pasteurized cheeses.
Pregnant women are warned against eating soft-ripened cheeses and blue veined cheeses due to the listeria risk to the unborn baby.
Some studies have indicated that the consumption of cheeses including Cheddar, Mozzarella, Swiss, and American may help prevent tooth decay. Evidence supporting the claim includes the following:
The calcium, protein, and phosphorous may protect tooth enamel
Increased saliva flow washes away acids and sugars
Cheese may have antibacterial properties for the mouth
Some people react negatively to the amines found in cheese, more specifically histamine and tyramine. Certain aged cheeses contain high concentrations of amines which can trigger headaches, rashes, and blood pressure elevation.
An additional concern for a diet consisting of high concentrations of cheese and other dairy products is obesity. Studies indicate that rates of obesity are higher in those whose dairy intake is higher than those whose diet consists of vegetable based fats.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
The Positive Effects and Health Benefits of Caffeine
The Positive Effects and Health Benefits of Caffeine
Caffeine is the world’s most frequently used drug with some 80 percent of Americans regularly consuming it primarily in the form of coffee. People had previously attempted to link caffeine to a myriad of health ills but in fact it may provide benefits. Scientific studies over the last ten years have shown caffeine’s benefits can range from increased energy, mood improvement and reduced risk of some life threatening diseases.
Alertness and Mood
Scientists believe that blocks the action of a brain chemical that is known to cause tiredness called adenosine. Following consumption, caffeine quickly travels to the brain where it offsets adenosine’s depressant effects. Caffeine’s effect is greatest when one is tired. Researchers examined caffeine’s effects on a number of sleep-deprived men and found that small, frequent doses taken once an hour improved performance on cognitive tests when compared with a placebo. Caffeine’s stimulating effects can last anywhere between 4 and 6 hours.
Enhanced Athletic Performance
Caffeine has shown to improve endurance in such athletic areas as jogging, cycling, rowing and swimming. The strongest effect of caffeine is in those activities that last longer than one hour. Although researchers have proven that caffeine aids at stimulating muscle contraction, the enhanced performances are most likely due to its effects on counteracting adenosine. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system enabling one to be more alert which eases the workout effort. This effect enables one to work out longer and harder. Caffeine has long been thought to be a diuretic but recent research has proven otherwise. Researchers have shown that the need to urinate is directly correlated to the amount of liquid intake regardless of whether the beverage was caffeinated or not.
Caffeine and Headaches
Tension headaches are the most common type of headache occurring in 88 percent of women and 69 percent of men. Tension headaches are the result from the swelling of blood vessels in your head pressing on nerves which causes pain or discomfort. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor thus it eases pain by contracting the blood vessels. Studies have shown that 58 percent of people provided with small doses of caffeine were provided relief from chronic tension headache. Providing ibuprofen augmented the effects completely relieving 71 percent of headaches. Caffeine does work faster than ibuprofen because it enters the bloodstream faster however its vasoconstrictive effects only last for an hour and a half. For best results caffeine should be taken with ibuprofen as its effects last for an extended period of time.
Parkinson’s disease Prevention
Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder in which nerve cells do not produce enough dopamine, the chemical responsible for aiding in consistent, coordinated movement. Researchers studied coffee and caffeine intake of a large group of men and found that men who didn’t drink coffee or consume caffeine were five times more likely to develop Parkinson’s than those who consumed the largest amounts. Men who drank 28 ounces of coffee or more per day had the lowest risk of Parkinson’s. Studies of women have been less conclusive possibly due to the fact that estrogen can inhibit caffeine metabolism. Caffeine may mitigate the chance of contracting Parkinson’s by heightening dopamine-producing neurons in the brain.
Daily Intake of Caffeine
The vast majority of experts define moderate intake of caffeine to be around 300 milligrams or less per day. Effects of a high intake vary per individual where some experience no effects and others respond negatively. In addition, certain medical conditions such as panic disorders, anxiety, insomnia, digestive problems, heart disease and pregnancy may force one to abstain.
Caffeine Addiction
Caffeine is mildly addictive. Around half of those who regularly consume caffeine have difficulty giving it up and experience mild withdrawal symptoms. This is due to the fact that caffeine primes receptors in the brain to anticipate regular doses, and when it does not arrive it leaves one feeling less alert.
Caffeine Content in Common Foods and Beverages
Coffee
Depending on the type of coffee and method of preparation the caffeine content of a 7 ounce cup can vary. Here are some averages.
Drip: 115-117 milligrams
Espresso: 100 milligrams/2 ounce serving
Brewed: 80-135 milligrams
Instant: 65-100 milligrams
Decaf: 2-4 milligrams
Tea
Green tea: 30 milligrams/8 ounces
Iced tea: 47 milligrams per 8 ounces
Chocolate
Dark: 31 milligrams/1.5 ounces
Milk: 10 milligrams/1.5 ounces
Hot chocolate: 3-32 milligrams per
Soft Drinks
Red Bull: 80 milligrams/8 ounces
Mountain Dew: 56 milligrams/12 ounces
Diet Coke: 47 milligrams/12 ounces
Sunkist Orange: 42 milligrams/12 ounces
Dr. Pepper: 42 milligrams/12 ounces
Pepsi: 38 milligrams/12 ounces
Coke: 35 milligrams/12 ounces
Barq’s Root Beer: 23 milligrams/12 ounces
Caffeine is the world’s most frequently used drug with some 80 percent of Americans regularly consuming it primarily in the form of coffee. People had previously attempted to link caffeine to a myriad of health ills but in fact it may provide benefits. Scientific studies over the last ten years have shown caffeine’s benefits can range from increased energy, mood improvement and reduced risk of some life threatening diseases.
Alertness and Mood
Scientists believe that blocks the action of a brain chemical that is known to cause tiredness called adenosine. Following consumption, caffeine quickly travels to the brain where it offsets adenosine’s depressant effects. Caffeine’s effect is greatest when one is tired. Researchers examined caffeine’s effects on a number of sleep-deprived men and found that small, frequent doses taken once an hour improved performance on cognitive tests when compared with a placebo. Caffeine’s stimulating effects can last anywhere between 4 and 6 hours.
Enhanced Athletic Performance
Caffeine has shown to improve endurance in such athletic areas as jogging, cycling, rowing and swimming. The strongest effect of caffeine is in those activities that last longer than one hour. Although researchers have proven that caffeine aids at stimulating muscle contraction, the enhanced performances are most likely due to its effects on counteracting adenosine. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system enabling one to be more alert which eases the workout effort. This effect enables one to work out longer and harder. Caffeine has long been thought to be a diuretic but recent research has proven otherwise. Researchers have shown that the need to urinate is directly correlated to the amount of liquid intake regardless of whether the beverage was caffeinated or not.
Caffeine and Headaches
Tension headaches are the most common type of headache occurring in 88 percent of women and 69 percent of men. Tension headaches are the result from the swelling of blood vessels in your head pressing on nerves which causes pain or discomfort. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor thus it eases pain by contracting the blood vessels. Studies have shown that 58 percent of people provided with small doses of caffeine were provided relief from chronic tension headache. Providing ibuprofen augmented the effects completely relieving 71 percent of headaches. Caffeine does work faster than ibuprofen because it enters the bloodstream faster however its vasoconstrictive effects only last for an hour and a half. For best results caffeine should be taken with ibuprofen as its effects last for an extended period of time.
Parkinson’s disease Prevention
Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder in which nerve cells do not produce enough dopamine, the chemical responsible for aiding in consistent, coordinated movement. Researchers studied coffee and caffeine intake of a large group of men and found that men who didn’t drink coffee or consume caffeine were five times more likely to develop Parkinson’s than those who consumed the largest amounts. Men who drank 28 ounces of coffee or more per day had the lowest risk of Parkinson’s. Studies of women have been less conclusive possibly due to the fact that estrogen can inhibit caffeine metabolism. Caffeine may mitigate the chance of contracting Parkinson’s by heightening dopamine-producing neurons in the brain.
Daily Intake of Caffeine
The vast majority of experts define moderate intake of caffeine to be around 300 milligrams or less per day. Effects of a high intake vary per individual where some experience no effects and others respond negatively. In addition, certain medical conditions such as panic disorders, anxiety, insomnia, digestive problems, heart disease and pregnancy may force one to abstain.
Caffeine Addiction
Caffeine is mildly addictive. Around half of those who regularly consume caffeine have difficulty giving it up and experience mild withdrawal symptoms. This is due to the fact that caffeine primes receptors in the brain to anticipate regular doses, and when it does not arrive it leaves one feeling less alert.
Caffeine Content in Common Foods and Beverages
Coffee
Depending on the type of coffee and method of preparation the caffeine content of a 7 ounce cup can vary. Here are some averages.
Drip: 115-117 milligrams
Espresso: 100 milligrams/2 ounce serving
Brewed: 80-135 milligrams
Instant: 65-100 milligrams
Decaf: 2-4 milligrams
Tea
Green tea: 30 milligrams/8 ounces
Iced tea: 47 milligrams per 8 ounces
Chocolate
Dark: 31 milligrams/1.5 ounces
Milk: 10 milligrams/1.5 ounces
Hot chocolate: 3-32 milligrams per
Soft Drinks
Red Bull: 80 milligrams/8 ounces
Mountain Dew: 56 milligrams/12 ounces
Diet Coke: 47 milligrams/12 ounces
Sunkist Orange: 42 milligrams/12 ounces
Dr. Pepper: 42 milligrams/12 ounces
Pepsi: 38 milligrams/12 ounces
Coke: 35 milligrams/12 ounces
Barq’s Root Beer: 23 milligrams/12 ounces
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Valentine's Day: The Hallmark Holiday
I remember the anxiety and awkwardness of dating; and not just dating in general, but dating a girl for only a few weeks to a month knowing that Valentine’s Day was just around the corner. If you are interested in the young lady you don’t want to seem too over zealous. If not interested, you don’t want to seem too uninterested for fear that she will get the hint and soon you’ll be at home alone on Saturday night wondering how you blew the best thing that could have happened to you (or at least you’ll be thinking that at the time).
So February 14th arrives and you are armed with flowers, perhaps some chocolates, a card (maybe with a cute poem inside) and a small gift wrapped box. You escort your date to a cozy little Italian restaurant (because you’d actually listened when she was discussing her favorite fare previously) for a nice, and hopefully romantic, dinner. Dinner comes and goes, as does dessert, and you are awaiting the uncomfortable moment of exchanging gifts. Should you go first? Should she? Then simultaneously you hand her your small gift wrapped box and she hands you a slightly larger one but nearly equal in weight. The sound of paper tearing fills the room followed by the gasps that can only be made of a girl staring at diamond earrings. Meanwhile, you are searching for some complementary words to utter to mask your disappointment as you hold up a scarf that is remarkably akin to one your grandmother knitted for you when you were ten. At that precise moment, taking only nanoseconds to process, you quickly add up the cost of the flowers, earrings, chocolate, the card and dinner (including the additional bottle of wine just ordered) and wonder who the hell this St. Valentine is that started this crappy tradition. Obviously wedding bells may not be in the immediate future and you are left feeling more like you were on the receiving end at the St. Valentine’s Day massacre. Yet you sit there and wonder how this stupid tradition started (while she’s trying on the earrings of course).
Valentine’s Day is named after two Christian martyrs named Valentine and became associated with romantic love in the Middle Ages when courtly love (not to be confused with Courtney Love) flourished.
Far better known than the Saint Valentines is Valentinius of Alexandria. His Gnostic teaching was highly influential and was a candidate for Bishop of Rome. He spoke of the marriage bed assuming the central place in his interpretation of Christian love. This was in direct contrast to the austere views of Christianity at the time.
The middle of February became associated with love and fertility back in ancient times. The period between mid-January and mid-February was the month of Gamelion on the ancient Athens calendar. Gamelion was dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera.
February 15th in Rome marked a celebration called Lupercalia, named after the legendary wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus. Activities of the festival included noble youths and magistrates running up and down the streets naked for sport. Many women of status would purposely get in their way and be reprimanded by being struck on the hands, believing that those that were pregnant would be aided in delivery, and those that were barren become pregnant. Lupercalia was abolished in 496 by Pope Gelasius but in its stead declared that the feast of St. Valentine would be celebrated on February 14th.
A High Court of Love was established in Paris on Valentine’s Day in 1400. The court heard matters including love contract disputes, betrayals and violence against women. The judges were selected by women based on their poetry reading prowess.
The earliest record of a valentine is said to be a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife during his incarceration in the Tower of London after his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.
It is speculated that the legends of St. Valentine began during the 1400’s including:
· Valentine passed a love note to his jailer’s daughter that read “From your Valentine” on the eve before he was to be martyred.
· St. Valentine arranged marriages in secret as a ban of marriage was placed on Roman Soldiers by Emperor Claudius II.
The United States has dubbed Valentine’s Day as a Hallmark Holiday. It is estimated by the Greeting Card Association that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year making it the second largest holiday for card sending outside of Christmas. I t is thought that Valentine’s Day was brought to North America by British settlers around the 19th century. Esther Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts is credited as being the first in the United States to mass-produce valentines of embossed paper lace back in 1847. Soon, the tradition of exchanging cards expanded to include gifts such as roses and chocolates. And not to be outdone, the diamond industry began promoting gift giving in the form of jewelry.
It is at that point that realize that big-business advertising does work as you quietly sit there and fasten a noose out of your scarf.
So February 14th arrives and you are armed with flowers, perhaps some chocolates, a card (maybe with a cute poem inside) and a small gift wrapped box. You escort your date to a cozy little Italian restaurant (because you’d actually listened when she was discussing her favorite fare previously) for a nice, and hopefully romantic, dinner. Dinner comes and goes, as does dessert, and you are awaiting the uncomfortable moment of exchanging gifts. Should you go first? Should she? Then simultaneously you hand her your small gift wrapped box and she hands you a slightly larger one but nearly equal in weight. The sound of paper tearing fills the room followed by the gasps that can only be made of a girl staring at diamond earrings. Meanwhile, you are searching for some complementary words to utter to mask your disappointment as you hold up a scarf that is remarkably akin to one your grandmother knitted for you when you were ten. At that precise moment, taking only nanoseconds to process, you quickly add up the cost of the flowers, earrings, chocolate, the card and dinner (including the additional bottle of wine just ordered) and wonder who the hell this St. Valentine is that started this crappy tradition. Obviously wedding bells may not be in the immediate future and you are left feeling more like you were on the receiving end at the St. Valentine’s Day massacre. Yet you sit there and wonder how this stupid tradition started (while she’s trying on the earrings of course).
Valentine’s Day is named after two Christian martyrs named Valentine and became associated with romantic love in the Middle Ages when courtly love (not to be confused with Courtney Love) flourished.
Far better known than the Saint Valentines is Valentinius of Alexandria. His Gnostic teaching was highly influential and was a candidate for Bishop of Rome. He spoke of the marriage bed assuming the central place in his interpretation of Christian love. This was in direct contrast to the austere views of Christianity at the time.
The middle of February became associated with love and fertility back in ancient times. The period between mid-January and mid-February was the month of Gamelion on the ancient Athens calendar. Gamelion was dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera.
February 15th in Rome marked a celebration called Lupercalia, named after the legendary wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus. Activities of the festival included noble youths and magistrates running up and down the streets naked for sport. Many women of status would purposely get in their way and be reprimanded by being struck on the hands, believing that those that were pregnant would be aided in delivery, and those that were barren become pregnant. Lupercalia was abolished in 496 by Pope Gelasius but in its stead declared that the feast of St. Valentine would be celebrated on February 14th.
A High Court of Love was established in Paris on Valentine’s Day in 1400. The court heard matters including love contract disputes, betrayals and violence against women. The judges were selected by women based on their poetry reading prowess.
The earliest record of a valentine is said to be a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife during his incarceration in the Tower of London after his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.
It is speculated that the legends of St. Valentine began during the 1400’s including:
· Valentine passed a love note to his jailer’s daughter that read “From your Valentine” on the eve before he was to be martyred.
· St. Valentine arranged marriages in secret as a ban of marriage was placed on Roman Soldiers by Emperor Claudius II.
The United States has dubbed Valentine’s Day as a Hallmark Holiday. It is estimated by the Greeting Card Association that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year making it the second largest holiday for card sending outside of Christmas. I t is thought that Valentine’s Day was brought to North America by British settlers around the 19th century. Esther Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts is credited as being the first in the United States to mass-produce valentines of embossed paper lace back in 1847. Soon, the tradition of exchanging cards expanded to include gifts such as roses and chocolates. And not to be outdone, the diamond industry began promoting gift giving in the form of jewelry.
It is at that point that realize that big-business advertising does work as you quietly sit there and fasten a noose out of your scarf.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Chili Peppers:
History
Archeological evidence suggests that chili peppers have been part of the human diet in the Americas as early as 7500 BC. The evidence also suggests that in sites in southwestern Ecuador, chili peppers were grown domestically around 6000 years ago making them one of the first cultivated crops in the Americas.
One of the first Europeans to encounter chilies was Christopher Columbus during a stop in the Caribbean. He called them “peppers” because they were similar in taste to what he was used to in the Old County. At the time, Columbus was searching for a new route to Asia and may have named the chilies “pepper” after the Asian spice to convince his crew that he did in fact find a new route.
Columbus introduced chilies to various parts of the globe in subsequent voyages. The first chili peppers were brought to Spain by Diego Alvarez Chanca, a physician on Columbus’ second voyage to the West Indies in 1493. He was also the first to write about the medicinal effects of chilies in 1494.
Heat of the Chili Pepper
The chili pepper, by definition, is the fruit of the Capsicum plant. The term ‘chili’ usually refers to the smaller, hotter species of Capsicum as the larger, milder types are called bell peppers. Heat of the chili comes from a main chemical compound named capsaicin as well as other related chemicals collectively called capsaicinoids. The highest concentration of capsaicin, thus the majority of the heat, is found in the placenta, not the seeds as myth would have it. To mitigate the heat of a chili simply scrape the seeds and placenta from the inside of the pepper.
Heats of peppers are measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU). William Scoville developed a scale to measure the heat level in chilies back in 1912. He asked a panel of tasters to state when a dilute solution of a particular pepper no longer burned their mouth. From the results he constructed a table of peppers and associated SHU ranges that remain in use today. The higher the scoville unit, the hotter the pepper. The method of determining the unit has since been replaced with High Performance Liquid Chromatography.
The heat of some common peppers is as follows:
Bell Peppers 0 SHU
Jalapeno 3,000 – 6000 SHU
Tabasco 120,000 SHU
Habanero 300,000 SHU
The hottest pepper in existence is an ongoing debate. Recently, test conducted by the Chile Pepper Institute of the University of New Mexico and the Commercial Chilli Growers Frontal Agritech measure the Bhut Jolokia chili at 1,001,304 SHU and 1,041,427 SHU respectively making it the hottest Chili currently known to man.
Physiological Effects
Capsaicinoids bind to the receptors in the lining of the mouth responsible for registering pain from heat, hence the burning feeling. More specifically, the burning feeling is actually the flow of calcium ions from one cell to the next. Continued exposure to capsaicinoids depletes the receptors enabling you to eat hotter chilies and feel the same effect. The pain caused by eating the chilies release endorphins which lead to a feeling of elation.
Capsaicin also blocks the production of neurotransmitters which prevent nerves from communicating with each other. High concentrations of capsaicinoids are toxic and painful enough to be incapacitating. In earlier times, Mayans threw chilies at their enemy during battle. In modern times, pepper sprays are used to accomplish the same results.
Culinary Uses
The chili is a staple among Mexican cuisine and has also become an integral part of Tex-Mex dishes. In addition, the chili has also become part of Korean, Indian, Indonesian and Szechuan and Tai cooking. The fruit is eaten raw or cooked and adds a fiery hot flavor to dishes.
Indian cuisine includes the use of chilies in dishes such as bajji, a battered and fried pepper snack, and vindaloo. Chilies are also dried and roasted and salted for use in rice dishes like vadam. Sambal is a dipping sauce made from chilies, garlic, onion, shallots, salt, vinegar and sugar and is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
In Filipino cuisine, the leaves of the chili plant are cooked as greens in a dish called dahon ng sili. Chili leaves are also used in tinola, a chicken soup dish.
Spices such as paprika and chili powder are derived from chilies as well. Paprika is a made from dried chilies with a dash of Cayenne for heat while chili powder is composed of a mixture of dried chilies, cumin, garlic and oregano.
Smoked jalapenos, called chipoltes, are used in sauces, pickled in adobo sauce or powdered. They can be added to such dishes as stews, chicken dishes, chili or used as a glaze for shrimp
Hot Sauce
Hot sauces are probably the most common use for chilies. The most famous sauce being Tabasco made from Tabasco chilies which are fermented and aged in oak barrels for up to three years.
The average person can make their own hot sauce as the ingredients are fairly simple. All that you really need are chilies, vegetable oil and vinegar. Perfecting a hot sauce is another story. Ingredients in a hot sauce can very from cumin to mango.
Health Benefits
Red chilies are rich in vitamin C and provitamin A although yellow and green chilies have considerably lower amounts. All peppers are a good source of vitamin B, particularly B6. They are also high in potassium, magnesium and iron.
Studies have shown that chilies aid in the alleviation of pain in arthritis patients and may also play a role in fighting cancer. Some scientists say that capsaicin could be used to kill tumors with few or no side effects to the patient. Hot chilies are also known to kill parasites in the gastro-intestinal tract and are commonly used as a dietary component in tropical regions.
Chilies also have cardiovascular benefits, weight loss benefits and help to clear mucus from stuffed noses and congested lungs. According to a study done by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition chilies also help to lower the risk of Diabetes. After a meal consisting of chilies the amount of insulin required to lower blood sugar levels is reduced. Canadian researchers claim that chilies may play an important role in curing diabetes altogether.
Archeological evidence suggests that chili peppers have been part of the human diet in the Americas as early as 7500 BC. The evidence also suggests that in sites in southwestern Ecuador, chili peppers were grown domestically around 6000 years ago making them one of the first cultivated crops in the Americas.
One of the first Europeans to encounter chilies was Christopher Columbus during a stop in the Caribbean. He called them “peppers” because they were similar in taste to what he was used to in the Old County. At the time, Columbus was searching for a new route to Asia and may have named the chilies “pepper” after the Asian spice to convince his crew that he did in fact find a new route.
Columbus introduced chilies to various parts of the globe in subsequent voyages. The first chili peppers were brought to Spain by Diego Alvarez Chanca, a physician on Columbus’ second voyage to the West Indies in 1493. He was also the first to write about the medicinal effects of chilies in 1494.
Heat of the Chili Pepper
The chili pepper, by definition, is the fruit of the Capsicum plant. The term ‘chili’ usually refers to the smaller, hotter species of Capsicum as the larger, milder types are called bell peppers. Heat of the chili comes from a main chemical compound named capsaicin as well as other related chemicals collectively called capsaicinoids. The highest concentration of capsaicin, thus the majority of the heat, is found in the placenta, not the seeds as myth would have it. To mitigate the heat of a chili simply scrape the seeds and placenta from the inside of the pepper.
Heats of peppers are measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU). William Scoville developed a scale to measure the heat level in chilies back in 1912. He asked a panel of tasters to state when a dilute solution of a particular pepper no longer burned their mouth. From the results he constructed a table of peppers and associated SHU ranges that remain in use today. The higher the scoville unit, the hotter the pepper. The method of determining the unit has since been replaced with High Performance Liquid Chromatography.
The heat of some common peppers is as follows:
Bell Peppers 0 SHU
Jalapeno 3,000 – 6000 SHU
Tabasco 120,000 SHU
Habanero 300,000 SHU
The hottest pepper in existence is an ongoing debate. Recently, test conducted by the Chile Pepper Institute of the University of New Mexico and the Commercial Chilli Growers Frontal Agritech measure the Bhut Jolokia chili at 1,001,304 SHU and 1,041,427 SHU respectively making it the hottest Chili currently known to man.
Physiological Effects
Capsaicinoids bind to the receptors in the lining of the mouth responsible for registering pain from heat, hence the burning feeling. More specifically, the burning feeling is actually the flow of calcium ions from one cell to the next. Continued exposure to capsaicinoids depletes the receptors enabling you to eat hotter chilies and feel the same effect. The pain caused by eating the chilies release endorphins which lead to a feeling of elation.
Capsaicin also blocks the production of neurotransmitters which prevent nerves from communicating with each other. High concentrations of capsaicinoids are toxic and painful enough to be incapacitating. In earlier times, Mayans threw chilies at their enemy during battle. In modern times, pepper sprays are used to accomplish the same results.
Culinary Uses
The chili is a staple among Mexican cuisine and has also become an integral part of Tex-Mex dishes. In addition, the chili has also become part of Korean, Indian, Indonesian and Szechuan and Tai cooking. The fruit is eaten raw or cooked and adds a fiery hot flavor to dishes.
Indian cuisine includes the use of chilies in dishes such as bajji, a battered and fried pepper snack, and vindaloo. Chilies are also dried and roasted and salted for use in rice dishes like vadam. Sambal is a dipping sauce made from chilies, garlic, onion, shallots, salt, vinegar and sugar and is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
In Filipino cuisine, the leaves of the chili plant are cooked as greens in a dish called dahon ng sili. Chili leaves are also used in tinola, a chicken soup dish.
Spices such as paprika and chili powder are derived from chilies as well. Paprika is a made from dried chilies with a dash of Cayenne for heat while chili powder is composed of a mixture of dried chilies, cumin, garlic and oregano.
Smoked jalapenos, called chipoltes, are used in sauces, pickled in adobo sauce or powdered. They can be added to such dishes as stews, chicken dishes, chili or used as a glaze for shrimp
Hot Sauce
Hot sauces are probably the most common use for chilies. The most famous sauce being Tabasco made from Tabasco chilies which are fermented and aged in oak barrels for up to three years.
The average person can make their own hot sauce as the ingredients are fairly simple. All that you really need are chilies, vegetable oil and vinegar. Perfecting a hot sauce is another story. Ingredients in a hot sauce can very from cumin to mango.
Health Benefits
Red chilies are rich in vitamin C and provitamin A although yellow and green chilies have considerably lower amounts. All peppers are a good source of vitamin B, particularly B6. They are also high in potassium, magnesium and iron.
Studies have shown that chilies aid in the alleviation of pain in arthritis patients and may also play a role in fighting cancer. Some scientists say that capsaicin could be used to kill tumors with few or no side effects to the patient. Hot chilies are also known to kill parasites in the gastro-intestinal tract and are commonly used as a dietary component in tropical regions.
Chilies also have cardiovascular benefits, weight loss benefits and help to clear mucus from stuffed noses and congested lungs. According to a study done by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition chilies also help to lower the risk of Diabetes. After a meal consisting of chilies the amount of insulin required to lower blood sugar levels is reduced. Canadian researchers claim that chilies may play an important role in curing diabetes altogether.
Brief overview of Coffee:
History
The origin of coffee can be traced to the highlands of Ethiopia as early as the 9th century. It then spread to Egypt and Yemen and reached Persia, Egypt, Turkey and northern Africa by the 15th Century.
Originally, coffee was not well received because of its stimulating effects. It was forbidden by conservative, orthodox imams in 1511 at a theological court in Mecca. These bans were overturned in 1524 by an order of the Ottoman Turkish Sultan Selim I. due to the drinks popularity. A similar ban was imposed in Cairo, Egypt in 1532 which led to authorities raiding coffee houses and warehouses that contained coffee beans.
Coffee was not as successful in the American colonies as it was in Europe as colonists found it a poor substitute for alcohol. The demand for coffee increased significantly during the Revolutionary War due to the reduced availability of tea from British merchants. This resulted in coffee dealers hoarding supplies and increasing prices excessively. During the early 19th century, following the War of 1812, Americans’ taste for coffee grew. This is partially due to tea imports being cut off during the war. Further, coffee solidified its position as an every day commodity due to the advancements in brewing technology.
Coffee Plants
The two main species of coffee plants are Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora(robusta). Coffea arabica is older than Coffea canephora and is thought to be indigenous to south-western Ethiopia in an area called Kaffa. Although the Coffea arabica plant is more susceptible to disease its seeds (coffee beans) are considered to be far tastier than those of the Coffea canephora plant. The Coffea canephora plant thrives in environments where arabica can not and is thought to have originated in Uganda. It also contains between 40-50% more caffeine which has led to its use as an inexpensive substitute for arabica in some commercial blends. Coffea canephora beans tend to be bitter, lack flavor and emit a burnt rubber aroma when processing. The commercial roasters use a steam process to remove undesirable flavors from the beans as part of the techniques necessary to produce their blends.
Processing
The processing of coffee beans prior to consumption is and extremely labor intensive process. Coffee berries must be picked, de-fruited, sorted, and in some processes, aged. In general, coffee is roasted and sold by the supplier but can be home roated by the consumer.
The process of roasting coffee is a complicated chemical process that creates the flavor of coffee from an otherwise bland bean. The un-roasted coffee bean contains all of coffee’s acids, proteins and caffeine but none of the flavor. The flavor results when heat sparks a chemical reaction that turns carbohydrates and fats into aromatic oils, burn off moisture and carbon dioxide and break down and build up acids. The aromatic oil primarily responsible for the stereotypical aroma and flavor of coffee is called caffeol.
Grinding the roasted coffee beans can be done at the roastery, the grocery store or at home. Typically the beans are ground at the roastery, packaged and sold to the consumer however recent trends today are such that whole beans are sold to the consumer to be ground at home.
Coffee and Health
Scientists have long studied the relationship between coffee consumption and medical conditions including diabetes, cardio vascular disease, cancer and cirrhosis. To date coffee hasn’t proven to have specific health benefits, and results are similarly conflicting with respect to negative effects of coffee consumption. It is also unclear whether the negative effects or medical benefits are attributed to caffeine or other chemical substances found in coffee.
Coffee consumers have consistently shown a reduction of diabetes mellitus type 2, an association that cannot be explained by the caffeine content alone as results were stronger in decaffeinated coffee.
Coffee was also found to reduce the chances of developing cirrhosis of the liver by as high as 80%.
The origin of coffee can be traced to the highlands of Ethiopia as early as the 9th century. It then spread to Egypt and Yemen and reached Persia, Egypt, Turkey and northern Africa by the 15th Century.
Originally, coffee was not well received because of its stimulating effects. It was forbidden by conservative, orthodox imams in 1511 at a theological court in Mecca. These bans were overturned in 1524 by an order of the Ottoman Turkish Sultan Selim I. due to the drinks popularity. A similar ban was imposed in Cairo, Egypt in 1532 which led to authorities raiding coffee houses and warehouses that contained coffee beans.
Coffee was not as successful in the American colonies as it was in Europe as colonists found it a poor substitute for alcohol. The demand for coffee increased significantly during the Revolutionary War due to the reduced availability of tea from British merchants. This resulted in coffee dealers hoarding supplies and increasing prices excessively. During the early 19th century, following the War of 1812, Americans’ taste for coffee grew. This is partially due to tea imports being cut off during the war. Further, coffee solidified its position as an every day commodity due to the advancements in brewing technology.
Coffee Plants
The two main species of coffee plants are Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora(robusta). Coffea arabica is older than Coffea canephora and is thought to be indigenous to south-western Ethiopia in an area called Kaffa. Although the Coffea arabica plant is more susceptible to disease its seeds (coffee beans) are considered to be far tastier than those of the Coffea canephora plant. The Coffea canephora plant thrives in environments where arabica can not and is thought to have originated in Uganda. It also contains between 40-50% more caffeine which has led to its use as an inexpensive substitute for arabica in some commercial blends. Coffea canephora beans tend to be bitter, lack flavor and emit a burnt rubber aroma when processing. The commercial roasters use a steam process to remove undesirable flavors from the beans as part of the techniques necessary to produce their blends.
Processing
The processing of coffee beans prior to consumption is and extremely labor intensive process. Coffee berries must be picked, de-fruited, sorted, and in some processes, aged. In general, coffee is roasted and sold by the supplier but can be home roated by the consumer.
The process of roasting coffee is a complicated chemical process that creates the flavor of coffee from an otherwise bland bean. The un-roasted coffee bean contains all of coffee’s acids, proteins and caffeine but none of the flavor. The flavor results when heat sparks a chemical reaction that turns carbohydrates and fats into aromatic oils, burn off moisture and carbon dioxide and break down and build up acids. The aromatic oil primarily responsible for the stereotypical aroma and flavor of coffee is called caffeol.
Grinding the roasted coffee beans can be done at the roastery, the grocery store or at home. Typically the beans are ground at the roastery, packaged and sold to the consumer however recent trends today are such that whole beans are sold to the consumer to be ground at home.
Coffee and Health
Scientists have long studied the relationship between coffee consumption and medical conditions including diabetes, cardio vascular disease, cancer and cirrhosis. To date coffee hasn’t proven to have specific health benefits, and results are similarly conflicting with respect to negative effects of coffee consumption. It is also unclear whether the negative effects or medical benefits are attributed to caffeine or other chemical substances found in coffee.
Coffee consumers have consistently shown a reduction of diabetes mellitus type 2, an association that cannot be explained by the caffeine content alone as results were stronger in decaffeinated coffee.
Coffee was also found to reduce the chances of developing cirrhosis of the liver by as high as 80%.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Tea - Article on different Teas around the world and the history of Tea:
Tea in China
The origin of tea dates back to over 5,000 years ago in ancient China. Emperor Shen Nung was not only a skilled ruler but a scientists and patron of the arts. Being a man of science he required that all drinking water be boiled prior to consumption for hygienic purposes. During a summer trek to a distant land he and his court stopped to rest. His servants were asked to boil water in preparation to drink it but as they did dry leaves from a nearby bush fell into the boiling water. The water soon became infused with a brown liquid to which the Emperor found quite interesting. He took a sip of the liquid and found it quite refreshing. Thus, tea was created.
All facets of Chinese culture consumed tea. The first book on tea called the Ch’a Ching was written in 800 A.D. by Lu Yu. His book describes the various methods of cultivating and preparing tea in ancient China. For his work he was nearly projected into sainthood within his own lifetime. Raised by Buddhist monks as a child his writing clearly displayed the Zen philosophies that missionaries would later bring to Imperial Japan.
Tea in Japan
Yeisei, a Buddhist priest, was the first to bring the first tea seeds to Japan. He did so because he had seen the value of tea in China in enhancing meditation. Because Yeisei was the first to bring tea to Japan it has always been associated with Zen Buddhism. The consumption of tea soon spread from the royal court and monasteries to other areas of society.
Tea preparation soon became an art form named “Cha-no-yu”, or Japanese Tea Ceremony. It took years of training and practice to master as the act of preparation must be in the most perfect, polite, graceful and charming way possible.
A new form of architecture called chaseki was founded to design tea houses to hold the sacred ceremonies. The Geishi, Japan’s cultural and artistic hostess, began to specialize in the presentation of the tea ceremony. As the popularity of tea grew the culture and Zen attitude associated with the ceremonial aspects of it waned. Tea tournaments were held among wealthy where they would receive riches for naming various tea blends.
Tea in Europe
Tea arrived in Europe in the early 1600’s because of the success of the Dutch navy in the Pacific. Tea became prominent in the Dutch capital, the Hague. The cost of tea was exorbitant at over $100 per pound which made it exclusively for the wealthy. As the amount of imported tea increased, the price fell which allowed for it to be available in common shops throughout Holland.
It was in Holland where the first arguments on the positive and or negative health benefits of tea were voiced by doctors and university authorities in debates called tea heretics. Despite the debates the public continued to enjoy tea throughout the controversy. It was also in Holland that Inns provided the first restaurant service of tea. Taverns supplied their guests with a portable tea set and a heating unit so they could make tea for them and their friends in the tavern’s garden.
Tea in England
Tea finally reached England in the mid 1600’s and quickly replaced ale as the national drink of England. The John Company was founded by Elizabeth I for the purpose of promoting trade with Asia. The John Company monopolized the trade east of the Cape of Good Hope and west of Cape Horn. The success of the John Company brought failure to the East India Company until the two merged after Parliament instructed them to do so. The New East India Company was formed and enabled them to a complete trade monopoly on all commerce in China and India.
The importing of tea rose from 40,000 pounds in 1699 to 240,000 in 1708 and was drunk by all classes of society. Anna, the Duchess of Bedford was the first to host afternoon tea parties to satisfy late afternoon hunger pangs. She invited friends over at five o’clock for small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, assorted sweets and tea. The concept of afternoon tea soon caught on with other social hostesses and expanded to tea and walks in the large open meadows.
The English are credited with creating Tea Gardens where ladies and gentlemen took their tea outdoors to enjoy various forms of entertainment. For the first time it was acceptable for women to enter a mixed public gathering without being subjected to social criticism.
It was also at the Tea Gardens where tipping was born. Small wooden boxes were placed on the tables throughout the gardens with the inscription T.I.P.S. (To Ensure Proper Service). If somebody wished the waiter to hurry he dropped a coin in the box to ensure that the pot of tea arrived hot from the kitchen.
Tea in America
English colonists in Boston became aware of tea in 1670 although the sale of tea was not available until 20 years later. Tea Gardens opened in New York and were centered around natural springs which were equipped with pumps to satisfy the tea craze.
Tea was a stable of trade between the Colony and England by 1720. As early as 1720, tea was heavily taxed which led the colonists to smuggle contraband and adopt herbal teas from the Indians.
The Boston Tea Party
On December 16, 1773 a group of colonists headed by Samuel Adams and John Hancock expressed their displeasure toward the various taxes imposed on them by England. Dressed as Indians, they threw hundreds of pounds of tea into the harbor as an act of rebellion. England retaliated and closed the port of Boston and sent troops to occupy the city. Colonial leaders met and revolution was declared against England.
Richard Blechynden, a tea plantation owner, brought his product to the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. He intended to pass out samples of hot tea to visitors but there were not many takers due to the heat wave that hit. Determined not to waste his investment, he dumped a load of ice into the tea and served it as “iced tea” and it became the hit of the fair.
Thomas Sullivan of New York developed the concept of bagged tea. He was a tea merchant who delivered each sample in bags to restaurants. He took notice that the restaurants were brewing tea in the bag to avoid the mess of the leaves.
Today, tea has made a resurgence as Americans seek a more healthy and positive lifestyle. Some of the finer hotels throughout the States are once again hosting afternoon tea services.
The Health Benefits of Green Tea
The Chinese have used green tea to treat everything from headaches to depression as early as 4000 years ago. Research scientists in Asia and the west are providing evidence for the health benefits of drinking green tea. The National Cancer institute published an article in 1994 that reported that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by sixty percent. In America, Purdue researchers concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. Research also exists that drinking green tea lowers cholesterol levels as well as improving the ratio of good to bad cholesterol.
Green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin (EGCG). EGCG is a strong antioxidant that is known to inhibit the growth of cancer cells without harming good tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels and inhibiting the formation of blood clots, the leading cause of strokes and heart attacks.
Researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, the compound found in red wine that limits the effects of rich diets and smoking in the French. EGCG may explain why heart disease in Japanese men is low despite 75% of them being smokers.
Green tea is even credited as being a diet aid. Researchers reported that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given caffeine only with a placebo.
The origin of tea dates back to over 5,000 years ago in ancient China. Emperor Shen Nung was not only a skilled ruler but a scientists and patron of the arts. Being a man of science he required that all drinking water be boiled prior to consumption for hygienic purposes. During a summer trek to a distant land he and his court stopped to rest. His servants were asked to boil water in preparation to drink it but as they did dry leaves from a nearby bush fell into the boiling water. The water soon became infused with a brown liquid to which the Emperor found quite interesting. He took a sip of the liquid and found it quite refreshing. Thus, tea was created.
All facets of Chinese culture consumed tea. The first book on tea called the Ch’a Ching was written in 800 A.D. by Lu Yu. His book describes the various methods of cultivating and preparing tea in ancient China. For his work he was nearly projected into sainthood within his own lifetime. Raised by Buddhist monks as a child his writing clearly displayed the Zen philosophies that missionaries would later bring to Imperial Japan.
Tea in Japan
Yeisei, a Buddhist priest, was the first to bring the first tea seeds to Japan. He did so because he had seen the value of tea in China in enhancing meditation. Because Yeisei was the first to bring tea to Japan it has always been associated with Zen Buddhism. The consumption of tea soon spread from the royal court and monasteries to other areas of society.
Tea preparation soon became an art form named “Cha-no-yu”, or Japanese Tea Ceremony. It took years of training and practice to master as the act of preparation must be in the most perfect, polite, graceful and charming way possible.
A new form of architecture called chaseki was founded to design tea houses to hold the sacred ceremonies. The Geishi, Japan’s cultural and artistic hostess, began to specialize in the presentation of the tea ceremony. As the popularity of tea grew the culture and Zen attitude associated with the ceremonial aspects of it waned. Tea tournaments were held among wealthy where they would receive riches for naming various tea blends.
Tea in Europe
Tea arrived in Europe in the early 1600’s because of the success of the Dutch navy in the Pacific. Tea became prominent in the Dutch capital, the Hague. The cost of tea was exorbitant at over $100 per pound which made it exclusively for the wealthy. As the amount of imported tea increased, the price fell which allowed for it to be available in common shops throughout Holland.
It was in Holland where the first arguments on the positive and or negative health benefits of tea were voiced by doctors and university authorities in debates called tea heretics. Despite the debates the public continued to enjoy tea throughout the controversy. It was also in Holland that Inns provided the first restaurant service of tea. Taverns supplied their guests with a portable tea set and a heating unit so they could make tea for them and their friends in the tavern’s garden.
Tea in England
Tea finally reached England in the mid 1600’s and quickly replaced ale as the national drink of England. The John Company was founded by Elizabeth I for the purpose of promoting trade with Asia. The John Company monopolized the trade east of the Cape of Good Hope and west of Cape Horn. The success of the John Company brought failure to the East India Company until the two merged after Parliament instructed them to do so. The New East India Company was formed and enabled them to a complete trade monopoly on all commerce in China and India.
The importing of tea rose from 40,000 pounds in 1699 to 240,000 in 1708 and was drunk by all classes of society. Anna, the Duchess of Bedford was the first to host afternoon tea parties to satisfy late afternoon hunger pangs. She invited friends over at five o’clock for small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, assorted sweets and tea. The concept of afternoon tea soon caught on with other social hostesses and expanded to tea and walks in the large open meadows.
The English are credited with creating Tea Gardens where ladies and gentlemen took their tea outdoors to enjoy various forms of entertainment. For the first time it was acceptable for women to enter a mixed public gathering without being subjected to social criticism.
It was also at the Tea Gardens where tipping was born. Small wooden boxes were placed on the tables throughout the gardens with the inscription T.I.P.S. (To Ensure Proper Service). If somebody wished the waiter to hurry he dropped a coin in the box to ensure that the pot of tea arrived hot from the kitchen.
Tea in America
English colonists in Boston became aware of tea in 1670 although the sale of tea was not available until 20 years later. Tea Gardens opened in New York and were centered around natural springs which were equipped with pumps to satisfy the tea craze.
Tea was a stable of trade between the Colony and England by 1720. As early as 1720, tea was heavily taxed which led the colonists to smuggle contraband and adopt herbal teas from the Indians.
The Boston Tea Party
On December 16, 1773 a group of colonists headed by Samuel Adams and John Hancock expressed their displeasure toward the various taxes imposed on them by England. Dressed as Indians, they threw hundreds of pounds of tea into the harbor as an act of rebellion. England retaliated and closed the port of Boston and sent troops to occupy the city. Colonial leaders met and revolution was declared against England.
Richard Blechynden, a tea plantation owner, brought his product to the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. He intended to pass out samples of hot tea to visitors but there were not many takers due to the heat wave that hit. Determined not to waste his investment, he dumped a load of ice into the tea and served it as “iced tea” and it became the hit of the fair.
Thomas Sullivan of New York developed the concept of bagged tea. He was a tea merchant who delivered each sample in bags to restaurants. He took notice that the restaurants were brewing tea in the bag to avoid the mess of the leaves.
Today, tea has made a resurgence as Americans seek a more healthy and positive lifestyle. Some of the finer hotels throughout the States are once again hosting afternoon tea services.
The Health Benefits of Green Tea
The Chinese have used green tea to treat everything from headaches to depression as early as 4000 years ago. Research scientists in Asia and the west are providing evidence for the health benefits of drinking green tea. The National Cancer institute published an article in 1994 that reported that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by sixty percent. In America, Purdue researchers concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. Research also exists that drinking green tea lowers cholesterol levels as well as improving the ratio of good to bad cholesterol.
Green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin (EGCG). EGCG is a strong antioxidant that is known to inhibit the growth of cancer cells without harming good tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels and inhibiting the formation of blood clots, the leading cause of strokes and heart attacks.
Researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, the compound found in red wine that limits the effects of rich diets and smoking in the French. EGCG may explain why heart disease in Japanese men is low despite 75% of them being smokers.
Green tea is even credited as being a diet aid. Researchers reported that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given caffeine only with a placebo.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)