Sunday, December 12, 2010

Stink Beans

Stink Bean aka Petai is found in Indonesia, Malaysia and other areas of South-east Asia. Usually the seed of the bean is eaten in stir fries.
It deserves its less-than-attractive name from what it does to the body odor of the eater... alter it in less than desirable way.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Apple history

The majority of the apple trees originally planted in the US were not purposed for edible apples, but to grow fruit for alcohol production.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Artichokes

Artichokes, when ripe and ready, will squeek when you squeeze them.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Cloves

Originating from the phillipines & Indonesia, cloves actually come off the dried flowers from the clove tree.
Alleged properties of cloves: helps digestion. against acne. fights bad breath. indians think it has aphrodisiac qualities. eases coughts. relaxes muscle cramps.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Greek Yoghurt

What makes greek yoghurt 'greek' and / or different from other Yoghurts?
Generally: Lower fat, higher protein content, and more 'probiotics', or bacteria per amount of yoghurt.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Berkshires (Pork)

Famed and well marketed producing area of pork products, the Berkshires are located in Western Massachussetts.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Halibut

THe Halibut is one of the largest saltwater fish. It's a flatfish usually available fresh in the summer and fall. It also contains a fair amount of tryptohan (yes, of turkey fame)...

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Elderberry & flower

there are Elderberry flowers and the elderberry berries on this particular tree - both of which get used for jams, infusions, teas and so forth. However, do not eat either one raw because they contain the slightly poisonous alkaloid. This substance however does break down with application of heat / cooking.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Pistacchios

Pistacchios are technically a sub-species of the cashew. The greener more vivacious family member i'd say.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Grenadine

Grenadine is sweetened and thickened pomegranate juice, generally used in cocktails.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Specialty Mustard

ABB Mustard from Duesseldorf has been produced since 1726 and is one of the oldest continous producers in Europe. Traditionally served in grey & blue ceramic pots, Vincent Van Gogh included such a pot in one of his still-lives.