The inspector from the Istituto Parma Qualità moves quickly amongst a selection of legs of ham. He pierces each ham in at least five spots using a special horse bone needle and sniffs the needle after each puncture. The needle is quite specialist; horse bone is porous to just the right degree that it takes in ... Read more »
I was surprised to learn that the tamarind tree is native to Africa, so strongly is its fruit associated with India, where it has been cultivated for several thousand years; indeed, the name itself comes from the Arabic tamar hindi – Indian date. Today India is the world’s largest producer of tamarind, much of which ... Read more »
For many years, I assumed that paprika was a Hungarian invention, misled by the origins of the word we use in England to describe this powdered spice. In fact, the story has it that Columbus presented sweet and chilli peppers to King Fernando and Queen Isabel of Spain as a gift of thanks for their ... Read more »
In the UK, molasses usually refers to black treacle, a viscous by-product of the refined sugar industry, made from sugarcane and sugar beet. But in other parts of the world, such sweet sticky syrups are made from a variety of fruits including grapes, dates, pomegranates and carob. Some, like pomegranate and date molasses, have become ... Read more »
You probably think you know tofu, don’t you? A wobbly block of bland, white protein much-loved as a meat substitute by vegans and health nuts. But as a card-carrying carnivore, I’m telling you that tofu is a delicious, versatile and nutritious ingredient that should be in everyone’s fridge or store cupboard. Certainly, the flavour is ... Read more »
The method of grinding tea leaves into a powder originated in China during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), but fell out of favour in the centuries to follow. It was not until the practice reached Japan by way of Zen Buddhist monks that it developed into the drink we know today. Image courtesy of Japan Centre ... Read more »
Are you familiar with umami? Discovered (and named) by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda back in 1908 and known as the fifth taste group (alongside sweet, sour, bitter and salty), umami is most commonly translated as ‘savoury’ or ‘meaty’ and is a flavour profile that most of us enjoy in our food, whether or not we ... Read more »
When cooks from the Indian subcontinent talk of garam masala, they talk of whole or ground. In his seminal and encyclopaedic book, McGee on Food and Cooking, Harold McGee explains that a greater surface area (from cracking or grinding spices) allows flavour molecules to escape more rapidly into the dish. This is why whole spices ... Read more »
Yacón is a member of the sunflower family, a perennial daisy prized for its sweet, crisp and juicy tuber. Commonly sold as a fruit and also known as Peruvian ground apple, Bolivian sunroot and pear of the earth, it has been cultivated in the Andean highlands for many hundreds of years – yet remains little-known ... Read more »
The Place of Onions, in old Lille. After last night’s rainstorm the intense sticky heat has broken and today is cool, breezy, fresh… I love it! A drop of… [more]
We went to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at The Void this morning, an amazing VR experience where we got to be Rebel Alliance members going undercover as… [more]