The use of components of some certain food

Tag : Dry Yeast

Bubbles In a glass of Guinness stout, the bubbles float downward. Bubblesat the center rise and create a circulating current in the glass,causing those bubbles along the walls of the glass to be pulleddown in the draft. Civet coffee (kopi luwak) Palm civets, furry little critters that live in tropical forests,have become unwitting factories for a strange brew. Swallowingcoffee cherries whole, their stomach acids and enzymes "process"the cherries, removing the fruit, leaving the bean. After the civetdoes its, ahem, civet duty, the beans are collected from the scat,cleaned and dried before roasting. Enthusiasts rave about the"distinctive" coffee that can sell for up to $450 a pound.
Diamond Jim Brady A typical day's consumption for this early-20th-century rail baronwith a legendary appetite could include hominy, eggs, cornbread,muffins, flapjacks, chops, potatoes, beefsteak, a full gallon oforange juice, two to three dozen clams and oysters, a brace ofboiled lobsters, three deviled crabs, a joint of beef, severalkinds of pie, a platter of seafood, six more crabs, two bowls ofgreen turtle soup, six lobsters, two canvasback ducks, two portionsof terrapin, steak, vegetables and an entire platter of pastriesfor dessert. Brady's autopsy revealed a stomach six times largerthan the average person's.
Eggs The white part of an egg is called the glair. The empty space atthe base of the egg between the white and shell is the air cell.The candler uses the size of the air cell to determine an egg'sgrade. The chalazae are those mucousy strands of egg white thatanchor the yolk in the center of the thick white. The moreprominent the chalazae, the fresher the egg.
Fugu Considered a delicacy in Japan, fugu (blowfish) contains a deadlypoison in its organs. Prepared correctly, it creates a mellow,tingling buzz in the mouth; incorrectly, it can cause seizure ordeath. Only licensed cooks can prepare it; training takes 10 years.Fugu is cooked in separate kitchens, and by law every chef musttaste his preparation personally before serving it to customers.Disposal of fugu's toxic wastes is also strictly regulated,following the death of homeless people who ate fugu waste fromdumpsters.
Gum blondes Toronto artist Jason Kronenwald constructs portraits of suchcelebrities as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan entirely out of ABCgum (that's "already been chewed" gum, for those of you who skippedchildhood) stuck to plywood. All the colors are "natural" to thegum and "mixed" in the mouth by a band of willing chewers.Kronenwald keeps his own teeth out of it.
Huitlacoche From the Nahuatl, " huitlatl " meaning "excrement" and " coche " meaning "raven," this black fungus, known to most farmers as cornsmut or soot, grows on ears of corn making the kernels swell withspores until they are bulbous and black. It has a long history inthe cuisines of Aztecs, Hopis and Zunis for its pungent, earthytaste and reputed life-giving properties.
Ice cream Squid, bacon, whale, Stilton cheese, pit viper, silk, ox tongue,natural Viagra, raw horseflesh, fried pork rind, garlic,sauerkraut, cold sweat are all ice cream flavors. Puts Baskin's 31to shame.
Jello Technicians at St. Jerome Hospital in Batavia, N.Y., tested a bowlof lime jello with an EEG machine and found it to have the samebrainwaves as adult men and women.
Kwispelbier "A beer for your best friend," this canine beverage named afterthe Dutch word for wagging a tail, was invented by pet-shop ownerGerrie Berendsen, who wanted to share a Miller-time moment with herdogs after a day of hunting. It's nonalcoholic, so your best friendwill have no trouble drinking you under the table, then licking youmercilessly.
Lutefish Purported to be the food of the Vikings and still a Nordictradition around Christmas, lutefish is made from dried cod or lingprepared with lye, creating its famous jelly-like consistency. Butbe careful not to let it lie in the lye too long, else the fats ofthe fish turn to soap.
McDonald's Think Big Macs are universal? In India you'll find a Maharaja Mac,of lamb or chicken meat, and a vegetarian McAloo Tikki. In Israel,there are three kosher versions of the Golden Arches. Sweden hasthe first ski-through McDonald's in the world. Germany's servebeer. In Chile, you dress burgers with avocado paste, not ketchup.And in Hong Kong, burgers come between two patties of glutinousrice.
New Year's rituals In Spain, the special tradition is to eat 12 grapes in 12 secondsas the clock bell tolls the hour and rings in the New Year. Eachgrape represents the 12 months to come, sweet or sour. You can evenbuy a tin of 12 peeled, seeded grapes all ready for popping.
Olives This fermented fruit holds a place of glory in history (not tomention on pizza slices). Victors in the Olympic games were crownedwith olive leaves. Athena won the favor of the Greeks and thenaming of their capitol by the most useful gift of an olive tree. Atwig of an olive tree brought back by his white dove assured Noahland was ho, and lo, became a symbol of peace.
Peanuts An ingredient of dynamite. Peanut oil can be processed to produceglycerol, which is used to make nitroglycerin, one of the keycomponents of the explosive.
Quinoa Cultivated from before 3,000 B.C., quinoa was worshiped by theIncas (explaining why the Catholic Spanish conquerors evidentlyfelt moved to suppress it almost 400 years). Each planting season,the Inca leader planted the first seed using a solid gold shovel.Although most people believe it is a grain, it's really a fruit.
Roadkill cook-off Since West Virginia legalized harvesting roadkill some 20 yearsago, it was no big surprise when the cook-off was born. InMarlinton, W.V., this September, expect to sample such dishes asThumper Meets Bumper and One Ton Wonton. The number one contestrule is that the entry must include animals typically found dead onthe road—groundhog, possum, deer, rabbit, squirrel, raccoon,etc.—though they need not actually come from there.
Sushi The best sushi chefs prepare octopus by first giving the liveanimal a long, full-body massage.
Turkey testicle festival After the road kill cook-off, head over to Byron, Ill., in Octoberto have a ball—a turkey ball, that is. Go ahead and have two(they come in a matched set.) Gobble, gobble.
Uses for food A teaspoon of pepper sprinkled in the washing machine beforeadding clothes will keep colors from fading. Dry orange peels,which contain flammable oils, can be used to start a fire insteadof paper, with a much nicer aroma. To speed up the ripening oftomatoes, place in a brown paper bag with a ripe apple and seal fora few days.
Vinegar Pliny the Elder tells of how Cleopatra bet Marc Antony she couldhost the most lavish feast ever. After a pretty luxe meal, shedropped one of her pearl earrings (said to be worth 15 kingdoms)into a glass of vinegar where it dissolved. Bottoms up!
Watermelon A 17-pound black Densuke watermelon sold for 650,000 yen or $6,100on June 6, 2008, making it the most expensive watermelon ever.
Xanthan gum A polysaccharide produced by fermenting corn starch with the Xanthonomonas campestris bacterium, xanthan gum has acquired currency in the latestmolecular gastronomy craze. It helps "stabilize," "thicken" and"emulsify." Add it to foods or liquids to change them into gel,paste, foam or glop.