Americans have a well-known habit of absorbing bits of culture from immigrants and adapting it to become something unique while still bearing some resemblance to its origins. Nowhere is this more apparent than with food. Take, for example, the tlaxcalli, or (as it’s known today) the tortilla. When the Spanish discovered Meso-Americans cooking their tlaxcalli, … Read more
Food has a way of getting to us beyond just a way to fill hunger. For example, food history is an increasingly popular topic. There are countless diets to not only lose weight but to build muscle or have other specified health effects. And then there is the sheer variety a single food can provide. … Read more
When life gives you lemons, don’t make lemon bombs. Instead, figure out what type of lemons it gave you, set aside the best ones, and THEN burn life’s house down with the rest. There are literally dozens of lemon varieties out there, many of which have specific qualities that set them aside for particular recipes … Read more
“Beer, anyone?” Whether chilling out at Friday night, watching a ball game or just a quiet night at home, beer can always be our buddy. One of the oldest beverages, beer is a staple drink for bars, ball games, parties, fraternity houses. From its ancient beginnings, beer has now evolved and diversified into many different … Read more
Perhaps the oldest occupation known to mankind (followed very closely by parenting), farming allowed our ancestors to stop migrating and create the first villages. In modern times, we’ve developed a wide range of farming techniques our forebears could never have imagined. The following types of farming are just a few examples of how versatile this … Read more
The US tend to take forks for granted. In the Orient, chopsticks are traditional, with forks only recently becoming widespread. In Europe, the fork didn’t begin to catch on until the 1500s. During the Medieval period, a predecessor to the modern day roast and carving forks was in use, but only in major feasts for … Read more
Caviar is, simply put, a product obtained from fish roe. From this seemingly unremarkable object, the fish eggs are classed into many different types of caviar via four main processing methods. The classification is solely dependent upon how the fish roe are processed. Types of Caviar Hmmm… one wonders how chicken eggs would taste … Read more
Whether you love it or hate it, oats are an incredibly healthy grain packed full of fiber and protein. Groats (full oat grains) require processing before they may be consumed by humans, but this process doesn’t involve additives or preservatives. While the term oatmeal suggests finely ground grains, some forms are in larger chunks while … Read more
A dessert is typically the sweet line that closes a meal in the culture of many countries in the world, including the western world. The track typically consists of sweet foods, but may include other items. The word “dessert” originated from the French word desservir meaning “to clear the table” and the negative of the … Read more
Liquor is a distilled beverage; an alcoholic drink that is produced by distillation of a blend or combination that is produced from alcoholic fermentation. During this procedure, it removes diluting components or mechanisms such as water so that it will increase the percentage of alcohol content. When distilled beverages contain more alcohol they considered harder. … Read more