FOOD HISTORY:  BEER (Part 2; To the Present)

Malting

 The process of malting created a great leap forward in beer making. Malting is a process in which grain is made by soaking in water until it starts to germinate, then halted from further germination by heating. This provides the larger amount of sugar and activates the necessary enzymes to react with the fermenting yeasts. The malting process is buried in antiquity but there is a legend that the Egyptians developed a method for malting which included putting grain in a basket in a well to wet it, raised it above the water line to dry and raised or lowered the basket to adjust the temperature. The earliest archaeological evidence for malted grains dates back 1300 years to Raqfit Cave in Israel. Once the Roman Empire fell, Europe, in what was called the Dark Ages followed, had regions of the Empire breaking into smaller states. Because of this, beer making innovations went out of favor, only to be relearned centuries later in the Middle Ages. In the beginning of the Middle Ages, beers were brewed only in homes or in monasteries for profit. These beers would be flavored by using “gruits”, - mixtures of herbs - to give flavor and bitterness to the beer. Gruits were replaced in 19th century France using the herb, Hops.  (More about this later.) These beers would be like those brewed in earlier times using early malting methods.  It was in the Middle Ages, however, that improved malting methods became the source of beers that we are familiar with today. Initially, the making and selling of malts was often controlled. In Nuremberg, only barley was allowed to be malted while in Augsburg only oats were used for malting between 1433 – 1550, In England, malting carried a tax until 1880. European settlers North America even tried to make beer from maize. By the17th century beers brewed from barley malt predominated Europe. Further improvements in malting methods and development of large breweries lead to the industrialization of malting. With this and the expansion of world trade, beer made from barley malt spread across the globe.

Hops

Around the 9^th century, Northern Europe began to cultivate hops. In the 1500’s, when gruit was most popular, a set of regulations. “Reinheitgebot”, meaning, “purity order “was adopted in Germany and Bavaria. It decreed that beer may only be made using water, barley, and hops. Yeast was added when it was later discovered This restriction was made because beers using gruits caused narcotic, aphrodisiac, and psychotic effects. Hops were used to replace “gruits”. Hops added flavor and aroma to beer without the side effects and, in addition, served as a preservative. While some modifications and changes have been made to these laws, they are still in effect today. With hops making a more stable beer, longer lasting for both local and export, “hopped” breweries spread across Europe to Poland, Latvia, Scandinavia, the Low countries, and England.

Lagering: Bottom Fermentation

The term beer at that time were all Ales. Bavarian brewers found that in cold Alpine caves a new kind of yeast started to occur, which fermented beer more slowly, then sank to the bottom of the barrel. It was further found that storing these cold-resistant yeast brewed beers created a crisper beer. This form of beer maturation is called,” lagering” from the German word, “lagern” - to store. Hence the name for these beers is Lager as opposed to Ale. Over the first half of the 19^th century, brewers continued to expand and perfect the lagering process as it spread across Europe. In 1838, the town of Plzen (Pilsen) in Bohemia (now called The Czech Republic), brewers poured barrels of beer, which had spoiled from the warm weather, into the streets to get rid of it. They hired a German brewer, Josef Groff to teach them the Bavarian lagering method using a supply of lager yeasts smuggled out of Germany by a Monk. Plzen had soft water wells, a supply of excellent hops and cold sandstone caverns. All conditions ready for making lager beer. Further, they used only light barley, only partially smoked as opposed to the roasted and fully smoked barley used by the German. Combining all these elements, the Plzen brewers made a new lager different from all the ales they were used to drinking. The news of this new beer from Bohemia spread rapidly, and Plzen or Pilsen beer was born. Pilsen beer has become one of the most copied beers in history. Ales and lagers continued to be modified and are being improved even today. Now, many varieties of both ales and lagers are available around the world. Therefore, in most anywhere you are and whichever is your choice, raise your glass say; Sante, Prost, Skal, Skol, Salud, Salute, Kampai, Ganbei, Cheers, or whatever else you choose, and drink your beer!

 

 

 

 

 

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FOOD HISTORY: BEER( (Part 1: In the Beginning)

Prolog

All beer can be broken down into two categories: Ale and Lager. All beer is made from grains that are grown and allowed to ferment in barrels. Ales are fermented at warm temperatures at the top of the barrel, by top fermenting yeasts while Lager is beer which ferments at the bottom of the barrel by bottom fermenting yeast species under cold temperatures. Because of these fermentation differences, among others, Ales are usually full-bodied, nutty, and somewhat bitter while, Lagers are mild, fruity, and crisp

With the above in mind, I will continue to the history of beer.

How did beer appear? Nobody really knows. When the pre-historic people changed from hunters to gatherers, they collected wild grain to use as food or to make bread. As new grains were discovered - wheat, rice, barley, and corn – these new varieties were planted, cultivated, and stored. The domestication of these crops spread west to Europe, east to Asia and, eventually south to African countries i.e., Sudan and Egypt. Perhaps rainwater formed a pool in some warm area where a grain was stored, became contaminated with wild yeasts, fermented, and formed into a new liquid. Alternatively, it could have been a bowl of dough prepared for making bread being placed in a warm place, getting wet with water, being forgotten, becoming contaminated with wild yeast and fermenting. Whatever the case may be, when the new liquid was tasted by a curious person, who like the taste and effect it had, they decided to try to replicate it, and “beer” arrived on the scene. Not knowing about yeasts, early brewers thought that fermentation was “magic” or “spiritual”, a gift from the gods.  Be that as it may, the oldest known record of beer consumption is anywhere from 11,700 - 13,000 years old. It was previously believed that agriculture came about because ancient cultures needed the grains for food, but more recent evidence suggests that these cultures needed to plant more grains to use for brewing. Sumerian clay tablets from Mesopotamia (now Iraq) and Babylonia show that beer making was an honorable profession at that time. The thousand-year-old Sumerian poem, “Epic of Gilgamesh” mentions beer. Beer making became more widespread in regions where cereal and other grains were domesticated and cultivated. Beer is mentioned in the bible: Proverbs 31:4 -9; Isiah 24:9; Isiah 56 and 12; Micah 2:11) A 13.000-year-old “brewery” was recently discovered in Israel. Ancient brewers used mixtures of herbs called “gruits” to give flavor and bitterness to their beer. They also possessed antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Later, they were replaced using the herb,” hops”. (More about that later). Beer brewed in these times were more like porridge than beer made later. Because of their thick consistency, straws were used to avoid the bitter “sediment” left from fermentation and brewing. In Egypt beer making was a vital industry. Egyptians were the first persons to start state owned breweries. It became so popular that it was taxed, used as partial payment for workers building the Pyramids, and, as a symbol of wealth, buried in the tombs of the wealthy. Eventually, beer made its way to Europe where an abundance of barley crops provided lots of raw ingredients for brewers.  Egyptian beer was talked about in other countries; the ancient Greeks and Romans wrote about it in their texts. While Greeks and Romans brewed beer, it was never as popular as wine.  Roman soldiers consumed beer in the northernmost areas of the Empire; incidentally, the same regions where great beers are made today; Germany, Austria, Belgium, etc. Beer brewed at that time were Ales. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe was left to its own devices being broken up to small countries. This era was called the “Dark Ages” where was mostly brewed at home or in monasteries.  

COOKING TIP: Fried Herbs

Fried herbs make nice garnishes that "shatter"in your mouth when you eat them. Put whole leaves of tender herbs, such as, parsley, basil, sage, etc., in hot oil until they start to darken.remove and drain on paper towels where they will become crisp.The herb flavored oil can be used  in making salad dressings or any other way where a herb flavored oil may enhance the flavor of a dish.

 

FOOD TRIVIA: Origin of Food Names

 

Food Name               Language of Origin             Meaning in Original  Language

 

tapioca                               Brazilian                            "to squeeze out the dregs"

 

vermicelli                           Italian                                         "little worms"

 

phyllo                                 Greek                                               leaf

 

porcini                                Italian                                        "little pigs"

 

avocado                              Aztec                                            testicle

                                         (abucatl)

 

lasagna                            ancient Greek                             "chamber pot"

                                             (lasanon)

                                       adapted by Romans                 "large cooking- pot"

                                            (lasanum)

 

succotash                        Narraganset Indian         "boiled whole kernels of corn"

                                          (msickquatash)

 

 

FOOD HISTORY: Mincemeat

 In spite of its name, contemporary mincemeat, usually made into pies, is just a brandy infused mixture of minced dried fruit and, perhaps, some beef suet (fat) but no meat. It is very popular in Great Britain and is usually served at Christmas time. However, it was originally created as a way to preserve meat. In the Middle ages, meat pies with dried fruit were very popular in England but the lack of refrigeration made them very perishable. Salting and smoking were the only means available to preserve meat in those times  but these techniques produced flavors too strong or too salty for meats made into pies. Then, Crusaders,returning from the Holy Land brought certain spices back with them - cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.  It was found that when  these spices were added to meat mixtures used as pie fillings (initially,  probably added to mask any "off" flavors of not quite fresh meat), they exerted a preservative effect on the meat. Therefore, people began to add them to the meat/fruit fillings for their pies to make their protein supply last longer. Because of the religious connotations of these spices - gifts from the Magi given to baby Jesus - and Britain being a Catholic country at that time, the British Catholic Church hierarchy began to sanction mincemeat pies to be eaten at Christmas time. It became a British Christmas tradition. The Catholic King Henry V was even served mincemeat pies at his Coronation in April 1413.  Later, however, the religion of Britain became Protestant and during the very severe Puritan reign of Oliver Cromwell,(1653-1658) attempt's were made to banish Christmas itself as a holiday and certain food traditions that went with it  were banned, including preparation of and the eating of mincemeat pie.  Eating of  mincemeat  pies and the monarcy were restored in 1660 when Charles II ascended to the British throne. Later, when  English settlers brought their traditional food preferences to the New World, the Puritan idea that anything "gluttonous" and 'wasteful" was irreligious was brought, as well. Therefore, it took  some time before the eating of mincemeat pie began to catch on. However, as Puritanism declined, the popularity of mincemeat pie boomed in the American home. With the introduction of more modern methods preserving meat, the addition of fresh meat to pies so it could be eaten quickly before spoiling or to be mixed with spices in the pies to extend its life became irrelevant. Thus, in the 1700's, recipes for mincemeat pies using only fruit and suet but no meat, started to appear. These pies were preserved using only brandy.Today mincemeat pies are available made with the traditional spiced meat, suet and fruits, pies made using only suet and fruit and pies made using only fruit; all with or without brandy added. These pies are now eaten anytime during the year but still are most popular during Christmas.

COOKING TIP: Using East Indian Spice Blends

EAST INDIAN FLAVORING

Indian cooking is about BOLD flavors achieved by using a variety of spices, all used together. Curry and Garum Masala are two ofthe most popular blends. 

While each Indian Chef or housewives may have their own recipes for these spice mixtures depending on their palates, the region of India in which they live or a variety of other factors, I present a recipe for one of each of these blends below, which may be modified in any way that your taste directs. 

GARUM MASALA, known as Indian “sweet “ spice because it contains cinnamon, nutmeg and other spices which Western cooks think of as “sweet”, as well as savory spices e.g., cumin and coriander. Because some of these ingredients turn “bitter” after prolonged cooking, Garum Masala is added at the end of cooking time or even when the food is taken off the burner.

RECIPE

5 parts whole coriander seeds

4 parts whole cumin seeds

2 parts, each, black peppercorns and cardamom pods

1 part, each, whole cloves and nutmeg (freshly grated or powdered)

Except for the nutmeg, toast all whole spices in a skillet under medium – low heat until fragrant and a few start to darken. Remove from heat, cool, and grind using a spice grinder or coffee grinder, used exclusively for grinding spices. 

Add nutmeg and store in an air tight container.

CURRY POWDER, like Garum Masala, contains both whole and powdered spices, but it has a yellowish - orange color due to the use of turmeric in the blend. Curry is added during the early stages of cooking to prevent bitterness. It frequently is added to the oil used for sauteing aromatics, such as onion and garlic, at the beginning of the cooking process and is cooked for a few minutes, to ‘bloom’ the flavors, before the next ingredients are added.

RECIPE

6 parts, each, dried chili peppers, fennel seed and coriander seed

2 parts cumin seed

Dry toast the spices in a pan on medium heat until some of the seeds start to pop, about three minutes. Remove and cool.

Grind the blend in a coffee/ spice grinder with:

2 parts white peppercorns

2 parts mace

1 part ground turmeric

Store in an air tight container and use within one week.

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 [AH1]

 COOKING TIP: Rice

You need a certain number of no-brainer dishes in your life: recipes you can make with your eyes nearly closed. Rice fits the bill!

Fried rice—that's the one for me. It's quick, plays right into my fridge cleanout tendencies and besides, I always have rice around. Come to think of it, my go-to dish could easily be any number of rice dishes: risotto, Spanish rice, red beans and rice, rice pudding etc. Rice is dependable that way.

But one rice does not fit all. There are hundreds of thousands of different strains of rice, according to the USA Rice Council, which keeps tabs on such things. Thanks to Katie Maher, the council's Director of Domestic Promotion, who whittled it down for me—by color, size, shape of grain, and starch content.

Rice is a whole grain, all bran, germ, and endosperm. Remove the outer hull, the bran, and the germ, and you're left with a white kernel—white rice.

White rice is often enriched with vitamins to make up for what’s lost in processing.

Brown rice and other colored rice retain their bran (but not the inedible hull) and, thus, their nutrients. Black rice, also called Chinese Forbidden rice, gets its color from its black bran. Red rice has reddish brown bran. All the whole-grain rice’s taste chewier and nuttier than white rice.

Rice is most often categorized by size: long, medium, and short grain.

Long-grain rice is three to four times as long as it is wide. Basmati and Jasmine rice are in this category.

Medium grain has shorter kernels, two to three times as long as they are wide. Arborio and Carnaroli rice for risotto, Bomba for paella, and Calrose sushi rice are all medium grain.

Short-grain rice is squat, almost round. It’s used interchangeably with medium grain for sushi and dishes like risotto and rice pudding.

Two starches in rice—amylose and amylopectin—determine its texture when cooked.

Short- and medium-grain rice are higher in amylopectin, the so-called "sticky starch," so they cook up moist and clingy.

Long-grain rice has more amylose. That’s why its kernels stay fluffy and separate

Glutinous rice, also known as sweet rice, contains only amylopectin, which explains its super-stickiness. It's usually sold in Asian markets and used in many Asian desserts.

Wild rice really isn't rice. It's an aquatic grass native to the Great Lakes region, now largely cultivated in Minnesota and California. Like brown rice and other whole-grain rice, it's very nutrient-dense.

Instant rice. Also called quick-cooking or pre-cooked rice, this is fully cooked and dehydrated rice. It needs only a quick reheat.

Parboiled rice is rice that's been soaked and steamed before the outer hull is removed, in the process absorbing nutrients that would otherwise be lost. Parboiling also partially cooks the starch in the rice so the kernels stay fluffy but firm.

Rice is appealingly cheap and goes a long way. If you’re buying from the bulk bin or by the giant bagful, make room to store it properly.

Once opened, transfer it to a well-sealed container. Rice is a dry good and needs to stay that way: dry, cool, and away from aromatic foods like onions (it’ll pick up those aromas).

Brown rice will go rancid because of the oil content in the bran; it’s best to keep it in the fridge, similarly sealed.

While brown rice has a shelf life of about six months, white rice’s is “almost indefinite,” Maher said.

Freshly cooked rice has a shelf life, too. Use it within two hours or refrigerate. It’ll keep for three to five days—optimal fried-rice time, if you ask me.

 

FOOD TRIVIA: Drinking from Chinese Tea Cups

There are many points of etiquette associated with drinking tea in China. Some of them are:

The youngest person at the table always pours the tea for everybody from the eldest person down to the younger people.

When pouring tea, your left hand should cover the lid and your right hand deliver the tea.The person pouring tea has their cup filled last.

Tea is poured only in cups, never in glasses, and the cup is not picked up to have the tea poured into it.When tea is poured and the pot is put down, it is impolite to have have the spout pointed at anybody. Further, the handle should be facing the pourer to imply that they will always be pouring.  

 To acknowledge the person who has poured your tea, a knock on the table using the index and middle fingers is used which represents your appreciation by this symbolic imitation of a kneeling position.

FOOD TRIVIA: Can an Apple Taste like an Orange?

Obviously, apples and oranges are different but try this experiment. Slice an apple and an orange in half. Take a bite of the apple and chew while holding the sliced orange under your nose and sniff repeatedly. The apple will taste like like an orange. Why you ask! Because smell receptors in your nose work along side the taste receptors (taste buds) in your mouth to help interpret taste. Thus, a strong smell can affect the flavor of food.

COOKING TIP: Panini

Panini (plulal; singular, panino) are Italian sandwiches made on bread, other than sliced bread (eg; ciabatta, focaccio, baguette, etc) that are filled with meats, cheeses and /or grilled vegetables.While the sandwich does not need to be grilled, Americans, generally, are not aware of this. This is because American cafes usually do coat both sides of the bread with butter or oil and  grill them using a  heated grill device that grills the sandwich on both sides on, simultaneously. The device is called a grill press and produces a grilled sandwich with crisp outsides and distinctive grill marks on both sides.. If you want to make Panini but do not have a grill press, wrap a building brick in heavy duty aluminium foil. Butter or oil the bread on both sides of your sandwich(es), place on a grill pan on medium heat, and place the brick on top to weigh the sandwich down. Cook until there are distinct grill marks on the outside of the bread and then turn over and repeat the process on the other side until done. This will give you a perfect Panini every time. This procedure works just as well for making a Cuban sandwich, another great sandwich in which the bread is grilled.

COOKING TIP: All About Rice

ALL ABOUT RICE

Humans started eating rice over 5000 years ago. It has It is the second largest worldwide production after maize (corn). People all over the world eat it and in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America it is consider their premier nutritional source. Therefore, every cook, food lover and Foodie, should know something about it.

Rice is a whole grain containing bran, the germ and endosperm. If you remove the outer hull, the bran and the germ, you are left with a white kernel - white rice. Since much of the nutritional content of the white rice kernel is lost in the preparation process, vitamins are frequently added to make up for this loss. This gives you “enriched” white rice. Colored rice which has its inedible hull removed but retains both the bran and germ, while they take longer to cook, are more nutritious. See below.

Rice is frequently categorized by its size: long, medium or short.

Long grain rice is 3 - 4 times as long as its width. Examples are Jasmine and Basmati which are commonly used in Asian, Indian, and Latin American cooking. *

Medium grain rice kernels are shorter; 2 -3 length compared to width. Arborio, Carnaroli and Vialoni nana for Risotto, Bomba for Paella and sushi rice are examples of medium rice.

Short grained rice is squat, almost round and can be used interchangeably, with medium grains for risotto or rice pudding.

How rice differs in its texture when cooked is determined by the amounts of the two starches - amylose and amylopectin - that are contained in the rice.

Long grain rice has more amylose and, because of this, stays fluffy and separate when cooked.

 Medium and short grained rice are higher in the “sticky starch” amylopectin, so they cook up moist and clingy.

*Long grain white rice should be washed before cooking to remove excess starch on the outside of the kernels which will make the rice less sticky and give you fluffier and more individual kernels. However, if you are using vitamin/mineral added (enriched) rice (most U.S white rice) you may be washing some of the nutrients applied to the kernels. THE CHOICE IS YOURS!

 OTHERS

Glutinous (Sweet or Sticky) rice contains only amylopectin and it cooks up super – sticky when cooked, often by steaming. Many Asian dishes, both sweet and savory call for this type of rice.

Wild rice is not a rice, but an aquatic grass largely grown in California and Minnesota which, as brown and other whole grain rice, is very nutritious.

Instant rice is a fully precooked and dehydrated rice that recooks very quickly.

Parboiled rice (e.g. Uncle Ben’s) is rice that has been soaked and steamed before the outer hull is removed. By this process nutrients, which otherwise would be lost, are absorbed and retained. The parboiling partially cooks the grains starch so that the cooked kernels are fluffy but firm

COLORED RICES

Brown rice undergoes minimal processing, thus, most of its nutrients; protein, fiber and healthy Bran are retained. Because of the oil in the bran, however, its shelf life compared to white rice - three to five years to forever - is only six months.

Black or Purple rice, which derive their color from several chemical substances in the inner portion of the bran, add protective antioxidant properties in addition to the other nutrients in their whole grain rice kernels.

Red rice is a special variety of rice, deriving its rich, red color due containing to color producing phytochemicals called anthocyanins. These pigment producing components add protective antioxidant and anticarcinogenic activities in addition to the nutrient contents of the whole grain rice kernel making red rice the most nutritious of all the different rice.