Ginger, with its tall leafy stems up to 1.2 m (4 ft) high, somewhat resembles a reed. The flower stems are about 25 cm (10 in) tall.
The flowers are large and coloured pale green; each opens for a single day and can be pollinated by one kind of bee found only in Mexico. Thanks to this small bee, Mexico maintained its monopoly on the export of vanilla for 300 years up until the 19th century. It was known to the Aztecs, who used it to flavour cocoa long before the discovery of America by Europeans.
Nowadays the principal wine-making countries are France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece. And it is these nations that use wine to flavour their national dishes, chiefly roast poultry, meat and game. Even a small amount of white or red wine added to foods gives them an indefinable flavour imparted during cooking.
It is sold as fresh pieces of root, ground to a powder, candied, preserved in syrup and as an extract for making ginger ale. In home cookery ginger is most commonly used finely ground in cakes, pies and sweet dishes in general as well as in soups and with meats and fish. Ground ginger is also a basic ingredient of curry powder and is added also to ketchup. The greatest consumers are the Arab countries, England and the USA.
It is presumed that the original grape vine growing in the forests of Caucasia was a dioccious plant. The evolution of the present-day varieties traces its beginnings to the late Stone Age, when man learned to till land and began cultivating the grape vine. Long-term breeding and selection has produced a great many varieties differing not only in the colour, size and shape of the fruit, but also in flavour and aroma.
Nowadays, synthetically produced vanillin is often used instead of vanilla; it is cheaper and more convenient. The aroma of genuine vanilla, however, cannot be matched because it is the result of the natural balance of vanillin and small quantities of other aromatic components contained in the pods.
The flowers are large and coloured pale green; each opens for a single day and can be pollinated by one kind of bee found only in Mexico. Thanks to this small bee, Mexico maintained its monopoly on the export of vanilla for 300 years up until the 19th century. It was known to the Aztecs, who used it to flavour cocoa long before the discovery of America by Europeans.
Nowadays the principal wine-making countries are France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece. And it is these nations that use wine to flavour their national dishes, chiefly roast poultry, meat and game. Even a small amount of white or red wine added to foods gives them an indefinable flavour imparted during cooking.
It is sold as fresh pieces of root, ground to a powder, candied, preserved in syrup and as an extract for making ginger ale. In home cookery ginger is most commonly used finely ground in cakes, pies and sweet dishes in general as well as in soups and with meats and fish. Ground ginger is also a basic ingredient of curry powder and is added also to ketchup. The greatest consumers are the Arab countries, England and the USA.
It is presumed that the original grape vine growing in the forests of Caucasia was a dioccious plant. The evolution of the present-day varieties traces its beginnings to the late Stone Age, when man learned to till land and began cultivating the grape vine. Long-term breeding and selection has produced a great many varieties differing not only in the colour, size and shape of the fruit, but also in flavour and aroma.
Nowadays, synthetically produced vanillin is often used instead of vanilla; it is cheaper and more convenient. The aroma of genuine vanilla, however, cannot be matched because it is the result of the natural balance of vanillin and small quantities of other aromatic components contained in the pods.
0 comments:
Post a Comment