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Our Daily Bread

Breads and Bread rolls at a bakery

Image via Wikipedia

“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.” ~Robert Browning, English poet

“Acorns were good until bread was found.” ~Francis Bacon

These are only two of the thousands of quotes regarding bread. The word bread is found 361 times in the King James Version of the Bible. People all over the world are in love with bread. However, bread is not the same all over the world. There are plenty of variations to our daily bread. Some of the favorites around the world are finding their way into artisan bread bakeries and now the American consumer is getting to enjoy new and exciting breads.

Focaccia is one example that is now quite popular. It is Italian bread that is believed to have originated in ancient Rome. This olive oil bread is most often seasoned with rosemary and sea salt but many variations are also made.

Soda Bread became popular first in Ireland and is often referred to as Irish Soda Bread for this reason. The bread consists of only the following ingredients – flour, baking soda, buttermilk and salt. It uses the baking soda for leavening instead of yeast.

Naan is an Indian tandoor-baked bread that is mostly found in northern India but also in Central Asia and the Middle East. It is usually made with yeast, but there is a baking powder variation that is sometimes made. This bread is often eaten by stuffing it with a variety of ingredients and spices.

Mexico has its tortilla, England its Yorkshire pudding, Brazil has Pão de Queijo (cheese buns), and the Mediterranean its pita. There are flat breads, puffed breads, stuffed breads, steamed breads, fried breads, biscuits, sweet and savory breads. It would be impossible to count all the varieties but it might be fun to try to have as many different kinds as possible!

Filed Under: Caloric Intake, Processed Foods Tagged With: , ,

A Cookbook Junkie

Some people collect stamps, others coins. There are nearly as many things that can be collected as there are people that like to collect things. For those that enjoy food and preparing food, collecting cookbooks can be a most rewarding endeavor. When you consider that the cookbook section at your favorite bookstore is usually quite large, it is obvious that there are a lot of cookbook buyers out there. Collecting cookbooks can be done in various specific methods or completely haphazard. It is all up to the collector.

Some are interested in old cookbooks and love to scrounge through garage sales, estate sales, and so forth looking for the oldest cookbook they can find. A couple old books that were available in early America were The Compleat Housewife in 1742, The Frugal Housewife in 1772 by Susannah Carter, and The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy in 1805 by Hannah Glasse.  All books were very scarce at one time and cookbooks were often owned only by the wealthy.

Other collectors strive to get regional cookbooks they can obtain on travels throughout the country. This can be a delightful way to come back home and prepare the various cuisines experienced on one’s trip thus reliving the memories.

Foreign travelers may do the same and find cookbooks in the countries they visit. The interesting part of doing this is that although some cookbooks may be found in their native language, often they are of the language of the country being visited. Although the recipes could only be recreated by first translating it, just having the book is a wonderful memento of the trip.

Others like to collect a variety, including unique ethnic cookbooks and specific themed ones. There is no wrong way to collect, just make sure you start with a really large bookcase because it will fill up really fast!

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Things You May Not Know About Being a Vegan

A vegan raspberry and pear tart.

Image via Wikipedia

People make the choice to become a vegan (pronounced VEE-gun) for any number of reasons. For some it is the natural choice with regards to living a green lifestyle. For others it is health reasons. For others it is out of reverence for living creatures.

There are varying levels of being a vegan. For some it is just a dietary decision while others extend the exclusion of animal products into clothing, cosmetics, household goods and all other products they use.

Here are a few things you might not know about being a vegan. First of all, the term “vegan” is relatively new having only begun in the mid 1940’s. The American Vegan Society, founded in 1944, is based on the Buddhist and Jainism concept of ahimsa which is the avoidance of cruelty against living creatures.  Only about 1% of Americans are vegans. Vegetarianism, on the other hand, dates back to the mid 1800’s.

Besides dietary considerations, other products not used by vegans include bone char, beeswax, lanolin, shellac, bone china, leather, wool, fur, rennet, gelatin, carmine, casein, tallow, whey, and silk. Some of these ingredients are found in things you would not expect. For example, white sugar often includes bone char.

Being a vegan is not as complicated as some people think. Like anything in life, it just takes educating oneself. There are plenty of resources available on the subject. You can learn what is excluded, how and where to shop, how to eat in restaurants, what supplements are suggested, and how to make substitutions when baking and cooking.

Many are hesitant to invite vegans to dinner for fear they will serve the wrong things, but fear not. Don’t exclude them. Instead, simply spend some time talking about it with them. They will most likely be more than happy to discuss the menu with you or even guide you to becoming a vegan yourself.

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Think Outside the Box

Everyone knows that truly innovative ideas come from those that “think outside the box.” So, why is it that so many people these days are flocking to eat what comes already prepared in a box? Mainly because so many families are looking for the quick fix approach to getting food on the table without really thinking about it.

The problem with this is that pre-prepared is not always significantly quicker, is more costly, and often is far less nutritious. One example is the prepared peanut butter and jelly sandwich currently available. Does it really take that long to slather on peanut butter and jelly? The prepared one includes just 6% iron and 2% calcium. The homemade one has 7% calcium, 14% thiamin, 27% niacin, 12% iron, 6% vitamin E, 13% magnesium, 7% zinc, and more depending on the products used. The cost of prepared sandwiches is about $4.00 per box of four small 1.72 ounce sandwiches. You can typically get a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly for under $5.00 and get far more sandwiches.

Another example – consider that pre-cooked chicken strips cost about $3.00 per pound more than raw boneless, skinless chicken strips. It takes about 3 minutes to warm up the pre-cooked and about 10 minutes to cook the raw. Consider that on a pound of chicken saving 7 minutes of time cost you $3.00 – you basically paid someone else $25.71 per hour to make that chicken.

At a time in our economy when most people do not earn that kind of money, why would anyone pay that when you can take that few extra minutes and get a tastier, healthier product besides?

This is not to say that there are not good products out there, but take the time to read the label and think about all factors when making your selections.

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The Traveling Gourmet

To the “foodie” traveling is a much different experience than it is to the adventure traveler. It is a mission – a mission to find authentic, unusual and gourmet options. You would never find the foodie traveler at a chain restaurant much less a fast food one. Instead they look for the hole in the wall that cannot be found in any tourist magazine.

Ever wonder how to go about this? There are actually a number of ways. One way is to talk to the desk clerk at your hotel. Notice that desk clerk is mentioned instead of the concierge. The concierge may know of the places off the beaten path but it is more likely it will be the well known locations that they will guide you to. Ask the desk clerk where they like to eat and why they like it. You are far more likely to get the kind of place your palate is craving.

Another way is to talk to store keepers as you are shopping. They are likely to be especially helpful if you have just made a nice purchase and engaged in some friendly conversation. Again, ask them where they like to eat.

This approach really works with any local person you can grab onto and engage in pleasant conversation. People love talking about where they live and will often be able to tell you about a place that few tourists are aware of.

Notice the difference between asking where is good and where they eat. If you ask where is good, you may get the first thing that pops into their mind and it may not be somewhere they have ever eaten as they are as much a victim of advertising as a tourist can be. Ask them where they plunk down their hard earned dollar and you are likely to find a real gem!

Filed Under: Cooking Tips, Processed Foods Tagged With: , ,
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