FOOD Consider the cronut: With the looks of a doughnut and the inner workings of a croissant, this confectionary hybrid has become a near-global sensation since it debuted in New York City in May. (National Geographic News) Scroll down to VOTE for your favorite foodie mash-up! The cronut is a true geographic grocery treat, owing its culinary history to European bakers, Ottoman invaders, and an innate … Continue reading Crazy for Cronuts
FOOD Finger-Lickin’ Grub The United Nations has new weapons to fight hunger, boost nutrition, and reduce pollution, and they might be crawling or flying near you right now: Insects. In a new report, the Food and Agriculture Organization hailed the likes of grasshoppers, ants, and other members of the insect world as an underutilized food for people, livestock, and pets. Discussion Ideas: In its new … Continue reading Finger-Lickin’ Grub
“There is no American food…The fact that we don’t have a cuisine is a measure of our democracy and of our ethnic heterogeneity.” –Sidney Mintz What is food? Food is more than just a way to nourish the body; it is a way to experience the world. According to anthropologist Sidney Mintz, there is no American cuisine. In nearly any town, it is easy … Continue reading Travel the World Without Leaving Your Kitchen!
Food for Thought 1. So, you have decided to cook dinner at home tonight. You go to the store and you buy some pork chops, some greens, some potatoes and all the assorted fixins that go with your meal. You head home and you dice your potatoes, coat them with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper, and then throw them in the oven, which … Continue reading Thirteen Thoughts for Friday the 13th
Countdown to Turkey Day: <24 hours.
When most of us think of Thanksgiving, a traditional cornucopia of foods come to mind. Turkey of course, and for the vegetarians, the gelatinous “Tofurkey” alternative; mashed potatoes and stuffing smothered in gravy from the bird’s belly, sweet potatoes, corn, an assortment of vegetables including squash, pumpkin, and zucchini; cranberry sauce, apple pie, etc.
These Thanksgiving staples largely reflect the local fare that would have been available to the pilgrims in Plimoth, Massachusetts, and their Native American friends four centuries ago for an autumn harvest feast–whatever your notions of the contentious history behind the real “First Thanksgiving.”
In fact, according to History.com, many of the foods commonly consumed at modern Thanksgiving celebrations would NOT have been eaten by early settlers in the 1600s. Among the Thanksgiving “impostors” are potatoes and sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie (sweet foods were uncommon, as sugar supplies were limited).
And of course, harvest feasts in other regions of the country would have looked quite different from those in New England, as variations in climate, soil, and precipitation conditions yielded production of distinct crops.
So this Thanksgiving, why not try something new and “make like the pilgrims” by eating local!
