It is difficult to assign a country name for the origin of such an influential product as chocolate. With Valentine’s day this week, and the frigid temperatures experienced by half of the world, hot cocoa and chocolate is in everyone’s mind. What is now a children’s favorite drink after a snow fight, or a luxurious drink at a café in Italy used to be an acquired taste enjoyed by manly men. This article entitled “The surprisingly manly history of hot cocoa” goes into the history of hot cocoa and many pictures to prove it.
The history of hot cocoa goes back a few thousand years to the early Classic period (460-480AD) of the Mayan civilization. According to Wikipedia to make the chocolate drink, which was served cold, the Maya ground cocoa seeds into a paste and mixed it with water, cornmeal, chili peppers, and other ingredients.They then poured the drink back and forth from a cup to a pot until a thick foam developed. Chocolate was available to Maya of all social classes, although the wealthy drank chocolate from elaborately decorated vessels, The introduction of cocoa beans and chocolate drink to Europe came in 1528 when Cortes returned to Spain and brought back the idea of making a drink out of cocoa beans. After the introduction to Europe, the drink slowly gained popularity, but the drink remained very expensive in Europe because the cocoa beans only grew in South America. Sweet-tasting hot chocolate was then invented, leading hot chocolate to become a luxury item among the European nobility by the 17th century. Then, as the technology to separate the cocoa butter from the cocoa seeds was introduced, solid chocolate was introduced with added sugar and milk powder. Well, what is your favorite way to make hot chocolate? My favorite is when there is real melted chocolate with some spices included to add a little kick. Here is an excellent recipe of spicy hot chocolate, thick, chocolaty and a little spicy with hot pepper flakes and cinnamon. When we were in Italy, we got to enjoy hot chocolate as it should be, at any outdoor café we could find. Thick melted chocolate, with hot milk on the side, slowly added to make an irresistibly rich drink. If you are in the Princeton, NJ area, the bent spoon, artisan ice cream shop also serve a European style hot chocolate. I highly recommend it before the season is over! Picture from the New York Times, spicy hot chocolate recipe
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Or rather, this title should be shared between 2 countries, India and Great Britain. The dish in question is the chicken tikka masala that we all love so much. The origin of the dish is debatable, but according to Wikipedia, one explanation claims that it originated in an Indian restaurant in the United Kingdom. Rahul Verma, a Delhi expert on street food, speculated in 2009 that the dish may have originated - probably by accident with subsequent improvisations - in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh during the last 50 years.
When I visited London, the number of Indian restaurants pleasantly surprised me, and enjoyed some of the best Indian food I have ever experienced. I guess it would be the next best thing to going to India to try out the authentic cuisine there. Needless to say, chicken tikka masala comes in many forms and there are a huge variety of recipes available. One thing to consider though, is the accessibility of ingredients, and keeping to its original flavors without having to spend a whole day in front of the stove. My conclusion for the ideal recipe was found in the Cook’s Illustrated magazine, but since the recipe is not available online for free, this recipe is very close, and the results will not disappoint. Photo from seriouseats website As someone that has been living in China for a few years, I can say that my view towards Chinese food has completely changed since living in China. The cuisines and flavors are so varied and bold, that each region has a completely different flavoring. For example, in the south east coast of China, near Shanghai, the flavors are more sweet and salty. Many of the people we met there could not even handle a little addition of red pepper flakes. However, as you head west in China, the flavors change from salty, spicy, really spicy, numbingly spicy, then sour and spicy.
Today we will focus on the famous Sichuan (Szechuan) cuisine, and share some insight and recipes. This cuisine is famous for it’s MaLa 麻辣 (Numb and Spicy) flavors. The numbing effect comes from the fragrant Sichuan peppercorns found all throughout western China’s mountains. Most authentic Sichuan cuisine will add this peppercorn and red peppers liberally, making the dishes almost unbearable after a few seconds. But this is also what makes Sichuan cuisine so irresistible to many people, including myself. Today, we will focus on a popular Sichuan dish called Dan Dan Mian (Noodles). These noodles are delicious and accessible, and it happens to be very easy to make. The history is a humble one, as Wikipedia mentions, “The name refers to a type of carrying pole (dan dan) that was used by walking street vendors who sold the dish to passers-by. The pole was carried over the shoulder, with two baskets containing noodles and sauce attached at either end. The noodles cost almost nothing, and gradually local people came to call them dandan noodles. Literally, the name translates as "noodles carried on a pole," but may be better translated as "peddler's noodles." Some versions of Dan Dan Mian will come with broth topped with red chilli oil, and some version will almost look like meat sauce over spaghetti, soup-less wheat noodles with red pork sauce over them. The version I will recommend today is the soup-less version, which is tasty, bold and a little spicy. I have made this version many times, and have gotten two thumbs up from Chinese people!! Here is the recipe from Smoky Wok, a fantastic Asian cooking blog. If you have an Asian supermarket nearby, you will be able to gather all the ingredients necessary to make this easy, tasty authentic recipe. If you are in the NJ area, and are looking for an authentic Sichuan restaurant, I would recommend the Green Apple Restaurant in North Brunswick, NJ. Don't be fooled by the strange name, we were introduced to this restaurant by some Chinese friends, and the food was so authentic and spicy, it made us cry, but in a good way. The restaurant was filled with Chinese customers on a Friday night, and the menu was all in Chinese. You can’t get more authentic than that! Here is the yelp review and contact information on the Green Apple Chinese Restaurant. We hope you get a chance to experience a truly cross cultural flavor, through Sichuan cuisine! Photo courtesy of The Noodle Guy. |
AuthorUnicultural team and trainers, sharing our views and experiences on everything cultural. Archives
May 2016
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