Allspice is the dried unripened fruit of an evergreen plant in the Myrtle family called Pimienta dioca. It is commonly called the pimento tree. The tree is indigenous to Central America and grows from Southern Mexico to Panama and throughout the Caribbean. Other names for the spice is Jamaican pepper, clove pepper, pimento, and English spice. Although dried allspice … Read more
Understanding the coleslaw origin requires a quick trip back to the late 1600s. Originally known as koolsla by Dutch settlers in New York, the dish literally translates to “cabbage salad.” While it’s now a staple of modern comfort food, the journey from Dutch “koolsla” to American “coleslaw” is full of fascinating etymological twists. Coleslaw Origin: … Read more
A sweetbread is not a sugared pastry, which is what you’d be justified in thinking. Usually, when people tell you what sweetbreads are, they get it wrong, or only half right. Many people believe sweetbreads are testicles or calves’ brains. Others believe sweetbreads are just a nice-sounding name for internal organs or offal. In this … Read more
Many people are convinced that brown eggs taste different than white eggs. This is a myth. Brown eggs do not taste different than white eggs. And no, brown eggs are not better than white eggs in terms of quality or taste, or vice versa. This myth has persisted in America for decades, perhaps owing to … Read more
Have you ever seen a recipe involving mushrooms that did not involve pre-cooking the mushrooms? This is usually done by sauteing the mushrooms over high heat with just a little oil and salt. Putting raw mushrooms on a pizza essentially ruins it. the mushrooms taste raw, because they mostly are, while the pizza is watery … Read more
Trahana is sometimes referred to as sort of a Greek pasta, and that is essentially what it is: a small granular pasta. While we mostly think of pasta as an Italian specialty, Greece has dozens of traditional pastas as well. For instance, Greece has something called nioki. Nope, it is not a relative of Italian gnocchi. It … Read more