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Food

Facts About Banana Bread

February 18, 2020 By admin 5 Comments

Banana bread, as the name suggests is made up of bananas. This type of bread is usually sweet in taste and often used as dessert or tea-time cake. The exact origins of the bread are unknown but it became popular in America during the early 20th century.

Banana Bread with nuts
Image: Steve Johnson/Flickr

In the 1930s, baking soda and baking powder became quite common and so Banana Bread became quite popular as both baking soda and baking powder were needed to bake the bread.

The first recipe for the bread was published in Pillsbury’s 1933 Balanced Recipes Cookbook and later after appearing in the Chiquita Banana’s Recipe Book in 1950 the bread became even more popular.

Another reason for the widespread popularity of the bread was due to the Great Depression. During the Great Depression, women would use overripe bananas to make banana bread instead of just throwing them away. Bananas were expensive back then, and households couldn’t afford to waste them away.

Plain Banana Bread
Image: Ginny/Flickr

Banana bread is a quick bread and doesn’t use yeast. Instead, it’s leavened with baking powder.

Banana bread might also be good for cardiovascular health as it contains bananas which are rich in potassium. Potassium helps to regulate blood pressure. However, there’s no decisive study to prove how effective banana bread is in reducing blood pressure.

Bananas are a quick energy source because they are rich in carbohydrates. As bananas are the main ingredient in Banana bread, one can assume that the bread is a gold source of energy.

Banana Bread with Blueberries and Walnuts
Image: Alpha/Flickr

Banana bread is made using ripe bananas, flour, baking soda and baking powder. Other ingredients are also added depending on the recipe e.g eggs, butter e.t.c. There are many recipes for Banana bread. All the ingredients are mixed together and then the bread is baked in an oven.

The bread comes in different variations. Some breads have nuts in them, other breads may have raisins, chocolate chips, cinnamon, blue berries or raspberries in them.

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Image: Jo Naylor/Flickr

Facts About Chimichurri Sauce

October 27, 2019 By admin Leave a Comment

Chimichurri is a popular uncooked sauce from South America. The green colored sauce originally originated in Argentina but has become popular all around the world. Another version of the sauce is red in color. The green version is more commonly used so when people talk about Chimichurri, they’re generally referring to the green one.

Chimichurri Sauce
Image: Foodista/Flickr / (CC BY 2.0)

Chimichurri is very widely consumed in Argentina and Uruguay. It’s also used in other parts of South America.

The red version of Chimichurri is prepared in the same way, but require the addition of tomatoes and red bell pepper as well. 

Chimichurri may be applied to meat during cooking to keep it moist.

It’s also used as a table condiment with meat and vegetable dishes such as cooked beef, chicken and fish.

The sauce is often used with grilled meat in cooking and as a side condiment.

Image: Krista/Flickr / (CC BY 2.0)

Ingredients:

Chimichurri is made up of parsley, garlic, olive oil, oregano and red wine vinegar.

Preparation:

Chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and red wine vinegar are mixed together and blended in a food processor.

2 tablespoons of Chimichurri contain about:

  • 51 Calories
  • 5 g Fat
  • 1 g Fiber
  • 1 g Carbohydrates
  • 1 g Pprotein
  • 23 µg Folate
  • 1,310 IU Vitamin A
  • 20 mg Vitamin C
  • 23 mg Calcium
  • 1 mg Iron
  • 149 mg Sodium
  • 89 mg Potassium
Chimichurri with chicken
Image: Katherine Lim/Flickr / (CC BY 2.0)

Facts About Gabon Nuts

July 22, 2019 By admin Leave a Comment

Gabon nuts are tropical fruits grown on Gabon tree, scientifically known as Coula edulis which belongs to the Olacaceae plant family. These nuts are found natively in the tropical regions of western Africa. Gabon nuts have good nutritional value and a lot of health benefits. They are much similar to walnuts in shape and size but are not related. Because of the similar physical characteristics they share with walnuts, Gabon nuts are also sometimes called African walnuts or Black Walnuts owing to their dark color.

Gabon Nuts
Gabon Nuts

Gabon nuts are much rare then other nut species. They have thick shells which makes germination difficult and as such these nuts are not so commonly found outside their native habitat.

They are usually found in the tropical rainforests of Western Africa, typically in Gabon, Sierra Leone, Angola, Congo, Cameroon and Nigeria.

Each nut is about 3-4 cm in length and 0.5-0.6 cm in width. Gabon nuts have a taste similar to chestnuts and hazelnuts.

The nuts grow on the trees from August to January. During this period the nuts are plucked off for consumption by humans and animals like chimpanzees.

Gabon nuts are either eaten raw, cooked or boiled. Though it’s better to not boil them as they lose some nutritional and health value when boiled. Cooking them or eating them raw is more healthy.

They are also used as a flavoring especially in desserts and meat dishes. The nuts are also sometimes ground into flour.

Gabon nuts are also very rich in oil which is extracted and used in making cooking oil.

A Gabon nut contains 50% oil of which 87% is the fatty oleic acid. Protein content of the nut ranges between 8.96 and 21.80 percent. Raw nuts have the highest protein concentration. Boiling or cooking can result in some protein loss, hence it’s better to consume them raw to gain maximum protein energy.

These nuts have a lot of health benefits. The nuts are rich in proteins, vitamins, healthy fatty acids, anti-oxidants and fiber. Each nut has an abundance of vitamins such as Vitamins E, B1, B6, B7 ,B9.

Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids present in the nut can improve heart health by reducing bad cholesterol, blood pressure. They also promote mental health, decrease memory loss and help in reducing liver fat.

Phytosterols and Omega-3 fatty acids present in the nuts can reduce the risk of getting cancer.

Research shows that the nuts also exhibit anti-inflammatory properties and can reduce the risk of chronic inflammation.

They also have a high fiber content which helps aid digestion.

Vitamin E present in Gabon nuts helps fight infections. Other Vitamins present like Vitamin B1 promotes healthy growth, Vitamin B6 keep the immune system strong, Vitamin B7 is important for strong hair and nerve health, Vitamin B9 helps in reducing the risk of birth defects.

Gabon nuts are also believed to increase male fertility by increasing the sperm count in males.

History of Tea Bags

June 2, 2019 By admin 1 Comment

If you’re a tea person you would know how important tea bags are and how they’ve made our lives so much easier. Whether we are at work or hanging out or at home, us tea lovers just can’t live without tea. Tea bags make the task of brewing tea a lot easier. Instead of boiling the tea in a pot all we do is just dip the tea bag in a cup of hot water(add a little milk too if we like it that way) and we’re good to go. But of course it wasn’t always like this. Tea bags were just invented over a 100 years ago and that too by accident.

Different types of tea in teabags.
Author: André Karwath / (CC BY-SA 2.5)

The story of how tea bags were invented goes like this:

In 1904, Thomas Sullivan a tea merchant from New York sent some samples to his clients. The samples Thomas sent were wrapped in pouches of silk. His clients instead of opening them up just dipped the pouches directly into hot water and brewed the tea. And this is how tea bags were born.

Seeing the popularity of his tea bags and customer feedback, Sullivan developed sachets made out of gauze, the first purpose-made tea bags. Commercial production of tea bags started in the 1920s, and soon the bags became popular all over the United States.

Up until the early 1940s tea bags resembled small round sacks. The modern day rectangular tea bags that we use today were not invented until 1944.

Evolution of Lipton’s Tea Bags
Image: Unilever

Some Facts About Tea Bags:

Each Tea Bag contains about 3g of tea.

In each teabag of Litpon’s Black Tea, the tea contains about 25mg of Potassium.

Teabags were adopted by the British much later than the Americans. Tetley was the first company to introduce tea bags in UK.

Tetley started commercial production of teabags in Britain in 1953, about 30 years later than the Americans did.

Tea bags are made up of either filter-paper,nylon or food grade PVC(plastic).

Some artists use on teabag papers to create different shapes of art. This practice has become known as teabag folding or teabag origami.

Because Teabags are not airtight, the tea loses flavor over time. So it’s best to use them as quickly as possible once the packing containing the teabags is opened.

Tea bag Folding, also known as Tea bag Origami
Author: Sherry Venegas/Flickr / (CC BY 2.0)

Health Facts About Pomegranates

May 5, 2019 By admin Leave a Comment

Pomegranates are not ordinary fruits. Many people consider pomegranates to be the King of all Fruits. This delicious fruit is packed richly with minerals, vitamins, and phytonutrients. A lot of research has been conducted on the fruit’s nutrient properties and its health benefits. Scientists are learning more about the fruit and we hope that in the future, more health benefits will be discovered.

Pomegranates
Author: Ella Olsson / (CC BY 2.0)

The pomegranate is also known as the Chinese Apple or the Granada, and it is well known for its juice and fruit.

The origins of the pomegranate are in Persia and India.

Pomegranates are grown in early spring through late summer between the months of February and September. Pomegranates grow in warm climates.

Pomegranates are similar to grapefruits in size and are red in color.

Author: Augustus Binu / (CC BY-SA 3.0)

This fruit with softball shape has high nutritional value with low calories.

This fruit contains high amounts of vitamin C, and other vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin B5, and vitamin E.

Additionally, it is packed with numerous minerals such as potassium, calcium, as well as iron.These compounds improve body health, prevent ageing and increase immunity.

Author: Prathyush Thomas

Pomegranates have a lot of seeds within themselves. These seeds are full of fiber. Pomegranate seeds also prevent clotting and coagulation of blood and hence act as a blood thinner. This can prevent blood clots in arteries.

Studies have shown that pomegranates also help in reducing bad cholesterol levels and triglycerides in the human body.

Pomegranates can prevent heart disease and also reduce blood pressure.

Pomegranate Juice
Author: Ella Olsson / (CC BY 2.0)

Pomegranates also fight enzymes that damage bone cartilage, hence ensuring and prolonging bone health.

Studies have shown that consuming pomegranate juice improves our visual and verbal memory.

Pomegranates also have anti-inflammatory properties and can have positive health effects on people suffering with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Author: John Morgan / (CC BY 2.0)

Research has also shown that people who consume pomegranates, have lower levels of the stress hormone Cortisol, hence pomegranates can contribute to reducing stress in our body.

This fruit also contains compounds that prevent plaque formation, hence ensuring healthy teeth and gums.

Pomegranates have three times more antioxidants than any other antioxidant-rich food; it consists of numerous polyphenol such as flavonoids, tannins, catechins, ellagic acid, and anthocyanins. These phytochemicals increase the ability of pomegranate fruits to decrease the effects of disease and tissue damage.

Author:Marco Verch / (CC BY 2.0)

Facts About Salal Berries

April 9, 2019 By admin Leave a Comment

Salal berries are native to North America. These berries are abundantly found in the wild in the coastal regions of western North America but have been localized in Europe too. The scientific name for Salal is Gaultheria Shallon and it belongs to the Ericaceae plant family. The plants are mainly popular in the floral industry where the leaves of this plant are used in floral arrangements, however they’re also known for their berry fruit and health benefits.

Salal Berries
Author: Laurel F / (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The words Salal and Shallon originate from native American languages. The name Gaultheria comes from the name of Canadian botanist, Jean-François Gaultier. The genus Gaultheria Shallon(Salal Berry) was named after him by a fellow botanist named Pehr Kalm.

Gaultheria Shallon(Salal) are small trees or shrubs that grow in thickets and can reach a height of 5m.

These shrubs prefer moist and shaded conditions and that’s why they are commonly found near coastal areas. They are also found growing under the canopy of trees in coniferous forests.

Gaultheria Shallon(Salal Berry)
Author: Jami Dwyer / (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Leaves are dark green, shiny and thick with a leathery texture. Each leaf is about 2-4 inches in length.

The Gaultheria shallon’s flowers are bell shaped, hairy and pinkish-white in color. The flowers are short, about 0.7cm to 1cm in length.

Salal(Gaultheria shallon) flowers
Author: Walter Siegmund / (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The berries themselves also have a slightly hairy appearance. They grow and become mature in summers. Their color changes to dark-blue when fully ripe, much similar to blue-berries.

However they taste a bit different and are slightly less juicy and sweet than other berries.

In old times, these berries were a staple fruit of the Native people of North America. Salal berries were eaten fresh or sometimes dried up into cakes for consumption in winter.

Salal Berries
Author: John Rusk / (CC BY 2.0)

Some native populations also used the berries to thicken salmon eggs and some would dip the berries in fish grease and eat them during large feasts.

In modern times people eat them raw or use them to make jams, jellies, pies or as dried fruit.

Ripe Salal Berries
Author: Darren Giles / (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Research conducted has shown that Salal berries are rich in nutrients like Vitamin C, and have a much higher antioxidant content than most of the other berry fruits. Antioxidants are very important for brain and cardiovascular health.

Salal berries are also good for hair and skin health. The berries are rich in vitamins and flavonoids that prevent ageing and skin degeneration.

Salal(Gaultheria shallon) leaves
Author: Murray Foubister / (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The leaves of this plant also serve several edible and medicinal purposes. In ancient times, Native American people used the leaves of the plant to flavor fish soup. At other times, the leaves were used as appetite suppressants. People would chew them to suppress their hunger.

Tea prepared by boiling the leaves in water is believed to have positive effects in decreasing and treating bladder inflammation, stomach and intestinal ulcers, heartburn, indigestion, sinus conditions, diarrhea, fever, sore throat, and menstrual cramps.

Salal Berries
Author: Murray Foubister / (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Apart from being used in tea, the leaves are also used in making poultice that is used to ease pain and discomfort caused by insect bites and stings.

Salal also acts as a food source for animals. Salal berries are consumed by squirrels, chipmunks and bears while the leaves and shrub are consumed by deer and mules.

Salal Berries
Author: James Abbott / (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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