If you are learning to cook, do you know your caviar?

So tell me. What do you know about caviar? Well? In the old movies I like to watch people usually always have champagne and caviar. Caviar looks like little small beads and comes in different colors. And uumm … only rich people eat caviar because it's really expensive! But if you search online you can find quality but inexpensive caviar that you can give as gift. 

Uh huh.  You know as much about caviar as me.  Cool!  We can learn together.  ☺

Like most foods that we enjoy today, caviar has ancient origins. Of course, the Persians and the Greeks enjoyed sturgeon roe. The word "caviar" comes from the Persian word "khavyar", which means "egg-bearing". And of course, Caviar was once considered a royal delicacy, i.e. food only eaten by the royals and the elites, who had wealth and status. But these days, ANYBODY can order caviar online or shop for it at their local grocery store (it's available at my local grocery stores)

FUN FACTS FOR FOODIES:

Persians created what we now recognize as caviar. They were the first to cure sturgeon roe and also introduced the practice of salting the roe to preserve it.

The Caspian Sea region (Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan) is known for producing some of the finest caviar (Beluga and Kaluga caviar and other type of caviar). Even today it is home to 90% of the world's caviar. Since this area borders Russia, no surprise it became popular in Russia, where it was a staple at royal feasts and banquets.

In the 19th Century, in the USA, sturgeon was abundant in American waters, especially in the rivers and lakes of the Midwest and East Coast. Would you believe that caviar was often served as a free appetizer in saloons and bars? Supposedly its salty flavor encouraged the customers to drink alcohol. A German immigrant named Henry Schacht get credit for making the United States a major exporter of caviar. He started a business in 1873 exporting caviar to Europe. Would you also believe a lot of that caviar shipped to Europe is then re-imported to the U.S. labeled as "Russian caviar"? (Unfreaking believable!)

At any rate, high demand resulted in an environmental impact: overfishing caused sturgeon numbers dwindled, the price of caviar skyrocketed, and it's back to being a luxury item again.

To help meet the demand AND preserve wild sturgeon populations, alternative sources of roe are being used: salmon, lumpfish, and whitefish. In addition, caviar is produced using sustainable aquaculture practices.

Even so, don't even dream about caviar going back to being an available free bar snack. It is a luxury delicacy, enjoyed by people around the world, and can be easily purchased if you know where to shop or buy.

Caviar has a rich history going from ancient delicacy to modern luxury food, with ongoing efforts to balance demand with conservation. 

REFERENCES:

“Caviar Origin: The History of Caviar.” Imperia Caviar, 18 Aug. 2022, https://imperiacaviar.com/blogs/blog/caviar-origin-the-history-of-caviar.

Filippone, Peggy Trowbridge. “What You Didn’t Know About The Quirky History Of Caviar.” The Spruce Eats, 4 Aug. 2006, https://www.thespruceeats.com/history-of-caviar-as-food-1807579.

***

Desserts: "Yolka" with Mango and Passion Fruit Confiture (Guest Post)

Exotic fruits like mango and passion fruit can turn a dessert in a gourmet delight.  You are going to love this recipe.

  "Yolka" with mango and passionfruit confiture

Ingredients: ⠀

⠀ 📌Merengue:
Egg white 150 g
Granulated sugar 300 g
Lemon juice 1 tsp
⠀
⠀ 📌Cream mascarpone:
Mascarpone 150 g
Cream 33% fat 100 g
Powdered sugar 1 tbsp (optional)
Vanilla extract 1 tsp

⠀⠀ 📌Filling:
Mango jam - passion fruit 150 g
⠀
Preparation:

STEP 1. Meringue:
Heat the protein with sugar in a water bath, stirring constantly, until the sugar crystals dissolve. Remove the protein mass from heat, beat with a mixer until stable peaks. At the end of whipping, add lemon juice. On pastry parchment, draw 3 circles of the desired diameter, turn over and place on a baking sheet. Spread the protein mass with a silicone spatula (or spoon) within the circles drawn, making a small indentation in the center of the circle. Place the baking sheet in an oven preheated to 150 ° C and immediately reduce the temperature to 100 ° C. Bake for ~ 1.5 hours. The exact baking time and temperature range depend on the power of your oven. The meringue should not brown, but should have a hard crust. Cool the finished meringue cakes. ⠀

STEP 2. Cream mascarpone:
Using a mixer, beat the chilled cream with mascarpone and vanilla extract until stable peaks (add powdered sugar if desired). ⠀

STEP 3. Assembly:
Put the cream on the meringue cake, then add a layer of confiture. Repeat with the following cakes. Place the finished cake in the refrigerator for ~ 1 hour.

❗️ Notes: To prevent the pastry parchment from slipping on the baking sheet, grease the edges with whipped protein mass and glue it to the nasty. Bon Appetit!

*

Food Blurb: Gourmet Sleuth is an Excellent Cooking Resource

Have you ever had a recipe that required a certain ingredient but that particular ingredient is not readily available where you live OR if it is available, it's really expensive.  This website called Gourmet Sleuth will share ingredients that you can substitute.  For example:

• If you don't have radicchio, use endive or arugula.
• If you don't have jack fruit, use plantains, summer squash or papaya. 

If the recipe calls for something exotic like Bhutanese Red Rice, you can substitute Black rice or brown rice.

"Bhutanese Red Rice is a partially-milled short grain rice grown in the Himalayan mountains." 

You can easily look up what you need as the ingredients are arranged in alphabetical order.

The site also has a blog and shares recipes, conversions, and articles.  Because I am interested in world cuisine, I really like the article section titled "Ethnic, Unique Foods, Ingredients".

Food Gift Baskets Are Perfect for Holiday Gift-Giving

The holiday season is upon us and I for one am very content to share a few precious moments with family and friends. It is not necessary to give me a gift. However … if you want to make me happy for the holidays, you can give me a cheese gift basket. Several years ago my brother gave my husband and me a basket for Christmas and we thoroughly enjoyed all of the tasty cheeses. 

Image credit

You can buy gift baskets that are ready-made or make a basket yourself. If you want to make a gift basket and you are not sure which cheese to pick, you can follow the advice published by Serious Eats or Taste Atlas.

REFERENCES:

• Thorpe, Liz. “Cheese Expert's Picks: 10 Essential Cheeses to Know and Love.” Serious Eats, SERIOUS EATS INC., BY DOTDASH, 31 Oct. 2019.

• “100 Best Rated Cheeses in The World.” Taste Atlas, AtlasMedia Ltd. (EU), 5 Dec. 2020, www.tasteatlas.com/100-best-rated-cheeses-in-the-world.

* * *

Me personally, I like gouda, gruyere, extra sharp cheddar, Greek feta, and Camembert. But I would be more than happy to try any of those other cheeses recommended on these lists.

Of course, I know a cheese gift basket is kind of expensive. But it's just a suggestion to get you thinking about all the various types of gift baskets you can put together and give to family and friends.

For example, do you have a friend who is a cocoa or coffee or tea lover? Or a friend who likes various sorts of jellies and jams? You can choose a theme like … chili fixings or ingredients for Italian or Mexican food. Making gift baskets is fun. They don't have to be edible gifts either. (I just like receiving gourmet food baskets!) The items don't even have to be in a straw basket. Gift baskets can be very personalized and unique. You can give one to an individual, a couple, or a family. And of course … they come from the heart.

How to Make Easy Fancy Gift Basket



Original content source

Food and Drink : Recipe Sharing for Chai Tea Lovers

Growing up in America there was only main tea (that I knew of). Lipton. To my late sister's credit, she made great tea! Her hot tea or her iced tea were both dee-licious! However … it was just Lipton tea. The Lipton brand name and company has been around so long that it's practically revered as part of American tradition, I'm not being disrespectful. Don't get me wrong. But I went through my entire childhood and even went several years into my adulthood before I even realized there was something other than Lipton orange pekoe tea! Not just “other than” but even “better than”. Yes! I know! I'm speaking in treasonous language for sure! LOL.

Anyway … whereas I can only remember Lipton orange pekoe tea on the store shelves as a child (I can even remember the commercials), these days the grocery store shelves and the company's official website, display a variety of teas. Oh yeah! They have green tea, matcha tea, berry hibiscus, etc.

When did this happen and why? I don't know the WHEN but I do know the WHY. When I was a kid, Lipton had hardly any competition. They dominated the market for American tea drinkers. But times have changed and the American taste buds have changed and now we drink a wide range of teas. Our grocery store shelves are loaded with every kind of tea imaginable. If you can't find what you're looking for in the local grocery store, then surely you can find a tea online and/or a video on how to brew your “special cup of tea”...

Which brings me the main point of this discussion.

CHAI TEA.

I only learned about this wonderful drink a few years ago.
Come to find out that it's only been around for an eternity.

What happened was that my husband stopped drinking coffee and opted to begin drinking tea instead. That led him on a quest to find a particular tea that he liked and that he believed would contribute positively to his health. One thing led to another and he eventually discovered chai tea.

However, being my typical husband, that meant that I couldn't just go to the grocery store and pick up a box labeled “Chai Tea” and bring it home. Oh no! Certain chai tea has this ingredient or that ingredient, and he wants this or that … yadda yadda yadda. He came up with his own chai tea recipe.

I'm like: “You made up own recipe? Isn't that like … UN-Indian or something?”

It seems it's not. It seems that whoever drinks what they call “chai tea”, Indians or non-Indians, many have their own special recipe for this drink!

I found a few YouTube videos for making chai tea. The first video led to the next video and that video led to a bunch of other terrific videos!

I searched some of the discussions here at Forum Coin found a couple of interesting comments.

* Per @mandeep4687:

“ … "Masala Chai" in India which can be made by adding Indian spices such as elaichi, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, milk, sugar and herbs to your everyday black tea.

Last Drink You Drank (Daily Thread)


* Per @ksridharprasad

Air India national carrier of India wish to introduce Indian traditional food on board to their passengers soon, Now they are offering ... Lunch and Dinner with masala chai(Tea). ...

Traditional Food in Air India flights

* * *

Are you a tea drinker?

Do you have your own chai tea recipe?

If not chai tea, do you have your own special tea recipe?

Do you prefer your tea sweetened or unsweetened?

My Chinese friend used to brew a cup of tea made with popped rice; no sugar. I'm like "You can do that?"

One of my daughters just loves hibiscus tea. She always keeps some in her pantry.

A few of my other daughters love to experiment with all kinds of herbal teas.

All of my daughters prefer sweetened tea.

No doubt about it. The wonderful world of teas is fascinating!




Iraani Chai | Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana



Masala Chai (Indian Masala Tea)



Chai Masala Powder - Secret Ingredient of Flavoured and Aromatic Indian Tea | Winter Special

Growing up in America there was only main tea (that I knew of). Lipton. To my late sister's credit, she made great tea! Her hot tea or her iced tea were both dee-licious! However … it was just Lipton tea. The Lipton brand name and company has been around so long that it's practically revered as part of American tradition, I'm not being disrespectful. Don't get me wrong. But I went through my entire childhood and even went several years into my adulthood before I even realized there was something other than Lipton orange pekoe tea! Not just “other than” but even “better than”. Yes! I know! I'm speaking treasonous language for sure! LOL.

Anyway … whereas I can only remember Lipton orange pekoe tea on the store shelves as a child (I can even remember the commercials), these days the grocery store shelves and the [url=https://www.lipton.com/us/en/our-teas.html]company's official website[/url], display a variety of teas. Oh yeah! They have green tea, matcha tea, berry hibiscus, etc.

When did this happen and why? I don't know the WHEN but I do know the WHY. When I was a kid, Lipton had hardly any competition. They dominated the market for American tea drinkers. But times have changed and the American taste buds have changed and now we drink a wide range of teas. Our grocery store shelves are loaded with every kind of tea imaginable. If you can't find what you're looking for in the local grocery store, then surely you can find a tea online and/or a video on how to brew your “special cup of tea”..

Which brings me the main point of this discussion.

[size=150]CHAI TEA.[/size]

I only learned about this wonderful drink a few years ago.
[i]Come to find out that it's only been around for an eternity.[/i]

[attachment=0]chai tea.jpg[/attachment]

What happened was that my husband stopped drinking coffee and opted to begin drinking tea instead. That led him on a quest to find a particular tea that he liked and that he believed would contribute positively to his health. One thing led to another and he eventually discovered chai tea.

However, being my typical husband, that meant that I couldn't just go to grocery store and pick up a box labeled “Chai Tea” and bring it home. Oh no! Certain chai tea has this ingredient or that ingredient, and he wants this or that … yadda yadda yadda. He came up with his own chai tea recipe.

I'm like: [i]“You made up own recipe? Isn't that like … UN-Indian or something?”[/i] :? :lol:

It seems it's not. It seems that whoever drinks what they call “chai tea”, Indians or non-Indians, many have their own special recipe for this drink!

I found a few YouTube videos for making chai tea. The first video led to the next video and that video led to a bunch of other terrific videos!

I searched some of the discussions here at Forum Coin found a couple of interesting comments.

* Per [user]mandeep4687[/user]:
[quote]“ … "Masala Chai" in India which can be made by adding Indian spices such as elaichi, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, milk, sugar and herbs to your everyday black tea.[/quote]

Last Drink You Drank (Daily Thread)
https://forumcoin.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=4750


* Per [user]ksridharprasad[/user]
[quote]Air India national carrier of India wish to introduce Indian traditional food on board to their passengers soon, Now they are offering ... Lunch and Dinner with masala chai(Tea). ...[/quote]

Traditional Food in Air India flights
https://forumcoin.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=10523

* * *

[b]Are you a tea drinker?[/b]

[b]Do you have your own chai tea recipe?[/b]

[b]If not chai tea, do you have your own special tea recipe?[/b]

[b]Do you prefer your tea sweetened or unsweetened?[/b]

My Chinese friend used to brew a cup of tea made with popped rice; no sugar. I'm like [i]"You can do that?"[/i]
One of my daughters just loves hibiscus tea. She always keeps some in her pantry.
A few of my other daughters love to experiment with all kinds of herbal teas.
All of my daughters prefer sweetened tea.

No doubt about it. [i]The wonderful world of teas is fascinating![/i]
[url=http://www.glitter-graphics.com][img]http://dl4.glitter-graphics.net/pub/484/484434weadiltopn.gif[/img][/url]


[b]Iraani Chai | Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana[/b]
[youtube]OT-8p72ASUc[/youtube]


[b]Masala Chai (Indian Masala Tea)[/b]
[youtube]GVmV1tJ1YPo[/youtube]


[b]Chai Masala Powder - Secret Ingredient of Flavoured and Aromatic Indian Tea | Winter Special[/b]
[youtube]MZZ3tkC4LZU[/youtube]

* This content first appeared at ForumCoin.com, Jan 24, 2018. * 

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