Archive for January, 2010

Myths and Folklore of  Foods and Beverages Known As Aphrodisia 

 Aphrodisia – Yep, it means what you think it means….  A recent edition of Wine Enthusiast had an article about what and why people say about food and beverages and the art of making love.  With apologies to the author, I’m gonna share some info here.

 Apple –  OK, so it didn’t start out with the best of reputations.  Remember, Adam and Eve and the Snake, Flaming Sword, chased out of Eden….   The Latin word for apple comes from malum or bad.  Something changed however.  And,  by the time Ancient Greece rolled around, the apple was a symbol of sex.  The beautiful, athletic Atalanta vowed to marry the man who could beat her is a foot race.  Hippomenes (I’m not making these names up!) fell in love with Atalanta and ask Aphrodite for help.  The Goddess of Love gave him three golden apples and instructed him to throw them onto the track.  Atalanta got distracted and lost the race. 

 Artichoke – Often depicted as a symbol of the female sex because those darn Greeks told the story of Cinara.  Cinara was a nymph who was turned into a thorny flower by her lover’s jealous wife so that he could never touch her again.  Ah, the course of true love never runs straight and easy.  Think of the tasty surprise waiting for you to peel the layers away. 

 Asparagus – Can you believe it?  Yep, they push their way up, up through the earth with their heads and grow and grow.  So, the man who eats many asparagus…well, nuff said.

 Basil – From India to Italy, basil is a bold ingredient in many foods.  The brilliant, sharp flavor is a stimulant said to promote passion in those who eat it.  In Sicily, a woman who places a pot of basil in her window is inviting her lover to visit. 

 Chile – Chile is the correct spelling – chili is the Tex-Mex dish of ground beef, onions and red chile powder.  Hot peppers release endorphins to block pain and cause a sensation of pleasure.  A chile’s spicy heat, bright color and suggestive shape make them a popular aphrodisiac.  Familiar side effects after you eat one – sweating, blushing and a racing heart – reinforce the lovemaking association.

 Chocolate – Delicious, dark and delectable.  Chocolate contains small amounts of serotonin, the soothing chemical released by the body when we fall in love.  The calming, comforting feeling serotonin induces is similar to a lover’s arms wrapped tight around you.

 Garlic – Not just for vampires any more.  One considered a cure for impotency.  Do you think they rubbed it on or tied it on whole or what?  Garlic does contain antioxidants and essential oils with antibiotic affects.

 Honey – Not just because you drizzle it on and lick it off. Bee stings were thought to be tiny wounds from Cupid’s love spiked arrows.  A dab of honey on the wound sealed it and honey’s own antibiotic properties promoted quick healing including reduced swelling.

 Lemons – It became a symbol of eternal love and faithfulness in marriage because it blooms many times during a year.  That’s what the article said.  No other explanation.  Do you think they just threw that in to screw with us?  I mean if they’d told a story about a sour lemon caused a young nymph to pucker up and be kissed by her lover Acidopholus I’d go for it.  But, blooming a couple of times a year?  I’m missing something there….

 Oysters – All seafood was once considered aphrodisiacs because seafood was associated with the birth of Venus, Goddess of Love.  Ok, now get this – the phallus of the heavens fell from the sky and landed in the sea (the womb of Mother Earth).  So, this big phallus is standing around heaven minding it’s own business when it trips (??) and falls from the heavens into sea.  Poof, thousands of species of fish are created and the ocean births a daughter, Venus, by willing it to be so.  Venus arises from the ocean scantily clad in strategic seaweed and popping out of clam shell.  What more do your need? 

 Mushrooms and Truffles – Some mushrooms have mystical powers.  Remember the Hippies of the 1960 chewed mushrooms and spread love, joy, peace and happiness.  I suddenly feel like singing Kumbahya and swaying hand in hand with my brothers and sisters all over this land.   Truffles, on the other hand, have a distinct, powerful pungent perfume making them delicate and irresistible at the same time.  And, you’ve all heard the stories about female pigs being used in France to sniff out the truffles.  But, did you know it’s because the truffles smell like male pigs.

 Nuts – And the same to you, buddy!  The hard, protective shells are a symbol of longevity and marriage.  The almond, in particular, is associated with fertility because almond trees are among the first to bloom in the Spring each year.  Chestnuts (from the word ‘chaste’) symbolize virginity and feminine virtue because a second shell and a spiky casing protect them.

 Pasta and Breads – Anything made from grains are associated with Ceres, Goddess of Agriculture and Fertility.  Apparently, Fertility was a big thing back in Ancient Greece and Rome so they would work at convoluted logic on anything which might help.

 Pomegranate – With Pomegranate juice selling so well, alone and in mixtures with other juices, you know this had to be included.  Known as the ‘apple of love’, the Greeks made a special wine and peddled it as an aphrodisiac.  It is often associated with unity, friendship and brotherly love since it carries so many seeds packed together in small chambers.

 Meat – Rabbit is suggestive because to the ease with which it reproduces. 

 Saffron – the Queen of female aphrodisiacs!  Associated with female homosexuality because it’s named after Sappho, the Greek Poetess who was born on the isle of Lesbos.  It was believed to strengthen the uterus as well as stimulating the libido.

 Wine – Of course.  The ultimate love potion.  Bacchanalian rites and hedonistic cults used wine as the basis for their orgies.  The word “Vino” come directly from Venus and we all know about HER!  Today, we associate this seductive inebriant with moderation, good company, good health and, yes, a way to break down barriers while establishing a romantic connection.  How is that for polite language?

Even More Fun Things To Do With Vodka

 1. To remove an adhesive bandage, saturate with vodka.  It will dissolve the adhesive.

 2. Clean caulking around tub and shower by using a spray bottle of vodka.  It kills mold and mildew.

 3. Spritz your eyeglasses with vodka and use a clean cloth to wipe dry.

 4. Prolong the life of  razors by putting the razor in a cup of vodka after shaving.  It will kill germs and prevent oxidation (rust) from the blade reacting with the air.

 5.  Spray vodka on wine stains and blot till dry.

 6.  Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to the face as an astringent to kill germs and tighten pores.

 7. Add a jigger of vodka to a 12 ounce bottle of shampoo to help leave the scalp clean.

 8.  Use a spray bottle of vodka to kill ants and wasps.

 9.  Put ½ cup vodka and 1/2 cup water in a zip lock bag then freeze for a slushy cold pack for aches, pains and bruises.

 10.  Fill a clean empty mayonnaise jar with freshly picked lavender flowers, fill with vodka and seal tightly.  Set in the sun for three days and then strain.  The resulting tincture will help when rubbed on bruises, aches and pains!!

 11. To relieve a fever, wet a washcloth with vodka and rub over forehead, chest and arms

 12.  To cure foot odor, wash feet with vodka

 13.  Vodka will disinfect and alleviate pain for a jellyfish sting.

 14.  Pour vodka over the affected area when you come into contact with poison ivy.

 15. Swish a shot of vodka over and around hurting tooth.  Allow the vodka to dull the ache and pain. 

What is a cordial? 

Cordial/Liqueur -a strongly flavored highly sweet liquor usually drunk in small quantities after dinner as a digestif.

 A cordial=s flavor can come from many sources: fruits, herbs & leaves, flowers, nuts, seeds and beans, roots and barks.   Cordials must contain at least 2.5% sugar but usually contain far more.  Honey, maple and corn syrups are also used as sweeteners.  Cordial and Liqueur as words are interchangeable.

 The base alcohol varies:  neutral grain spirits are common.  Many liqueurs, however, are made from a specific spirit, such as, Scotch in Drambuie, Cognac in Grand Marnier or Irish Whiskey in Bailey=s.  Others are distilled from the primary ingredients themselves.

 Cordial comes from Latin: cor which means heart.  Cordials were originally made by alchemist or monks as a health remedy or elixir to soothe weary travelers.  Liqueur comes from the Latin: liquefacere, meaning to melt or dissolve (which is how most cordials are made!).

 Cordials are produced by cold or hot methods.  Cold methods include infusion, maceration and percolation.  Distillers use infusion and maceration for fruits which might be damaged by heat.  During infusions, crushed fruits are soaked in water for as long as a year. The liquid is strained, sweetened and added to alcohol.   In maceration, the crushed fruit is soaked directly in alcohol.   After the liquid is strained off, the remaining fruit is distilled and the distillate is recombined with the infused liquid.  Liqueurs commonly made this way include: triple sec, cassis, cointreau; Grand Marnier.   Percolation is often used for flavorings such as herbs and leaves.  Ingredients are placed in a basket or strainer and the alcohol is pumped up over them.  This process, similar to brewing coffee without heat, may go on for months until all  flavor is extracted.  Ingredients may be distilled afterward.   Drambuie, Irish Mist, Chartreuse are made this way.

 Hot methods include distillation in water and distillation in alcohol.  Water distillation is used for delicate herbs and flowers.  Once distilled, the flavored water is added to an alcohol base.  Ingredients such as seeds, nuts, bark or orange peel are more often distilled in alcohol. They are first soaked in alcohol, the distilled with additional spirits.

What is Vermouth?

Vermouth is a fortified wine drunk as an aperitif in Europe and avoided in martinis in the United States. Originated in the 1700’s in the kingdom of Savoy (Southern France and Northwest Italy), winemakers added herbs and spices to improve the flavor of the area’s wines. The first branded vermouth was a spicy red made by Carpano in Turin, Italy in 1786; 14 years later, in the Mediterranean town of Marsellian, Joseph Noilly introduced the first French dry vermouth.

They remain today the two principle styles: white, dry French style and red, sweet Italian style.

Today, most vermouth is made from white wine flavored with herbs and spices and fortified with neutral spirits. Dozens of herbs and spices may be used creating layers of flavors.

Vermouth is more famous for not being used than for anything else.  In the United States, martinis, especially vodka martinis, are made with straight vodka and a swirl of the vermouth bottle close to the martini glass giving just the right amount of vermouth to the drink…that is, none.  In the 1930’s and earlier, martinis were equal parts gin and dry vermouth. Each decade saw less and less use of vermouth so that by the 1990’s and 2000’s, if vermouth was actually added to the drink at all, it came as an atomized spray like an expensive perfume. It was wafted over the glass and whatever minute essense landed on the glass was the right amount.

In 2008 and 2009, bartenders and drink mixmaster starting increasing the amount of vermouth used in Martinis.  Still, it was just a splash because o f the complex flavors involved. 

Quady Winery in California under the Vya label produces excellent vermouths.

Noilly Prat in France still produces vermouth aged outdoors in oak one year.

Carpano still produces a bittersweet vermouth but most Italian red is produced by the giant Martini and Rossi or by another Turin based company, Cinzano.

Red – served over ice with orange slice

Red – used in Manhattan-bourbon,sweet vermouth; Negroni- gin, sweet vermouth, campari

Duplex-equal dry and sweet vermouth, lemon squeeze

Dry – 1930’s Gin Martini – equal gin and dry vermouth, dash of bitters

Vermouth Cassis – dry vermouth, splash of cassis, club soda

Fun Food Questions and Answers      

Is it OK to substitute dried herbs for fresh?

Sure.  But, remember,dried herbs lack the moisture of fresh herbs, so their flavor is much more intense.  A good rule of thumb is to use 1/3 as much dried herbs as you would use of the fresh.  So, a tablespoon of fresh thyme would roughly equal 1 teaspoon of dried thyme.  Also, add fresh herbs at the end of the cooking process and add dried herbs at the beginning. 

Is it possible to use the stems of fresh herbs? 

Maybe.  If the stem is soft like parsley or cilantro, sure.  Chop them up and throw them in.  But, woody stems, like thyme and rosemary are too tough.  Use the woody stems, certainly but remove them from the dish before serving.  (use a long woody rosemary stem for a skewer for grilling!)

What are anchovies? 

Herring!  Well, members of that family, at least.  Native to the Mediterranean and southern European coasts.  They are sold whole or salt packed or more commonly in the USA, filleted and packed in oil.  In Portugese and Spanish cooking, larger sizes up to 8” are deep fried or backed. 

 How is cornmeal different from polenta? 

Polenta is medium or coarse ground corn meal that’s cooked porridge style.  Butter, cheese and/or various herbs may be added.  Usually served Italian style, soft.  But, polenta can also be chilled till firm, then cut and grilled, baked or fried.  In the American South, polenta is called mush and is served with butter and maple syrup for breakfast.  The leftover portion is chilled, sliced and fried in bacon grease for lunch or supper and seasoned with salt and  black pepper.

 What is chicken fricassee?

 It’s a French term referring to a light colored, thick, chunky stew with lots of vegetables.  One would cook pieces of meat, in  this case, chicken, in butter but not let the meat brown.  Stock is added, a roux, vegetables, egg yolk and cream finish the dish.

What is the difference in bottled waters?

 Not much.  And, can you really believe the label?   Artesian water is supposed to come from a contained, underground water source.  Spring water should be from an underground water source which flows naturally to the surface.  Distilled water has been evaporated and allowed to condense, removing all minerals and contaminants.  Natural mineral water contains only the minerals present in the water as it flows from the ground.  Water not labeled ‘natural’ may have had minerals added or removed.  Drinking water is tap water that has been filtered and disinfected by water treatment plants, government-operated, private or both.  Bottled water can be high in sodium and low in fluoride.

What are panko bread crumbs?

 Nothing more than the Japanese version of bread crumbs.  It’s roughly shaped so that the crumbs lie unevenly on top of one another.  This creates light, extra crispy coatings on fried foods.  There are two kinds of panko:  white, made from bread without crusts and tan or golden:  made from bread including bits of the crust.