posted by admin on Sep 30
The caper is the unopened flower bud of the caper bush, a trailing shrub native to the warm, dry Mediterranean region.
The flower buds are picked by hand and then salted and/or pickled in brine or vinegar and used as a condiment. While the tiny capers from the south of France are good, those from the Eolian Islands off Sicily are considered the finest in texture and flavor.
Capers are used predominantly in western European cooking to provide piquancy in sauces and condiments, and to give a lift to bland food. Capers should be rinsed thoroughly in cold water before use to remove excess salt.
Available : widely.
posted by admin on Sep 29
Used in northern Indian cooking, particularly in the snacks, beverages and salads sold from street carts and stalls, black salt is sold in crystal or powder form, has a very mild but interesting flavor and smells more pungent than it tastes.
It is not a SEA SALT, but rather is mined in quarries found on the fertile plains of central India. Sometimes sold as rock salt, the amber to dark-brown crystals become a smoky grey when ground. Black salt contains no sodium, so has no effect on blood pressure and is in fact considered an antidote to dehydration (it is even mixed into lemonade to counter the effect of the heat).
Available : Indian food stores.
posted by admin on Sep 28
The reddish “dates” from the Chinese jujube tree are dried and then smoked until they are black and wrinkled. About the size of an olive, the black date has a pungent, slightly smoky, sweet flavor not dissimilar to that a truffle.
Used in Chinese cooking, black dates are used in savory dishes that may include sticky rice, smoked sausage, lotus leaves or poultry. The stone must be removed before use. Black dates should not be confused with red dates, which are not smoked and are used in sweet rather than savory preparations.
Available : Asian food stores.
posted by admin on Sep 27
The process of drying black soybeans and then fermenting them with salt was discovered in China some 2500 years ago. Black beans taste very pungent and salty and are used with garlic and often chili to flavor meat and to subdue fishy flavors in Chinese cooking.
Available in dried form or canned in brine, dried black beans must be soaked in cold water for 30 minutes before use to remove the excess salt; canned black beans need only be rinsed lightly under running cold water for a few minutes.
Available : Asian food stores.
posted by admin on Sep 26
Betel nuts, which grow in clusters at the top of tall, slender area palms that are native to Malaysia, are harvested either when they are green and tender or when they ripen and become orange. Both types are sundried and then husked before use. In India the tender nuts are mixed with spices and sugar to aid digestion and act as a mouth freshener.
Cracked, ripe betel nuts can be used in marinades to tenderize meat as they help break down sinew and muscle tissue in tougher cuts. Chewed in quantities for its stimulating powers, the ripe betel but is also known to produce a mild state of euphoria and for its aphrodisiac properties.
It is used in some Chinese medicinal preparations because of this, and as an anticote to malaria and for expelling intestinal worms. Green betel leaves, eaten raw and used as wrapping for food in India and Thailand particularly, are not from the same palm as the nut, but from a plant closely related to PEPPER.
Available : Indian and Asian food stores.
