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Food

Escargots

Snails are called Escargots in French language. Escargots is a dish made from land snails. In France this dish is eaten as starters. You might be thinking humans can eat such a thing. But the snail dishes have been eaten since ancient times. In fact, Romans prized this dish as the dish worthy of Gods. In addition to France, snails are eaten in Nagaland of India. Cyprus, Malta, Crete, Tunisia, and many other countries where escargots are eaten. Not all the snails are edible. For example in France the species Hellix Pomatia is used. Escargots are very rich in proteins… Read More »Escargots

Aloe vera

Aloe has a very long history of use. The sap was used medicinally by the Greeks and Romans, who obtained it from the island of Socotra. The Greek physician Dioscorides recorded the use of the leaves to treat wounds in the first century AD. Aloe had reached England by the 10th century, where it appears to have been one of the drugs recommended to Alfred the Great by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. In the early part of the 17th century, the records of the East India Company show payments for aloe being made to the King of Socotra, who held… Read More »Aloe vera

Coconut Plant: Kalpavriksha

Coconut grow in the coastal areas. In India, whole of the coast is dotted with coconut trees. Kerala tops the list in coconut plantations. Known as Coconut in English, Narikela in Sanskrit & Nariyal in Hindi, coconuts can grow to between 15 and 30 m tall in plantations. Their trunks are ringed with scars where old leaves have fallen. The top of the trunk is crowned with a rosette of leaves. Fruits are called coconuts. They are oval and covered with a smooth skin which can be bright green, brilliant orange or ivory coloured. Below the skin is a thick… Read More »Coconut Plant: Kalpavriksha

Apples

For those who are from  science stream, the Apple occupies a place of esteem. As the story goes, an apple fell on Newton,  one of the greatest physicists, mathematicians an philosophers as he was sitting under an apple tree and mulling over the gravity and suddenly the darkness was dispelled and outcome was his laws of gravity. This seems very ludicrous because the process of ideation is not  momentary. It goes on and on. Apple is also the brand name of the revolutionary electronic products founded by Steve Jobs. Its product line includes laptops, ipods and ipads. But one thing… Read More »Apples

Singphos: The original tea people of Assam

Robert Bruce is the Englishman who is credited with discovery of tea in Assam in the year 1823. But the Singphos, who were the major tribe of Upper Burma and their territory once  extended from Arunachal  into Assam, beyond Jorhat, and covered  large tracts in northern Burma, smirk at this statement. They contend that they had been drinking and using the tea plants in the food seven centuries earlier than 1823. Griffith also noticed that tea leaves were eaten as a vegetable food prepared in mustard oil and garlic. A similar salad recipe in Burma, called ‘Letpet’, promised marital bliss.… Read More »Singphos: The original tea people of Assam

A strange Food Chain!!!

To survive in this harsh world, one has to struggle and beat others. While in the world of animals the competition is really physical, the human beings take it to mental level. Humans have the ability to hide their emotions, they store their grudges against others and thus compete on a very different level. Most of their actions are covert in nature. Animals have very hard life that way. Most of them settle their scores on the spot. They don’t keep it for the future. They even do not seem to repent the loss of their near and dear ones… Read More »A strange Food Chain!!!

Honey: Bees are getting shrunk

Worldwide the number of bees is reducing due to various detrimental factors. In the past four years reduction in their numbers have shrunk by as much as 30%. Honey has so many properties and benefits to humans, that it is considered as the food of Gods. It is full of nutrients and is complete food. And how is it made? Flowers with nectar, and a beehive and bees do the rest. It was also the first food of the cavemen. Our food will be less diverse and less nutritional without honey. Not only that they convert the raw nutrients from… Read More »Honey: Bees are getting shrunk

Reed Salt

Can we imagine any food without salt? In addition to the taste it adds, salt is an essential nutrient for the human body. It is an electrolyte which helps the transmission of the messages from different parts of the body to the brain and vice versa. It is present in the cells. Any imbalance in its concentration whether in the form of deficiency or excess can play havoc with our body. When dehydration occurs, the salt has to be replenished by the intake of oral rehydration solution. It is lost from our bodies during perspiration and blood becomes thicker and… Read More »Reed Salt

Pusa 1121: The longest single grain rice

Pusa 1121 is an evolved variety of Pusa Basmati rice developed by Indian scientists at PUSA. This variety of rice is known for its extraordinary length, which can be as much as 9.5 mm for a single grain which is world record length. It is in high demand among the rice loving Middle East. Punjab and Haryana produce maximum rice of this variety. At 5 lakh tonnes annually, Ferozepur in Punjab tops the production. India and Pakistan both produce the rice in large quantities and export. Earlier the rice to Middle East was exported from Pakistan but India seemed to… Read More »Pusa 1121: The longest single grain rice

Rare Foods Series : Ash Yogurt 

Some communities of West Poker County of Kenya make this Yogurt. They add the ash of Cromwo tree known in local dialect as “Mala ya Kienyeji” or “Kamabele Kambo. The ash acts as a disinfectant and gives Yogurt a unique aromatic taste and bright Grey color. Yogurt for men is made from Cow’s (crosses between local breeds and zebù) and for women and children is made from local galla goat’s milk which is rich in nutrients. Raw milk is collected in a calabash, a traditional container made from pumpkin and gourd varieties, and let stand for at least three days.… Read More »Rare Foods Series : Ash Yogurt 

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