Catalan cuisine is part of Mediterranean cuisine and its typical example

Catalan cuisine is part of Mediterranean cuisine and its typical example. Most often references are made to the food of Catalonia and Northern Catalonia, and occasionally Andorra but some contemporary authors like Josep Pla, Jaume Fàbrega, Eliana Thibaut i Comalada, Ferran Agulló and the English-language writer, Colman Andrews, talk about shared gastronomy throughout the Catalan cultural area, including the Valencian Community, Balearic Islands, La Franja and Andorra, and therefore it would be best referred to as the cuisine of the Catalan Countries.

Other authors consider, however, that there are different Valencian and Balearic cuisine. On the other hand, the governments of the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands, do not support this interpretation, although they do not declare otherwise, while the Generalitat de Catalunya gives various views depending on the source consulted.

On the other hand, it is worth mentioning the local presence of, to varying degrees, different cuisines, such as xurra (from the comarques xurres of Valencia and Canal de Navarrés), castellana (from Baix Segura, the Vall de Cofrents and La Plana from Utiel, as well as parts of Alto Vinalopó, Vinalopó Mitjà) and Occitan cuisine from the Vall d’Aran and Fenolleda. It should be also added that Catalan cuisine has left its mark in Murcia thanks to its historically Catalan population and the historical contact between Murcia and Valencia.

Read more

What products will replace sleeping pills?

Toss and turn in bed at midnight, but can’t sleep? Before you start taking pills, try natural sleeping pills. This is what my post is about today.

Milk has traditionally been used for this purpose, very often by grandmothers. A glass of warm milk with a drop of honey soothes not only our childhood memories but also due to the content of tryptophan. It is needed for the formation of melatonin – a hormone that soothes.

Some foods can improve the quality of sleep, others improve sleep. Products containing magnesium and potassium increase the concentration of melatonin.

Why not use some products to help with sleeping instead of pills?

Read more

Goat meat

Goat: everything about this tasty and healthy meat

Many people do not like this type of meat because it has a specific smell, however, if it is properly processed and prepared, the dishes from it are very tasty, nutritious and healthy. This is what my blog is about today.

A bit of history:

Most often goat meat can be found in the Asian and African dishes. This is due to the availability of the meat in these regions. In Europe and America, it is used less frequently – mainly in villages. In large cities, goat meat is rarely found on the shelves of supermarkets; therefore, it is classed as a delicacy.

The history of many nations is tightly connected with this animal. This applies not only to cooking. In Christianity, the goat is associated with the image of Satan – a weakness of the personality. As for the scapegoat, this expression is also associated with religion. Below him hides the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who took upon himself all the sins of humanity. In Judaism, the scapegoat serves as an animal on whom sins were “imposed” and released into the desert.

Read more

Everything you need to know about the legendary French cheese, Brie

Everything you need to know about the legendary French cheese, Brie

Among all the variety of dairy products cheeses are very popular: they are nutritious, good on the holiday table and for our daily diet. Cheese recipes are varied, as cheese is present in most cuisines of the world, and each nation develops its own cooking options using this product.

Brie cheese is the gastronomic pride of France. This is what my blog post is about today.

Some love it, others are confused by the presence of mold. Domestic manufacturers master the secrets of brie production quite successfully. To part with doubts about this product, you need to get to know it better.

General information:

Brie – a variety of soft cheese covered with white mold, originally from France. Brie – the name of the French region near Paris, where for the first time the production of this delicacy began.

Read more

All about eggplant

All about eggplant (aubergines)

Eggplant is the king of the garden. This vegetable has purple-black color with a glossy shine and a cap that looks like a crown, so it really does look like a king. And even the royal family will appreciate its taste! Delicious Parma-style eggplants, stuffed or fried – these vegetables will always make a splash on the table. This is what my blog is about today.

Start growing eggplants:

Eggplant has been around for a long time. They came from India, but they were also eaten in Arabia, where sheikhs and shahs highly valued them. The Arabs introduced them to the people of Spain, who later brought them to this country, and by 1806 they grew both purple and white varieties.

One of the earliest references to eggplant is in a Chinese book from the fifth century. It seems that Chinese women considered it very fashionable to paint their teeth with black eggplant dye. Then they polished their teeth until they began to shine like metal.

But eggplant as a food or fashion accessory was not popular everywhere. In Europe, in the 15th and 16th centuries, eggplants were called “insane apples” because it was believed that eating them made a person crazy. Even when this fear began to fade, the Europeans still refused to eat eggplants, as they considered them poisonous. The eggplant is a member of the Solanaceae family, as are tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, and belladonna. Eye drops obtained from belladonna (also called the deadly nightshade) were used by fashionable women to visually enlarge the eyes. From time to time someone who used the belladonna died from the effects of poisoning. Not surprisingly, by associating eggplants with deadly nightshade, people avoided eating them.

Read more

Eating insects: absurd or the future?

Eating caterpillars or insects in front of a camera is a demonstration of how nutritious these things can be, but the modern, ordinary person is disgusted even to watch. In some eastern countries, such foods are a common thing; grasshoppers fried in sugar, different types of worms and other “goodies” found in Europe are still surprising to most. This is my post about.

But, here in the Netherlands, there are already companies that have specialized in farming insects for food for 8 years. However, they do not feed people with these crickets or worms, but extract protein from them and use them as bio-additives in other dishes. The benefit of this kind of food is a decrease in the number of farm animals, like cows, in the country, polluting the soil and atmosphere with methane.

Modern biology has had a lot of success in squeezing out insect oil. This fat is yellow and rich in omega-3 acids. With animal meat, man does not get them. Insect oil is added to ice cream or cream that is on cakes and pastries. It is not necessary to even add flavors to the fat from the lionfish, as it smells like fruit. These insects do not feast on corpses but on different types of flowers.

Read more

Cooking chestnuts. A classic recipe

Cooking chestnuts

How to cook chestnuts:

La Castanyada or Chestnut Day (October 31st) is a national holiday in Catalonia and Andorra, so Andorrans know how to cook chestnuts well.

Since the Middle Ages, chestnuts have been roasted over open fires in large braziers, filling the air with a sweetish, smoky smell. They are typically eaten with sweet baked potatoes (moniato), pastry (panellets) and sweet white wine (vi ranci and moscatell). Some time later, a more traditional delicacy was added to the list of delights – the sweet buns “panelles”.

At home, Andorrans generally prefer to cook chestnuts in a mangal over an open fire. It’s not typical to cook chestnuts in the oven.

During the holiday, only fresh chestnuts from the last harvest are used. In the shops, fresh chestnuts begin to be sold from the beginning of October and are available until about February-March, depending on the size of the year’s harvest.

Read more

Food and cooking with a food processor: How to choose the best option?

Kitchen machines/food processors can save you time and money and they do most of the work of shredding, crushing, cutting and mixing for you. A large food processor makes your salads, mixes your salsa and other fresh sauces, quickly prepares vegetables for soup, slices, cubes, and even chops your potatoes. My post today is about them.

Let us start with the size. There are small food processors, like for one cup (1 cup – 237 ml), and large, like for sixteen cups, which will be enough to chop and mix as many salads to feed the whole family. Big food processors can handle large vegetables with minimal preparation, while heavy-duty food processors are designed for large amounts of food.

Food processors are different in application also. Special food processors such as juicers and dough mixers are suitable for individuals, while large 3-in-1 types better serve for troublesome families because they include a variety of discs and accessories for working on each cutting and mixing task you may need.

Read more