The Hokitika wild Food Festival

The Hokitika Wild Food Festival

The Hokitika Wild Food Festival is an annual event held in March in New Zealand in the South Island town of Hokitika. The emphasis of the festival is on novel, tasty and healthy wild food. Tasty obviously being very subjective.

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Read the full article and see more pictures of The Hokitika Wild Food Festival

Scottish Cuisine

Scotland is home to the haggis and famed for it's salmon but Scotland has never really been known for it's cuisine.
Like many other countires, Scotland's traditional recipes were a result of the food available and it is for this reason that many of the Scottish recipes are closely relatated to a specific area of Scotland. Scotland's, rather unique, climate, landscape and coastline have led to an amazing variety natural foods; superb beef (Aberdeen-Angus), venison and lamb, freshly caught salmon, trout and shellfish, vegetables and fruit. All have contributed greatly to Scottish cooking.
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Iranian or Persian Cuisine

Persian Recipes

Iranian or Persian Cuisine, one of the oldest cuisines in the world Iran was known as Persia until 1935 but still today the cuisine is generally known as Persian rather than Iranian. It sounds far more exotic in my humble opinion. The ruler at that time was , Reza Shah, but in 1953, Mohammad Reza Shah (the son of Reza Shah) stated that the names of Iran and Persia were equally acceptable. This is an amazing country which I have visited on many occasions and the food is fantastic.




Persian cuisine is really well known for its delicate use of mixed spices, the variety of side plates ("mokhalafat") used to enhance meals, the serving of rice as an accompaniment with many dishes, and the popularity of tea ("chai").

This Iranian tea or Chai is drank with any meals, and throughout the day generally as with many other cultures I guess.

Mokhalafat are side plates used to accompany meals. There are many such side plates that may be used, and they are generally consider to be an important, even essential part of the meal. Really popular mokhalafat include khiyarshur (pickles), naan (Iranian flat unleavened bread), panir (Iranian cheese similar to feta), sabzi (a plate of mixed herbs), and torshi (relishes).
Rice is also really popular in Persian Cuisine and it is eaten with most meals and is prepared in a variety of ways.

Persian Recipes

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Greek Food / Cuisine

Greek Food

What distinguishes traditional Greek cuisine is a combination of the following factors: unique ingredients, the Greek philosophy regarding eating and sharing meals, as well as the country itself and the atmosphere in general.


Greek Recipes



Greek cuisine has four secrets: fresh ingredients of good quality, proper use of herbs and spices, the famous Greek olive oil and its basic simplicity. Greek olive oil also really does deserves a special mention. Present in almost all Greek dishes, and in most of them in abundant quantities, it is of excellent quality and very good for health.

Greek Recipes

Then there are the vegetables and herbs. Due to the mild Greek climate, greenhouse cultivation of vegetables is not widespread. Therefore, most vegetables are grown outdoors and are very tasty and full of aroma. You will be delighted with the taste of Greek tomatoes, lettuces, carrots, onions, parsley and garlic, not to mention the rich flavour and aroma of fresh
fruit: grapes, apricots, peaches, cherries, melons, watermelons, to name but a few. The herbs collected by most Greeks on the mountains and in the countryside are renowned for their taste, scent and healing properties. When eating one of the many different Greek dishes, the aroma of oregano, thyme, spearmint or rosemary will inebriate you.

Do not forget also to try the Greek cheeses and particularly feta. As lambs and goats in Greece are free-grazing and pastures are very rich in herbs, meats have a unique taste not to be found anywhere else in the world. Seafood from the Mediterranean Sea is far more tasty than that from the oceans. In the Aegean and the Ionian Seas, the waters are crystal clear and abound with fish. Charbroiled fresh fish is considered a treat.


The time of day when the Greeks gather around a table to enjoy a meal, or some appetizers (mezedes) with ouzo, is a time held in reverence by all the inhabitants of this country. For the Greeks, sharing a meal with friends, either at home, at a restaurant or a taverna, is a deeply rooted social affair. The Greek word symposium, a word as ancient as the country itself, if translated literally, means drinking with company. The atmosphere in typically Greek restaurants and tavernas is very relaxed, informal and unpretentious.


Food preparation, on the other hand, has its own sacred rules. Good amateur cooks are held in great esteem in their social circles. A good housewife, in Greece, means a good cook. And a good cook can spend days preparing a meal for his or her friends.

Try having a glass of ouzo or wine, accompanied by barbecued octopus or any other Greek dish, while sitting beneath the shadow of a tree, at a small tavern by the sea, on one of the
Aegean islands. Then, when you go back home, try repeating that experience by preparing the same dish and serving the same drink. No matter where you decide to have it, you will soon discover that it does not taste the same. Do not try again. There is nothing wrong with the delicacy of your palate or your cooking skills. The Greek meal experience, namely the combination of what you eat and where you eat it, cannot be repeated, exported or duplicated. It is something you can only find, taste and enjoy in Greece, like the blue of the Aegean Sea

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Mexican Food

Mexican Food Mexican Recipe's

Mexican food really is one of the most popular cuisines in the world today. Mexico is very much still considered a third world country and it struggles at times to produce enough fresh food for its population of around 87 million people. What most of us tend to eat if we live outside of Mexico is more than likely Tex Mex. Mexican food in Mexico, as with other countries like China and India , only bears a slight resemblance to its more bastardised form outside of it's borders.


Mexican Recipes


Most of today's Mexican food is based on ancient traditions, such as the Aztecs and Maya, combined with culinary trends introduced by Spanish colonists. When Spanish conquistadors arrived in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) they found that the people's diet consisted largely of corn-based dishes with chillies and herbs, usually complemented with beans and tomatoes. The conquistadors eventually combined their imported diet of rice, beef, pork, chicken, wine, garlic and onions with the native indigenous foods of pre-Columbian Mexico.


The French occupation of Mexico influenced Mexican cuisine with baked goods such as sweet breads and the bolillo, a Mexican take on the French roll. There is also a minor Asian influence due to the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade, which lasted from 1565 to 1815.

Mexican food varies by region, because of local climate and geography and ethnic differences among the indigenous inhabitants and because these different populations were influenced by the Spaniards in varying degrees. The north of Mexico is known for its beef and goat meat dishes, in particular the well-known Arrachera cut. Central Mexico's cuisine is largely made up of influences from the rest of the country, but also has its authentic dishes, such as barbacoa, pozole, menudo and carnitas.

South eastern Mexico, on the other hand, is known for its spicy vegetable and chicken-based dishes. Seafood is commonly prepared in the states that border the Pacific Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico, the latter having a famous reputation for its fish dishes a la veracruzana.
There are many health benefits when it comes to Mexican foods. They are rich in vitamins and minerals, with low fat and calories. You are not really eating authentic Mexican food if you eat at Taco Bell but Taco Bell actually came from Mexico!

It started life as a fast food stand and first appeared in 1962. They sold tacos to hungry street diners.America has added many fats to the foods, which does not contain all the nutrients you would eat if you ate in Mexico.

Mexican dishes contain many fresh ingredients that you may not be able to find in other types of cuisine. Regardless of the foreign elements present in Mexico's nouvelle cuisine, the main ingredients remain the same recipe after recipe. The most common ingredient used in Mexican food is corn. Like the ancient civilizations that lived in the region, Mexicans have learned how to cook almost every meal with corn. Corn flour is the main component involved in the preparation of the Mexican food, and corn is also used in many forms for a wide variety of meals, including candy.

Corn is the main food crop grown in Mexico. It is grown on half of the cultivated land. The Indians living in what is now central or southern Mexico ate corn from wild plants about 10,000 years ago. About 5000 B. C. the Indians learned how to grow corn themselves. Corn is used to make flat pancakes called tortillas. They are sometimes folded and stuffed with different foods to make tacos.


TEX MEX


The Mexican cuisine eventually met the cuisine from the north, and Tex-Mex food was created. Tex-Mex food is a blend of flavours and recipes from the Mexican, Texan and American culture. Today we can find several different kinds of foods Mexicans eat, from enchiladas, tacos and burritos to award-winning gourmet creations.

Tex-Mex food is a name used to describe dishes that are found in the state of Texas that is primarily American. It blends available foods in the United States with traditional Mexican cuisine. Some of the Tex-Mex foods may differ from actual Mexican dishes, but are still referred to Mexican dishes in Texas. People who live outside of Texas sometimes refer to Tex-Mex as Southwestern food.
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Another difference that separates Tex-Mex dishes is the way the foods are prepared. The use of spices and sauces are different from Mexico. Also the dishes usually have more meat and fewer beans. The dishes are influenced by the southern state of Chihuahua, which is also known for their dishes having more meat. The foods are usually named the same as the dishes in Mexico. Burritos, chimichangas, tacos, and others consist of the same ingredients. The reason it is different is by the green chilli and other small details. You may also find different items on the menus such as fish tacos and shrimp enchiladas.

Some Mexican dishes that have a different taste in Tex-Mex include chorizo. It is a sausage that is spicy, being seasoned with red chilli and garlic. It is a food that can be served at breakfast. The Tex-Mex chorizo is said to taste different by its spice blend. Tortillas in Tex-Mex cuisine are also different. The tortillas are usually more thick and less chewy then tortillas found in other places. Posole is a stew that Tex-Mex has put their twist into. Tex-Mex style has many green chiles added to it, which makes it a lot different than the traditional dish. Tex-Mex cuisine contains large amounts of beef, spices, and beans. Texas-style chili, crispy chalupas, and fajitas are all Tex-Mex originals.

A serving of tortillas with hot sauce or salsa is another Texas invention. Other tasty creations include seven-layer dip, and tamale pie. Mango margaritas are a modern drink in the Tex-Mex menu. Many of these recipes are simple and require little skill, but there are some foods that involve preparation of another recipe to complete the main dish.

Even the salsa is a bit different in the Tex-Mex style. Typical salsa will include tomatoes, chiles, onions, and other spices. In Tex-Mex food, the salsa has a large amount of cilantro added. Whatever restaurant you go to, you are likely to have chilli sauce on top of your dish.
Mexican Recipes

Philippines Cooking

Philippine cooking is surprisingly simple; no special utensils are needed. Even a wok, which is commonly used in the Philippines and is almost essential for Chinese cooking, can be done without for most Philippines dishes.

No special skills are needed, either. If you can prepare American dishes, you can prepare the food of the Philippines. In fact, most of the dishes that follow are either sauteed or stewed. Other dishes are boiled, braised or fried. Baked dishes are rare, which is perfectly sensible for a tropical cuisine.


Great Philippine Recipes





adobo - cooked in vinegar, soy sauce and garlic
guisado - sauteed
sinigang - boiled with a sour fruit or vegetable
paksiw - cooked in vinegar and garlic
estofado - prepared with a burnt-sugar sauce
ginataan - cooked in coconut milk
rellanado - stuffed
sarciado - a sauce

Although Filipino food is one of complexity with its varied origins of Malay, Chinese and Spanish, yet the cooking methods are rather simple. Basically, the four cooking methods that support the foundation of Filipino cookery are boiling (nilaga), grilling (ihaw), roasting and steaming (halabos). These cooking methods form the very basis of the modern-day demand of healthy cooking. It was not until the arrival of the Spanish that the method of sauteeing (guisado) was "Filipinized" and introduced into the Filipino kitchen, adding to the basic forms of Filipino cookery.




Two styles of preparing food in the Philippines are part of the cuisine not only because of their delicious taste but also because they keep well without refrigeration. Dishes cooked adobo or sinigang style are preserved because of the effect of vinegar or souring ingredient. In rural tropical areas, this makes storing leftovers possible. Dishes prepared in both these manners seem to improve when stored, so it is a good idea to prepare large amounts to ensure having leftovers.

In many of the recipes that follow, vegetable ingredients that are used may be difficult to locate in ordinary food stores or supermarkets. But most major metropolitan centers have "chinatowns" or Oriental neighborhoods where all the ingredients can be purchased. In small cities, "Oriental stores" can often be located by checking the local Yellow Pages under Oriental or Filipino stores.

One of the ingredients that may prove difficult to locate is patis. Patis is a very salty, thin, amber-color fish or shrimp sauce that is sold in bottles under various brand names. Nuoc mam is the Vietnamese equivalent, and nampla is the Thai equivalent.


Though patis is commonly used in many dishes in the Philippines, it is marked as an optional ingredient in all the recipes in this book because the flavor it imparts takes some getting used to. Its pungent odor and strong flavor put it into the category of "acquired tastes." Salt is its closest and best substitute.

Among the other ingredients commonly used in Meat Dishes that are not readily available in local food markets but that may be found in Oriental or Hispanic food stores are the following:

Coconut milk and coconut cream can be bought in 6- or 12-ounce cans.

Anatto seeds, commonly known in the Philippines as achuette or achiote, may be bought in 4- or 8-ounce bottles.


Banana blossoms or flowers are clusters of matchlike flowers found inside a banana pod. Dried banana blossoms are sold in most Oriental food stores.

Bagoong, or shrimp paste made from small salted and fermented shrimps, is sold in jars in Oriental food stores.

Chorizo de Bilbao, a Spanish sausage used in most Spanish influenced meat stews, is sold in most Hispanic stores; however, a good substitute is pepperoni or any other spicy sausage like the Polish kielbasa.

Dried Chinese mushrooms and Chinese sausages can be bought in most Oriental food stores. Salted black beans can be bought in cans or packages, also in Oriental food stores.

Other Oriental ingredients such as bean curd, Chinese cabbage, a Chinese vegetable called bak choy and even some Chinese egg and bean noodles are now available in local food markets in big cities on the East and West coasts of the United States.

Even though some of the more exotic vegetables called for in some dishes simply are not available in the United States, adequate substitute are everywhere. For the most part, all the ingredients and spices can be found in a well-stocked food market

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What can i do with Freijoa's?

What can i do with Freijoa's?

Feijoa's

So what exactly is a Feijoa and where did they come from?

It seems Feijoas were introduced into New Zealand during the 1920`s. In some countries the feijoa is also called "pineapple guava". The feijoa was first collected in southern Brazil by a German explorer Freidrich Sellow in 1815 and introduced to Europe by French botanist and horticulturist, Dr Edouard Andre, in 1890. It was named after Brazilian botanist, Joam da Silva Feijo.


.Feijoa Recipes


New Zealand has an ideal climate that produce's large fruit, and because it has few pests this enabled feijoa's to be grown organically (chemical sprays therefore are not applied to New Zealand fruit, making NZ feijoa's some of the most natural fruit available).

The New Zealand season runs from late March to June but don't fret as the fruit can be easily frozen without loss of quality. The fruit has a very distinctive, aromatic flavour with
tropical overtones including pineapple and guava hence if you live in the USA you may know this fruit as Pineapple Guava.

When are the fruit ready to eat?

Feijoas are prime and ready to eat when they are slightly soft and when the inner jellied sections in the centre of the fruit are clear. Depending on the variety this may happen on the tree or within 2 -5 days of natural fruit drop. The fruit is unripe when the jellied sections are white and past it's best when they are browning. (Unpleasant flavours develop when browning occurs and the fruit should be discarded.) Handle the feijoas very gently - as you would ripe peaches. If you have a tree be ready for the drop as it happens very quickly and all at once you can be flooded with ripe fruit. Usually if you have a
friend with a feijoa tree they are more than happy to give away much fruit as it is really hard to use that much fruit all at once. Making jams and chutneys is the best way to use excess and they are great for the ensuing winter months.

There are reasonable amounts of vitamin C in a standard sized fruit, around 100gm of vitamin C and around 45calories. Great fibre content and they are naturally full of good winter antioxidants.

If you want to buy a tree they are usually easy to find in the plant nursery's of New Zealand and the western states of the USA.

Storage

If you've bought fruit that are not quite ripe, just leave them at room temperature and they'll ripen in a day or two; speed up the process by putting them in a paper bag with an apple if you need to. Ripe feijoas are best stored in the fridge.
Feijoas are incredibly versatile: use them in muffins, loaves, desserts, cakes, jams, chutneys, sorbets, smoothies... you name it! Ginger and pineapple are both great with fejoas, so try combos like feijoa and ginger bran muffins or feijoa and pineapple sorbet. Here are some more ideas:

Eat them just as they are, straight from the skin with a spoon. Look for pale-coloured, soft-textured centres.

Add chopped feijoas to salads. Not only a taste sensation, the vitamin C will enhance your absorption of iron from cereals and plant foods in the meal.

Use in a fresh salsa: try chopped celery, tomatoes, red onion, avocado and feijoa. Add chilli flakes, mint, coriander and a generous squeeze of lemon.

Use your favourite banana cake recipe to make banana and feijoa cake – or feijoa and ginger cake.

Scoop out the centres and pack into plastic bags with a squeeze of lemon juice, and freeze for later baking.

Add to apple for a delicious pie filling.

Use in muffins with other fruit. They go very well with apple and almonds.

Poach in a little sugar syrup with a knob of ginger.
Spoon over cereal with yoghurt.

Add to juices and smoothies – try banana, feijoas, vanilla yoghurt and honey.

Mix into fruit salad with fresh and canned fruit. Especially nice with pineapple.

Make a feijoa crumble: top fruit with a mix of rolled oats, sliced almonds, brown sugar and coconut flakes. Or try our Feijoa crumble recipe.

Purée in a blender with lemon juice, vanilla and a little sugar. Use in baking instead of half the sugar.

Feijoa Recipes

Muffin Man

Bringing Out The Muffin Man In You

If have kids and you are anything like me you may often end up, somehow, with several over ripe bananas constantly in the bottom of your fridge or in the fruit bowl. My mum would always make a banana cake with these but I like to make these very simple muffins and the kids love to help. In fact this recipe from www.theworldrecipebook.com uses only one bowl and one wooden spoon in the whole process. Apart from over mixing (which my little boy particularly likes to do with vigour) you can’t really stuff them up.

The kids love to weigh the ingridients as they put them into the bowl. My kids are of the age where as we weigh the ingridients I get them to add the weights together on a piece of paper and we check the final weight against their answers. The whole process only takes 5 mins, really!

So if you find some black or over ripe bananas lying around (you can freeze bananas in a bag for a later date) Crank up the oven and you will have muffins in 1/2hr. These last for 2-3 days in a sealed container in the cupboard. The recipe makes 6 large or 12 small. Print this page or for a easy to read saveable printed recipe go here.
SO gather the kids and heat your oven to 200c
Chocolate chip Banana Muffins
· 60 g Olive Oil or other
· 260 g Self Raising Flour
· 114 g Castor sugar
· 120 mL Milk
· 1 Eggs
· 3 Ripe Bananas
· 200 g Chocolate chips
· 2.5 g Baking powder
1. Put paper muffin cup in muffin tins
2. Into a large mixing bowl put the egg, oil, sugar, chocolate chips, B/Powder, banana's and milk and mix well together
3. Now simply fold in the flour with a spoon until just blended together. Don’t over mix as this may toughen the muffins
4. Spoon into muffin cups and cook for 15-20 min. They should just be firm. Leave in the tins for 5 min before cooling on a wire rack.
5. You can freeze these no problems. Great frozen and into a lunch box, they will be fine by the time it comes to eat them.

Why not start a recipe book that is just for things you and your children make. Collect printed recipes and paste them into a book Kids love a project. Better still take a picture and upload the recipe to The World Recipe Book.com Build you own online recipe book. It’s really easy, register ( http://theworldrecipebook.com/register.php)and start uploading, it’s 100% free and the kids love to see their name in lights.
Remember that cooking is something you and your kids can do together but remember to make it fun. The odd bit of spilt flour should not be a drama. Cooking builds confidence and it’s something (if you keep your recipes) that they will continue with forever.
Enjoy.The worldrecipebook

Juicing, how and why.

Why Juice?
Can I juice anything?
Does juicing concentrate toxins or pesticides if my products aren’t organic?
What type of juicer shall I buy?
What juices help what type of conditions?

Juices for health issues

Most of us I should imagine have tried drinking freshly juiced fruits and vegetables. If you live or work in a moderately populated area you more than likely have a shop that does this for you as you wait. But really, what is all the fuss about? Are freshly made juices really that good for me or is it just another popular fad at the moment that will pass?

Well to start with, it’s definably not a fad. People have been juicing fruit and vegetables since the beginning of time. Albeit initially with a crude version of a mortice and pestle and not the electrical variety that are available to us today. Funny enough though, the best way to keep all the goodness of the juice in tact is in fact done through the application of pressure, as our ancestors would have done with these simple implements.

So Why Should I Juice?

The answer is quite straightforward really. Our bodies are able to absorb the vast amounts of nutrients that are available from juiced fruit and vegetables very quickly in the juiced form. This is because juicing separates the mineral and water elements from the plants fibres. The liquid food is literally digested in a matter of 15 minutes. When eaten whole our body’s digestive processes are required to separate the mineral elements from the fibres and this requires energy and time. So juicing is a great way to get a wide variety of nutrients and minerals into our system quickly and without the use of a lot of used energy. Quick, pure and very effective.

Juices for health issues

Don’t I need The Fibre?

Yes and no really. Yes we need fibre in our foods, although there is no nutrient value to it. Fibre acts like a intestinal broom if you like. Eating fibre throughout the day is very important to our overall health and is easily gained by eating whole grains and whole fruits and vegetables throughout the day, preferably with each meal. If you aren’t having at least two good bowel movements a day you should immediately increase your intake of fibre. Much poor health can be directly related to a poorly or inactive digestive system.

Will Juicing Concentrate Any Toxins Found In The Foods I’m Using?

This is a very valid concern that I had when I first started juicing and giving it to my two young children. From what I have been able to determine is that if you are juicing foods that have been sprayed with toxins/pesticides then it’s the fibres of the foods that collect them. It seems that plant enzymes, atoms and molecules seem mostly impervious to them. That is another reason to seek out organic fruit and vegetables that you eat whole and are using as your source of fibre.
I do have some concerns though about soil quality, affecting the quality and levels of nutrients and minerals. The better the soil the better the juice. It is difficult to know exactly how and where and by whom your products are coming from. These days it’s even difficult to know which country they come from.

Juices for health issues

My advice is to shop where the food is freshest and the best quality. Go organic if you can as this product has been grown usually with care of the environment in mind. Remember though better quality products are usually more expensive in the short term only. Always consuming cheap mass produced nutrient deficient foods will eventually come around and bite you. I look at what I eat as my own version of life and medical insurance.

What Type Of Juicers Are The Best

It is very apparent that the best way to extract juice from any plants
is through pressure, avoiding heat at all costs. Heat destroys or at the very least damages the molecular value of nutrients and minerals. The centrifugal type of juicer therefore isn’t the best pick as there is always a little heat caused during the process. They do separate very well though the fibres which is important. As a by-line here, I only reuse the fibres of organic fruit and vegetables in muffins, casseroles, cakes etc due to possible toxin levels.

Juices for health issues

Liquefying and blenders aren’t a good way of juicing, as these don’t remove the fibres from the juice unless you strained them through a very five sieve, and that would be very laborious.

So shop around. The cheaper centrifugal type of juicers really are quite inexpensive these days but remember they don’t compare with the quality of the juice that you get from a juicer that operated through pressure not speed. Another big consideration before you buy a juicer is how is it made. How many parts will you need to clean? Will it be easy to clean. Remember once you start juicing you will probably end up cleaning your juicer at least once a day or often more. A juicer that is difficult to clean will drive you crazy so take a good look before you buy. If you aren’t able to take it out of the box, don’t buy it!

How Much Juice Is It Safe To Drink?

With the advent of very good juicers on the markets these days, people are drinking larger and larger amounts of juice because it is easy to do so. So how much is too much?

Juices for health issues

This is difficult to answer this really. It really depends on what you are juicing and why. Because of its intensity you wouldn’t want to drink a pint of wheat grass juice but you could easily drink a pint or two of mixed vegetable juice. I tend to mix my juicing up quite a lot and drink quantity to taste. Use your common sense though, it isn’t always about more is best and there may be bowel tolerance issues depending what you are juicing.

Can I store My Freshly Juiced Juice?

Juicing can be a time-consuming process, so you'll probably be thinking to yourself, "I wonder if I can juice first thing in the morning, and then drink it later?" This isn’t really a great idea. Vegetable juice is very perishable so it's best to drink all of your juice immediately. However, if you're careful and quick you can store it for up to 24 hours with only moderate nutritional decline. Here are some pointers.
· Put your juice in a glass jar with an airtight lid and fill it to the very top. There should be a minimum amount of air in the jar as the oxygen in air (air is about 20 percent oxygen) will "oxidize" and damage the juice.

Juices for health issues

· Wrap the jar with aluminium foil or paper to block out all light. Light damages the juice.

· Store it in the refrigerator until about 30 minutes prior to drinking, as vegetable juice is best consumed at room temperature for ease of digestion.

What juices help what type of conditions?

There are literally hundreds and hundreds of years of both written and anecdotal information about the use of certain foods being used a medicinal prophylactics and in the treatment of certain disease states. For a list of these go to the “Juicing” section of Recipes.

My Conclusion on juicing is this. Juicing fresh fruits and vegetables really is a great way to get quality nutrients and essential minerals into our bodies quickly and efficiently. There is an issue of cleaning your juicer after each session but really however you prepare your food there is going to be some cleaning involved. Get a quality juicer that’s easy to clean and it will be a great investment in you and your family’s long and short term health.

Juices for health issues

Chocolate Tasting Guide

Just how does one do a chocolate tasting?

Most of us have been to wine tastings or visited a winery cellar door to taste the wine. But isn't it strange that perhaps we don't have organised tastings on chocolate.

I mean, we consume kg's or pounds of it each year. There are thousands of varieties made by thousands of companies. Our friends at Amano Chocolate have put together some educated ideas on how we perhaps may go about tasting chocolate

Enjoying high-quality chocolate is an experience like no other. The flavours are rich and complex, and there is a large variation in flavours among various chocolates. In fact, the flavour compounds found in dark chocolate exceed those in red wine. For this reason, we have put together this tasting guide to assist people new to the world of chocolate tasting.


Chocolate tasting is not unlike wine tasting. Each type of chocolate bar contains its own set of unique flavour profiles. Since the cacao bean is the source of all chocolate (as grapes are the primary source of wine), its flavours can be imparted by a multitude of variables, such as topography, weather (e.g. rainfall, amount of sun, etc.), soil conditions (e.g. type, nutrient content, drainage properties, etc.), post-harvesting processing (e.g. fermenting, roasting, etc.), and of course genotypic properties. With so many variables affecting the flavour of just one chocolate bar, it's important to taste carefully so that you can extract the fullest flavour potential.

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How To Make Sorbet The Easy Way

Cooking Method submitted by: TheWorldRecipeBook - California - United States
Chef Stephen Smith tells us how it is possible to make sorbet the easy way.

Sorbet Made Easy

Have you ever thought that you would love to make your own sorbet but thought it all looked just too hard? Convincing yourself that you would need to spend hundreds of dollars on an expensive and often cumbersome ice cream machine.

Well...............here's the sorbet recipe you have been looking for. This recipe to make your own sorbet really is so easy it will be a little embarrassing, especially if you ever get to the point of explaining your genius to your very impressed recipients.

Ok, really, all need for this recipe is a food processor, perhaps 10 minutes, (this includes washing up) and a freezer to make this sorbet.

So lets get to it.

Simply you put your frozen fruit of choice into a food processor along with yoghurt , some sugar and a little water.


Turn it on and process just until everything is just bound and smooth. Don't over do this, as you will just end up having to drink a smoothie, which is fine but was not exactly what we were trying to do. Serve straight away or freeze, that's it! Now, like most recipes it doesn't take long before most of us start thinking about adapting a recipe to suit ourselves.

Try adding your favourite melted chocolate to the mix. I have been known to use a melted mars bar with coffee and berries before today. Just experiment. Keep in mind anything warm is an issue, just keep it as cool as possible.

Here's the recipe. Sorbet , quick n easy version

If you have a great new combination be sure to upload it so we
can join you in your triumph.

Happy eating!

Stephen
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What Is Bush Tucker

Bush tucker is the food of the outback, an Australian term used for a variety of herbs, spices, mushrooms, fruits, flowers, vegetables, animals, birds, reptiles and insects that are native to the country and used for food and nutrition.


It is unknown when and by whom this term was first coined by but is generally considered to have come about by Australin Aborigines describing their own food sources to the "white fellas" or caucasian population. It was made a popular term in the 1980's with a local TV series called the "Bush Tucker Man".

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Production Of Australian Bush Foods

From www.theworldrecipebook.com

Written By John Nagle Interest in the cultivation of Australian native plants as a source of food has increased rapidly in recent years,corresponding with the development of a concept of Australian cuisine. Native foods are being marketed for their wild, fresh qualities both locally and overseas. Native plants additionally have potential for use in herbal medicine, pharmaceudicals, oils, cut flowers, tanning, dyes, and of course as timber.

A range of groups have signalled an interest in producing bush tucker, from those wishing to diversify farm production to those simply aiming to increase garden variety. Australian native plants have a long history of use by both Aboriginal and European inhabitants. Transition into horticulture has been slow however, with only one indigenous plant, the Macadamia Macadamia integrifolia, well established.

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Australian Desert Limes

article submitted by: TheWorldRecipeBook - California - United States

Article submitted by Stephen on behalf of Australian Desert Limes

Just recently I came across Australian Desert Limes also called bush limes. A friend from Perth Western Australia sent me a jar. I often get people sending me products to try, they looked interesting but somehow they were pushed to the back of my pantry.

That was quite handy though as I was recently cooking up a rump of Kangaroo (as one does) and I was fossicking in the said pantry when I came across this jar of Australian Desert Limes. After promptly ripping of the lid I soon found myself gnawing away at the jar. These limes have an amazing flavour. Sharp, bitter, tangy almost explosive in taste and nature.

I sautéed a few of with a red wine reduction that I had deglazed the pan that I had just used to cook the kangaroo. Pushed them through a fine chinoise (fine steel sieve) and it was just gorgeous.

That really wasn't the end of that though. I had planned to use a fresh berry coulis on some fresh vanilla ice cream I had made the day before. ( a friend has just returned from Tahiti with a handful of fresh Vanilla beans, hence the reason I had made fresh ice cream). Instead I just poured the berries and their syrup straight from the jar over the top.

Friends, this is a great way to enjoy the special taste these berries have to offer. You chefs out there who haven't tried these, order some! You wont be disappointed.

I tracked down Jock Douglas from Australian Desert Limes and they were really forthcoming and very happy to tell the story of these lovely little native limes.

What are Australian desert limes?

The Australian Desert Lime is small with an intense, piquant flavour. It is the flavour which continues to draw the attention and admiration of food enthusiasts.

Desert limes are an extremely versatile fruit. They can be used in any product or process where 'normal' limes or lemons are used, the main difference being their small size, lack of peel and more intense flavour. Desert limes require no peeling or preparation. They have the valuable attribute of freezing down without losing flavour or presentation characteristics when thawed later for use.

The fruit has been analysed as a very healthy food source, having three times the amount of Vitamin C compared to oranges. They were eaten by aborigines and have been used by generations of Australian outback people to make cordials, sauces, garnishes marmalades, pickles and chutneys. Thirsty stockmen eat the fruit straight from the trees while mustering as a thirst quencher, but it is said that it is difficult to simultaneously eat desert limes and smile!

Australian Desert Limes are from a tree species of true citrus which is native to Australia - eremocitrus glauca. Commonly known as bush or wild limes, the fruit is now accepted in Australia as the desert lime. These trees evolved and occur naturally across western Queensland..

Desert Lime trees exhibit many desert adaptation

characteristics. They are the quickest citrus tree species in the world to set fruit after flowering. They protect themselves against grazing animals by sharp thorns, however, after growing above browse height of large kangaroos the trees grow no more thorns.

There is a very strong rise in awareness and appreciation of the Australian outback both here and internationally. Cuisine and product lines that incorporate the great bush food tastes such as Australian desert limes are adding interest and customer appeal to menus and are exciting palates. The versatility of this fruit, its characteristics and its outback origins allow it to fill this role admirably.


Bush or desert limes - citrus glauca - is an inland tree adapted to harsh Australian conditions. The limes are small and round, about the size of a small grape, with a very distinctive piquant lime flavour. Australian Desert Limes (ADL) is the trading name for the Douglas family based near Roma in western Queensland. They have 3500 trees that are grafted on to a citrainge rootstock because the straight natives propagated from seed take about 10 years to bear fruit, while the grafted trees take 4 to 5 years with first fruiting at 3 years.

Australian desert limes use cuttings from a few of the very best bearing wild trees selected from over a thousand native trees in 11 years of wild harvesting. They have planted a further 9,000 trees and will cease wild harvesting when these mature. Their native desert lime trees are heavy bearers under favourable conditions (40 kgs per tree for good trees) and the selection process they have ensures this trait continues in the plantation trees. They are also propagating and selling their best selection in Queensland and soon in all other States so people can grow them in their gardens or commercially. This is named the Abundance desert lime .

Australian desert limes have several advantages over other limes and citrus.

Taste - A distinctive intense 'Moreish' flavour . Believe me folks they are very, very Moreish!

Ease of use - no peeling, slicing; just use them whole at 1/4 the equivalent weight of Tahitian limes.

Interest - an Australian native fruit from a desert-adapted tree – makes good environmental sense and that's refreshing these days isn't it. A good healthy sustainable, native crop, you have got to love that.

Want to buy a tree?

Well folks as far as I can ascertain you won't have a problem as long as you live in Queensland Australia! But if you drop Jock an email he may be able to shed a little more light on the rest of the planets chance of getting hold of our own little tree. Australian Desert Limes

Australian Desert Limes are accepting orders for grafted trees ready to deliver March/April 2009 at $20/seedling at farm gate. Due to citrus tree movement regulations they can cerrently deliver to customers residing in Queensland only.


{b]Markets, marketing arrangements, future prospects?
Australian desert limes anticipate developing markets which are beyond their capacity to supply, as they have limited water for our trickle irrigation plantation. They are moving to value-add their desert limes and developing a range of products: jams, chutney, sauces, drinks etc.

Australian Desert Limes are currently seeking Australian and export markets for our frozen fruit and value-added products and will be looking for additional reliable supply sources apart from our own to fill these orders.

The longer term aim is to establish a brand name under which other desert lime growers can market but on the basis that all meet set quality standards for the brand. The central company/brand name would either purchase fruit from suppliers or charge a commission. A co-operative is an option also.

Their hope is that the people growing desert limes from Australian desert limes material will promote and market innovatively themselves also so this distinctive native fruit is much more widely known and available. The intention is to start a new, small Australian industry which is widely based geographically and to avoid the pitfalls that some previous start-ups experienced, such as with Aloe Vera and ostriches. So you want to try some.

Finding these outside Australia, New Zealand and strangely Germany could be an issue. But really folks. Try something different and get some shipped to you wont be disappointed.


For all sales information I suggest you email Jock at Australian Desert Limes

I suggest you try the Desert Limes in Syrup as these are multi functional but they they have Chutneys, jams and sauces. The gift packs look great too as they have a little of each product to get your head around and are light weight for shipping around the globe.

Be sure to drop us a line here at The World Recipe Book and tell us how you found your Australian desert limes and most importantly did you enjoy them. I look forward to hearing from you.

If you have a food you would like us to review from anywhere in the world we welcome you sending us samples. We just love to discover other great new and old foods like these Australian Desert Limes

Enjoy !

Stephen Smith
The World Recipe Book

Article on Cancer And Nutrition

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Cancer And Nutrition

How does a poor diet increase my risk of getting cancer? If you're living on the poor diet of the sad American diet, your body is not getting the plethora of vita chemical, vita flavonoids, and antioxidants that are inherently in fruit and vegetables, which counteract the free radicals. Free radicals are unstable little molecules floating around in your system looking for an extra electron so that they can become balanced, and they act like little 'Pac-Man's gobbling off electrons from your healthy cell membrane.

This then weakens the healthy cell membrane at that point whilst making the free radicals stronger. If you have less and less antioxidants, vita flavonoids, and vita chemicals coming into your body from healthy foods, whilst eating a lot of the denatured foods, that then creates more of the free radicals. You are then going to have a massive population of these free radicals, which in turn will result in a suppressed immune system and damage DNA. Eventually a major illness occurs such as cancer.

For the full article go to http://theworldrecipebook.com/index.php?location=articles&acat1=1&mode=view&aid=58&article=Cancer+And+Nutrition

Where is the Largest Restaurant In The World?

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Article submitted by The World Recipe Book

The World Largest Restaurant

Where exactly is the largest restaurant in the world? Well you may be surprised. The largest restaurant in the world isn't in the United States or France or even China , there go my best 3 guesses. Have you any idea?

Well it's in Syria, shall I make a booking for you, I'm sure they will have a seat! The worlds largest restaurant is called The Damascus Gate.

Here are some statistics that are just amazing considering that I have worked in some large 5 star hotels with over 1000 staff but The Damascus Gate Restaurant alone has up to 1800, I suppose it depends on bookings as to who gets the call in!

Now that must be a great staff Christmas party!

Get this, they can sit 6,014 covers. Just think of the plates, cutlery, rubbish, and table cloths. The Damascus Gate must have pretty good credit with the local suppliers I'd think.

The kitchen is 2,500 sq metres in size and the dinning room is , get this, 54,000 square metres huge. I'm thinking the lady who vacuums the floor after service has a very long extension cord. The open air dinning area complete with waterfalls, fountains and replicas of archaeological ruins, now that sounds lovely doesn't it? There are separate themed sections for Chinese and Indian cuisine also in case you cant make up your mind.

Don't go thinking you will get plastered or even a little tipsy though when dinning at The Damascus Gate. They don't serve alcohol. I know a few alcohol sales reps who'd kill for that contract! And in Syria, they may just do that! Of course im only joking. Ok! Really, only joking.


Apparently the kitchen resembles a mini factory and runs like a production line and often there will be one chef to one product. That sounds like a job, "oh I'll do the hummus tonight Chef!"

But before you start making a cunning plan to out do The Largest Restaurant in the World think again my friends. It's reportedly cost (a reputable source I'm sure) Around $40m (usd) to put together. So at a conservative $30 per head that's over 1.3million customers to cover set up costs . So if I haven't pushed too many 0's on my calculator (which is very plausible) they could cover costs within a year if they were full every night for 216 days. Then they have to pay the 1800 staff and the food bill. I read one Quote by the manager of The World Largest Restaurant a Mr Samman (also the owners son apparently) (like you do) that "In this part of the world, all people care about is their stomachs, so the food has to be the best."

I want to know which of the reps from the Guinness Book of Records counted the place settings? Now there's a job.

Now I don't have the contact details of The Damascus Gate but when you next drop into Syria for a meal I am sure anyone will be able to point you to The Largest Restaurant In The World!

Stephen Smith www.theworldrecipebook.com

Red Desert Lime - Bush Tucker Comes to Town

Submitted from More World Recipes

Red, green and orange, desert limes are a rare delight for the senses. Learn how to grow your own and discover a range of ready made preserves that will introduce you to bush tucker foods.

Early on an overcast morning at the local growers market, I stopped to talk with Craig, our local nurseryman, at his stall. Hiding at the back of the other plants was a delicately weeping tree with slender, dark green glossy leaves, covered in a profusion of pink and white buds. It was a Red Centre lime, a cultivar created by CSIRO, gourmet bush tucker for my garden.

Australia has three well known native limes.
Finger Lime - citrus australasia is dark coloured with clear round juice sacs inside that resemble caviar.
Round Lime - citrus australis also known as 'dooja', has a lighter green fruit and is native to South East Queensland.
They are both capable of growing to a height of ten metres and their fruits ripen in the sub tropical winter.
Desert Lime - citrus glauca or the Australian Outback Lime is common in more arid areas and ripens around Christmas time.

My new tree was one of three desert limes made available in Western Australia by http://www.dustyroad.com.au and will grow to about two metres.

Red Centre (the variety I have) is a cross between finger lime and mandarin. With blood red skin, dark red flesh and pink juice, it closely resembles a little blood orange.

Australian Sunrise is a cross between calamondine (itself a mandarin crossed with a cumquat) and a finger lime and is pear shaped and orange coloured.

Rainforest Pearl is a pink variety.

These new varieties are tolerant to light frosts, providing they are grown in well drained soils. They are recorded as growing as far south as Melbourne and far north as a sheltered courtyard in Switzerland!

Because of their size (they were previously known as micro citrus), they are perfectly suited to growing in tubs and respond well to a light pruning and a little organic manure.
My little darling has gone into a wine barrel filled with good quality potting mix and some cow manure and mulched with river stones to trap some heat during our long cool winters.

Cooking with Desert Limes

The sharp acidic taste of the desert lime is interchangeable in recipes with other citrus, especially lemon and lime. They compliment and enhance seafood, salsa, dipping sauces, beverages, preserves and dipping sauces. Their beautiful colours make them excellent garnishes and Sunrise can be eaten whole, skin and all, for those of you who enjoy the cumquat experience.

Surprisingly, they freeze well. Just place the ripe fruits in freezer bags and exclude as much air as possible. Most commercial crops are sold frozen. These are a hardy, water wise crop for farmers to consider. Producers last year were selling frozen limes for $24 a kilogram at farm gate.

I haven't been able to find fresh limes in WA as yet but Outback Spirit http://www.outbackspirit.com.au make a good sauce of garlic, wild lime and chilli that is available in supermarkets. It is excellent served with a cheeseboard or mixed into yoghurt as a side dish. They also make a wild lime seafood salt, wild lime pickle and sunset lime marmalade as well as a fabulous dressing that is perfect with seafood.

I can't wait for my little tree to produce; it now has its first fruit set a month after beginning to flower. You'll have to find your own, I won't be sharing!

Thanks to Nirala at THe World Recipe Book . Com

Baby Boabs Boom

Eating baby trees sounds a little barbaric but this newly rediscovered bush tucker is inspiring Australian chefs.




BABY BOABS: Little tree, big potential

I am told that I get excited about strange things. There were raised eyebrows at work recently when I opened a package of small brown tubers and a baggie of green leaves and began to squeal about not being able to wait until I could get them home and into the kitchen.

The strange but legal items heralded from the Kimberley region in the north of Western Australia and were the tubers and leaves of baby boab trees. Grown from seed, they are harvested from March to October after a growing season of 10 to 16 weeks.

The swollen trunk of the boab tree has been used as a water source in its harsh desert environment, as bush medicine and a source of fibre and shelter as well as a bush medicine. It is only in a very small area around Kununurra that the boab was used as a food resource by local Aboriginals.

In 1999 the Department of Agriculture began research into the possibilities of boab becoming a viable food crop. By 2001 the first tubers were offered for sale at the Kununurra markets by Peter Fox and Denise Hales.

The long brown tubers resemble skinny white sweet potatoes and need their fibrous outer layer peeling before eating. Eaten raw, the crisp, crunchy texture is a lot like water chestnut. When cooked its taste reminds me of cooked baby turnip. Nutritionally boab roots are high in iron and potassium and have a high level of protein compared to other vegetables. The fleshy five-fingered leaves are high in Vitamins A and C and have a sweet nutty taste similar to fresh raw peas. Growing in a desert where lettuce shipped from the city can sell for $10 and more, they are a welcome addition to salads.

I found baby boab well suited to Asian style foods ginger, soy, sesame, black cumin, fresh coriander and chilli which its cool crunchiness contrasts and enhances. Try in stir fries, with Gado Gado or in salads.

Denise Hales and other Kimberley chefs have experimented with baby boab and produced recipes that range from Laksa to Orange Cake. Boabs in the Kimberley now also sell a range of relish, chutney, pickles, jams and marmalade that combine baby boab rosella, mangoes, chillies and other local produce as well as supplying trees.

Baby boabs are available by mail and should be available in selected Perth stores in September 2008. If you cannot access any, try substituting water chestnuts in salad recipes or baby turnip or white radish in recipes that require cooking.

This bush tucker is sure to grow in popularity – I hope it gets you excited too!

Nirala

See also:

Baby Boab and Nasturtium Salad
Kimberley Boab Salsa

More Articles www.theworldrecipebook.com

New Book

Allergies

Allergies

by Stephen Smith ND

Allergies are generally an inappropriate immune system response to a substance or often a various mixture of substances. It is estimates that over 20% of our population suffer a degree of continual distress due to food and / or chemical allergy symptoms. We usually put allergies into two categories, food and chemical. Our bodies reaction to a non toxic substance becomes an over reaction. The reaction then becomes the problem, or allergic reaction. The substances that cause these reactions are referred to as allergens. Almost anything can become an allergen to somebody somewhere in the world. What I would like to focus on here are foods.

Some of the most common foods that cause allergic reactions in the general populus include:
Eggs
Nuts
Dairy Products
Seafood
Strawberries
Wheat / gluten products (see gluten free section)
Even dare I say – Chocolate
Nightshade vegetables
Red Wine

Some food additives and colours especially yellow. Additives to be really careful of include vanillin, benzaldehyde, eucalyptol, monosodium glutamate, BHT-BHA, benzoates and annatto. We must be careful here though to separate food allergies and food intolerances. An intolerance is where the body for whatever reason lack certain enzymes that break foods down in our digestive system where allergies are very much an over reactive immune system starts generating and antibody response to the ingested foods.

Often allergic responses happen immediately during the chewing process but often signs are harder to read. It may just be bloating or a tickle in the back of the throat. We never know why some people have allergies but they often do run in families and there has been some research that has shown non-breastfed children have a slightly increased chance of having a food allergy. There is also an emotional cause often if your immune system is non-functioning well. Stress and anger are the two big ones that come to mind immediately.

A great way to test food a non obvious food allergy is to take your resting heart rate and then eat a pure form of the suspected food. Wait 10-20 minuets for the food to digest. Retake your pulse. If it has increased by more than 10 beats you probably have an issue with that particular food. Another method is to go onto a juice fast for two days then reintroduce the suspected foods one at a time. Your body’s reaction is heightened as it is not pre occupied with other digestive acts so it is easier to spot offending food. Wait a couple of hours though if you intend testing several foods as not to jumble and misinterpret reactions.

Aspirin should be avoided during an allergic response as it allows more allergy provoking substances to be absorbed. So apart from the obvious by avoiding known allergens what else can you do?

Become very aware what is in the foods you are eating; never be embarrassed or afraid to ask.
Raise your immune system by keeping really healthy
Supplement your Calcium and magnesium levels daily, Ca 2000mg and Mg 750mg.
Supplement with a quality B Complex vitamin
And my favourite is a good dose of vitamin C every day around 5000mg (pending on your individual bowel tolerances) 2 kiwi fruit a day and a handful of blueberries in a smoothie will do it for you.
Rotate the foods you eat often, introducing new foods gently. Just because refried beans loosen your stool doesn’t mean you have an allergic response it’s just that they take a little while to introduce to the system. Also remember that because certain foods may cause an allergic response it may not always be the case. Children especially often grow out of such responses as their immune systems develop. Be sensible though, if peanuts send your child into seizures then there’s a good chance that they always will.

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