Kobe Beef

Kobe beef (神戸ビーフ, Kōbe Bīfu?) refers to cuts of beef from the black Tajima-ushi breed of Wagyu cattle, raised according to strict tradition in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The meat is generally considered to be a delicacy, renowned for its flavour, tenderness, and fatty, well-marbled texture. Kobe beef can be prepared as steak, sukiyaki, shabu shabu, sashimi, teppanyaki and more.

Kobe beef is also called "Kobe-niku" (神戸肉?, lit. Kobe meat), "Kobe-gyū" (神戸牛?, lit Kobe cow) or "Kobe-ushi" (神戸牛?, lit Kobe cow) in Japanese.

History

The Wagyu cattle that produce this highly prized meat were introduced into Japan in the second century as work animals, used in rice cultivation. As beef consumption became more prominent in society, farmers began hiring workers to massage the animals' backsides to improve meat quality. The mountainous topography of the islands of Japan resulted in small regions of isolated breeding, yielding herds that developed and maintained qualities in their meat that differ significantly from all other breeds of cattle. Herd isolation and distinctive feeding techniques which resulted from the limited land availability have led to distinguishing features that make the meat both superior in marbling and in the ratios of unsaturated versus saturated fats.

Source: www.wikipedia.com

See also: tamani, marzano

Candy Expo

Candy. Dengar kata ini malah ingat film kartun Candy-candy dengan tokoh ceria meskipun nasibnya tak jauh dari cerita sedih. Samakah candy sebagai tokoh cerita dan candy yang bisa diemut? Tentu saja jauh berbeda, meskipun rasanya sama-sama manis untuk disimak. Jenis permen beragam, mulai dari ragam rasa, bentuk dan bahan pembuatnya. Siapa yang tidak tahu apa itu permen? Mulai dari anak-anak hingga orang dewasa semua mengenal permen. Bisa dikatakan, semua orang tumbuh bersama permen. Kerapkali permen menjadi reward untuk sebuah prestasi gemilang anak-anak. Serta penghilang stres atau rasa mual bagi orang dewasa. Sadar akan pentingnya benda kecil manis ini dalam kehidupan, diadakanlah Candy Expo. (Ratih)

Candy Expo pada tanggal 7- 17 Agustus 2010 di depan Mitra 10 Gading Serpong searah ke Universitas Multimedia Nusantara, di sebelah pasar Modern Paramount Serpong dari pukul 09.00- 21.00 WIB ini akan menghadirkan beragam tampilan permen menarik serta games-games seru untuk diikuti.

Pameran pertama di Indonesia produk candy, chocolate, ice cream, cake, bakery,snack, donuts.

Pameran akan diikuti lebih dari 200 stand dan tiket hanya disediakan untuk 100.000 pengunjung. Harga tiket Rp 25.000,- bisa didapatkan di seluruh Toko Buku Gramedia sejabodetabek dan di pasar modern paramount. Harga tiket khusus mahasiswa dan pelajar hanya Rp 10.000,- dan hanya bisa dibeli di lokasi pameran.

Perusahaan yang terdaftar : School of Chocolate (TULIP), Silverqueen, Yupi Jelly, Mayora, Walls, Campina, Du Fountain Choco, Chocololy.

Di pameran akan dihadirkan air terjun coklat setinggi 6 meter, taman yang terbuat dari jelly dan lolipop, serta miniatur coklat batang, yang akan dimasukkan ke rekor MURI. Banyak games yang akan diselenggarakan seperti mandi permen, all u can eat coklat, sumpit permen, mengemut lolipop tercepat, dan lainnya.

So, don't miss it! (Sumber: www.goorme.com)

See also: tamani, marzano

Fresh Cocktail

A cocktail today usually contains one or more types of liquor and one or more mixers, such as bitters, fruit juice, fruit, soda, ice, sugar, honey, milk, cream, or herbs.[

History

The earliest known printed use of the word cocktail was in The Farmer's Cabinet on April 28, 1803:

Drank a glass of cocktail—excellent for the head...Call'd at the Doct's. found Burnham—he looked very wise—drank another glass of cocktail.

The earliest definition of cocktail was in the May 13, 1806, edition of the Balance and Columbian Repository, a publication in Hudson, New York, in which an answer was provided to the question, "What is a cocktail?". It replied:

Cocktail is a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters—it is vulgarly called a bittered sling and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion, inasmuch as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head. It is said, also to be of great use to a Democratic candidate: because a person, having swallowed a glass of it, is ready to swallow anything else.

Compare the ingredients listed (spirits, sugar, water, and bitters) with the ingredients of an Old Fashioned.

The first publication of a bartenders' guide which included cocktail recipes was in 1862 — How to Mix Drinks; or, The Bon Vivant's Companion, by "Professor" Jerry Thomas. In addition to listings of recipes for Punches, Sours, Slings, Cobblers, Shrubs, Toddies, Flips, and a variety of other types of mixed drinks were 10 recipes for drinks referred to as "Cocktails". A key ingredient which differentiated "cocktails" from other drinks in this compendium was the use of bitters as an ingredient, although it is not used in many modern cocktail recipes.

The first "cocktail party" ever thrown was allegedly by Mrs. Julius S. Walsh Jr. of St. Louis, Missouri, in May 1917. Mrs. Walsh invited 50 guests to her home at noon on a Sunday. The party lasted an hour, until lunch was served at 1 pm. The site of this first cocktail party still stands. In 1924, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis bought the Walsh mansion at 4510 Lindell Boulevard, and it has served as the local archbishop's residence ever since.

During Prohibition in the United States (1920–1933), when the sale of alcoholic beverages was illegal, cocktails were still consumed illegally in establishments known as speakeasies. The quality of the alcohol available was far lower than was previously used, and bartenders generally put forth less effort in preparing the cocktails. There was a shift from whiskey to gin, which does not require aging and is thus easier to produce illicitly.

Cocktails became less popular in the late 1960s and 1970s, as other recreational drugs became common. In the 1980s cocktails again became popular, with vodka often substituted for gin in drinks such as the martini. Traditional cocktails and gin are starting to make a comeback in the 2000s.

Source: www.wikipedia.com

See also: cake, pasta, marzano

Pasta Delicioso, Right Guys?

Pasta alla carbonara (usually spaghetti, but also fettuccine, rigatoni or bucatini) is an Italian pasta dish based on eggs, pecorino romano, guanciale, and black pepper. The dish was created in the middle of the 20th century.

The recipes vary, though all agree that cheese (pecorino, Parmesan, or a combination), egg yolks (or whole eggs), cured fatty pork, and black pepper are basic. The pork is fried in fat (olive oil or lard); a mixture of eggs, cheese, and butter or olive oil is combined with the hot pasta, cooking the eggs; the pork is then added to the pasta. Guanciale is the most traditional meat, but pancetta is also used. In the US, it is often made with American bacon.

Cream is not common in Italian recipes, but is used in the United States, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia and Russia (especially in Moscow). Other Anglo/Franco variations on carbonara may include peas, broccoli or other vegetables added for colour. Yet another American version includes mushrooms. Many of these preparations have more sauce than the Italian versions.

In all versions of the recipe, the eggs are added to the sauce raw, and cook (coagulate) with the heat of the pasta itself.

Origin and history

Like most recipes, the origins of the dish are obscure, and there are many legends about it. As the name is derived from the Italian word for charcoal, some believe that the dish was first made as a hearty meal for Italian charcoal workers. This theory gave rise to the term "coal miner's spaghetti", which is used to refer to spaghetti alla carbonara in parts of the United States. Others say that it was originally made over charcoal grills, or that it was made with squid ink, giving it the color of carbon. Another rumour about the origin of the name suggests that the way abundant black pepper was added to the dish (before or after serving) especially during winter, made the black pepper flakes among the whiteish sauce look like charcoal, or perhaps the effect one gets when a casserole dish is accidentally "burnt". It has even been suggested that it was created by, or as a tribute to, the Carbonari ("charcoalmen"), a secret society prominent in the unification of Italy.

The dish is not present in Ada Boni's 1927 classic La Cucina Romana, and is unrecorded before the Second World War. It was first recorded after the war as a Roman dish, when many Italians were eating eggs and bacon supplied by troops from the United States, and the name may be from a Rome restaurant called 'Carbonara'. More recently, a restaurant in Rimini has claimed the original recipe was born during WWII.

The recipe was included in Elizabeth David's 1954 cookbook published in Great Britain. The dish became popular among American troops stationed in Italy; upon their return home, they popularized spaghetti alla carbonara in North America.

Source: www.wikipedia.com

See also: steak, marzano

Program TV Tentang Kuliner Unik

Alih Bahasa: Ratih

Bizarre Foods dengan Andrew Zimmern adalah sebuah program dokumenter sebuah perjalanan kuliner yang digawangi oleh Andrew Zimmern dalam Travel Channel. Program ini fokus pada makanan khas daerah tertentu karena keunikannya. Bahasan dalam program ini adalah prosedur pembuatannya, dimana disajikan, dan ia cicipi langsung di tempat. Durasi program ini selama 1 jam menyajikan makanan unik di Asia. Pada tahun 2006, program ini muncul seminggu sekali. Pada tahun 2009, Zimmern break dari Bizzare Foods dan konsentrasi ke Bizzare World. Zimmern mengakhiri tiap episodennya dengan: "If it looks good, eat it."

Source: www.wikipedia.com

See also:

Tamani, Marzano

Sejarah Makanan Meksiko

Alih Bahasa: Ratih

Saat para penjajah tiba di pusat kota suku Aztec (sekarang Kota Meksiko) mereka menemukan bahwa masyarakat disana melakukan diet dengan mengkonsumsi makanan serba jagung. Jagung-jagung ini diolah dengan cabai dan aneka bumbu yang dilengkapi dengan kacang-kacangan, tomat atau nopales. Makanan diet orang Meksiko asli ialah coklat, vanila, alpukat, buah jambu, pepaya, sapote, jicama, squash, kentang manis, mamey, nanas, sup, kacang, achiote, huitlacoche, kalkun dan ikan. Pada tahun 1520-an, Orang Spanyol yang menginvasi Meksiko memperkenalkan berbagai jenis hewan ternak seperti unggas, ayam, kambing, domba, dan babi. Lalu beras, gandum dan selai bersaman dengan minyak zaitun, anggur, kacang almond, dan banyak lagi bumbu. Masakan khas Spanyol disesuaikan dengan masakan asli suku Aztec sehingga muncullah jenis makanan baru, yaitu makanan Meksiko .

Source: www.wikipedia.com

See also: Tamani, Marzano

History of Mexican Foods

When conquistadores arrived in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), they found that the people's diet consisted largely of corn-based dishes with chiles and herbs, usually complemented with beans and tomatoes or nopales. The diet of the indigenous peoples of Pre-Columbian Mexico also included chocolate, vanilla, tomatillos, avocado, guava, papaya, sapote, mamey, pineapple, soursop, jicama, squash, sweet potato, peanuts, achiote, huitlacoche, turkey and fish. In the 1520s, while Spanish conquistadors were invading Mexico, they introduced a variety of animals, including cattle, chickens, goats, sheep, and pigs. Rice, wheat, and barley were also introduced as were olive oil, wine, almonds, parsley, and many spices. The imported Spanish cuisine was eventually incorporated into the indigenous cuisine.

Source: www.wikipedia.com

See also: Pizza Hut, Tamani, Marzano

Tema Makanan dalam Sastra

By: Ratih

Siapa kira ternyata makanan pun bisa menjadi topik dalam sebuah puisi. Di Eropa, tema makanan merupakan bagian dari sejarah sastra yang tidak bisa dipungkiri turut membangun ciri peradaban masyarakatnya. Seperti juga di Indonesia, puisi merupakan gambaran dari keprihatinan penyair yang secara ajaib menerima “wahyu.” Tak semua orang mampu menjadi penyair. Sebab penyair bukanlah seseorang yang dibentuk secara matematis. Penyair memiliki kepekaan yang luar biasa tanpa perhitungan akal. Kadang bukan hanya gambaran masyarakat masa kini yang mampu dirangkum oleh seorang penyair, melainkan ramalan masa depan pun mampu dikemas dengan apik ciamik meski huruf alfabet hanya ada 26.

Di Indonesia kita punya Chairil Anwar yang mendobrak norma dengan puisi “Aku.” Kehidupannya yang tak terikat soal hubungan asmara dan kerja menjadi awal kehidupan orang masa kini yang tak percaya pernikahan yang tak mau kerja sebagai buruh. Kebebasan Chairil merupakan merdeka dengan prinsip relijius, diam-diam ia mencari makna hidup. Memang bukan agama yang ia pegang teguh, melainkan prinsipnya sendiri yang tak seolah tak mau ambil pusing. Jalan hidupnya memang menarik, sebagai anak tunggal ia dimanja sekaligus dikecewakan karena keluarganya terpecah belah. Puisi pertamanya ditulis karena neneknya meninggal, sejak itu dia tersentak dengan kenyataan bahwa hidup pasti akan berakhir dengan kematian. Puisi dari Chairil Anwar berikut berhubungan dengan “dapur”:

PERSETUJUAN DENGAN BUNG KARNO

Ayo ! Bung Karno kasi tangan mari kita bikin janji
Aku sudah cukup lama dengan bicaramu
dipanggang diatas apimu, digarami lautmu
Dari mulai tgl. 17 Agustus 1945
Aku melangkah ke depan berada rapat di sisimu
Aku sekarang api aku sekarang laut

Bung Karno ! Kau dan aku satu zat satu urat
Di zatmu di zatku kapal-kapal kita berlayar
Di uratmu di uratku kapal-kapal kita bertolak & berlabuh

(1948)

Liberty,
Jilid 7, No 297,
1954

Lalu, era berganti dan Sitok Srengenge sang penyair mengejutkan dunia sastra Indonesia dengan puisinya yang suram, lugas, sederhana dan bermakna dalam. Ia memperoleh beberapa penghargaan di luar negeri karena puisi-puisinya yang tak biasa. Salah satu buku kumpulan puisi favoritku adalah “Haram Jadah.” Puisi-puisi Sitok Srengenge dibukukan dengan ilustrasi gambar Agus Suwage. Nampaknya tak mudah memahami sekali baca puisi-puisi sekelas Sitok Srengenge. Diksi yang hadir tak biasa didengar di telinga awam, namun pada saat bersamaan memberi pengertian yang pas untuk keseluruhan puisi. Novelnya yang terbaru berjudul “Menggarami Burung Terbang” diawali dengan: Tidur, Cintaku, tidurlah tenang. Nuansa ini hampir sama dengan nuansa kematian yang gelap, meski sesaat.

Di Eropa, para penyair masa kini menulis puisi dari bahasa Latin disesuaikan dengan kehidupan modern. Misalnya saja “The Physics of Taste” diambil dari Book IV oleh Lucretius “On the Nature of the Universe”. Ditulis pada tahun 50 SM, puisi Lucretius merupakan sebuah puisi filsafat dari Epicurus. Pada masa kini, tulisan filsafat terdapat dalam prosa. “Nice Food” diambil dari “On Things that are Good to Eat” oleh Ennius (terlahir pada 239 SM). Seperti juga Lucretius, Ennius mempersembahkan versi Roma dari tradisi Yunani (Wilkins. 1996).

Akhirnya, perlu disadari bahwa makanan bukan sekedar sebuah kewajiban demi hidup. Makanan mewakili esensi dari sebuah sistem yang kompleks. Kerumitan ini dimaknai secara mendalam oleh para penyair sehingga tiba pada kita arti fenomena-fenomena hidup menuju kematian. Tak mudah menjadikan dapur sebagai pusat ide, bila tak cukup aware menghubungkannya dengan berita sosial di luar sana. Berita yang perlu disaring kebenarannya. Perlu dikritisi dan disusun alur sejarahnya. Soal perut, bukan dosa lagi bila dengan perut otak dan hatimu berjalan seiring. Tertarik menulis puisi dengan tema makanan atau mau langsung saja santap makanan khas Eropa? Di Pizza Hut, Tamani atau Marzano? It's up to you.

Daftar Pustaka:

Wilkins, John. 1996. Food In European Literature. Exeter: Intellect Books.