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Monday, October 20, 2008

effects of goji berries Updates

effects of goji berriesThe Fascinating History of Malaysian Food

Malaysia is the home of multiple ethnicities which found its roots during the colonial times where hundreds and thousands of immigrants arrived here to find an honest living in this prosperous land. The migrants� mostly Chinese working in the tin mines and the Indians placed along the rubber estates brought along with them their cultures not forgetting rich culinary heritages. The cultures go along fine with their cooking where unusual traditional gathering usual accompanied by exotic mouth watering cuisine, that make up the Malaysian food recipes.

As time goes by these cooking somehow assimilated with the Malaysian local customs thus giving birth to a much more diverse and uniquely types of cooking not found anywhere else in the world, such as the famous �roti canai�, a kind of bread unlike any other bread is not made of yeast and has a uniquely oily textures, thanks to the acrobatic ways the dough is being flung around while in the process of making it. Other types of Malaysian foods which have its origin in India are the tasty �mee Mamak� and �rojak Mamak�. The word mamak means uncle in Tamil, so the Indian muslim community locally are referred to as mamak. The �mee Mamak� is different from other noodles it has thick spicy flavour that�ll leave you feeling hot in a slurp, while the �rojak Mamak� a form of salad with the gravy made of finely pounded chilies surely will satisfied most vegetarian. The curries served in �mamak� restaurants are definitely Indian but yet different then those found in India. To top it all these delectable dishes are eaten with �the tarik� tea with milk that�s hard to make, literally we need to pour the tea between two big glasses or mugs and increasing the heights by pulling the pouring glass or mug higher and higher to achieve that distinctive foamy rich flavour and also to cool it. All these Malaysian Indian cooking are not found in India itself simply because the original recipes have been Malaysianize, improvised using locally available ingredients which is much cheaper and tastier.

The same thing can be said with the Malaysian Chinese cuisine like the �Yong taufu� and �Su�un, the Chinese immigrants can�t find the ingredients for their original recipes from China so they decided to replace it with cheaper alternative sources commonly found in Malaysia like the �buah keluak� and �kayu manis�. Other Malaysian local pride cooking which originated from abroad is the like of the popular �laksa� which can be found almost everywhere in Malaysia and even has its own sub version in �laksa Johor�, �laksa Kedah� and �laksa Penang�. �Laksa� is thick rice noodles. �Laksa� is served with tangy fish soup/gravy which is made from mackerel or sardine and lots of herbs and not fish at all because of the aroma of the herbs. It�s a favourite with the tourists for it is not too hot and spicy flavour.

Other Malaysian gourmets particularly the rice based which is the Malaysian staple diet can be traced to our neighbouring countries such in Indonesia and Thailand like the �soto� and �nasi kerabu� of Johor and Kelantan respectively. These cooking are being cook up with the influence of border communities centuries ago like in Golok when the people started to interact and barter together especially goods at the border town marketplaces.

The arrival of these Chinese and Indian migrants certainly spice up the Malaysian culinary scenes without them Malaysian cooking and Malaysian food recipes will not be as colourful and wonderful as they�re today. Nowadays Malaysian foods are a bigger attraction to the tourists just like the KLCC and the KL Tower. When they say Malaysia boasts of its rich cultural melting pot, the tourists must have meant plenty of Malaysian foods in the pots for the picking. Once the foreigners colonized our country now we managed to get back at them and colonize them at least their taste buds with our hot and spicy Malaysianize cooking which they fall deadly in love.

Rohana Ismail is a cooking enthusiast who has been preparing Secret Malaysian Recipes since her early childhood. Secret recipes that were been passed down to her through generations of ancestors. To discover the secret ingredients that goes into a traditional Malaysian dish, please visit Malaysian Food Recipe web site today!

Flavours of Western Greece

Across the strait from the Ionian island of Lefkada but seemingly worlds apart lies the western coast of the Greek mainland and, to the south, Messolonghi, where Lord Byron died. The coastal wetlands are home to dozens of natural marine fisheries-the magical, melancholy marshlands produce sizable harvests of sea food.

Further north along the coast, in Epirus, only locals know where to buy jars of exquisite sage honey from the Zaghorohoria. The same goes for the region's excellent game (including partridge and wild goat), river trout (cooked with a little butter), savoury pies made of myriad greens, cheeses and leeks, and provatina - female sheep of a certain age. The only food that is widely available to the culinary tourist is cheese. But luckily Epirus - with its mountain slopes and age-old traditions of husbandry-long ago elevated cheese-making to an art.

Messolonghi is known as a source of botargo, the sun-dried roe of the grey mullet, although exactly when or by whom such a rarefied treat was first produced remains a mystery. The name is Greek in origin, from avghotarahon, meaning 'egg pickle', but according to English classicist Andrew Dalby (Siren Feasts), botargo dates back to classical Byzantium. The first known mention of it is by the Byzantine physician Simeon Seth, who included it in an 11th - century survey of the dietary customs of his time. Botargo is known throughout the Mediterranean. With the exception of Venice, where the locals use tuna eggs, it is always made from the roe of the grey mullet because the eggs are compact and dense-they will not fall apart when salted. Each fresh egg sac weighs between 100 and 500 grammes, depending on the size of the fish. By the time they are dried, each weighs half that amount.

The Greek season for making botargo runs from late August to early October, when shoals of female grey mullet, swollen with eggs, try to move from the marshes back to the sea to spawn. A labyrinthine system of netted walls-ybaria in fishing jargon-deters them. They are trapped, slit and gutted, and the two long, soft egg sacs are lifted out. The roe ranges in colour from ivory to deep amber-the yellower the eggs, the more mature they are.

Once removed from the fish, the sacs are placed in coarse salt for a few hours, to 'tighten'. Then they are rinsed and left to dry on planks in screened outdoor cages for several days. Finally, to preserve and enhance their flavour, the dried sacs are dipped in beeswax.

Epirus is home to two of Greece's most famous cheese towns. Dodoni harbours the country's first and largest state-of-the-art feta factory, and the Averoff family, in an effort to help villagers preserve their shepherd's way of life, founded a modern cheese making facility near Metsovo. Metsovo's version of chevre does not resemble its French namesake, but it is made with goat's cheese and is equally rich and delicious. A hard, rich delicious cheese with a distinct peppery finish, it is also produced in Dodoni and sold in supermarkets around Greece.

Metsovone, a smoked cheese made with cow's as well as sheep's milk that closely resembles the Italian provolone, is eaten as a table cheese or fried as a delectable saghanaki. Metsovella is semi-hard and not unlike graviera. Like the Averoff 's pleasant, parmesan-style hard yellow cheese, it is produced in limited quantities and sold only in local shops.

While you visit the Greek Islands taste the Greek Products and learn Greek Recipes to cook to your friends when you go home. They will surely be impressed by your cooking skills and the taste of your dishes.

Dinner Party Etiquette for the 21st Century!

Dinner party etiquette, and indeed the subject of etiquette in general is wrapped up and disguised in layer upon layer of old school tradition!

I intend to dispel some of the mystique of dinner party etiquette. Here you will find easy, commonsense advice and tips to help you through any modern day formal or semi-formal dinner occasion.

Whether you happen to be hosting a party or attending as a guest, this information is for you...............this is dinner party etiquette for the new millennium!

Dinner Party Etiquette - the Basics

Even in today's fast and ever changing lifestyle, there is one very simple skill which if we don't already possess, can easily be learned that is guaranteed to get you through even the most trying social occasion - good manners! Yes, something as simple as politeness and good manners will make up ten fold for any lack of etiquette know-how.
And if you are not sure if your manners are good enough, pick a role model and compare your behaviour with them. This could be someone well known on screen or television, or perhaps a friend, colleague or business associate. Pay attention to how they behave around other people. Learn from them!
Learn to be confident in yourself. Unease and nervousness in social occasions will undoubtedly make you feel uncomfortable and thus more prone to unnatural behaviour. A good tip before any important occasion is to go somewhere quiet on your own and sit or preferably, lay down. Close you eyes - and relax by taking long, slow, deep breaths. Then in your imagination, see yourself at that social event looking calm and confident. Imagine yourself interacting comfortably with other guests - you are a total success! Feel the experience - really let it sink in. This type of mental programming will assist you tremendously.
As host or dinner guest, never allow yourself to be persuaded into believing that the more you spend, the greater the impression you will make! That may be true in certain (frivolous!) circles of society, but it is generally not so, and it is certainly quite unnecessary. Spend only that which you can comfortably afford.

Dinner Party Etiquette - Myths and Unnecessary Trivia

What rules? There are no rules!!

We hear a great deal about rules of etiquette, as though they were written in stone somewhere, or part of the Constitution! What is acceptable to one person or one society may be totally unacceptable to another. If you must live by rules, then develop your own list of rules! Rules of etiquette steeped in history and tradition have very little real relevance in today's society.
Some folk firmly believe that unless you come from a background of substantial wealth and a particular upbringing, then you are automatically excluded from certain social choices. This is completely, and utterly, ridiculous! In my profession, I have performed the role of Butler at numerous very grand and formal social occasions for the wealthy and upper classes. And I do not exaggerate when I say that on occasions, the behaviour of some of those attending was truly appalling. Social background, education and wealth are no guarantees of good manners and proper behaviour!
Often a dinner host or hostess believes that the more complex the menu, the more extravagant the occasion, the more elaborate the table setting ......the more he or she will impress the guests! That is far from the reality! A simple yet stylish, well executed dinner party delivered with thought, care and attention, will achieve a far greater result........for a lot less stress!
Dress code? Just as there are no rules in modern day entertaining, there is also.....no dress code! However, if it's a formal affair and the host has clearly indicated a dress style (black tie, lounge suits, smart casual etc) then clearly, the dinner guest should respect that. As a host however, do consider carefully whether such a stipulation is really necessary. The trend these days is very much towards casual dining and generally speaking, most dinner guests will be more relaxed in that situation.

Dinner Party Etiquette - Social Behaviour

If you are hosting a dinner party, use yourself as an example of what you consider to be acceptable social behaviour. Most dinner guests will take their lead from you - and if they don't, they probably shouldn't be there and are unlikely to be invited again!
The art of conversation! The successful dinner party host should always encourage lively and varied conversation with honest opinions being expressed and shared. However, proper dinner party etiquette should encourage avoiding sensitive issues or subjects that some guests may find uncomfortable. As a considerate dinner host, if such a conversation is under way, discreetly interject and carefully change the subject. Or if that fails, interrupt by introducing the next course!
For both the dinner host and guest, excessive behaviour of any sort is to be avoided. That should include excessive drinking, excessive talking (being overbearing!), excessive joke telling (particularly bad ones!!) and even excessive eating! A healthy appetite is to be enjoyed, over indulgence however, is not an endearing feature!
To smoke, or not to smoke? Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the host or hostess to dictate on this. As smoking becomes less and less acceptable publicly, it is quite unacceptable to do so at a dinner table unless expressly invited to do so. It can be a sensitive issue. Personally, I would advise that the host makes another room available (perhaps where after dinner coffee will be served) for any guest wishing to smoke. Again, there are no strict rules on this subject - as dinner host, you must make this choice for your guests.

Dinner Party Etiquette - Place and Table Setting

The days of making an impression by setting out enormous and extravagant place settings with numerous pieces of (sometimes confusing!) cutlery and glassware for an excessively long menu are thankfully, largely over. Keep the setting simple by putting in place only that which is required up to and including the main course. Cutlery for any following courses can acceptably be provided as the dinner progresses and concludes.
Excessively large, elaborate table decorations and expensive, hall marked tableware are quite unnecessary (unless ofcourse they are family heirlooms!). A simple yet thoughtfully styled table using the best that you own and can afford can be very affective. Don't be led into the trap of believing that your table must look like something off the front of a glossy home design magazine! I said earlier that there are no rules. Well infact there is one golden rule...........keep it simple!
If you are hosting a large dinner party, then a table plan and place cards are essential. For a smaller party however, avoid such unnecessary protocol. Simply, casually direct dinner guests to sit where you would prefer them to.

This is dinner party etiquette for the 21st century. All of the above is no more than plain, common sense! And it is also about behaving responsibly and not offensively!

As a final word, please remember that the true art of entertaining has one prime goal...........that of pleasure! It should be enjoyed by host and guest alike. So at all costs, avoid being overly concerned about what is "right, and what is "wrong". Do what you feel is right ........and if you do happen to make the odd gaff - as long as you carry it off with grace, honesty and humility, you will happily survive the day! After all, it is only a dinner party!

Relax..............and enjoy!

Robert Jackson has worked all of his life in the hospitality business. Now at http://www.gourmet-food-revolution.com, he shares his views, ideas, tips and guidance on entertaining at home.......with style, and ease!

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