WHAT IS CHEVROT? This delicious, creamy dream is a goat cheese that is made from both raw and pasteurized (for Americans) milk. Geotricum is introduced into the rind which gives it a bizarrely cerebral look. As chevrot ages the chalky heart eventually breaks down into a soupy mess that delights the tongue. This used to […]
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ARCHAEOLOGY OF BREAD – Cornbread
WHAT IS CORNBREAD? Having a self-explanatory name doesn’t make it any less tasty. This Native American delicacy is a gluten-free leavened bread (though the yeast is optional). Today this food more then any other is an icon of southern cuisine in the United States. Dry corn kernels are ground into a coarse meal that are […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF BREAD – Bruschetta
WHAT IS A BRUSCHETTA? What pain perdu (French toast) is to bread recycling in France, bruschetta is to Italy. This more savory take is an antipasto (appetizer) that is is rubbed with olive oil and garlic and then grilled. Then a variety of simple toppings are added and much like a Spanish tapas, served as […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF BREAD – Ezekiel Sprouted Wheat
WHAT IS EZEKIEL SPROUTED WHEAT? Ezekiel bread is based on a Biblical recipe named after the Jewish prophet of the same name. Around 600 B.C. he spent a year planning the siege of Jerusalem while eating only this bread. “Take also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils and millet, and spelt and […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF BREAD – Baguette
WHAT IS A BAGUETTE? This long, thin loaf of bread is famous for having a nice hard crust with a chewy interior. It’s second only to cheese in being an icon of French food. The word itself means “stick” or “wand”. However by European standards the baguette is a relatively recent fad. Prior to the […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF BREAD – Pita
WHAT IS A PITA? This whole wheat flatbread has been a Middle Eastern favorite for over 4,000 years! While often described as unleavened, it’s actually a yeast leavened bread. That combined with the water turning to steam is what gives the pita its hollow pocket. In the Middle Ages it was what sliced bread is […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF BREAD – Pretzel
WHAT IS A PRETZEL? This is, simply put, one of the most awesome inventions in the history of mankind. Yes people can’t stop raving about fire, religion, the wheel, the printing press, or penicillin. Blah, blah, blah. Those are all life-changing inventions, but don’t let the humble nature of the pretzel fool you! vs. Fire […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF BREAD – Wholemeal Rye
WHAT IS WHOLEMEAL RYE BREAD? Along with wheat and barley, rye is one of the three types of grains that contain gluten. Wholemeal means that both the softer inner portion of the grain head (endosperm) and the harder protective outer layer are processed. Unlike wheat, rye is capable of surviving much colder climates. However it […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF BREAD – Roti / Chapati
WHAT IS A CHAPATI? Also known as Indian flatbread, this recipe is made with unleavened dough that’s cooked on a skillet. In Hindi the name translates as “slap flat” which is how the dough is formed. The names chapati and roti are used interchangeably though purists would argue that rotis can be as thick as […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF BREAD – Sourdough
WHAT IS SOURDOUGH BREAD? It is about as basic as bread can get. The only ingredients are the starter (flour and water) along with salt and more flour! The wild yeast here is all natural and already present as a bacteria in the wheat flour. The same process that makes your yogurt deliciously sour also […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Bitto
WHAT IS BITTO? This cow’s milk cheese is made from summer milk in mountain dairies that border the Bitto valley. A small amount of goat’s milk is added along with some calf rennet (an enzyme scraped off the lining of the animal’s stomach that causes milk to clump into curds). The rind is a pale […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Appenzeller
WHAT IS APPENZELLER? This hard cheese is made from the milk of Swiss Brown cows. It is then aged in a top secret herbal brine (it’s cloves, tarragon, juniper, rosemary, sage and white wine). Yeah, I just gave away their top secret recipe. I know I suck. While I’m at it here is KFC’s secret […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Reblochon
WHAT IS REBLOCHON? This fromage is made in the French Savoie region of France. Only the milk from Abondance, Montbeliard and Tarine cows is used. Reblochon is a bit unusual in that its rind is washed with whey. After the cheese has been aged for about a month, a nutty, yellow interior balances out the […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Danish Blue
WHAT IS DANISH BLUE? Danish blue cheese wheels in are creamy and semi-soft. These ost (cheese) have a beautiful yellowish white paste and blue green veining. The same penicillium mold used in Roquefort creates the bacterial marbling of this cheese. And if you buy a salad at a restaurant, 50-50 chance that the blue is […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Gouda
WHAT IS GOUDA? This waxed Dutch cheese can be consumed from 1 month to 5 years old. It is almost always made from pasteurized cow’s milk and cooked curds. The traditional raw milk version is still made but under a different cheese (boerenkaas). Gouda is classified by age. The first of the 7 stages is […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Humboldt Fog
WHAT IS HUMBOLDT FOG? So Europe has a long tradition of cheese making. And for many years, there weren’t many non-European cheese that could compete. Humboldt Fog is a goat’s milk cheese created by Mary Keehn in the 1970’s and changed that. This soft-ripened cheese with its beauty mark line of ash gives even the […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Feta
WHAT IS FETA? Long ago in Greece this was traditionally a mixed milk cheese. Shepherds would have a flock of sheep with a goat or two milked into the mix. And if you were a Greek sailing the ocean and conquering islands, what better cheese to bring with you then a block of solid milk […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Mozzarella di Buffalo
WHAT IS MOZZARELLA? Long ago in the U.S.A. lobsters used to only be fed to prisoners in the States. In a similar vein, once upon a time in Italy buffalo would roam the southern swamps. Poor Italian peasants would milk them, return home and make this cheese. How times have changed, today buffalo mozzarella is […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Grana Padano
WHAT IS GRANA PADANO? The name Grana Padano is sometimes used incorrectly as a generic term (like the word “tomme” for French alpine cheeses). Grana Padano is if anything one of the more unique cheeses in the world. It is one of the few Italian cheeses that can give Parmesan Reggiano a run for its […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHEESE – Parmesan Reggiano
WHAT IS PARMESAN? You think you’re tough? You think you know hard? You know nothing John Snow! Er, I mean whoever you are. Anyway, much like Game of Thrones, knives are your diplomatic tool of choice when attacking a wheel of Parmesan. However most knives will snap in two if you try to use one […]