For sure, we can’t live without food. Without things around us that taste so wonderful. After we find out some things about food in general in the previous parts, it’s time to dive a little deeper in the trivia! Are you ready?
- “Seasonal” here refers to the times of year when the harvest or the flavour of a given type food is at its peak
- This is usually the time when the item is harvested, with some exceptions
- It also appeals to people who prefer a low carbon diet that reduces the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from food consumption
- Shelf-stable food is food of a type that can be safely stored at room temperature in a sealed container
- This includes foods that would normally be stored refrigerated but which have been processed so that they can be safely stored at room or ambient temperature for a usefully long shelf life
- Decreasing the amount of available water in a product, increasing its acidity, or irradiating or otherwise sterilizing the food and then sealing it in an air-tight container are all ways of depriving bacteria of suitable conditions in which to thrive are some of the methods used for this
- All of these approaches can all extend a food’s shelf life without unacceptably changing its taste or texture
- Common oils and fats become rancid relatively quickly if not refrigerated
- Replacing them with hydrogenated oils delays the onset of rancidity, increasing shelf life
- This is a common approach in industrial food production
- Recent concerns about health hazards associated with trans fats have led to their strict control in several jurisdictions
- Even where trans fats are not prohibited, in many places there are new labeling laws, which require information to be printed on packages, or to be published elsewhere, about the amount of trans fat contained in certain products
- Space food is a type of food product created and processed for consumption by astronauts in outer space
- The food has specific requirements of providing balanced nutrition for individuals working in space
- Space food is being easy and safe to store, prepare and consume in the machinery-filled weightless environments of crewed spacecraft
- In recent years, space food has been used by various nations engaging on space programs as a way to share and show off their cultural identity and facilitate intercultural communication
- The initial idea from The Man in Space Committee of the Space Science Board in 1963 was to supply astronauts with a formula diet that would supply all the needed vitamins and nutrients
- Traditional foods are foods and dishes that are passed through generations or which have been consumed many generations
- Traditional foods and beverages may be produced as homemade, by restaurants and small manufacturers, and by large food processing plant facilities
- Some traditional foods have geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union designations per European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties
- The most common ones are Protected designation of origin (PDO), Protected geographical indication (PGI) and Traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG)
- These standards serve to promote and protect names of quality agricultural products and foodstuffs
- Whole foods are plant foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed
- Examples of whole foods include whole grains, tubers, legumes, fruits, vegetables
- There is some confusion over the usage of the term surrounding the inclusion of certain foods, in particular animal foods
- The modern usage of the term whole foods diet is now widely synonymous with “whole foods plant-based diet”
- In this diet, animal products, oil and salt no longer constituting whole foods
- The earliest use of the term in the post-industrial age appears to be in 1946 in The Farmer
- It was a quarterly magazine published and edited from his farm by F. Newman Turner, a writer and pioneering organic farmer
- The magazine sponsored the establishment of the Producer Consumer Whole Food Society Ltd, with Newman Turner as president and Derek Randal as vice-president
- Whole food was defined as “mature produce of field, orchard, or garden without subtraction, addition, or alteration grown from seed without chemical dressing, in fertile soil manured solely with animal and vegetable wastes, and composts therefrom, and ground, raw rock and without chemical manures, sprays, or insecticides” having intent to connect suppliers and the growing public demand for such food
- Such diets are rich in whole and unrefined foods, like whole grains, dark green and yellow/orange-fleshed vegetables and fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds
- Most food has always been obtained through agriculture
- With increasing concern over both the methods and products of modern industrial agriculture, there has been a growing trend toward sustainable agricultural practices
- This approach, partly fueled by consumer demand, encourages biodiversity, local self-reliance and organic farming methods
- Major influences on food production include international organizations, national government policy (or law), and war
- Several organisations have begun calling for a new kind of agriculture in which agroecosystems provide food but also support vital ecosystem services so that soil fertility and biodiversity are maintained rather than compromised
- According to the International Water Management Institute and UNEP, well-managed agroecosystems not only provide food, fiber and animal products, they also provide services such as flood mitigation, groundwater recharge, erosion control and habitats for plants, birds, fish and other animals
- Many scholars claim that the rhetorical function of food is to represent the culture of a country, and that it can be used as a form of communication
- According to Goode, Curtis and Theophano, food “is the last aspect of an ethnic culture to be lost”
- Many cultures have a recognizable cuisine, a specific set of cooking traditions using various spices or a combination of flavors unique to that culture, which evolves over time
- Other differences include preferences (hot or cold, spicy, etc.) and practices, the study of which is known as gastronomy
- Many cultures have diversified their foods by means of preparation, cooking methods, and manufacturing
- This also includes a complex food trade which helps the cultures to economically survive by way of food, not just by consumption
- Some popular types of ethnic foods include Italian, French, Japanese, Chinese, American, Cajun, Thai, African, Indian and Nepalese
- Various cultures throughout the world study the dietary analysis of food habits
- Religion and social constructs such as morality, activism, or environmentalism will often affect which foods they will consume
- Food is eaten and typically enjoyed through the sense of taste, the perception of flavor from eating and drinking
- Certain tastes are more enjoyable than others, for evolutionary purposes
- Aesthetically pleasing and eye-appealing food presentations can encourage people to consume foods
- A common saying is that people “eat with their eyes”
- Food presented in a clean and appetizing way will encourage a good flavor, even if unsatisfactory
- Texture plays a crucial role in the enjoyment of eating foods
- Contrasts in textures, such as something crunchy in an otherwise smooth dish, may increase the appeal of eating it
- Common examples include adding granola to yogurt, adding croutons to a salad or soup, and toasting bread to enhance its crunchiness for a smooth topping, such as jam or butter
- Another universal phenomenon regarding food is the appeal of contrast in taste and presentation
- For example, such opposite flavors as sweetness and saltiness tend to go well together, as in kettle corn and nuts
- While many foods can be eaten raw, many also undergo some form of preparation for reasons of safety, palatability, texture, or flavor
- At the simplest level this may involve washing, cutting, trimming, or adding other foods or ingredients, such as spices
- It may also involve mixing, heating or cooling, pressure cooking, fermentation, or combination with other food
- In a home, most food preparation takes place in a kitchen
- Some preparation is done to enhance the taste or aesthetic appeal
- Other preparation may help to preserve the food
- Others may be involved in cultural identity
- A meal is made up of food which is prepared to be eaten at a specific time and place
- The preparation of animal-based food usually involves slaughter, evisceration, hanging, portioning, and rendering
- In developed countries, this is usually done outside the home in slaughterhouses, which are used to process animals en masse for meat production
- Many countries regulate their slaughterhouses by law
- The United States has established the Humane Slaughter Act of 1958, which requires that an animal be stunned before killing
- This act, like those in many countries, exempts slaughter in accordance to religious law, such as kosher, shechita, and dhabīḥah halal
- Strict interpretations of kashrut require the animal to be fully aware when its carotid artery is cut
- On the local level, a butcher may commonly break down larger animal meat into smaller manageable cuts, and pre-wrap them for commercial sale or wrap them to order in butcher paper
- In addition, fish and seafood may be fabricated into smaller cuts by a fish monger
- However, fish butchery may be done on board a fishing vessel and quick-frozen for preservation of quality
- The term “cooking” encompasses a vast range of methods, tools, and combinations of ingredients to improve the flavor or digestibility of food
- Cooking technique, known as culinary art, generally requires the selection, measurement, and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure in an effort to achieve the desired result
- Constraints on success include the variability of ingredients, ambient conditions, tools, and the skill of the individual cook
- The diversity of cooking worldwide is a reflection of the myriad nutritional, aesthetic, agricultural, economic, cultural, and religious considerations that affect it
- Cooking requires applying heat to a food which usually, though not always, chemically changes the molecules, thus changing its flavor, texture, appearance, and nutritional properties
- Cooking certain proteins, such as egg whites, meats, and fish, denatures the protein, causing it to firm
- There is archaeological evidence of roasted foodstuffs at Homo erectus campsites dating from 420,000 years ago
- Boiling as a means of cooking requires a container
- It has been practiced at least since the 10th millennium BC with the introduction of pottery
- There are many different types of equipment used for cooking
- Ovens are mostly hollow devices that get very hot (up to 500 °F (260 °C)) and are used for baking or roasting and offer a dry-heat cooking method
- Different cuisines will use different types of ovens
- Indian culture uses a tandoor oven, which is a cylindrical clay oven which operates at a single high temperature
- Western kitchens use variable temperature convection ovens, conventional ovens, toaster ovens, or non-radiant heat ovens like the microwave oven
- Classic Italian cuisine includes the use of a brick oven containing burning wood
- Ovens may be wood-fired, coal-fired, gas, electric, or oil-fired
- Various types of cook-tops are used as well
- They carry the same variations of fuel types as the ovens mentioned above
- Cook-tops are used to heat vessels placed on top of the heat source, such as a sauté pan, sauce pot, frying pan, or pressure cooker
- These pieces of equipment can use either a moist or dry cooking method and include methods such as steaming, simmering, boiling, and poaching for moist methods
- While the dry methods include sautéing, pan frying, and deep-frying
- Many cultures use grills for cooking
- A grill operates with a radiant heat source from below, usually covered with a metal grid and sometimes a cover
- An open pit barbecue in the American south is one example along with the American style outdoor grill fueled by wood, liquid propane, or charcoal along with soaked wood chips for smoking
- A Mexican style of barbecue is called barbacoa, which involves the cooking of meats such as whole sheep over an open fire
- In Argentina, an asado (Spanish for “grilled”) is prepared on a grill held over an open pit or fire made upon the ground, on which a whole animal or smaller cuts are grilled
Here you can dive into Part 4 and find out some things about how taste works!
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