Pork © Denzil Green Pork is actually a red meat, if only because all meat from “cloven-hooved animals” is categorized as red. Unlike sheep which also provide wool, or cows which also provide milk, pigs only provide meat. Yet, even that isn’t entirely true: though only 75% of a pig can be made into meat,…
Ancient Greece
Quail
Quail are small, stocky game birds that are now mostly raised domestically. In fact, some have lost the nesting instinct so their eggs have to be hatched in incubators. [1]They are many different species in both the old and new worlds. They eat seeds and insects. Female quail can start laying eggs at around 60…
Quinces
Quince was a very popular fruit up until several hundred years ago. It’s a lump fruit, with a mottled pale yellow skin and a very sour taste. It’s probably because of its sour taste that it hasn’t been bred to food photography perfection, as for instance, pears and apples have been. They’re all cousins, by…
Radishes
Radishes © Paula Trites Radishes are a branch of the cabbage family that we are more interested in for their roots (as is also the case for turnip.) There are three main varieties of radish in North American and in UK stores. (If you are a home gardener, there are actually 150 varieties available to…
Raisins
Raisins are dried grapes. About 95% of their moisture has been removed through drying. Some are dried naturally in the sun; these tend to end up dark coloured. Others are artificially dried by mechanical heat, then treated with sulphur dioxide, to end up with a lighter, more golden colour. Some raisins are fumigated to give…
Raspberries
Raspberries are sweet, very soft berries. They can be white, yellow, orange or black, but the most common are, of course, red. A raspberry is actually a cluster of fruit Botanically, a raspberry is actually a bunch of fruits that have grown together. The next chance you get, take a half bite out of one,…
Rocket (aka Arugula)
Rocket © Denzil Green Rocket (aka Arugula) has a peppery, pungent, mildly bitter or acrid flavour. As for any salad green, you want bright green, crisp leaves as opposed to yellow or wilted ones. Rocket, like mustard and watercress, is a member of the brassica (cabbage) family; its seeds are even like those of mustard…
Rosemary
Rosemary © Paula Trites Rosemary is an herb native to the Mediterranean with small needle-like leaves. It is actually an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 7 feet / 2 metres high. Each spiky, needle-like leaf on it is about an inch (2.5 cm) long. The leaves have a very robust, savoury taste, and…
Saffron
Saffron is a spice which both colours and flavours food. You can buy Saffron as threads or as a powder in glass vials or in tins at most food stores. Like all spices, the whole spice has a longer shelf life than ground versions. Good Saffron threads will be dry and brittle if you touch…
Sage
Sage is a herb with a robust that can be used fresh or dry in cooking. The soft, greyish-green leaves are what is used, not the woodier stalks or stems. Sage retains its flavour very well, in fact, when dried. You can buy dried sage either “rubbed”, which means it’s a bit coarse, or finely…
Salads
Looking back from the sophisticated heights of the start of the Third Millennium, it seems that our forebears and ancestors, as far back as Cleopatra, only ate salads made with chunks of iceberg lettuce topped with pink Thousand Island dressing. But think a bit more; iceberg lettuce is a relatively new species of lettuce, Thousand…
Salt
Salt may be the only food item that doesn’t need an expiry date. It doesn’t lose its taste, and doesn’t go bad. And our relationship to it is complicated: we need a little of it, but too much is bad for us, and without it, many things won’t cook properly, and things often just don’t taste right.
Sausages
Beef & Old Windsor Ale Sausages © Denzil Green A sausage is a “tube” of meat. The outside of the tube, the wrapper, is usually called the “casing”; it can be a natural item such as an animal intestine, or it can be artificial. It is almost always edible. The wrapping holds inside it a…
Sesame Seeds
Sesame Seeds © Denzil Green Sesame Seeds are oil-rich seeds with a mild, nutty flavour. European recipes generally want white sesame seeds, while Indian or Asian recipes may mean black sesame seeds which have more aroma. The seeds can also be brown or red. In North America, they are popular on hamburger buns and on…
Sheep
Sheep provide meat, milk and from their wool, clothing. Sheep are classed by their age. The classifications aren’t universal, though, and can vary by country. Lamb Hoggett Mutton America Under 12 months 12 to 24 months, called “yearlings” Australia Under 12 months, no incisors at all; if male, castrated. France Less than 14 months Over…
Silphium
Silphium is an herb that grew near Cyrene in what is now Libya on the north coast of Africa. It was highly prized for culinary and medicinal purposes. The herb is now presumed to be extinct.
Snails
Snails are a something that people either can’t get enough of, or swear they will never pass their lips.
Sole
Sole is a flatfish. The name gets applied, though, to two different fish. Real sole, aka Dover sole, is “Solea solea” and lives in the Atlantic off northern Europe. It’s a flatfish, that grows up to 27 inches (70 cm) long, but the usual size is 12 to 16 inches (30 to 40 cm) long….
Squid
Most Squid sold in North America is caught in the Atlantic. Though Squid can grow up to 6 feet (2 metres) long, if you buy one whole you are more likely to encounter one that is between 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 cm) long. Squid have 8 arms and two tentacles. The tentacles…
Thyme
Thyme © Denzil Green Thyme is native to Southern Europe, and is very important in French “Provençal” cooking. If ever you come across the mixture “Herbes de Provence”, thyme will almost certainly be in there. Thyme bushes have green leaves that are purplish on the underside, growing on tough stems; you can just run the…
Truffles
Truffles are funguses that grow underground near tree roots. They are found in Asia, North Africa, North America and of course, Europe. There are also false Truffles, some of which are poisonous, that resemble the edible ones. Truffles are round. They can be in size anywhere from a walnut to a lemon. They are the…
Tuna Fish
Canned tuna accounts for about 99% of tuna eaten; only about 1% is sold fresh. Tuna is a fish that even people who don’t generally like fish will eat, owing to its not tasting fishy. In 2001, the top 3 tinned-tuna consuming countries in Europe were the UK, France and Germany, in that order. Tuna…
Turbot
Turbot are a type of flounder. They are flat, roundish-oval salt-water fish that are sandy-brown coloured on their top side, and white on their undersides. Both of their eyes are on their upper side. It has no scales. It lives at depths down to 260 feet (80 metres.) When at rest, it will often barely…
Turnips
Turnips are actually a member of the cabbage (or “brassica”) family. In fact, there are a few varieties of turnip, which have no root to speak of, are grown only for their leafy tops. But for the most part, they are root vegetables. Most of a turnip is white or yellowish from having ground in…