Black pepper

Black pepper is probably the most important and popular spice in the whole world. It is added to almost every savoury dish, hot or cold, imparting a sharp and pungent flavour.

Native to southern India, black pepper sparked the start of the spice trade between Asia and Europe and the need for this valuable spice prompted European explorers to travel and trade all over the world.

The pepper plant
Black pepper or black peppercorns are obtained from the pepper plant. This plant grows in tropical areas such as India and Southeast Asia to a height of several metres.

The pepper plant is allowed to grow for a minimum of three years during which time small flowers form, which then develop into berries. The berries are subsequently picked or harvested, whilst they are still green in colour and unripe, and then dried until they shrivel and turn dark brown or black in colour. The end result is what is known as the peppercorn.

The history of black pepper
Black pepper has a history of at least 4000 years. It is indigenous to India and gradually began to make its way eastwards to Southeast Asia where it is now also cultivated and grown. Some of the major producers of black pepper nowadays are India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and China.

Pepper was so valuable for a number of reasons, one of them being its ability to disguise food that was not as fresh as it should have been. It was also used to liven up and give a kick to dishes that were somewhat tasteless and not very appetizing otherwise.

For these reasons and more pepper was not only used as a spice and seasoning for food, it was also a used as a method of payment in exchange for other goods and even to pay taxes, dowries and even rent.

In ancient Greece, pepper was offered to the gods in sacred rituals and was even swapped for gold. Fortunately, nowadays pepper is not that expensive.

The health benefits of black pepper
Black pepper is known to treat and help a number of ailments. The essential oil of black pepper is often added to massage blends and applied to aching or painful joints and muscles, whether the pain is sports related or through arthritic or rheumatic pain.

Black pepper also plays a major role in the metabolism and the digestion of food and it can help to settle the stomach and relieve gas.

Below are other healing qualities that black pepper is known or reputed to have:

• Black pepper induces sweating, which consequently cools down the body and relieves feverish symptoms.
• Black pepper is useful for those with poor circulation.
• It is said to promote mental clarity, which is useful when studying.
• It can help clear up colds, viral infections and flu when prepared in a tea.
• Black pepper helps to prevent gas and flatulence.
• It induces urination, which is good when the kidneys are not functioning properly.
• Black pepper is a powerful anti-oxidant.
• It is antibacterial, which was useful for meat preservation before the time of refrigerators.
• Black pepper helps to break down and digest fats and meat proteins much more easily, as it induces the production of saliva and gastric juices needed for digestion in the stomach.
• Black pepper is a good source of manganese and iron, which are important for the body to function correctly.
• Components of black pepper are often added to mouthwashes and gargles used to treat sore throats.
• Black pepper is a stimulant that can stimulate various parts of the body such as the heart, kidneys, circulation and the stomach.
• When foods are eaten with black pepper, the body is able to absorb valuable vitamins and nutrients from the food much easier.
• Black pepper has been used to treat fatigue and tiredness.
• It stimulates the appetite and has been used to treat anorexics and people with eating disorders.
• A strong black pepper and mint tea will help clear chest and lung infections and bring up unwanted mucous and phlegm.

Buying and storing black pepper
Black pepper can be bought either as whole peppercorns or ground pepper. Ground black pepper is not as pungent or flavourful as freshly ground peppercorns and it does not keep for as long either.

One of the reasons why black peppercorns were so valuable centuries ago is because they can be stored for almost indefinitely without losing their quality, taste or aroma.

Dishes always taste better when freshly ground black pepper is added near the end of cooking time or just before serving.

Ideas for using black pepper in the kitchen
Black pepper can be added to almost any savoury dish imaginable but surprisingly, it can also be added to sweet biscuits and cakes in order to spice them up and add a quirky twist.

Here are some more ideas of how to use black pepper in your cooking:

• Add to salad dressings with salt, olive oil and cider vinegar.
• Add to omelettes, egg mayonnaise and other cheese and egg dishes.
• Black pepper can be added to strawberries or pineapple.
• It can be added to soups, stocks, sauces, marinades and stews.
• Use to flavour homemade hamburgers, rissoles and sausages.
• Use to rub onto meats, poultry and fish before roasting or cooking.
• Use to make pepper sauce.
• Add to biscuit mixtures for spicy sweet biscuits.
• Season seafood with black pepper.
• Add to mashed potato.
• Use to flavour dips, salsas and cold sauces. 

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Curry Powder

Curry powder is a blend of up to 20 different herbs and spices, including the commonly used: cardamom, chiles, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, mace, nutmeg, pepper, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, saffron, tamarind and tumeric (which gives curry its characteristic golden color). In Indian cooking curry is freshly ground each day (making it far more flavorful and pungent than the mixes sold in the store), and comes in "standard" and "Madras" (hot) versions.

Ethnicity: Indian Ingredient

Season: available year-round

How to store: Curry quickly loses its pungency. It will keep for 2 months in an airtight container.

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Chickpeas

The earliest chickpeas found on the Hacilar site near Burdur in Turkey, have been estimated to be 7500 years old. It is not known if these were cultivated or collected from the wild but it is near this area of the fertile crescent that chickpeas are believed to have been first domesticated and where the wild  progenitor  Cicer reticulatum was recently discovered.

They have been found in pre-pottery Neolithic and, more abundantly, in the early bronze age deposits at Jericho. They have also been found at about the same time in Iraq and are known to have been grown at a later date in the  hanging gardens of Babylon. Chickpeas from the late Bronze age were found stored in large vessels in Crête and have been found on the 5th to 6th century B.C. funeral pyres at Salamis in Cyprus.

During the last great period of the Egyptian pharaohs, referred to as the New Kingdom (1580-1100 B.C.), the chickpea appears under the name 'falcon-face' in a list of plant names on a papyrus school text.

The Iliad by Homer (about 1000-800 B.C) provides the most ancient literary reference. The arrows of Helenus bouncing off the breastplate of Menelaos are compared with beans and chickpeas being thrown by the winnower.

In Ancient Gaul chickpeas appeared in vegetable soup at least as early as the 7th century B.C. Chickpeas and lentils were preserved in amphorae at Pompeii for export to the rest of the Roman world. Pliny reported that at festivals chickpeas were frequently thrown over the heads of people and were caught with much hilarity.

The botanical name for chickpeas is Cicer arietinum having been derived from Aries (the ram) and referring to the ram's head shape of the seed. Cicer was the latin name for the crop and it has often been assumed that Cicero was so named because he had a wart on his nose the size of a chickpea.

Whether or not this was the case, chickpeas are often connected with warts; the Italian 'ceci' means both a wart and a chickpea and the French 'pois chiche' served as a figurative synonym for warts. Touching a wart at new moon with a chickpea plant and then binding it with a linen cloth was considered to be one remedy for the complaint.

When Charlemagne was trying to restore productivity to lands ravaged by war, he ordered that chickpeas should be one of the vegetables to be planted on the pilot farms of his domains. When the Sicilian Vespers of March 1282 started a rebellion against the rule of Charles I of Anjou in which all  identifiable Frenchmen were massacred, the French were betrayed by their inability to pronounce 'ceci' (chickpeas).

Chickpeas would seem to be an unlikely food to be credited with aphrodisiac qualities; nevertheless, there is an Arabic recipe for a stimulating potion to be taken just before bedtime in winter, made by heating the juice of powdered onions with honey and then adding crushed chickpeas and water. The perfumed garden also reports an amazing sexual exploit achieved after eating great quantities of chickpeas washed down with camel's milk spiced with honey.

Dondonaeus, writing in the 16th century, also believed the chickpea to have aphrodisiac properties and he recommended that they should not be eaten by priests and scholars.

Nicholas Culpeper, the 17th century astrologer/physician, wrote in his famous herbal of 1652 that chickpeas are "under the dominion of Venus, they are less windy than beans, but nourish more; they provoke urine, and are thought to increase sperm."

In India, the acid secretion of chickpea leaves is sometimes collected by spreading a cloth over the plants at night. The acid mixed with dew is wrung out and used medicinally and as a vinegar. Early Sanskrit writers mentioned it as an astringent.

A German writer in 1793 mentioned that ground roast chickpeas were the best substitute for coffee in Europe and are still used as such in several parts of the world.

Eastern Sicily has a dish made by putting chickpeas and hot pebbles in the same container and stirring them vigorously until the heat from the pebbles has cooked the chickpeas. This method of cooking suggests a pre-Neolithic origin (before the invention of fireproof pottery). It would appear that chickpeas have been eaten by man since earliest civilization.

Availability and Purchasing Guide

There are two common types of chickpeas: those with small, angular seeds, which may be yellow, green, light brown or even black in color and are known as 'desi' types, and the larger, more rounded or brain-shaped types which are normally beige/buff in color, known as 'kabuli' types. The desi types are mostly found in the Indian subcontinent, Iran, Ethiopia and parts of central America, whereas the kabuli types are commonly found throughout southern Europe, Western Asia, the Nile Valley, North Africa and South America.

They are available mainly dried whole or split. In parts of the world where chickpeas are grown they are frequently sold as the whole green plant from which the seeds are consumed fresh as a snack or the whole plant can be placed in a fire and the parched seeds eaten as a snack. They are also available tinned whole or as a purée. Chickpea flour is also available in some countries.

Chickpeas are also marketed under the names gram, Bengal gram and garbanzos.

Nutrition

Dried chickpeas contain about 20% protein. The bulk of the seed is made up of carbohydrates (61%) and 5% fat. It is a relatively rich source of lecithin and potassium and also has small quantities of vitamins A, B and C.
100 g of chickpeas = 350 calories.

Storage

Dried chickpeas can be kept almost indefinitely. Tinned chickpeas last well for up to 5 years. Once cooked, the chickpeas can be stored covered for several days in the fridge.

Basic Preparations

Pick out any grit or discolored chickpeas. Soak overnight in cold water. The following day, drain. Add cold water to more than cover. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer until tender (30-60 minutes). An alternative to soaking overnight is to cover the chickpeas with cold water and bring to the boil, turn off heat and leave covered for 1 hour.

In the pressure cooker: bring to 15 lb pressure and maintain for 10-15 minutes.

Many recipes specify that chickpeas should be cooked with 1 tsp. baking soda; this was necessary to soften the older varieties of chickpeas but now no longer seems to be necessary.

1 tsp. = 1 teaspoon = 5 ml.
1 tbsp. = 1 tablespoon = 15 ml.

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Jameed - About Jameed

Find everything about jameed - What is Jameed? How to make it at home (but don't try)? How to buy Liquid Jameed? Mansaf Recipe using jameed and videos about : Learn how to eat mansaf the Bedouin Way and a TV Report: Traditional Jordanian method of preparing mansaf the national dish of Jordan.

What is Jameed?
Jameed (Arabic: جميد) is hard dry laban made from sheeps' milk. Milk is kept in a fine woven cheesecloth to make a thick yogurt. Read more...

How to Make Jameed at Home?
Jameed is a popular ingredient found most commonly in the Jordanian dish called "mansaf." Jameed is a dehydraded, defatted yogurt that is hardened into small balls, and then reconstituted when used in cooking. Read More... but do't try to make it! it's a lot of work, I personally buy it like others do.

How to buy Liquid Jameed?
Due to the long hours of preparation of jammed many families shy away from making Mansaf. Jameed is not typically found in the United States, check Middle Eastern specialty markets or online Jordanian grocers to find the most authentic.

Today with Kasih Liquid Jameed, the first prepackaged liquid jameed in the world, preparing the Mansaf dish has never been easier.

Kasih is introducing liquid jameed in room temperature stable packages. It is available in liquid form where 100 % jameed stones have been soaked, filtered and diluted with water. The liquid is then sterilized and packed in sterilized aluminum bags to keep it stable at room temperature. Read more...

Mansaf Recipe Using Jameed
Mansaf consists of Arabic rice, a rich broth made from dry sour milk (jameed), and either lamb or chicken. Whether Jordanains are celebrating a graduation, an engagement, or a wedding- Mansaf is commonly served. Read More...

Video: Learn How to Eat Mansaf the Bedouin Way

Video TV Report: Traditional Jordanian method of preparing mansaf (sorry it's in Arabic)

Enjoy!!!

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Coriander

Coriander is probably native to the Middle East and southern Europe, but has also been known in Asia and the Orient for millennia. It is found wild in Egypt and the Sudan, and sometimes in English fields. It is referred to in the Bible in the books of Exodus and Numbers, where the colour of ‘manna’ is compared to coriander. The seed is now produced in Russia, India, South America, North Africa — especially Morocco - and in Holland. It was introduced to Britain by the Romans, who used it in cookery and medicine, and was widely used in English cookery until the Renaissance, when the new exotic spices appeared. Among ancient doctors, coriander was known to Hippocratic, and to Pliny who called it coriandrum for its ‘buggy’ smell, coris being a bug; or perhaps because the young seed resembles Cimex lectularius, the European bed-bug.

Spice Description
Coriander is the seed of a small plant. The seeds are almost spherical, one end being slightly pointed, the other slightly flattened. There are many longitudinal ridges. The length of the seed is 3 - 5 mm (1/8” - 3/16”) and the colour, when dried, is usually brown, but may be green or off white. The seed is generally sold dried and in this state is apt to split into halves to reveal two partially hollow hemispheres and occasionally some internal powdery matter. Coriander is available both whole and ground. The fresh leaves of the plant are called cilantro and are used as an herb.

Bouquet: Seeds are sweet and aromatic when ripe. Unripe seeds are said to have an offensive smell. The leaves have a distinctive fragrance.

Flavour: The seeds are warm, mild and sweetish. There is a citrus undertone similar to orange peel. The leaves combine well with many pungent dishes from India, Mexico and the Middle East.

Preparation and Storage
Coriander seed is generally used coarsely ground or more finely powdered, depending on the texture desired. It is best bought whole as, being brittle, it is easy to mill or pound in a mortar. Ground coriander is apt to lose its flavour and aroma quickly and should be stored in an opaque airtight container. Whole seeds keep indefinitely. Their flavour may be enhanced by a light roasting before use. As coriander is mild, it is a spice to be used by the handful, rather than the pinch. The leaves can be chopped or minced before use. They lose flavour when dried, but may be frozen either blanched or chopped and frozen into ice cubes.

Culinary Uses
The commonest use of coriander seed is in curry powders, where it is the bulkiest constituent, often rough ground in India to give a crunchy texture. The seeds can be likewise used in stews and soups. They blend well with smoked meats and game and feature in traditional English black pudding recipes and Italian mortadella sausage. Coriander is an ingredient of garam masala, pickling spices and pudding spices and is used in cakes, breads and other baked foods. Sugared comfits made from the seeds are a traditional sweetmeat and breath sweetener. Coriander is a characteristic of Arab cookery, being common with lamb, kid and meat stuffings. Taklia, a popular Arab spice mixture, is coriander and garlic crushed and fried. Coriander with cumin is a common combination and features in falafel and in the Egyptian appetizer dukka, which consists of those spices plus sesame seeds, hazelnuts, salt and pepper, roasted and crushed. Coriander goes well with ham and pork, especially when orange is included. It enhances fish dishes and, with other spices, may form a delicious coating for spiced fish or chicken, rubbed into the scored flesh and grilled. Try frying a few seeds with sausages to add an unusual flavour. Coriander complements chili and is included in many chili recipes, such as harissa, the hot North African red pepper sauce. It may be added to cream or cottage cheese.

The leaves are always used fresh. They feature in Spanish, Middle Eastern, Indian, Oriental and South American cookery. They are sprinkled like parsley on cooked dishes, minced or puréed in sauces, soups and curries, especially bhuna. Both seeds and leaves can be used in salads. In Thailand the root of the coriander plant is used to flavour meats and curries.

Attributed Medicinal Properties
Coriander seed oil is an aromatic stimulant, a carminative (remedial in flatulence), an appetizer and a digestant stimulating the stomach and intestines. It is generally beneficial to the nervous system. Its main use is in masking foul medicines, especially purgatives, where it has anti-griping qualities. Coriander cakes were once taken against ‘St. Anthony’s fire’, or ‘Rose’ a severe streptococcal skin infection called ‘erysipelas”, which caused many deaths before the advent of antibiotics. In Asia the herb is used against piles, headache and swellings; the fruit in colic, piles and conjunctivitis; the essential oil in colic, rheumatism and neuralgia; the seeds as a paste for mouth ulceration and a poultice for other ulcers.

Recent studies have supported its use as a stomach soother for both adults and colicky babies. Coriander contains an antioxidant that helps prevent animal fats from turning rancid. It also contains substances that kill meat-spoiling bacteria and fungi. These same substances in Cilantro also prevent infection in wounds. Coriander has been shown to improve tummy troubles of all kinds, from indigestion to flatulence to diarrhea. Weak coriander tea may be given to children under age 2 for colic. It's safe for infants and may relieve their pain and help you get some much-needed sleep. Cilantro and Coriander contain substances that kill certain bacteria and fungi, thereby preventing infections from developing in wounds. Sprinkle some coriander Seed on minor cuts and scrapes after thoroughly washing the injured area with soap and water. Intriguing new studies suggest that coriander has anti-inflammatory effects. Since the pain of arthritis is cause by inflammation coriander oil may help you.

Recipes using Coriander
Falafel burgers
Tameya
Lamb biryani with raita

from the epicentre

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Sumac

Sumac (pronounced /ˈʃuːmæk/ or /ˈs(j)uːmæk/; also spelled sumach) is any one of approximately 250 species of flowering plants in the genus Rhus and related genera, in the family Anacardiaceae.

Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, especially in North America.

Sumacs are shrubs and small trees that can reach a height of 1–10 metres (3.3–33 ft). The leaves are spirally arranged; they are usually pinnately compound, though some species have trifoliate or simple leaves. The flowers are in dense panicles or spikes 5–30 centimetres (2.0–12 in) long, each flower very small, greenish, creamy white or red, with five petals. The fruits form dense clusters of reddish drupes called sumac bobs. The dried drupes of some species are ground to produce a tangy purple spice.

Sumacs propagate both by seed (spread by birds and other animals through their droppings), and by new shoots from rhizomes, forming large clonal colonies.

Sumac Uses

Sumac is a dark maroon colored spice which is obtained by crushing the dried fruit of the non-toxic variety of Sumac plant (Rhus coriaria). The spice is traditional in Turkish, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines where it is used to add a mild acidity to a dish whether incorporated in the preparation or used as a finisher once the dish is complete. We love this spice on top of a bowl of hummus or lightly rubbed on a flank steak for a fruity brightness that pairs well with the meaty flavors. Traditional uses include blending with onions as they cook and sprinkling over the meat used for your favorite kebab.

Preparation and Storage
The berries can be dried, ground and sprinkled into the cooking, or macerated in hot water and mashed to release their juice, the resulting liquid being used as one might use lemon juice. Ground sumac keeps well if kept away from light and air.

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Turkey

The traditional Christmas bird, turkey is good to eat all year round though is only readily available as portions much of the year. It has all the nutritional plus points of chicken, but with a slightly lower fat content, which is good for health, but does mean that the flesh can be on the dry side. Counteract this with frequent basting during roasting or by marinading cuts before cooking them. Never eat raw turkey, and always thoroughly wash your hands, utensils and cutting board as soon as you've cut or handled raw turkey.

Availability

Turkeys are at their best in December.

Choose the best

As is the case with all meat, turkey should be bought from a source that you trust - a good supermarket, local butcher, farmers' market or shop, or a website mail order company. Of those five sources, the last four are perhaps more likely to be able to tell you the most about the turkey - where it came from and how it was reared. Traceability like that will give you assurance that the turkey has been humanely treated while alive; the higher the standard of welfare by which a turkey was reared, the better the quality of the meat.

Read more about turkey farming at Red Tractor.

Organic turkey is the most expensive, as the most stringent farming standards will have been adhered to at all stages of the animal's life, including being allowed to roam outside during the day and being fed a mainly organic diet. As they are allowed to mature slowly their flesh is firm and flavourful, though, because they have had lots of exercise during their lives, they may be less plump than indoor-reared birds.

Free-range turkeys should have had some access to the open air and are cheaper than organic.

Battery (or 'factory') reared turkey are the most commonly available kind. They are rarely labelled as such, but the low price is a giveaway. Although such turkeys are more affordable, the conditions they endure are extremely grim, packed at high densities, with little room to move around and no access to sunlight - all of which produces a noticeably inferior meat.

Good breeds to look out for include Norfolk Black, Kelly Bronze and Cambridge Bronze. Reared slowly, in free-range conditions, they all have densely textured meat that is more flavourful and succulent than indoor-reared types. The phrase 'farm fresh' means that birds have been handled traditionally once slaughtered - ie dry hand-plucked (as opposed to wet-plucked, by which the turkey is immersed in very hot water to loosen the feathers, which are then mechanically removed) and hung for 2 weeks, which gives the flesh an enjoyably gamey flavour.

Whole birds should be roasted. Other portions are also available (either skin on or off, on the bone or boneless), including breast joints (roast), crown joints (the bird without its legs and wings, also good for roasting), breast steaks, escalopes (very thin steaks of turkey breast, good for pan-frying) and drumsticks (roast or braise).

Turkey mince is also available - it's very low fat and you can use it as you would minced beef, pork, lamb or veal. Whichever breed or cut you go for, choose turkey that is plump and well-rounded, with clear, soft and evenly-coloured skin. Avoid those that have been unevenly plucked.

Prepare it

If you buy a frozen turkey, make sure you allow enough time for it to defrost - it won't cook properly unless it is thoroughly defrosted at the start of cooking.

Take off all the wrappings, put on a tray or plate wide and deep enough to contain any blood or juice that might seep out, cover loosely with foil and leave in the fridge or in regularly changed cold water.

Follow these guidelines for defrosting times using the cold water method (fridge takes longer): 2.5kg, 10 hours; 3.6kg, 16 hours; 4.5-5.6 kg, 21 hours; 6.75kg, 30 hours; 9kg, 39 hours. For other weights, allow 1 hour 48 minutes for every 500g.

After the turkey is defrosted, remove any giblets, check that there are no ice crystals inside the cavity and pat dry with kitchen paper both outside and in.

If desired, certain cuts of fresh or defrosted turkey can be marinated (for a minimum of 4 hours) before cooking, to add flavour and moisture and to tenderise a little further - slash the skin a couple of times to help the marinade penetrate further and keep covered in a glass or ceramic dish in the fridge.

Before it goes in the oven, turkey should be at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge (1 hour for a whole turkey; 30 minutes for a cut) before cooking. Keep it covered, in a cool place.

Read more about choosing, defrosting and cooking turkey at the British Turkey Information Line or the Food Standards Agency.

Store it

Put fresh turkey in the fridge as soon as you get it home. Take off all the wrappings, then wipe it all over (and inside the cavities) with kitchen paper. If it has come with giblets (the neck, gizzard, heart and liver) these should be removed and kept in a covered bowl in the fridge.

Put the turkey on a tray or a plate wide and deep enough to contain any blood or juice that might seep out. Cover loosely with foil. Make sure the turkey doesn't touch any other food in the fridge that's to be eaten raw, or meat that is already cooked.

Once a frozen turkey has defrosted (see 'prepare'), store it in the fridge straight away, as above, unless you are going to cook it immediately.

Whole birds and pieces of turkey will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Minced turkey should be cooked within 24 hours of purchase. Giblets can be used to make gravy and stock (but leave the liver out, as it can create quite a bitter taste) or stuffing, and should be cooked within 2 days of purchase.

Cook it

Roast (whole turkey, breast joints and crown joints: 20 minutes per 500g; drumsticks, 1 1/4 hours). Pan-fry (breast steaks, 3-4 minutes each side; escalopes, 3-4 minutes each side). Stir fry (breast steaks, 5-6 minutes; cubes or strips, 7-10 minutes; escalopes, 5 minutes). Grill or barbecue (breasts, 20 minutes; cubes or strips, 10 minutes).

Can't find it

Try chicken, duck or goose.

Source - BBC Good Food

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Tamarind

A seed pod from the tamarind tree that is used extensively in South-East Asian and Indian cooking to flavour curries, chutneys and bean dishes. Tamarind has a unique sweet and sour flavour and comes in seeded and paste form and most commonly in a block form.

Prepare it

To prepare compresses block tamarind, tear off the equivalent of 15ml and soak it in 150ml warm water for 10 minutes. Mix it together and strain through a fine sieve. Throw away the pulp and use the liquid.

To use tamarind slices, soak them in 150ml warm water for about 30 minutes. Squeeze and strain the juice.

To use tamarind concentrate, mix 15ml of tamarind with 4-6 tbsp warm water.

Store it

Store in a cool, dark place.

Can't find it

Try lemon juice.

Source - BBC Good Food

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Tuna

A member of the mackerel family, tuna are mainly found in the world's warmer oceans. They can grow to a huge size (up to 700kg) and their meaty flesh is distinctively flaky and firm with a rich, strong flavour, the consequence of its comparatively high oil content. Tuna is mainly sold as steaks. It dries out quite quickly, so should be cooked very briefly over a high heat; marinated before cooking; or simmered in a sauce.

There are many different varieties of tuna but, largely as a consequence of prolonged overfishing, only a handful of these are commercially available - and most of those that are available are considered to be endangered to the point of extinction (Mediterranean and Atlantic) or in decline, particularly bluefin.

Read more about responsible fishing at Seafish and Marine Stewardship Council.

Availibility

All year round, but at their best when in season, starting from May going through to early September (according to variety).

Choose the best

As tuna are oily, they go off quickly, so need to be very fresh. When buying tuna steaks, look for those that have been trimmed neatly, with firm, dense red or dark red flesh and a meaty aroma.

Avoid those with strong discolouration around the bone, or which have a dull, brownish cast. Thicker-cut steaks will stay juicier during the cooking process.

Among the best types of tuna are bluefin (which is particularly highly prized and also endangered, so think carefully before you buy), yellowfin, and albacore. Bonito, which falls into a category somewhere between tuna and mackerel, but which is generally classed as a tuna, is also highly sought-after.

Tuna is also available tinned. Albacore is one of the best types sold this way. Skipjack (which, like bonito, is a somewhere between tuna and mackerel, but classed as a tuna) is the most commonly tinned variety. Tinned tuna is available packed in water, brine, vegetable oil or olive oil (with the last being the best).

While it's important to make sure that your tinned tuna is marked as 'dolphin friendly' (which means that it was caught by line rather than by net, in which dolphins and other marine life can become tangled up) or even 'bird friendly' (unless tuna fishing lines are tagged with coloured 'scare tapes', birds fail to spot them and can become trapped), it's equally as important to see whether the tuna is bluefin, yellowfin, albacore or skipjack.

To find out more about many types of endangered fish, try reading The End of the Line, by Charles Clover.

Prepare it

Tuna steaks should not be washed before cooking - just pat them dry with some kitchen paper. Tinned tuna should be drained before use.

Store it

For fresh tuna, remove any packaging, wipe with kitchen paper, put on a plate, then cover with clingfilm and put on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Consume within a day. Tinned tuna should be stored in a cool, dark place. After opening, it should be transferred to a non-metal, airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Cook it

Barbecue, grill or pan fry (up to 2 minutes each side). Bake, wrapped in oiled foil (10-15 minutes). Braise (10-15 minutes).

Can't find it

Try herring, tilapia or mackerel

Source - BBC Good Food

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Vanilla

The sun-dried seed pod of a type of climbing orchid, vanilla has an inimitable soft, sweet fragrance and flavour. The labour-intensive process involved in hand-pollinating and nurturing the flowers, together with the long drying time necessary makes it a highly prized - and highly priced - ingredient.

The rich, sweet Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla, from Madagascar, accounts for 75 per cent of the vanilla on the market. Vanilla from Tahiti and Mexico makes up the remainder, but is much harder to get hold of. Long, black, thin and wrinkled, vanilla pods contain thousands of tiny black seeds, which are used to flavour mainly sweet dishes, and go particularly well with chocolate.

The presence of tiny black specks in a vanilla-flavoured dish is confirmation that real vanilla has been used.

Choose the best

Look for fragrant, very dark brown, almost black pods that are slightly wrinkled, but still supple, with a slightly oily, shiny surface. Length is an indication of quality - 15-20 centimetres is best.

Prepare it

Slit the pod open along its length, then scrape out the small, sticky seeds using the tip of a small, sharp knife.

Store it

In an airtight container in a cool, dark place - it should keep for up to two years.

Cook it

Add the seeds directly to dishes to flavour them, or add pods to boiling milk to infuse it with a vanilla flavour, then use to make milk-based puddings.

Allow the pod to dry out for a couple of days, then add it to a jar of sugar. After a week or so, the flavoured sugar can be used for baking.

Source - BBC Good Food

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Chilli

Part of the capsicum family, chillies come in scores of varieties and colours (from green through to yellow, orange and red) and are one of the most popular spices in the world.

Chillies can be used fresh, dried or powdered, and the level of heat varies from type to type, from sweet and mellow to blisteringly hot - as a general rule, the smaller the chilli, the hotter the taste. The substance that generates the heat is called capsaicin, which is found mainly in the pith and, to a lesser extent, the seeds. But it's not all about heat - each type has its own distinct flavour.

To cool down the mouth-burn from a too-hot chilli dish, try milk or yoghurt; they're much more effective than water.

Availibility

All year round.

Choose the best

Most fresh chillies should look glossy and firm, but there are exceptions, like cherry hot chillies, which have a wrinkled appearance even when they're at their peak. But all chillies should be free of blemishes, so avoid any with soft patches or bruises.

Choose your chilli according to the heat degree you want; for instance, Anaheim is mild, jalapeno is medium hot, and Scotch bonnet or bird's eye are both very fiery.

Chilli powder is in fact a mix of dried chilli peppers plus other spices and salt, which comes in either mild or hot versions. For pure powdered chilli, choose cayenne.

Prepare it

To remove the pith and seed from a fresh chilli, wash it, slice lengthways in two, then cut off the stalk. Using the tip of a knife, cut way the white pith and the harder white core, keeping the knife close to the surface of the flesh. Then scrape out the seeds and discard, before slicing or dicing the chilli, as required. As capsaicin irritates the skin, some people like to wear gloves to do this job. If not, scrub your hands thoroughly afterwards and remember not to touch your face or eyes - even if you've scrubbed well, it may well still burn.

Can't find it

Try paprika or pepper.

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Chicken

Chicken's many plus points - its versatility, as well as the ease and speed with which it can be cooked - make it one of the most popular meats around. It's lower in saturated fat than most meats, especially if the skin is removed, and has a high level of good quality protein, as well as B vitamins, iron, copper and selenium.

The pale flesh has a close texture and a mild flavour that pairs up well with many different ingredients. Never eat raw chicken, and always thoroughly wash your hands, utensils and cutting board as soon as you've cut or handled raw chicken.

Availibility

All year round.

Choose the best

As is the case with all meat, buy your chicken from a source that you trust - a good supermarket, local butcher, farmers' market or shop, or a website mail order company. Of those five sources, the last four will usually be able to tell you the most about the chicken - where it comes from and how it was reared. Traceability like that will give you assurance that the chicken has been humanely treated while alive; the higher the standard of welfare by which a chicken was reared, the better the quality of the meat.

Organic chicken is the most expensive, as the most stringent farming standards should have been adhered to at all stages of the animal's life, including being allowed to roam outside during the day and being fed a mainly organic diet. As they are allowed to mature slowly (up to 14 weeks) their flesh is firm and flavourful, though, because they have had lots of exercise during their lives, they may be less plump than indoor-reared birds.

Free-range chicken should have had some access to the open air and they are cheaper than organic. Corn-fed chicken have a bright yellow skin, a result of having been fed corn or maize. The colour looks good, but fades on cooking, and doesn't make much difference to flavour.

Battery (or 'factory') reared chicken (sometimes called 'broilers') are the most commonly available kind. They are rarely labelled as such, but the extremely low price is a giveaway. Although such chickens are very affordable, the conditions they experience in their brief lives (up to 6 weeks) may be extremely grim, packed at high densities, with little room to move around and little or no access to sunlight - all of which produces a noticeably inferior and often quite fatty meat.

Read more about animal welfare in general at the Soil Association.

Various breeds are available. Look out for slow-growing British breeds with firm, flavourful meat such as Oakham White, Cotswold White or Gold and Devonshire Gold or Red. French breeds, such as poulet de bresse, poulet d'or, poulet noir and poulet anglais are also very good, with succulent, strongly flavoured flesh.

Whole birds are good for roasting or barbecuing. Other portions are also available (either skin on or off, on the bone or boneless), including breasts (fry, saut´, grill or barbecue); drumsticks (grill or barbecue); thighs (barbecue or use in casseroles or stirfries); and wings (barbecue or roast).

Whichever breed, type or cut of chicken you choose, look for birds or cuts that have clear, soft skin, without bruising, blemishing or tears. Look also for brownish-red 'hock burn' on the skin on the legs, as this may be a sign that the bird has not been kept in the most satisfactory conditions during growth.

Prepare it

If desired, certain cuts of chicken can be marinated before cooking, to add flavour and moisture and to tenderise a little further - slash the skin a couple of times to help the marinade penetrate further.

Before it goes in the oven, chicken should be at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge (1 hour for a whole chicken; 30 minutes for a cut) before cooking. Keep it covered, in a cool place.

Store it

Fresh chicken goes off very quickly, especially if the weather is warm, so should be stored in the fridge as soon as you get it home. Take off all the wrappings, then wipe it all over (and inside the cavities) with kitchen paper. If it has come with giblets (the neck, gizzard, heart and liver) these should be removed and kept in a covered bowl in the fridge. Put the chicken on a tray or a plate wide and deep enough to contain any blood or juice that might seep out. Cover loosely with foil. Make sure the chicken is stored in the fridge doesn't touch any food that's to be eaten raw, or meat that is already cooked.

Whole birds and pieces of chicken will keep for up to 2 days. Chicken liver or minced chicken should be cooked within 24 hours of purchase.

Giblets can be used to make gravy and stock (but leave the liver out, as it can create quite a bitter taste) or stuffing, and should be cooked within 2 days of purchase.

Cook it

Roast (whole chicken: 25 minutes per 500g, plus an extra 25 minutes; breasts, 15 minutes; thighs and wings, 40 minutes). Grill or barbecue (breast, 7-10 minutes; cubes or strips, 5-7 minutes; drumsticks and thighs, 25-30 minutes; wings, 40 minutes). Stir fry (cubes or strips, 5-7 minutes).

Try

Can't find it

Try turkey or duck.

Source - BBC Good Food

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Cherry

One of the delights of the summer, cherries are much loved for their succulent texture, flavour and gorgeous good looks. The juicy flesh can be sweet or sour, depending on which of the hundreds of varieties they are. Cherries are divided into three groups: sweet, sour and hybrids.

Availibility

At their peak in mid July.

Choose the best

Buy plump, shiny cherries that have their stalks attached and look for fruit that is dark red, firm but not hard.

Generally, pale cherries are sweet and dark cherries more acidic. It is always a good idea to try before you buy to get the flavour that you prefer.

Prepare it

Remove stalks and use a cherry stoner to pit the cherries if you are using a large number for a recipe.

Store it

Keep unwashed cherries in the fridge for 3-4 days and wash them just before serving. Cherries also freeze well.

Cook it

Sweet cherries are suitable for eating, sour cherries are great in tarts, pies, crumbles and sauces.

Source - BBC Good Food

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Carrot

The carrot, with its distinctive bright orange colour, is one of the most versatile root vegetables around - a result of its sweet flavour, which means it can be used raw or cooked, in sweet or savoury dishes.

Up to the Middle Ages, all carrots were purple - the orange variety was first developed in 16th-century Holland by patriotic growers who bred it in tribute to the king, William I of Orange.

That old wive's tale about carrots helping you see in the dark isn't entirely off-target; they're very high in betacarotene, which is an important nutrient in maintaining healthy eyes.

Availibility

All year round, but at their best mid May through to the end of September.

Choose the best

Carrots should be firm, with unblemished, bright orange skins. In spring, look out for young, thin carrots with their feathery greens still attached - they're particularly tender and sweet.

Those on sale later in the season will be larger and tougher. Some argue that, of all vegetables, carrots that are grown organically have the most marked improvement of flavour.

Prepare it

Very young carrots just need to be scrubbed clean and topped and tailed. Older carrots may need to be be peeled (but try not to take too much off, as most of the nutrients are stored just beneath the skin) as well as topped and tailed.

Store it

They'll keep for around a week in a cool, dark place or in a perforated bag in the fridge.

Cook it

Grate raw and use to make carrot cake or coleslaw. Slice into ribbons with a peeler for a salad. Slice into chunks and roast (roasts in 30-35 minutes). Cut into batons and steam (5-6 minutes) or boil (5-7 minutes).

Source - BBC Good Food

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Cabbage

The cabbage, or brassica, family is huge, and includes everything from the familiar red, white or green varieties with tightly packed leaves, to cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts as well as pak choi, popular in Asian cookery.

The round, crinkle-leafed Savoy cabbage and the pale, lozenge-shaped Chinese leaf are considered to be two of the best to cook with. The flavour of cabbage varies from type to type, ranging from savoury to gently sweet, but one thing they all have in common is a rank smell if overcooked, so brief cooking is key.

Availibility

Different varieties of cabbage are available all year round.

Choose the best

All cabbages should look bright, with crisp leaves. Avoid those that feel puffy, whose leaves have holes (an insect might have burrowed its way in) or whose outer leaves have been stripped away, which some retailers do to cabbages that start to loose their freshness. Varieties with tightly packed leaves should feel heavy.

Prepare it

For loose-leaved varieties, remove old or damaged outer leaves, cut the leaves free of the core and slice out any tough central stalks. Rinse if necessary, then chop or slice. For tightly-packaged cabbages, strip the outer leaves in the same way, wash, then slice into quarters, cut out the hard central core on each one, then chop or shred. When cooking red cabbage, add a little vinegar to the water to stop the colour running. Boils in 4-6 minutes; steams in 4-8 minutes; stir fries in 2-4 minutes.

Store it

Loose leaved cabbages will keep in a cool, dark place for several days. Tight leaved varieties will last even longer.

Cook it

Stir fry Savoy cabbage with garlic, ginger and chilli, plus a dash of soy sauce; slice green cabbage with carrots, toasted nuts, raisins and dress with olive oil and lemon juice for a salad; slice white cabbage and add to chopped ripe mango, red onion and walnut pieces, dressed with vinaigrette.

Can't find it

Try brussels sprouts.

Source - BBC Good Food

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Aubergine (Eggplant)

Although it's technically a fruit (a berry, to be exact), the aubergine is used as a vegetable. It's native to South-East Asia, but is grown all over the world, and there are many different varieties, including the bulbous, glossy, deep purple zepplin-like types common to Mediterrean cuisine; the small, tubular Asian types; the small, plump and ivory examples (hence 'eggplant', its name in the United States and Australia); or the scarcely-bigger-than-a-pea varieties grown in Thailand. All varieties share the same bland, mildly smokey flavour and flesh that's spongey when raw but soft when cooked.

Availibility

All year round, but at its best from late May through to mid October.

Choose the best

Firm, smooth, glossy examples, with bright green stalks. A fresh aubergine should feel fairly heavy.

Prepare it

To avoid discolouration, cut just before cooking. In the past, recipes called for aubergines to be sliced and salted before cooking to reduce their bitterness. As modern varieties are much less bitter that's no longer necessary, unless you're planning to fry them; aubergines soak up oil like a sponge and salting helps reduce that.

Store it

In the salad drawer of the fridge - they'll keep for a couple of days.

Cook it

Aubergine is often found baked in a Greek moussaka or Provençale ratatouille; roasted and pureed with garlic, tahini (sesame seed paste), lemon juice, salt and cumin for the Middle Eastern dip, baba ghanoush; thinly sliced and fried to make aubergine crisps.

Source - BBC Good Food

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Asparagus

Labour-intensive to grow, asparagus are the young shoots of a cultivated lily plant. They're considered to be one of the delicacies of the vegetable world, with a price tag to match, and have a distinct, intense savoury flavour. Sprue is the term for young, very slender asparagus.

While French asparagus is purple, the British and American varieties are green. In contrast, Spanish and much Dutch asparagus is white, as it's grown beneath the soil and cut just as the tips emerge.

All types pack a nutritional punch, with high levels of vitamins A and C, potassium, iron and calcium, and they're also diuretic, giving urine an unmistakable aroma (which, curiously, not everyone can smell!).

Availibility

Imports are available all year round, but the British stuff, which is reckoned by many to be the best, is available from May to July.

Choose the best

The tips should be tightly furled and perky, rather than limp, and the shoots should be straight and firm.

Prepare it

Sprue needs no preparation other than a wash. For larger asparagus (which will also have more flavour), bend the spear until it snaps and throw the woody end away. If the ends still feel tough, you can pare away the exterior to reveal the more tender flesh beneath.

Store it

Wrap in damp kitchen paper, put in a perforated paper or plastic bag and keep in the salad drawer of the fridge. You can also store it in a glass or jug of cold water in the fridge.

Cook it

Boiled (for 3-5 minutes) or steamed (4-5 minutes, depending on size) then served with Hollandaise sauce or hot melted butter or chopped and baked in a quiche or combined with peas, podded broad beans, young spinach leaves and basil for pasta primavera.

Sprinkled with sea salt, brushed with oil and roasted (for 15 minutes) or grilled (5 minutes), then served with Parmesan shavings and a spritz of lemon juice, or wrapped round with prosciutto.

Can't find it

Try French beans or mange tout

Source - BBC Good Food

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cauliflower

A brassica, like cabbage and broccoli, cauliflower is a mass of tiny, tightly packed flower heads (called curds), which grow from a thick central stem to form a single, round head, cupped by green leaves. It has a firm, almost waxy texture, and a mild, delicate flavour. Most cauliflowers are white, but it's also possible to find green and purple varieties, as well as the sweeter Romanesco cauliflower, with its distinctive pointed florets. Like all brassicas, cauliflower smells very unpleasant if overcooked, so brief cooking is essential.

Availibility

All year round, but at its best from mid December through to mid April.

Choose the best

Go for cauliflowers with pure white heads with no discolouration, and crisp green leaves. The colour of the base is a good indication of how recently it's been picked - the whiter, the fresher.

Prepare it

Cut off the surrounding leaves (if they're fresh, they can be cooked, too). For large cauliflowers, cut off individual florets from the central stem and cut again if necessary. You should end up with florets of a comparable size, so that they all cook at the same pace. Then wash. Smaller, baby cauliflowers can be cooked whole.

Store it

In perforated bag in a cool dark place, or the fridge. It will keep for several days.

Cook it

The florets are great used raw in a salad or as part of a crudité selection served with dips. Cooked cauliflower florets keep their shape best when steamed (5-10 minutes) - remember to place them upright in the steamer. It can also be boiled (takes 5-10 minutes for florets; around 10 minutes for a whole cauliflower). For both cooking methods, test regularly with the tip of a knife to make sure they don't overcook.

Can't find it

Try broccoli.

Source - BBC Good Food

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Broccoli

Broccoli: Like cabbage and cauliflower, broccoli is a brassica and is sometimes known by its Italian name, calebrese. It has tight clusters of deep green buds and thick, edible stems and was developed from the more loosely packed purple sprouting broccoli. There's little to choose between the two in terms of flavour or nutrition.

Availibility

All year round, but at its best from the end of July to the end of October.

Choose the best

Go for firm, bright green, undamaged heads (if it's yellow its already past its peak) and firm stalks. As broccoli deteriorates faster when in contact with the air, supermarkets often wrap it in cellophane - always choose the unwrapped type if you can as, if it still looks good, you can be sure that it has been recently picked.

Prepare it

Trim any woody stem ends or tough leaves with a knife. Divide into small, individual florets, each with a short stem, and diagonally slice the thicker stems. Rinse under cold water. Broccoli boils or steams in 3-6 minutes, depending on the size of floret. In stir-fries, cook it for a couple of minutes, until tender.

Store it

In an airtight bag in the fridge.

Cook it

Cook and drizzle with olive oil or melted butter or a handful of grated parmesan; add to a cheesy pasta bake; stir-fry in groundnut oil with chopped garlic and dry fried cashews, adding a drizzle of sesame oil to the pan just before cooking ends.

Can't find it

Try purple sprouting broccoli or cauliflower.

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Baking powder

Baking powder: A raising agent used in baking that combines mild acid (usually cream of tartar) with mild alkali (such as bicarbonate of soda). When mixed with liquid the powder generates carbon-dioxide forming bubbles that cause a mixture to expand.

Availability

Can be bought in a packet or tin or buy a self-raising flour that already contains it.

Prepare it

Make it yourself by combining half a teaspoon of tartar and quarter of a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. This will make the equivalent of 1 teaspoon of baking powder.

Store it

In a cool, dry place.

Source - BBC Good Food

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