BROKOLI
Broccoli is an edible
green plant in the cabbage family whose large flowering head is eaten as a
vegetable.
The word broccoli comes from the Italian plural of broccolo, which means
"the flowering crest of a cabbage", and is the diminutive form of
brocco, meaning "small nail" or "sprout". Broccoli is often
boiled or steamed but may be eaten raw.
Broccoli is classified in the Italica cultivar group of the species Brassica
oleracea. Broccoli has large flower heads, usually green in color, arranged in
a tree-like structure branching out from a thick, edible stalk. The mass of
flower heads is surrounded by leaves. Broccoli resembles cauliflower, which is
a different cultivar group of the same species.
Broccoli is a result of careful breeding of cultivated Brassica crops in the
northern Mediterranean starting in about the 6th century BC. Since the time of
the Roman Empire, broccoli has been considered a uniquely valuable food among
Italians. Broccoli was brought to England from Antwerp in the mid-18th century
by Peter Scheemakers. Broccoli was first introduced to the United States by
Southern Italian immigrants, but did not become widely popular until the 1920s.
Varieties
There are three commonly grown types of broccoli. The most familiar is
Calabrese broccoli, often referred to simply as "broccoli", named
after Calabria in Italy. It has large (10 to 20 cm) green heads and thick stalks.
It is a cool season annual crop. Sprouting broccoli has a larger number of
heads with many thin stalks. Purple cauliflower is a type of broccoli sold in
southern Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. It has a head shaped like
cauliflower, but consisting of tiny flower buds. It sometimes, but not always,
has a purple cast to the tips of the flower buds.
Other cultivar groups of Brassica oleracea include cabbage (Capitata Group),
cauliflower and Romanesco broccoli (Botrytis Group), kale and collard greens
(Acephala Group), kohlrabi (Gongylodes Group), Brussels sprouts (Gemmifera
Group), and kai-lan (Alboglabra Group). Rapini, sometimes called "broccoli
raab" among other names, forms similar but smaller heads, and is actually
a type of turnip (Brassica rapa). Broccolini or "Tenderstem broccoli"
is a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli. Beneforté is a variety of
broccoli containing 2–3 times more glucoraphanin that was produced by crossing
broccoli with a wild Brassica variety, Brassica oleracea var villosa.
As shown on the table, a 100 gram serving of raw broccoli provides 34 kcal and
is an excellent source (20% or higher of the Daily Value, DV) of vitamin C and
vitamin K. Raw broccoli also contains moderate amounts (10–19% DV) of several B
vitamins and the dietary mineral manganese, whereas other essential nutrients
are in low content. Broccoli has low content of carbohydrates, protein, fat,
and dietary fiber.
Boiling broccoli reduces the levels of sulforaphane, with losses of 20–30%
after five minutes, 40–50% after ten minutes, and 77% after thirty minutes.
However, other preparation methods such as steaming, microwaving, and stir
frying had no significant effect on the compounds.
Broccoli also contains the carotenoid compounds lutein and zeaxanthin in
amounts about 6 times lower than in kale.
Source :
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli
- https://www.google.com/search?q=broccoli&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiIn_e4iPDVAhUhSY8KHRIRBXMQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=698
- http://www.droverstrailnaturalfarms.com/product/broccoli/
BASIL LEAF
Basil (Ocimum
basilicum), also called great basil or Saint-Joseph's-wort, is a culinary herb
of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is also called the "king of
herbs" and the "royal herb". The name "basil" comes
from Greek (basilikón phutón), "royal/kingly plant".
Basil is possibly native to
India, and has been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years. It was
thoroughly familiar to the Greek authors Theophrastus and Dioscorides. It is a
tender plant, best known as a culinary herb prominently featured in Italian
cuisine, and also plays a major role in Southeast Asian cuisines of Indonesia,
Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Taiwan. Depending on the
species and cultivar, the leaves may taste somewhat like anise, with a strong,
pungent, often sweet smell.
Genovese Basil
- Flavour
Fresh basil has an
initial subtle peppery flavour. The taste then evolves into a slightly sweet,
aromatic flavour.
When cooking with basil
it should be added at the end of cooking. Heat removes the flavour and if
cooked for too long can result in bitterness.
- Aroma
Basil has a strong,
pungent, sweet and somewhat menthol aroma.
- Pairing
Basil pairs exquisitely
with lemon, tomato and garlic. Sweet basil is an essential ingredient in
Italian and Mediterranean cuisine and loves being added to pasta, pizza, creamy
sauces, dressings, soups, salads and olive oil. Pair basil with chicken, beef,
tomatoes, eggs, chives, dill, oregano, rosemary, thyme, pepper and sea salt.
Thai Basil
- Flavour
Thai basil is often
referred to as licorice basil for the strong anise flavour it offers.
Thai basil is more
robust than sweet basil so can be cooked for longer periods of time without
losing flavour. This makes Thai basil perfect for soups, stir-fries and
curries.
- Aroma
Slightly cinnamon
scented, similarly smelling to cloves. Thai basil's scent is not as pungent as
sweet basil.
- Pairing
The oil from Thai basil
compliments the taste of pork well. It is very popular in many Asian dishes and
adds the essential flavour to Thai curries and stir-fries that is hard to
replicate with any other herb.
Growing Basil
The flavour of basil is directly
affected by its growing conditions. You can propagate basil by seeds and by
cuttings (best taken during spring and winter). To encourage bushiness of the
plant flowers should continually removed.
In Australia it's best to plant when
the soil is warm in late Spring with harvesting expected to be from early
December until mid-May. Basil does not survive well in cool weather so harvest
all leaves by April.
Minimum temperature for growing
has to be above 13 degrees celsius for germination. Basil likes a warm
temperature with sun exposure and as such is a good window sill kitchen pot
plant. In a warmer climate basil may grow in winter and can become a
biennial plant.
Ensure that the location of your
basil plant yields 6 to 8 hours of sun per day. When the plant has its first 6
or so leaves prune above the second set to encourage growth. When using leaves
it is best to remove the leaves as you need them.
In gardens basil is a good
companion to other plants and repels white fly and aphids. It has a particular
affinity to tomatoes in pots and also on plate.
History
Basil is originally native to
Iran, India and other tropical regions of Asia, having been cultivated there
for more than 5,000 years. Folklore was that if you wanted to grow
fragrant, strong basil then you should shout and swear when sowing your seeds.
It was also said that if a man gave a sprig of basil to a woman she was sure to
fall for him. In Haiti, shopkeepers will sprinkle basil around their shops to
ward off evil. Europeans claimed that basil would wilt if anyone with an
impure heart touched it.
Health Benefits of
Basil
Herbal uses for basil include
easing the pain in childbirth as well as easing a variety of ailments including
headaches, indigestion, bad breath, joint pain, fatigue and strengthening the
brain. If you have a cold or flu try drinking a strong basil tea with some
lemon juice, a little honey and a pinch of cinnamon and cloves. A great
tip if you’ve got a headache starting is to get some basil and rub it into your
temples. Consuming fresh basil which has high amount of vitamins A and C
can be considered a cancer fighter. Various cultures consider basil to help as
a natural resistant to stress and disease and also to strengthen the immune
system. Basil can be used as a hair conditioning rinse and scalp tonic by
rinsing basil tea through your hair after shampooing.
Source
:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil
- http://www.gourmetgarden.com/en/herb/188/basil
- https://www.google.co.id/search?q=basil&rlz=1C1CHBF_enID752ID752&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiet8H54KPWAhVBQJQKHfuRDjEQ_AUICigB#imgrc=U1KSWkRVQADEXM:
CLOVES
Cloves are the aromatic
flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, Syzygium aromaticum. They are
native to the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice.
Cloves are commercially harvested primarily in Bangladesh, Indonesia, India,
Madagascar, Zanzibar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania. Cloves are available
throughout the year.
Cloves are used in the cuisine of
Asian, African, and the Near and Middle East countries, lending flavor to
meats, curries, and marinades, as well as fruit such as apples, pears or
rhubarb. Cloves may be used to give aromatic and flavor qualities to hot
beverages, often combined with other ingredients such as lemon and sugar. They
are a common element in spice blends such as pumpkin pie spice and speculoos
spices.
In Mexican cuisine, cloves are best
known as clavos de olor, and often accompany cumin and cinnamon. They are also
used in Peruvian cuisine, in a wide variety of dishes as carapulcra and arroz
con leche.
A major component of clove taste is
imparted by the chemical eugenol, and the quantity of the spice required is
typically small. It pairs well with cinnamon, allspice, vanilla, red wine and
basil, as well as onion, citrus peel, star anise, or peppercorns.
History
Archeologists have found cloves in a
ceramic vessel in Syria, with evidence that dates the find to within a few
years of 1721 BC. In the third century BC, a Chinese leader in the Han Dynasty
required those who addressed him to chew cloves to freshen their breath. Cloves
were traded by Muslim sailors and merchants during the Middle Ages in the
profitable Indian Ocean trade, the clove trade is also mentioned by Ibn Battuta
and even famous Arabian Nights characters such as Sinbad the Sailor are known
to have bought and sold cloves from India.
Until modern times, cloves grew only
on a few islands in the Moluccas (historically called the Spice Islands),
including Bacan, Makian, Moti, Ternate, and Tidore. In fact, the clove tree
that experts believe is the oldest in the world, named Afo, is on Ternate. The
tree is between 350 and 400 years old. Tourists are told that seedlings
from this very tree were stolen by a Frenchman named Pierre Poivre in 1770,
transferred to the Isle de France (Mauritius), and then later to Zanzibar,
which was once the world's largest producer of cloves.
Until cloves were grown outside of the
Maluku Islands, they were traded like oil, with an enforced limit on
exportation. As the Dutch East India Company consolidated its control of the
spice trade in the 17th century, they sought to gain a monopoly in cloves as
they had in nutmeg. However, "unlike nutmeg and mace, which were limited
to the minute Bandas, clove trees grew all over the Moluccas, and the trade in
cloves was way beyond the limited policing powers of the corporation."
Source
:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clove
- https://www.google.co.id/search?q=CLOVE&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj355ve2qPWAhXMopQKHSc8B7cQ_AUICigB#imgrc=Y7g5XMa9Ld-whM:
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