The global food crisis is often cited as a major concern. Losing money is scary, but not having enough for a car is far scarier. Roughly 1 billion people were undernourished in 2009, a sixth of humanity, a number that, disturbingly, has risen since the mid-1990s after declining steadily for decades. Globalization often takes heat…
Muhammad Bin Hasan Al-Baghdadi died in 1239 AD. Before that, he made a legendary Arabic cookbook. Muḥammad Bin Al-Karīm Al-Baghdadi, usually called Al-Baghdadi died in 1239 AD. He was the compiler of an early Arab cookbook of the Abbasid period, كتاب الطبيخ Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ called The Book of Dishes, written in 1226. The original book contained 160 recipes. Over the…
The pine family is one of North America’s most familiar groups of evergreen trees. It is known for furnishing most of our traditional Christmas trees. It also provides the softwood timber that forms the foundation of many homes. It is an essential source of turpentine and rosin. Additionally, North Americans have recognized many medical uses…
In coconut-growing countries, coconut oil is prepared at home by heating coconut milk until a clear oil separates. Commercially, the extraction of oil from copra (dried or smoked coconut meat) is one of the oldest seed-crushing industries in the world. Coconut oil has a history almost as rich as the oil itself. Extraction methods range…
Coconut production has a long history with great significance to modern society. The entertainer Harry Belafonte may not have been entirely accurate when he sang that coconut water was “good for your daughter” and “full of iron” or that it could “make you strong like a lion.” But he was praising the one thing about…
In prehistoric times, the water content of the immature coconut fruit was more important as a drink than was any part of the mature nut as a food. In recent history, the emphasis has also been on the nonfood use of coconuts as oil. The oil extracted from the kernel of the ripe coconut is…
Modern-day Americans have begun to include brazil nuts in their diet. People are beginning to see a slue of health benefits from eating Brazil nuts. The tree can reach heights exceeding 145 feet with a trunk diameter of almost 8 feet. The crown spreads out to a breadth of 100 feet or more as it…
The Role of Nuts and Seeds in Prehistoric Diets The food value of nuts and seeds is clear. Nuts and seeds constituted two of the most important sources of nutrition for Paleolithic Man. Scientists, such as archaeologists who excavate ancient ruins for clues as to what people ate long ago, have discovered that nuts and…
There are roughly 120 different species of Viburnum that occur in the northern hemisphere. Many species are important for environmental plantings and for ornamentals. The viburnums are part of the honeysuckle family. V. Americanum also goes by several other common names. Squaw bush and cramp bark are the most frequently used. Once you’ve smelled this…
Armies have long used food as a weapon of war. Providing or withholding food during times of conflict can be just as potent as guns, bombs, and explosives. Control of food supplies during the war is important because wars disrupt the seasonal pattern of growing crops. This enables the ability to displace farming populations and…
The pleasure of food is the sensation of well-being that derives from the fulfillment of a natural instinct. Scientists involve two essential elements in food pleasure. They are the emotional and psychological tension created by the initial impulse or desire of that inner need. Thus, eating pleasure clearly corresponds with the two basic requirements of…
A food riot can be defined as any planned or spontaneous gathering that may begin peacefully but evolves into disorder. This often can lead to loss of control, violence, bodily harm, or property damage. Many understand and discuss “food disturbances” as the combination of either “food riots” and/or “food protests”. Food disturbances occur for obvious…