Foie Gras

This article was written by Samuel Phineas Upham

Foie Gras is perhaps one of the most controversial delicacies in existence. It has been enjoyed since ancient Rome, and it was shared with the Greeks too. There are references to the paste in Homer’s Odyssey. Specifically, a dream sequence involving Penelope depicts her dream to have twenty geese fattening in her farmyard. The Greek word for liver even translates to “stuffed with figs,” an apparent reference to their affinity for foie gras.

Fattening was always meant to produce larger domestic animals with more meat and a stronger flavor. The Greeks perfected this practice on geese, where intensive and sometimes force feeding was carried out.

Some accounts place the origin of foie gras with the Egyptians. They were known to be the first civilization that noticed geese would gorge themselves before migration. As geese became domesticated animals, the practice grew naturally as a side effect of keeping them.

Foie gras was served differently depending on who prepared it. It was often served at the end of the meal as a digestive aid, believed to be superfluous by some. It was usually served with a lightly toasted piece of bread. Some cultures served foie gras as the main course and provided sides like green leeks or scallops to help complete the meal.

The French did not like the taste of goose liver. They would often use chicken as a substitute. Their version is highly regarded as the definitive foie gras, a dish the British inherited as time went on.

Flower Waters

This article was written by Samuel Phineas Upham

Cooks in the Middle East were trying out something interesting during the 3^rd and 4^th centuries, AD. The Ancient Greeks and Romans had both perfected the art of distilling fragrance from rose petals by steeping them in water, but they were not using the extract for flavoring.

The practice of using extracts in this fashion was already well-known. Cooks had been using vanilla to flavor their foods for some time. Rose water seemed like an extension of that. The water was sprinkled over food to add fragrance and taste, but it was also used in pots and pans to coat the cooking surface.

During the Crusades, Christian crusaders found it and brought it back to Medieval England. The Turks were using the flavoring extensively, and they introduced it to Bulgaria. Bulgaria’s famed Valley of Roses at Kazanluk is still famous for its mass production of rose water, rose oil and preserves.

From the Arabs and Europeans, rose water travelled across the pond until it found a home in American cuisine. The Americans, at first, had limited applications for the substance. It was primarily found in a candy called “Turkish Delight.” Colonial Americans used rose water to flavor their dishes, like chicken pies and creamed spinach.

The Shakers also produced rose water as a product to be sold as “Double Distilled Damask Rose Water,” and it was used extensively in their apple pie with rose. Today, rose water and orange blossom water are still in use, especially in desserts like baklava. However, rose water is used interchangeably with orange blossoms.

About the Author: Samuel Phineas Upham is an investor at a family office/hedgefund, where he focuses on special situation illiquid investing. Before this position, Samuel Phineas Upham was working at Morgan Stanley in the Media & Technology group. You may contact Samuel Phineas Upham on his Facebook page.

Gelato and Italy

Written by Gelato Products

Italy is the birthplace of gelato. It’s not really ice cream since the method of creating it is actually quite different than regular ice cream. It takes more than just Frozen yogurt suppliers and Ice cream shop suppliesto make good gelato. As a matter of fact, you are going to need skills and techniques that will separate your gelato from the rest, and that’s exactly what Italy does with their gelato. So is gelato in Italy really better than in other places? The answer is yes. There’s something about the way they make gelato over there that makes it, well, simply better. However, it doesn’t mean that gelato in other places are bad – because they actually aren’t. Italy, as you may have known by now, is the birthplace of gelato, and it’s something that they are really proud of as well. As a matter of fact, did you know that Italy has a law requiring that all gelato must have 3.5% butterfat? That’s how serious these guys take their gelato, and they make it a point that it should always be tasty as well. What gives gelato its unique flavor is the fact that they use natural ingredients such as fruits. They put it together with sugars, cream, milk, and a host of other ingredients as well in order to achieve specific flavors. You may not notice it at first, but flavors of gelato are more intense than regular ice cream. And that’s probably the reason why people keep coming back for more too.

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If you own an ice cream parlor, it’s a good idea to have customized ice cream spoons. This way your customers will be able to identify your brand.