Dukkah (pronounced DOO-kah) gets its name
from the Egyptian Arabic word for "to crush" or "to pound,"
which is precisely how it's made.
Recipes vary but generally consist of cumin, coriander, sesame seeds,
salt, dried herbs, and nuts (especially peanuts, which are widely available in
Egypt). The ingredients are put into a
mortar (or, increasingly, a food processor) and ground into a coarse powder,
releasing aromatics in the process. It's
a versatile thing, both fine enough to sprinkle on as a garnish yet chunky
enough to grab by the handful and eat as a snack, with a flavor profile that is
specific to its place of origin yet thoroughly adaptable. There
is plenty of good reason to keep the stuff
in your pantry, too, as it makes for something of an all-purpose
seasoning. Dukkah's ruggedness and
fragrant spiciness comes through clearly when eaten with khubz (flatbread), as it traditionally is in
Egypt. Often served for breakfast or as
a snack, the pieces of bread are dipped in olive oil before being dunked in the
dukkah, to help the granules cling.
Dukkah can also give welcome texture and complexity to dips (think
yogurt, hummus,
or baba
ganoush), perk up salads and vegetables, or even be used as a rub for meat
or fish. You could also just eat dukkah
on its own, as they do in Australia, where it has especially taken off. There, dukkahs are sometimes made with coarse
or whole nut pieces that can be nibbled on like a bar snack. It's entirely possible to purchase ready made
dukkahs from spice shops. http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/07/what-is-dukkah-middle-east-spice-blend.html Find recipes for dukkah at
The cumin seed
packs a punch when it comes to adding a nutty and peppery flavor to chili and
other Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes as well playing an important role in Indian
and Middle Eastern cuisine where it is a key component of curry powder. Both whole and ground cumin are available
year-round. Cumin seeds resemble caraway
seeds, being oblong in shape, longitudinally ridged, and yellow-brown in
color. This is not surprising as both
cumin and caraway, as well as parsley and dill, belong to the same plant family
(Umbelliferae). Link to health benefits,
description, history, and how to store and use at http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=91
white elephant noun a possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of; a possession entailing great expense out of proportion to its usefulness or value to the owner; an abnormally whitish or pale elephant, usually found in Thailand; an
albino elephant. From the perhaps apocryphal tale that the King of Siam would
award a disagreeable courtier a white elephant, the upkeep of which would
ruin the courtier.
"There's not a lot of people in this world courageous enough to
not change." one of 25 quotes from
Parts Unknown when Anthony Bourdaine visits his home state of New Jersey http://www.eater.com/2015/6/1/8686381/anthony-bourdain-parts-unknown-new-jersey
A swamp is
a wetland that is forested. Many swamps occur along large rivers
where they are critically dependent upon natural water level fluctuations. Other
swamps occur on the shores of large lakes. Some swamps have hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic
vegetation, or vegetation that
tolerates periodic inundation. The two main types of swamp are
"true" or swamp
forests and
"transitional" or shrub swamps. In the boreal
regions of Canada, the word swamp is colloquially used for what is more
correctly termed a bog or muskeg. The water of a swamp may be fresh water, brackish water or seawater. Some of the
world's largest swamps are found along major rivers such as the Amazon, the
Mississippi, and the Congo. Swamps
can be found on all continents except Antarctica.
The largest swamp in the world is the Amazon River floodplain, which is
particularly significant for its large number of fish and tree species. Find a list of major swamps divided by area
(including 19 in the U.S.) at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swamp According to The Nature Conservancy, the
Great Black Swamp of northwest Ohio covered an area about two-thirds the size
of Florida's Everglades National Park, but early settlers drained much of the
land.
While most animals that hibernate choose to do so in deep caves and underground
burrows, there is a native species that prefers the bottoms of lakes, marshes
and wetlands. The Blanding’s
turtle hibernates completely
underwater from late October or early November until the early spring. The cold-blooded reptile only needs to burrow
itself in cold, muddy bottoms to stay warm.
Its metabolism also slows so little oxygen is needed and it doesn't have
to search for food. Unlike most turtles,
the Blanding's is quite happy in the cold water; on occasion it is seen slowly
swimming underneath the ice in areas where they winter--like the Great
Lakes. Read more and see picture at http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/indiana/journeywithnature/blandings-turtles.xml
The word henge is a backformation from Stonehenge,
the famous monument in Wiltshire. Stonehenge is not a true henge as its
ditch runs outside its bank, although there is a small extant external bank as
well. The term was first coined in 1932
by Thomas Kendrick, who later became the Keeper of British Antiquities at the British Museum. Find types of henges and a list of
some of the best-known henges
at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henge
SALLY When soldiers who have been on the defensive,
having retreated to a foxhole or fort, make an abrupt offensive attack on their
opponents, it's a sally. The word comes
from the Middle French saillie,
"a rushing forth," from the Latin salire, "to leap."
1. a military action in which
besieged troops burst forth from their position
2. witty remark 3. a
venture off the beaten path http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/sally
FORTH Forth is one of those words that has gone out of the
language except in a number of set phrases.
Way back beyond the Norman Conquest it meant forwards. That sense lingers in the phrase back and forth, backwards and forwards. Another semi-archaic phrase is from this day forth, in which it has the figurative
sense of onwards; and so forth includes it in a similar sense; henceforth includes the same idea of time as does forthwith; to hold
forth is
to talk at length about some subject, often tediously; sally forth is still known. Round the middle of the twelfth century, the
phrase forth mid appeared (mid being
essentially the same as the modern German word mit, with), later forth
with, to go somewhere in the company of other people. Necessarily,
if you go forth with others, you go at the same time as they do. By about 1450 the phrase had condensed to a
single adverb with the modern meaning of immediately, without delay. Much of the idea of forth has been taken over in today’s language
by forwards, but that word itself is a contracted
compound of forth with the suffix -ward, to go in a specified direction.
Muse reader responds to the naming of Buffalo, New York:
As a Buffalo native, another theory thrown around when I was in
elementary school is that Buffalo is a mispronunciation of the French for
Beautiful River, Belle Fleuve.
Bolo Rei (English: "King Cake") is a traditional Portuguese cake that
is usually eaten around Christmas, from December 25 until Epiphany (Dia de Reis in Portuguese, literally "Kings' Day", a
reference to the Three Wise Men), on 6 January. It is a staple dessert in any Portuguese home
during the holidays. Bolo rei recipe is from France which finds its way to Portugal during the 19th century when Confeitaria Nacional opened as Portuguese monarchy’s official bakery in
1829. The cake itself is round with a
large hole in the centre, resembling a crown covered with crystallized and dried fruit.
The bolo rei is baked from a soft, white dough,
with raisins, various nuts, and crystallized fruit. Also included is the characteristic fava bean, and tradition dictates that whoever
finds the fava has to pay for the bolo rei next year. A small prize (usually a small metal
toy) was also included within the cake. The
inclusion of the prize has been discontinued since mid-90s. Link to recipes at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolo_Rei
http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com Issue 1394
December 16, 2015 On this date in
1895, Marie Hall Ets, American author and
illustrator, was born. On this date in
1899, Noël Coward,
English playwright, actor, and composer, was born. Noël Coward
quote: “It's discouraging to
think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.” Find more quotes at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/120035.No_l_Coward
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