Steamed Dumplings

In Thailand the influence of Chinese food and culture can be found at every turn, and Chinese dumplings like
 these are enjoyed in Bangkok as well as other locales. But this recipe for steamed dumplings also reveals a strong Thai influence, both in the spice preparation for the chicken as well as the dipping sauce. If serving company, batches can be made and steamed ahead of time, then covered (or left in the steamer) and placed in the refrigerator. Then just re-steam for a few minutes and serve. Makes a wonderful dish for dinner with a salad, or, of course, for weekend dim sum. ENJOY!


Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

SERVES 4-5
3/4 to 1 lb. (0.4 kg.) ground chicken, pork or turkey (or leftover roast chicken or turkey)
5 to 6 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, grated
3 spring onions, sliced
2 Tbsp. fish sauce (available in tall bottles at Asian food stores)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. white pepper (or substitute 1/4 tsp. black pepper)
1 egg


DIPPING SAUCE:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. dark soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. sugar
squeeze of fresh lime juice (to taste)
optional: fresh-cut chilies, OR 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
OTHER: 1 package round dumpling wraps (available frozen at most Asian stores)
banana leaves for lining the steamer


Preparation:

Prepare a steamer. (I used a traditional bamboo steamer set over a pot of boiling water, but you could also use a colander with a tight-fitting lid.) Line your steamer with banana leaf if you have them. Banana leaf is perfect for this since it won't stick to the dumplings, OR place the dumplings on a small greased plate inside the colander. Or you can try lightly greasing the colander.
Place the first 8 ingredients in a food processor and blitz to create the filling. OR simply stir all 8 ingredients together in a mixing bowl until well blended.
Wrapping 6-8 dumplings at a time, lay out 6-8 wonton wrappers on a clean working surface. You will also need a small dish of water. Spoon a little of the filling in the middle of each wrapper, then dip your fingers in the water and run them around the outside of the wrapper to moisten it.
Bring the sides of the wrapper up over the filling and press together to seal. If it doesn't seal, moisten the edges with a little more water. Pinch along the seal to create a decorative edge (see picture). Gently push down on the top of the dumpling to make it "sit". Set the finished dumplings on a plate dusted with a little corn starch or flour.
Steam the dumplings, or cover and refrigerate up to 3 hours (for more make-ahead instructions, see below). Place dumplings in steamer and steam on high heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
While dumplings are steaming, stir the dipping sauce ingredients together. Do a taste test, adding more lime juice if too salty for your taste, or more sugar if you'd prefer it sweeter.
When dumplings are cooked, remove from the steamer and serve immediately with the dipping sauce on the side.
Optional Last Step: For chewier dumplings (goyza / potsticker style), set a frying pan over medium heat with 1 Tbsp. oil. Briefly fry the steamed dumplings to brown the bottom and sides. Note that they will brown very quickly (and also burn quickly). This step only takes a few extra seconds and makes the dumplings extra delicious.

History of Equalization buns.

Happy New Year

THE CHURCH'S VIEW OF NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS
Although in the first centuries AD the Romans continued celebrating the new year, the early Catholic Church condemned the festivities as paganism. But as Christianity became more widespread, the early church began having its own religious observances concurrently with many of the pagan celebrations, and New Year's Day was no different. New Years is still observed as the Feast of Christ's Circumcision by some denominations.
During the Middle Ages, the Church remained opposed to celebrating New Years. January 1 has been celebrated as a holiday by Western nations for only about the past 400 years.



NEW YEAR TRADITIONS
Other traditions of the season include the making of New Year's resolutions. That tradition also dates back to the early Babylonians. Popular modern resolutions might include the promise to lose weight or quit smoking. The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment.
The Tournament of Roses Parade dates back to 1886. In that year, members of the Valley Hunt Club decorated their carriages with flowers. It celebrated the ripening of the orange crop in California.
Although the Rose Bowl football game was first played as a part of the Tournament of Roses in 1902, it was replaced by Roman chariot races the following year. In 1916, the football game returned as the sports centerpiece of the festival.
The tradition of using a baby to signify the new year was begun in Greece around 600 BC. It was their tradition at that time to celebrate their god of wine, Dionysus, by parading a baby in a basket, representing the annual rebirth of that god as the spirit of fertility. Early Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth.
Although the early Christians denounced the practice as pagan, the popularity of the baby as a symbol of rebirth forced the Church to reevaluate its position. The Church finally allowed its members to celebrate the new year with a baby, which was to symbolize the birth of the baby Jesus.
The use of an image of a baby with a New Years banner as a symbolic representation of the new year was brought to early America by the Germans. They had used the effigy since the fourteenth century.



FOR LUCK IN THE NEW YEAR
Traditionally, it was thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day of the year. For that reason, it has become common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of family and friends. Parties often last into the middle of the night after the ringing in of a new year. It was once believed that the first visitor on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired man.
Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune.
Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.

Dolphin

Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from 1.2 m (4 ft) and 40 kg (90 lb) (Maui's dolphin), up to 9.5 m (30 ft) and 10 tonnes (9.8 long tons; 11 short tons) (the orca or killer whale). They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid. The family Delphinidae is the largest in the Cetacean order, and evolved relatively recently, about ten million years ago, during the Miocene. Dolphins are among the most intelligent animals, and their often friendly appearance and seemingly playful attitude have made them popular in human culture.


Senses

Dolphins are often regarded as one of Earth's most intelligent animals, though it is hard to say just how intelligent. Comparing species' relative intelligence is complicated by differences in sensory apparatus, response modes, and nature of cognition. Furthermore, the difficulty and expense of experimental work with large aquatic animals has so far prevented some tests and limited sample size and rigor in others. Compared to many other species, however, dolphin behavior has been studied extensively, both in captivity and in the wild. See cetacean intelligence for more details.

Jumping and playing

Dolphins occasionally leap above the water surface, and sometimes perform acrobatic figures (for example, thespinner dolphin). Scientists are not certain about the purpose(s) of the acrobatics. Possibilities include locating schools of fish by looking at above-water signs like feeding birds, communicating with other dolphins, dislodging parasites or simple amusement.

Play is an important part of dolphin culture. Dolphins play with seaweed and play-fight with other dolphins. At times they harass other local creatures, like seabirds and turtles. Dolphins enjoy riding waves and frequently surf coastal swells and the bow waves of boats, at times “leaping” between the dual bow waves of a moving catamaran. Occasionally, they playfully interact with swimmers. Captive dolphins have been observed in aquariums engaging in complex play behavior which involves the creation and manipulation of bubble rings

Sleeping

Generally, dolphins sleep with only one brain hemisphere in slow-wave sleep at a time, thus maintaining enough consciousness to breathe and to watch for possible predators and other threats. Earlier sleep stages can occur simultaneously in both hemispheres. In captivity, dolphins seemingly enter a fully asleep state where both eyes are closed and there is no response to mild external stimuli. In this case respiration is automatic; a tail kick reflexkeeps the blowhole above the water if necessary. Anesthetized dolphins initially show a tail kick reflex.Though a similar state has been observed with wild Sperm Whales, it is not known if dolphins in the wild reach this state. The Indus river dolphin has a different sleep method from other dolphin species. Living in water with strong currents and potentially dangerous floating debris, it must swim continuously to avoid injury. As a result, this species sleeps in very short bursts which last between 4 and 60 seconds

History of Shoes

There is much evidence that a foot covering was one of the first things made by our primitive ancestors. Necessity compelled them to invent some method of protecting their feet from the jagged rocks, burning sands, and rugged terrain over which they ranged in pursuit of food and shelter.
The history of human development shows that the importance of protecting the foot was early recognized. Records of the Egyptians, the Chinese and other early civilizations all contain references to shoes. The shoe is repeatedly mentioned in the Bible and the Hebrews used it in several instances with a legal significance, notably in binding a bargain.







Shoes of one sort or another are rich in legend and figure conspicuously in the folklore of different races. The shoe, even up to the present time, continues to figure in those stories, which have come down to us. The stories of the wonderful Seven League Boots, Mercury's Winged Sandals, Puss in Boots, Cinderella, and others, all existed in some ancient and often nearly forgotten tongue, but are still well known to all children. The custom of throwing the shoe after the newly wedded couple is but one of the many instances in which the shoe, when used according to formula, was supposed to bring luck.
In its first form the shoe was just a simple piece of plaited grass or rawhide which was strapped to the feet. Among the relics of early Egyptians are some sandals made from plaited papyrus leaves, beautifully and artistically wrought. Records show that sandalmaking had become a well-recognized art early in the history of that country.




The sandal still is the most generally worn type of footwear in many warm countries. In form and ornamentation it reflects the environment in which it was worn, together with the artistic tastes of the peoples. In some countries the sandal continues to be the same simple kind worn since the dawn of history, while in others the multiple form of the straps and beautiful decorative work reflect the artistry, progress and prosperity of the wearers.





The Japanese, long a sandal wearing people indicated the social status of the wearer by making distinctive sandals for the Imperial Household, merchants and actors, in fact, for the whole range of vocations and professions.
The Greeks emphasized design and beauty, while the Romans devised a military type of sandal that enabled their legions to travel on foot throughout the then known world. In the more luxurious days of the late Empire the sandals were often beautifully wrought with ornaments of gold and precious stones.

Milk

Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many diseases in the baby. The precise components of raw milk vary by species and by a number of other factors, but it contains significant amounts of saturated fat, protein and calcium as well as vitamin C. Cow's milk has a pH ranging from 6.4 to 6.8, making it slightly acidic

History

Humans first learned to regularly consume the milk of other mammals following the domestication of animals during the Neolithic Revolution or the invention of agriculture. This development occurred independently in several places around the world from as early as 9000–7000 BC in Southwest Asia to 3500–3000 BC in the Americas. The most important dairy animals—cattle, sheep and goats—were first domesticated in Southwest Asia, although domestic cattle has been independently derived from wild auroch populations several times since. Initially animals were kept for meat, and archaeologist Andrew Sherratt has suggested that dairying, along with the exploitation of domestic animals for hair and labor, began much later in a separate secondary products revolution in the 4th millennium BC. Sherratt's model is not supported by recent findings, based on the analysis of lipid residue in prehistoric pottery, that show that dairying was practiced in the early phases of agriculture in Southwest Asia, by at least the 7th millennium BC.

From Southwest Asia domestic dairy animals spread to Europe (beginning around 7000 BC but not reaching Britain and Scandinavia until after 4000 BC), and South Asia (7000–5500 BC). The first farmers in central Europe and Britain milked their animals. Pastoral and pastoral nomadic economies, which rely predominantly or exclusively on domestic animals and their products rather than crop farming, were developed as European farmers moved into the Pontic-Caspian steppe in the 4th millennium BC, and subsequently spread across much of the Eurasian steppe. Sheep and goats were introduced to Africa from Southwest Asia, but African cattle may have been independently domesticated around 7000–6000 BC. Camels, domesticated in central Arabia in the 4th millennium BC, have also been used as a dairy animal in North Africa and the Arabian peninsula. In the rest of the world (i.e., East and Southeast Asia, the Americas and Australia) milk and dairy products were historically not a large part of the diet, either because they remained populated by hunter-gatherers who did not keep animals or the local agricultural economies did not include domesticated dairy species. Milk consumption became common in these regions comparatively recently, as a consequence of European colonialism and political domination over much of the world in the last 500 years.

In 1863, French chemist and biologist Louis Pasteur invented pasteurization, a method of killing harmful bacteria in beverages and food products.

In 1884, Doctor Hervey Thatcher, an American inventor from New York, invented the first glass milk bottle, called 'Thatcher's Common Sense Milk Jar', which was sealed with a waxed paper disk. Later, in 1932, plastic-coated paper milk cartons were introduced commercially as a consequence of their invention by Victor W. Farris.

The town of Harvard, Illinois celebrates milk with a summer festival known as "Milk Days". Theirs is a different tradition meant to celebrate dairy farmers in the "Milk Capital of the World


Food product for humans

In many cultures of the world, especially the Western world, humans continue to consume milk beyond infancy, using the milk of other animals (especially cattle, goats and sheep) as a food product. For millennia, cow's milk has been processed into dairy products such as cream, butter, yogurt, kefir, ice cream, and especially the more durable and easily transportable product, cheese. Modern industrial processes produce casein, whey protein, lactose, condensed milk, powdered milk, and many other food-additive and industrial products.

Humans are an exception in the natural world for consuming milk past infancy, despite the fact that many humans show some degree (some as little as 5%) of lactose intolerance, a characteristic that is more prevalent among individuals of African or Asian descent. The sugar lactose is found only in milk, forsythia flowers, and a few tropical shrubs. The enzyme needed to digest lactose, lactase, reaches its highest levels in the small intestines after birth and then begins a slow decline unless milk is consumed regularly. On the other hand, those groups who do continue to tolerate milk often have exercised great creativity in using the milk of domesticated ungulates, not only of cattle, but also sheep, goats, yaks, water buffalo, horses, reindeers and camels. The largest producer and consumer of cattle and buffalo milk in the world is India


Evolution

The mammary gland is thought to have been derived from apocrine skin glands. It has been suggested that the original function of lactation (milk production) was keeping eggs moist. Much of the argument is based on monotremes (egg-laying mammals)The original adaptive significance of milk secretions may have been nutrition or immunological protection.[13][14] This secretion gradually became more copious and accrued nutritional complexity over evolutionary time.

Le pain

Le pain est l'aliment de base de nombreuses sociétés. Il est fabriqué à partir de farine, de sel et d'eau.

Lorsqu'on ajoute levain ou levure, la pâte du pain est soumise à un gonflement dû à la fermentation. Le pain est ainsi une mousse solide.

La farine provient principalement de céréales panifiables : blé et seigle. On peut y adjoindre, en quantité modérée des farines d'autre provenance : orge, maïs, châtaigne, noix… Les céréales panifiables se caractérisent par la présence de gluten, ensemble de protéines aux propriétés élastiques, qui permettent d'emprisonner les bulles de dioxyde de carbone dégagées par la fermentation qui permet la montée de la pâte, dite « pâte levée », et crée la mie.

Sans ajout de levain ou levure, le pain est dit « azyme ».

Historique

Le pain que nous consommons aujourd’hui résulte d’un long cheminement agricole, technologique et gastronomique.

L’histoire du pain commence dès le néolithique. Des traces de pain sans levain ont été trouvées sur plusieurs sites datant de 30000 av. J.-C. : des grains d'amidon provenant de rhizome deroseau à massette et de fougères ont été identifiés sur des pierres identifiées comme des pilons et des mortiers. Ces rhizomes étant toxiques, l'étude suggère que ces racines étaient pelées, broyées, puis cuites¹.

Avec le début de l’agriculture en 8000 av. J.-C. dans la région du Croissant fertile, située à la frontière de l'Iran et l'Irak actuels, la source d'amidon provient essentiellement de grains de céréales. Au cours de l’Antiquité avec l’avènement des civilisations méditerranéennes (sumérienne, égyptienne, grecque et romaine), l'histoire du pain devient intimement mêlée à l'évolution des outils, comme la meule.