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	<title>Oyster Food and Culture</title>
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	<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com</link>
	<description>a place to exchange ideas and learn about culture through food</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:47:49 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Sacher Torte, a controversial chocolate dessert that is uncontroversially good</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2012/01/sacher-torte-a-controversial-chocolate-dessert-that-is-uncontroversially-good/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2012/01/sacher-torte-a-controversial-chocolate-dessert-that-is-uncontroversially-good/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:47:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>OysterCulture</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Austria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocolate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dessert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kaffeehaus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sacher torte]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[torte]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vienna]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=11448</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I was last in Vienna, high on my list was taking my husband to one of Vienna&#8217;s justly famous kaffeehaus to sample a Sacher torte.  Isn&#8217;t that what you are suppose to do?  The Sacher torte is to Vienna what chocolate chip cookies is the US, or gelato to Italy &#8211; it defines it.  While I certainly knew of the torte and its connection to Vienna, I was unaware of the muddled and controversial history of this famous dessert.  I&#8217;ve been taking a break from work recently to enjoy reading Michael Krondl&#8217;s Sweet Invention &#8211;  A History of Desserts, and greatly enjoyed the chapter on Austria&#8217;s contribution to the sweet course.  You see, there&#8217;s the &#8220;Original Saucher Torte&#8221; and the &#8220;Eduard Sacher Torte&#8221; which are very similar but not to be confused.  Recipes similar to that of the Sachertorte appeared as early as the eighteenth century, (a 1718 cookbook by Conrad Hagger, another instance in Gartler-Hickmann&#8217;s 1749 Tried and True Viennese Cookbook (Wienerisches bewährtes Kochbuch). According to the story as recounted by Eduard Sacher, the creation of the torte reads like a Disney fairy tale, and begins with a request by a prince, back in 1832 for a dessert with [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>15</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Saffron, the spice dearly loved by many</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/12/saffron-the-spice-dearly-loved-by-many/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/12/saffron-the-spice-dearly-loved-by-many/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:27:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>OysterCulture</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special Ingredients]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Persia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[saffron]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=11402</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Adding saffron to a dish is like having cashmere in a blended wool sweater, it immediately ups the desirability factor and puts it in the favorite rotation.  There is something about this herb that elevates a dish to something special.  I have friends from various saffron producing regions who claim that theirs is the superior product.  I cannot claim expertise, but I think perhaps its a bit of terrior, their saffron is the best of the dishes of that area.  While I cannot claim to identify the best, saffron from different regions does taste differently. Plus the fact that the saffron they are consuming is probably fresher and closer to the source might have something to do with it. Saffron comes from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to between 8&#8243; to 12&#8243; and bears up to four flowers, each with three distinctive vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel.  Together with stalks (or styles) that connect the stigmas to their host plant, the dried stigmas are used treasured around the globe as agents of taste and color. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/12/saffron-the-spice-dearly-loved-by-many/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>17</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Don&#8217;t be Bitter if You Get Amaro for Christmas</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/12/dont-be-bitter-if-you-get-amaro-for-christmas/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/12/dont-be-bitter-if-you-get-amaro-for-christmas/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:34:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>OysterCulture</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Italy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[libations]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=11377</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Its Christmas time, and the gift season is upon us.  While our family is not crazy with exchanging gifts, it is always a struggle to try to keep track of everyone&#8217;s taste and interests.  Thankfully, I hail from a family of food lovers who like nothing more than to try new culinary experiences.  While having Italian bitters may not be new, having batch made by yours truly is, so don&#8217;t be spilling the beans to my family as you know the contents of one of their presents. I&#8217;ve been on a liquor making kick lately, and came across a recipe for Amaro which sounded intriguing, and decided to investigate exactly what is required to be an amaro. Amaro   Amaro (or &#8220;bitter&#8221; in Italian, plural Amari) is an Italian herbal liqueur, commonly consumed as a post dinner digestif. It is usually bitter and sweet, sometimes syrupy, with an alcohol content between 16% and 35%. Amari are typically produced by macerating herbs, roots, flowers, bark, and/or citrus peels in alcohol, either neutral spirits or wine, mixing the filtrate with sugar syrup, and allowing the mixture to age in casks or in bottle. A typical Amaro is flavoured with several (sometimes several [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/12/dont-be-bitter-if-you-get-amaro-for-christmas/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>20</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hmong in Minnesota</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/12/hmong-in-minnesota/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/12/hmong-in-minnesota/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:33:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>OysterCulture</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Minnesota]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thailand]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Asia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hmong]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=11328</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Have you ever eating at a Hmong restaurant?  Me neither, at least not until recently when I stumbled across not just a restaurant, but a mall targeting the Hmong of the Twin Cities.  I&#8217;ve been curious about the Hmong people for a while, having suffered through war and hardships and to relocate halfway round the world and develop new communities and build new families.  What specifically surprised me, was that given the tropical climate of their homeland they chose to settle in my home state of Minnesota (in droves), second only to California in the United States. Indeed, St. Paul is home to the largest urban population of Hmong &#8211; in the world!   What also made me curious is that there seems to be a dearth of Hmong restaurants, I know them to be great gardeners and farmers, and they contribute mightily to the delicious bounty found in the local farmers markets, but I have never knowingly been to a Hmong restaurant, and was very curious to try.  I was guessing that the food would be tasty as they were a migrant people starting in China and living in Laos, Vietnam, Burma and Thailand.  Just what was I missing? [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/12/hmong-in-minnesota/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>15</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Fortified Wine &#8211; Sherry</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/11/fortified-wine-sherry/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/11/fortified-wine-sherry/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:28:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>OysterCulture</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Spain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sherry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sherry wine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spanish wine]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=11276</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With a trip to Spain looming in our future it seemed only right that I give some thought to the beverages that we might find.  Sherry is to Spain what Port is to Portugal, so just what is it with these fortified wines?  What is a fortified wine? A fortified wine is made when brandy or other neutral alcohol is added to wine during or after the fermentation process.  Portuguese Port, Sherry from Spain, Marsala from Italy, Madeira from the Portuguese islands of the same name, Muscat from France, are a few of  the more common examples of this type of wine fortified wine. The original production of fortified wines had to do with need rather than want. Around the 17th century seafarers started adding extra alcohol to make wines more stable on long, harsh sea journeys. Despite the fact that they have higher alcohol content (15%-22%) than normal wines, fortified wines are not classified as spirits, as they are not made by distillation. What is the difference between Port and Sherry? Apart from the fact that they are produced in two different countries, there are a few other differences between Port and Sherry. Port is made mainly with red [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/11/fortified-wine-sherry/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>14</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Special Ingredients:  Grains of Paradise (Discovered on a trip to Angles Camp)</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/10/special-ingredients-grains-of-paradise-discovered-on-a-trip-to-angles-camp/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/10/special-ingredients-grains-of-paradise-discovered-on-a-trip-to-angles-camp/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 09 Oct 2011 03:26:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>OysterCulture</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[California]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special Ingredients]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Angels Camp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Calaveras County]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Grains of Paradise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mark Twain]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=11234</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My husband recently took me for a weekend trip to Calaveras County.  What does that have to do with Grains of Paradise?  Very little, except that I found this interesting spice while in Murphys, which along with Angels Camp reside in Calaveras County, California. Grains of Paradise Grains of Paradise, formally known as Aframomum melegueta is a species in the ginger family. It has a few other names too: melegueta pepper, alligator pepper, Guinea grains or Guinea pepper, and it is obtained from the ground seeds.  Although it is native to West Africa&#8217;s coastal swampy habitats, it is an important cash crop of southern Ethiopia. The pungent, peppery taste of the seeds is caused by aromatic ketones; and the dominating flavor components are of the closely-related cardamom, it does indeed taste like cardamon with a kick, its subtle, the heat comes later.  Max Falkowitz gives an even better description on Serious Eats: Grains of paradise are a spice worth a couple minutes&#8217; meditation. Smell a small handful and you&#8217;ll be hit by an intense woody, almost forest-like aroma. Then pop one in your mouth and bite down. There&#8217;s an initial burst of inviting, peppery warmth, full but in no way [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/10/special-ingredients-grains-of-paradise-discovered-on-a-trip-to-angles-camp/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>20</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Paella: Spain&#8217;s Use of Rice and Elevating It to Culinary Perfection</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/09/paella-spains-use-of-rice-and-elevating-it-to-culinary-perfection/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/09/paella-spains-use-of-rice-and-elevating-it-to-culinary-perfection/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:08:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>OysterCulture</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pasta]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paella]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spanish paella]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Valencia]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=11184</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are off to Spain, so the food research commenced without fail.  One of the first dishes I am anxious to discover in its native land is paella.  I&#8217;ve loved paella ever since my first bite, and while researching potential destinations, Valencia, Spain  was on this list when I discovered this area was the birth place of paella, well of course my curiosity was piqued. If you asked me to pick a dish that exemplified Spain, prior to this research, I may well have picked paella, and I would have been wrong.  Most Spaniards consider paella a regional dish hailing from Valencian, and most Valencians regard paella as a defining dish for them. Paella is a Valencian rice dish that originated in the mid 1800&#8242;s near Lake Albufera, in Valencia.  Valencia is located on the east side of Spain, on its Mediterranean coast. While chefs have taken great liberty with this dish, the three widely accepted basic paellas are: Valencian paella (paella valenciana) seafood paella (paella de marisco) mixed paella (paella mixta) Valencian paella consists of rice (bomba), green vegetables, meat (rabbit, chicken, duck), snails, beans and seasoning. Seafood paella replaces meat and snails with seafood and omits the beans [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/09/paella-spains-use-of-rice-and-elevating-it-to-culinary-perfection/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>19</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Perennial Favorite:  Edam Cheese aka Queso de Bola</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/08/the-perennial-favorite-edam-cheese-aka-queso-de-bola/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/08/the-perennial-favorite-edam-cheese-aka-queso-de-bola/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Aug 2011 02:31:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>OysterCulture</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[cheese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mexico]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Netherlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Philippines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Caribbean]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Edam cheese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[queso]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[queso de bola]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=7817</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Edam cheese was never really on my radar.  I mean I&#8217;ve eaten it, and it was perfectly acceptable, but those encounters were not those superlative laden events, that I&#8217;ve had say, with a good Epoisse.  However, my interest was piqued, first when my Filipino sister-in-law mentioned her father requested that she specifically bring some Edam on her visits home.  A similar story was mentioned by a Mexican culinary expert I knew, who in passing said Edam cheese was common in Mexico.  Really?  I guess I never paid any attention, but why the Philippines and Mexico?  Like I said, my encounters with Edam were almost perfunctory and I can honestly say I&#8217;d never make a special request for Edam.  To be fair, maybe the Edam that I&#8217;ve had was subpar, maybe I am needlessly critical.  All possibilities, but why this appeal thousands of miles for the source? And why, as far as I could tell, was it just Edam? So I researched Edam cheese, specifically in these two places and here is what I found: Mexico Although not considered a Mexican product, Edam cheese is an intrinsic part of Yucatan regional cooking.  Take this classic dish &#8211; the cheese round is [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/08/the-perennial-favorite-edam-cheese-aka-queso-de-bola/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>22</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Long Lines and French Pastries</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/08/long-lines-and-french-pastries/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/08/long-lines-and-french-pastries/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 14 Aug 2011 02:14:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>OysterCulture</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[bread]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[France]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pastry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bostock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[French pastries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gugbupf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kougelhopf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kougloff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kouign amann]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pasteries]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=11128</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last week, I did something I try to avoid at all costs; I waited in line.  Wait, let me rephrase that, I waited a long time in a very long line for a pop up bakery at a San Francisco restaurant, Flour + Water, thanks to the inside scoop from my friend, Adrienne, aka Gastroantropology.  Her friend, Belinda Leong a fellow pastry chef from her time at Gary Danko had gone on to expand her skills and culinary horizons with stints at Manreasa and Noma.  She also eyed this as an opportunity to test the waters for San Francisco&#8217;s interest in these sorts of goodies.  Judging by the lines, I&#8217;d say she is on to something. Some of her offerings were new to me, and upon sampling, everything she offered made me want to know more about these tasty treats.  The French pastries Belinda made do not often show in bakeries and pastry shops in the United States, and having a chance to sample made it all the more special (and well worth the wait): Kouign-Amann is one of many specialty regional cakes from Brittany, France, specifically around Douarnenez.  According to Culinaria France by André Dominé, one of appeals of this regional [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/08/long-lines-and-french-pastries/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>22</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Shichimi Togarashi (7 Spice Powder) an old pantry staple</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/08/shichimi-togarashi-7-spice-powder-an-old-pantry-staple/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/08/shichimi-togarashi-7-spice-powder-an-old-pantry-staple/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Aug 2011 01:04:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>OysterCulture</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japanese food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japanese spices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shichimi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shichimi togarashi]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=11112</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I say old, I mean O L D!  As in this spice mix dates back to the 1600s.  The first mixes were originally billed as medicine, and were developed shortly after the introduction of red chilies to Japan.  Shichi is the Japanese word for &#8220;seven.&#8221;   As you explore the spice racks in the market, you are likely to find another glass jar that looks remarkably similar called nanami togarashi (its the same thing).  However, if you see an also familiar looking jar called ichimi togarashi, that is simply pure ground chili powder without all the special extra ingredients.   The remaining six ingredients which round out list typically include: Szechuan pepper (sansho in Japanese), roasted orange peel, white and black sesame seeds, seaweed and ginger.  Typical being a key word as there is no hard and fast requirements that the these ingredients be used or in what ratio.  Some shops in Japan cater to their customers tastes to such an extent that they custom mix the ingredients. However, some common &#8220;go to&#8221; standards exist in Japan, and they are: The Yagenbori shichimi of Tokyo which contains ground chili, both toasted and dried with mustard, sasho, black sesame, poppy seeds, hemp [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2011/08/shichimi-togarashi-7-spice-powder-an-old-pantry-staple/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>19</slash:comments>
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