Escargot (French snails)

Bonjour!

The infamous French dish, Escargot (land snails), have been regularly consumed in the European cuisine since the prehistoric times. It was known as an ‘elite dish’ in the Roman ages, and the desire to consume these land snails have not stopped there!

Escargot is still considered a delicacy all around the world, consequently commanding a hefty price. When cooked, the land snails are generally prepared with garlic, parsley butter, and served in their own snail shell. Restaurants generally serve these snails in special ‘Escargot dishes’, a silver platter with 6 or 12 holders, and two forks.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Escargot_%C3%A0_la_Bourguignonne_-_eatingeast.jpg

The primary taste is butter and has a similar texture to scallop and oyster. So for those who have yet to try these guys, imagine baked shellfish covered in butter garlic sauce! Yummmm! Plus, these snails not only taste great, but are also high in protein and low in fat!

Fun fact: Did you know that the French consume over 40,000 metric tons of snails each year?

Fact 2: May 24th is National Escargot day! I know what I'll be having for dinner ;)

Here are some places that sell Escargot in Sydney;

• The Little Snail (http://www.thelittlesnail.com.au/)
• La Guillatine (http://www.laguillotine.com.au/)

 Au Revoir!
Jen

Reference:

Myrick, R. (2012). Escargot Fun Facts | Mobile Cuisine. [online] Mobile Cuisine | Food Truck, Pop Up & Street Food Coverage. Available at: http://mobile-cuisine.com/did-you-know/escargot-fun-facts/ [Accessed 16 May 2016].

Snail-world. 2016. Snails as Food - Snail Facts and Information. [online] Available at: http://www.snail-world.com/snails-as-food/ [Accessed 16 May 2016].

 

Go Mexicano

Sick of fine dinning? Well here's a solution... TACOS (all about finger food!)

Originating from Mexico, the taco is a dish that is usually made with heated or light fried corn tortillas (a thin, flat pancake made from masa harina or wheat flour baked on a griddle) and may contain a variety of different traditional Mexican meats of fish. To further add to the combination, Tacos can be seasoned with a variety of condiments such as salsa/pico de gallo, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cheese. 

Traditionally, tacos are served flat on the dish which you eat by pinching up the ends of the tortillas to create a sandwich-like shape. However, do eat with caution as tacos have a tendency to drip from the end you are not eating from, especially if it is overfilled with delicious ingredients. So be careful not to let anything drop as it would be a waste!

There are a variety of traditional meats that may be chosen to top the taco. Some include carne asada (roasted meats, often beef), chorizo which is a spicy sausage, grilled chicken, fish and a popular one, roasted pork. So don't be afraid to try out the variety!

Grab a traditional Mexican taco or other classics from your nearest Mad Mex Fresh Mexican Grill around Sydney. 

- Tommy

Reference: 

wiseGEEK. 2016. What is a Taco? (with pictures). [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-taco.htm. [Accessed 14 May 2016]

Nasi Lemak - Malaysia's national dish

Malaysia is a multicultural country, with its population being made up of mainly Malay, Chinese and Indian people. Just like its people, Malaysian food is very diverse and can be prepared in many different ways as it is heavily influenced by all of the different cultures.

Nasi lemak is one of Malaysia's most traditional dish. Also known as 'fatty rice', many Malay people enjoy this dish as it is considered Malaysia's national dish and is extremely versatile. It consists of a dish of rice which is steamed with coconut milk, and served with dried anchovies, peanuts, hard-boiled eggs, dried shrimp, cucumber and sambal (spicy chilli paste).

Nasi lemak is very versatile because the side dishes can be changed to suit different people's desires. For instance, chinese people enjoy side dishes such as deep fried drumsticks, fish cakes etc, where as Indonesian people enjoy it with beef rendang -- a spicy beef stew.



Eating this dish accompanied by beef rendang is the most popular style, or eating it with a choice of curries. It is delicious and extremely fragrant. It is traditionally eaten for breakfast, however nowadays, people are eating it at any time of day due to how easily it can be prepared.

Malaysian food can be eaten at Pappa Rich, which is a popular restaurant which can be found in Broadway and Bankstown. Malaysian food is quite inexpensive, therefore you won't be finding yourself spending more than $30 on a great dish.

Enjoy !

- Jenny

Reference:
An Introduction To Malaysian Food. 2016. An Introduction To Malaysian Food. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.streetdirectory.com/food_editorials/cuisines/asian_food/an_introduction_to_malaysian_food.html. [Accessed 13 May 2016].

Pretzel ist gut?

Generally Pretzel's are known for being a bread twisted in a twisted knot, over the ages many styles of pretzels have been made, eaten and enjoyed by many countries. However, there is always a borderline from adaptation and originality.

Pretzel's originally come from Europe - the Fraconian states in particular, there are early reports of monasteries having pretzels, as well as some in Alsace as early as 1200 AD. However, Alsace was not always part of France, and before France came into possession of the territory, Germany - or back then the collection of German states had stored the secret and it can be seen in their own unique style of Pretzels.

Today, Pretzel's come in various varieties, from Home-made traditional pretzels to fancy modern pretzels which normally exceed ones thought of the dish.

Original German Baked Pretzels - http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/04__W__t__G/04/03/08/05-Pretzels.html

However sometimes you can never go wrong with a classic, The original Pretzel is made from dough, salted and put to bake and then taken out at that golden brown stage to sparkle on some more salt. The savory snack definitely exceeds expectations when tried, however for some who are not too much of a fan of a strong savory snack, the different varieties pretzels vary in can sway you in a few bites.


The sweeter pretzels however do definitely come in with punches, whether new infusions change the bread knot completely or simply change the taste is all to be uncovered after the first bite.

This first bite is so important as pretzels as a snack is all about the texture, whether the initial saltiness or unexpected sweetness is something you savor pretzels most definitely can shake your perception on a quick bread-y snack.


Whether it's a chocolate twist, a cinnamon punch, or a melted cheese pretzel, your mind will be blown by simplicity and taste. Grab a different snack next time you go out, because Pretzels may be about.

Reference -
http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-did-the-pretzel-get-its-shape/ . wonderopolis.org. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
Michael Gruenert (2009-08-23). "Brezelgeschichte, Brezelhistorie, Brezel, Geschichte, Historie". Brezel-baecker.de. Retrieved 2016-05-12.

Yum cha ------by Hanxi

Yum cha is the most popular food in many place where have Chinese on their. But also Yum cha get many foreigner's like. In Sydney, when you go to a good Yum cha restaurant, you will see the number of foreigner will more than Chinese.

Some people think Yum cha is suit of the old people, because they get more time to enjoy the life.But for young people also need to enjoy the life. Of course eat Yum cha you need get more free time. Because the most important things to eat Yum cha not only enjoy the food, people also want get the time to get relax, and have chat time with friend.

The most important thing can note without in Yum cha , is tea. For the name Yum cha , "cha" is the Chinese pronunciation of tea. Actually, Yum cha just a type of Chinese style brunch tea, which involves drinking Chinese tea and eating dim sum. It is quit same with afternoon tea in Europe,but they may eat some cakes.

The dim sum often cook in the stem way, and when you eat can with some sauce. But also have some pan fried or deep fried food. All these served in bamboo steamers. But because Yum cha is not like the main food, so can not eat like dinner, so most of the Yum cha will close before 4pm.

Thank you for reading!

Reference

Dim Sum | Hong Kong Tourism Board. 2016. Dim Sum | Hong Kong Tourism Board. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/dine-drink/what-to-eat/must-eat/dim-sum.jsp#ixzz3nmu1P1Wm. [Accessed 9 May 2016].

Beijing Roast Duck----by Hanxi

This is the one of the must introduced Chinese food----Peking Duck, also named Beijing Roast Duck.













From the named it can clearly find this is the food which from Beijing.The reason this dish named Beijing Roast Duck because the tradition cook this dish must need the duck which living in Beijing.
The way you eat Beijing Roast Duck is very special. First the whole duck before taking it away for slicing, and usually one whole duck may produce about 108 very thin slices, and each containing both with the meat and skin. Second, after the duck slices are brought back to the table, it always with some thin pancakes, green onion or shallot, sweet soybean paste is must have and fresh cucumber can not without, also sometimes have garlic paste and sugar. So you can choice which one you like add with duck put onto the pancake.Finally, don't add the sweet soybean paste, then roll up the pancake and eat it.

Because of the Beijing Duck so delicious have someone said " when you travel to Beijing there are two things you have to do, one is go to the great wall, and the other one is must eat traditional Beijing Roast Duck !!!

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed this post.


Reference

Liang, Shih-Chiu. "Roast duck" (烧鸭). in Jiang H. (ed.) Liang Shiqiu's Selected Proses (2000). Hangzhou:Zhejiang Literary Press. ISBN 7-5339-0562-8

Can't go wrong with Thai!

This one's all about Pad Thai, a popular dish originating from Thailand.


Thai cuisine is one of the most popular cuisine in the world. Their cooking methods emphasises on lightly prepared dishes combined with strong aromatic flavours and a spicy edge to top it off.

Fun Fact: Seven of Thailand's popular dishes made it to the list of the "World's 50 Most Delicious Foods" (2011)

Pad Thai is both a common street and restaurant dish served in Thailand. It is usually made with dried rice noodles which are stir-fried with eggs and chopped tofu and then flavoured with tamarind pulp, fish sauce, garlic/shallots, dried shrimp and red chilli pepper. Finally, lime wedges as well as chopped roasted peanuts are served to accompany the dish.

There are many variations of Pad Thai from which customers may choose to order. Others may be stir-fried with fresh shrimp, crab, squid, chicken and other proteins. Also, a range of vegetables such as been sprouts, garlic chives, pickled radish, turnips, coriander leaves and raw banana flowers may be incorporated into the dish to create different flavours or further enhance the already satisfying taste!

                                                                                             




Some popular Thai cuisines situated in Sydney include The Best Thai (1/261 Victoria St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010), Home Thai Restaurant (1-2/299 Sussex St, Sydney NSW 2000) and Senyai (486 Kent St, Sydney NSW 2000).


Never liked Thai before? Well we hope you've changed your mind after reading this!

-Tommy


Reference: 

Pad Thai for beginners « Chez Pim. 2016. Pad Thai for beginners « Chez Pim. [ONLINE] Available at:http://chezpim.com/cook/pad_thai_for_beginners. [Accessed 08 May 2016]