Share A Gourmet Food Basket With Your LoverWritten by Marguerite Bonneville
A gourmet food basket is an excellent gift for man or woman who 'has everything'. Most gourmet foods available in delicatessens and supermarket 'delis' of western countries are derived from European and Middle Eastern cuisines. Each culture has its own range of gourmet or highly prized foodstuffs, and as a result of large-scale migration, it's now possible for most people to have opportunity of trying delicacies from around globe. But in this article, we'll focus primarily on European foods.Gourmet gift baskets usually contain savory (or salty) foods, although you can also buy gift baskets containing your favorite sweets. Often these are primarily what we call 'junk food'. Savory gourmet foods are a fabulous way to totally indulge senses, primarily senses of taste, texture and smell. They include foods like Cheese There are all kinds of wonderful cheeses available on your supermarket shelves. Some of most popular are - Emmentaler (from Switzerland) - Jarlsberg (from Norway) - Gouda (from The Netherlands) - Edam (from The Netherlands) - Parmesan (from Italy) - Romano (from Italy) Olives Most of Mediterranean countries grow olives and pickle them in a variety of marinades. Greek olives differ from Italian olives because of ingredients used in their dressings. Pickled & Marinated Vegetables Each country has its own specific recipes and methods of pickling vegetables, most of which are delectable. Sun dried tomatoes, pickled cucumbers, marinated eggplant, artichoke hearts and marinated mushrooms are just a few of items available in this category. Most gourmet foodstuffs have a high salt component. They are astringent or tangy, as most marinades include vinegars and oils. They stimulate savory areas of our taste buds. Dried Breads Again, every country has its wheat-based gourmet products, from crisp breads to papadams. They provide an excellent base on which to add a combination of ingredients, much like a standard savory biscuit or cracker. Smoked Seafood You can include a variety of seafood products in a gourmet treat. Pickled herrings, smoked oysters, smoked mussels or clams all blend well with other savory gourmet products. Pates And Meats Pates are used as spreads on dried biscuits while meats such as salami, ham and prosciutto blend well with cheese, olives and pickled vegetables. Wine Because wine is usually a savory taste and blends well with gourmet foods items, it is often included in gourmet gift baskets. Again, there are thousands of types of wines from different countries and individual regions within them. Wines differ as a result of type of grape used, soil in which grapes grow, climate of region, harvesting and preserving procedures, plus overall winemaking process. The result is incredible range of wines available to most of us living in western countries.
| | Can Chocolate Benefit Your Health?Written by Marguerite Bonneville
If you're a fan of chocolate you're in good company. Chocolate is one of most popular sweet-tasting treats in world and has been for centuries. But part of myth surrounding chocolate is that it tastes so good it must be bad for your health. Which gives it an air of forbidden. A beautifully wrapped box of chocolates has always been considered a very romantic gift. So if special person in your life is a self-confessed chocoholic, you know one surefire way to please them on special occasions. But surprising news from scientific community is that this reputedly decadent treat actually has some health benefits, especially if you choose your chocolate wisely. Is Chocolate A Health Food? Chocolate contains over 300 chemicals, and has been subject of a number of studies by universities and other scientific organizations. Here's a quick rundown of results. We have no way of proving or disproving these claims so we offer them here as a stimulus for further research. If you're really interested in subject, this may provide you with a starting point. * Cacao, source of chocolate, contains antibacterial agents that fight tooth decay. Of course this is counteracted by high sugar content of milk chocolate. * The smell of chocolate may increase theta brain waves, resulting in relaxation. * Chocolate contains phenyl ethylamine, a mild mood elevator. * The cocoa butter in chocolate contains oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fat which may raise good cholesterol. * Drinking a cup of hot chocolate before meals may actually diminish appetite. * Men who eat chocolate live a year longer than those who don't. * The flavanoids in chocolate may help keep blood vessels elastic. * Chocolate increases antioxidant levels in blood. * Mexican healers use chocolate to treat bronchitis and insect bites.
|
