Prunes are dried plum which simply means the juice extracted from prune contains various plum benefits. The scientific name of plum is Prunus domestica. More than thousands of varieties of plums are cultivated to dry and make prunes. When the plum, it retains all nutrients but also promotes particular ingredient called sorbitol. The juicing process begins when the plums are harvested and dried. Besides its nutrients, it is also good due to the presence of fiber with combination of minerals, antioxidants and vitamins found in this juice. Being a great source of energy, it does not cause rapid change in…

Japanese persimmon is also known from other common names such as Persimmon, Chinese Persimmon, Chinese Plum, Chinese Fig, Date Plum, Kaki, Kakee Plum2, Kaki Persimmon, Japanese Persimmon, Oriental Persimmon, Keg Fig, Persimmon and Sahron Fruit. With its scientific name Diospyros kaki is originated in East Asia and is also cultivated in China and Japan with the development of numerous varieties for many centuries. Presently, it is grown for its edible fruit in Asia, Mediterranean, Southern U.S., South America and Hawaii. The species was cultivated only when the wild species D. roburghii was developed. When planted commercially, it grafted onto rootstock…

A delicious fruit mango is enjoyed by all aged people. On the other hand, mango skin is discarded. Mango is a tropical drupe with a thin skin and central stone. It has over 1000 varieties across world and also cultivated in over 103 countries. Mangoes have high content of fiber, vitamin C and vitamin A. Mango peels has wide range of nutrients and health benefits which are mostly unknown to the people. Mango peels contain certain chemicals such as ethyl gallate and penta-O-galloyl-glucoside helps to inhibit tumour growth, lower chances of heart diseases and also protects liver health. Peels also…

Muenster cheese came from United States. Probably it might be introduced by German immigrants as an imitation of Alsatian washed rind Munster cheese. The name is not associated to Irish province of Munster or German city of Münster but French city of Munster in Alsace. Muenster cheese is a semi-soft cheese which is made from unpasteurized cow’s milk in Alsatian Vosges region and in France the Franche-Comte region. The taste might vary from bland resembling white American cheese to sharp resembling Monterey Jack cheese. Its flavor also varies from light to strong which depends on the time the cheese is…

Apricot botanically known as Prunus armeciaca belongs to Rosacea family. It is the nutritious fruit and the scientific name have been derived from Armenia probably where it have originated. It has been cultivated for more than 3000 years in India. Apricot is an orange colored small fruit which has thin skin covering soft and tangy flesh. Generally apricots are orange or yellow in color having slight red tinge on a side. The taste resembles peaches and plums. Seed which is often called stones is enclosed in a hard shell. Being a versatile fruit, it is used in various ways. Dried…

Orange peel means the rind of orange fruit. The orange fruit has slightly bumpy outer skin with some white pith under it. Orange peel has high content of flavonoids, phytochemicals, antioxidants along with vitamin B, A, C, calcium, copper and magnesium. Orange peel contains high content of carbohydrates. Similar to all citrus fruits, it possesses polymethoxylated flavones. In order to achieve health benefits, one should not consume raw orange peels but could use it as a zest to beverages and foods. Peel provides anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties which is helpful to treat oily and acne skin. It acts as a…

Potato skins are appetizer or snack food which is prepared from unpeeled potato halves, hollowed and dressed with bacon, green onions and cheddar cheese. Potatoes are considered to be widely consumed food after wheat, corn and rice in the world. People have widely accepted the taste of potato across age and across countries. Most of the times, peel is removed while cooking. The peel of potato protects nutrients found in potato which holds nutrients that are good for us. Peeling off potato loses nutrients. The peel assists to provide healthy skin and prevent from various diseases. The potato skin could…

An outer peel of the lemon fruit is known as Lemon Peel. The term lemon peel indicates rind, zest and rest outer shell of the fruit. Lemons are inherent to Indian subcontinent of Asia. Lemon provides culinary, confectionary and cosmetic uses. Lemon juice is widely used in cooking and also for beverages such as lemonade. Lemon peel also offers variety of uses and also numerous health benefits. Lemon peel is rich in calcium, vitamin C and A, fiber and potassium which overall enhance the functions of muscles, nerves, heart, eyes and digestive system. This peel also contains high content of…

Mango is a juicy fruit with a stone and belonging to genus Mangifera. It is inherent to Tropical Asia and commonly used in India. It is used in desserts and various cuisines. Mango is a national fruit of India. It is the tropical fruit which naturally grows in hot climates of Southeast Asia and also does well in parts of Australia and South America. Dried mango term indicates the dried form of fruit mango that comes from mango tree with its scientific name as Mangifera indica. The fruits are dehydrated or dried naturally and have long shelf life after the…

Nothing can exceed the fragrant and sweet flavor of ripe melon. Melons reach their best from early summer to mid-fall. Pale green honeydew and orange flesh cantaloupe has strong and sweet aroma. It becomes softer when they get ripened. The red fleshed watermelons are juicy and when thumped, it should sound hollow and on one side the white patch should be small. Melon balls are the balls of melon which is made with the use of melon baller. The balls might vary from 3/8 inch to 1 inch (1 centimeter to 3 centimeters). Generally, it is used in fruit salads.…

Juices have become a part of healthy diet. Juices are best way to get required nutrients, minerals and vitamins found in fruits. Fruit juices are more convenient and also taste better. Cherries are loaded with various essential nutrients. The juices extracted from cherries possess inflammatory and antioxidant properties and offers various health benefits. Generally, there are two varieties of cherry juice such as tart cherry juice and black cherry juice. Black cherry juice contains high amount of vitamin C and A whereas Tart cherry juice contains high content of anthocyanins. Both juices contain potassium and sodium electrolyte. Sweet cherries are…

Brie is the soft cow’s milk cheese which has been named after the French region Brie. The cheese is pale in color having a slight grayish tinge under the rind of white mold. It is prepared from whole and also semi-skimmed milk. The curd is attained with the addition of rennet to raw milk and heated to the temperature of 99 °F (37 °C). Then the cheese is cast into molds. A mold has several thin layers of cheese and is drained for 18 hours. Then it is taken out of molds, salted and inoculated with cheese culture and aged…

Dried apples are tasty and healthy snack. Also known as apple rings, it is loaded with natural sweetness. The food drying is the oldest method to preserve food so that it could have later use. Drying discards the moisture from food so that yeast, bacteria and mold cannot grow and spoil food. It also slows down enzymes action but does not inactivate them. The increment in food temperature evaporates moisture and air moving food carries moisture away. The balance of humidity and temperature is essential for successful drying. The dried apples are chewy, soft and lack moisture due to the…

The fruits which are preserved in sugar are known as candied fruits. Candied fruit is also called glace fruit or crystallized fruit that have existed since 14thg century. Fruits are picked before they get ripened fully to get the maximum favor. The traditional process of Candying fruit is blanching fruits to soften and then soaked it in concentrated syrups. The process of drenching fruit in syrup prevents growth of spolage microorganisms due to the creation of unfavorable osmotic pressure. Syrups are heated to accurate temperatures for preventing from caramelizing or crystallizing. This traditional method is used for fragile or perishable…

Rice vinegar is also known as rice wine vinegar which is made from fermented rice in China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. Commonly it is used in salad dressings, marinades and pickling vegetables. The color of rice vinegar ranges from clear to various shades of red and brown. Each variety has got different taste. Chinese If compared to Japanese ones, Chinese rice vinegars are stronger and color range from clear to various shades of red, brown and black. It is also called rice wine vinegar. Japanese and Chinese vinegars are less acidic than distilled Western vinegars. Asian rice vinegar is more…

Asiago cheese is an Italian cow’s milk with variety of texture such as smooth to crumbly which depends on its aging. This cheese is grated in soups, salads, sauces and pastas. It is sliced for preparing sandwiches or Panini and also could be melted on various dishes and cantaloupe. Being one of the typical products of Veneto region, it is still popular and widely used in DOP area where it is produced. Strictly the production area defines that it starts from meadows of Po Valley and ends in Alpine pastures between Asiago Plateau and Trentino highlands. The milk is collected…

Monterey Jack cheese is mainly produced in California and is originated in Monterey County but now it is made elsewhere in California particularly in Wisconsin and Sonoma County. Generally this cheese is aged about six weeks and hardly three months. It is a semi-hard cheese which is made with cow’s milk. The cheese has bland flavor, pale ivory in color with smooth, semi-soft texture. Sometimes it is flavored with pimientos or jalapeno peppers and spices. Dry Jack is an aged and rarer version which is a deep yellow to gold cheese having similar texture and flavor of well-aged cheddar. Cheddar…

Almond, Prunus dulcis, is originated from Middle East but today its popularity has increased over worldwide as a healthy snack. Probably almond is popular among Americans due to the fact that United States being the largest producer of almond. Almond is found with its cells but it could be distributed as unshelled almond or in form of processed food. Almond butter is one of the processed food of almond. Almond butter is the paste made from almonds. It may be roasted or raw. It is rich in monounsaturated fats, potassium, calcium, manganese and iron. It is a great source of…

Bran is also called miller’s bran. It is the hard outer layer of cereal grain which comprises of aleurone and pericarp. It is an essential part of whole grains which is formed as a byproduct of milling in producing refined grains. Bran loses some portion of nutritional value, when it is detatched from grains. Bran could be found in cereal grains such as corn, rice, oats, wheat, millet, rye and barley. It is not equivalent to chaff which is scaly and coarser material that encloses grain but is not the part of grain. Cereal grain has endosperm that is the…

It is a food product which is made from tough outer layer of corn. It is rich in fiber and is used in various ways. In home cooking, it is used to increase fiber content of various foods and also to add texture. Grains compose of three parts: bran, endosperm and germ. Bran is a hard outer shell that protects grain from elements. The bran could be processed and also independently sold. Theoretically, maize bran resides bran coating eliminated in early stages of processing. The corn products such a grits incorporate bran and germ for additional nutritional value. The finer…

Wheat kernel is composed of three parts: bran, endosperm and germ. Wheat bran is an outside layer of kern which is hard and is separated from other parts of kernel by milling. This plant component is indigestible that contains 45% of dietary fiber in which more than 90% is insoluble fiber. There are two types of fiber: one is soluble fiber and other is insoluble fiber. This dietary fiber is related to effectively maintain bowel regularity. It is healthy for maintaining digestive health and also prevents constipation. Similar to oat bran, it is also once used as a feed for…

Brand refers the outer layers of grain especially pericarp with its three sub layers such as exocarp, mesocarp and endocarp, testa and aleurone layer. It contains only the seed bran not a complete whole grain. Oat bran considered a whole grain is rich in fiber. When devoured as a hot cereal, it offers vitamin B, magnesium, iron and selenium. One cup of cooked oat bran grants 30 percent of the daily requirement of selenium which is a mineral that prevents damage caused by free radicals; assist in production of DNA and proper functioning of thyroid glands. It is a byproduct…

Rice is a perennial grass which belongs to the grass family Poaceae and originated in India, Southern China and Thailand. It was diversified and domesticated in ancient times and is cultivated in semi-tropical, wet tropical and warm temperate areas around the world for producing its cereal grain. Rice is the primary cereal crops in the word for human consumption. Rice serves as the main source of calories for more than half of the world’s population. Rice bran is the hard outer layers of cereal grain which consists of combined aleurone as well as pericarp. It is an essential part of…

Hominy is a food which is prepared from dried maize kernels and is treated with alkali in a process known as nixtamalization. The whole corn kernels which is soaked in a lye or lime solution to soften tough outer hulls. Then kernels are washed to eliminate excess solution, hull and germ. Sometimes, Hominy are cracked to make samp, grounded into grits and is finely grounded to make masa flour. Hominy could be added to posole and cheesy casserole. It could be found in both dried and canned form. Dried hominy requires soaking hominy grains for eight hours and simmering it…

Vegetable oils are the mixture of various refined oils such as soybean, canola, safflower and sunflower oils. The oil has neutral flavor with high smoking point about 400°F. With high smoking point, it is used for frying and sautéing over high heat. The extraction process comprises of many chemicals and some manufacturers might add coloring or bleach oil to make it more uniform and appealing. Vegetable oils are rich in polyunsaturated fats. These fats are heart healthy type. Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are two unsaturated fatty acids which are essential. Omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and Omega-6s are pro-inflammatory.…

Scallions are also known as salad onion, spring onion and green onion. It is the vegetables of onion species Allium and is closely related to shallot, garlic, chive, leek and Chinese onion. Scallion is the variety of young onions having white roots and hollow or dark green stems. Scallions have white root part which has not developed an onion bulb. It has mild flavor in comparison to mature onion bulbs and green onions. It is a perfect substitute or chives. It could be used raw or cooked. Leaves are consumed as vegetables or consumed cooked or raw. It is available…

Scientifically known as Zea Mays Everta, popcorn is variety of corn kernel that puffs up or expands when heated. The hull of popcorn kernel contains hard and starchy endosperm having 14 to 20 percentage of moisture that converts steam when the kernel is heated. As the pressure from the steam carries on, the hull ruptures that allows kernel to expand forcefully from 20 to 50 times of its original size. Some corn strains are especially cultivated as popping corns. Corn is of six major types: flint corn, dent corn, popcorn, pod corn, sweet corn and flour corn. It resembles corn-on-the-cob.…

Also pronounced as free-kah, Freekeh is wheat that have been harvested while green or young. It is roasted on open fire and then chaff and straw are rubbed and burned. As the grain inside is young and moist to burn, only remains is firm and slightly chewy grain having distinct flavor of nutty, earthy and slightly smoky. It is a predominant in Middle Eastern diets for centuries but started recently got popularity stateside. It is regarded as ancient dish which is derived from North African and Levantine cuisines which remains popular in various countries of Eastern Mediterranean Basin. While the…

Five spice powders is a combination of five species which involves cloves, star anise, Szechuan pepper, cinnamon and fennel seeds. But some formulas also add galangal, ginger root or other spices and herbs. It was created to enclose all five tastes such as sweet, bitter, sour, salty, spicy, hot and pungent. This spice tastes well with roasted meats. It is a mixture of five dried ground spices which is extensively used in Chinese cooking. Five spice powders are called ngh heung fan in Cantonese and wu xiang fen in Mandarin. Five spice powders are prevalent in Taiwanese and Chinese cuisine…

Due to the versatility of lemon, it is regarded to be the most popular citrus fruit. It is recognized for its refreshing flavor and scent that makes it suitable for flavoring various recipes as well as perfumes. It is extensively used in all types of drinks such as juices, teas and cocktails. Beside its flavor, lemon also possesses medicinal properties. Lemon offers an excellent source of Vitamin C which provides antiviral, antibacterial and immune boosting abilities. One could obtain these health benefits by juicing it. Lemon juice possess detoxifying and digestive agent which assist in cleansing liver resulting in better…