Lec. 12 Cuisine

Question 1

What are examples of foods made in mortars?

Answer 1

• grain
• plantains
• sticky rice cake (mochi)
• sauces (pesto)

Question 2

Name four traditional dishes made in a mortar.

Answer 2

1.Poi (made from taro)
2.Futu (African)
3.Pesto sauce
4.Mochi

Poi

Question 3

What is the origin myth for the first human in traditional Hawaii?

Answer 3

Humans came from the Kalo plant (taro)

Question 4

What is sago?

Sago

Answer 4

Starch from a tropical palm used as staple carbohydrate in Papua New Guinea.

Question 5

How could you use a mortar to cook food?

Answer 5

Use hot stones heated in fire

Question 6

Why were round (cylindrical) mills (querns) not used in ancient central America?

Answer 6

The maize grains were ground wet on a metate (grinding stone) to produce masa (Tamal).
A rotation mill would clog up with wet grains

METATE

Question 7

What is the difference between a corm and a quern?

Corm

Answer 7

A corm is the lower part of a plant and a quern is a stone mill.

Question 8

What uses of mills other than for grain or starch?

Answer 8

Oil from fruit or seeds (olives, sesame) and spice mixtures (wet curries).

Question 9

Why is preparing gruel easier than baking bread?

GRUEL

Answer 9

Less heat required.

Question 9

What methods of powering mills are there?

Answer 9

Water weight, water movement, animals, people, wind, steam engine, internal combustion engine, electric engine.

Question 10

How is gruel prepared?

Answer 10

Milled or crushed grains are boiled in water until soft, flavors can be added as desired, honey, spices, salt etc..…

Question 11

What gives bread its structure?

Answer 11

Gas bubbles generated by the fermentation with yeasts (baker’s/brewer’s yeast or wild yeast).

Question 12

How is bread made?

Answer 12

Grain flour is mixed with yeast, salt and water, kneaded into a soft and elastic dough and allowed to rest. Loaves are shaped and allowed to proof until doubled in size before they are baked in an oven.

Question 13

What sources of starch are used for making noodles:

Answer 13

1.Millet
2. sorghum
3. wheat, buckwheat
4. rice,
5. bean and mixtures thereof

MILLET

Question 14

What is a Polynesian imu?

Answer 14

A traditional Polynesian ground oven.

IMU = ground oven

Question 15

How can one bake bread without an oven?

Answer 15

In a covered pot (Dutch oven) with heat source mostly on the lid, to avoid burning the bottom of the bread. Baking time is longer than in an oven, as heat is lower.

DUTCH OVEN

Question 16

What is the temperature in a bread oven?

Answer 16

400 to 700 degrees F.

Question 17

What is the most fuel-efficient way of cooking bread?

Answer 17

Steaming

Question 18

What is the temperature of steam?

Answer 18

212 F

Question 19

What happens to starch as bread gets stale?

Answer 19

the starch network weakens and bread loose its elasticity, brief heating returns the original flavor and texture.

Question 20

What is a critical grain quality requirement for popcorn?

Answer 20

Intactness of seed coat and moisture content.

Question 21

Name a way to steam food that does not involve pots and pans.

Answer 21

Wrapping in leaves or filling into bamboo.

Question 22

Which is older, pottery or farming?

Answer 22

Pottery in China is a sold as 20,000 years, farming is around 12,000 years old

Question 23

What makes fried foods a relative luxury?

Answer 23

The need for large volumes of oil.

Question 24

What is the temperature range of frying oils?

Answer 24

300 to 520 F

Question 25

What sources for plant oil are used in temperate zones, mediterranean climate, Sahel region and tropical Africa respectively?

Answer 25

walnut, olive, shea, palm

Question 26

What is traditional sausage casing made of?

Answer 26

Animal guts.

Question 27

How is natural selection occurring in a dough starter (levain)?

Answer 27

Wild yeasts compete out bacteria as yeasts are better at fermenting starches,

the mature starter smells sweet and pleasant, unlike the nasty smelling initial mix from which it evolves.

Question 28

What dishes can be created without fire?

Answer 28

• ceviche (lime/lemon treatment of fish, shellfish),
• salads,
• pounded meats (tartar),
• raw fish (sashimi),
• raw fish with fermented coconut milk (Te miti hue, Tahiti)…….
• fermented dishes not requiring boiling….
• Jerky (charqui, freeze dried meat strips in Peru)

Question 29

What is the basis for flavoring sauces such as soy sauces, fish sauce, liquid
amino, maggi etc?

Answer 29

Hydrolyzed protein from protein rich plant sources (beans)

or fish provide glutamate that can from salts with sodium, monosodium glutamate activates the umami receptors and thus strongly enhances the “savory” taste of foods.