What Is Sake

Sake is a traditional Japanese rice wine whose history extends back more than a thousand years. Although often called rice wine, its production resembles that of beer, since starch from polished rice grains must first be converted into fermentable sugars...

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What Is Rúcula

Rúcula, known in English as rocket or arugula, is a peppery leafy green that has featured in Mediterranean cuisine for millennia. Its botanical name, Eruca sativa, reflects its heritage in the Brassicaceae family, which includes mustard and cabbage. Ancient Romans...

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What Is Cool Whip

Cool Whip emerged in the United States in the mid twentieth century as an American response to the growing demand for convenient dessert toppings. Developed by the food company Kraft in 1966, it was created as a shelf stable imitation...

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What Is Distilled Water

The practice of distilling water stretches back to ancient civilisations such as those of Egypt and Mesopotamia, where early scientists sought methods to separate pure water from impurities and salts. Alchemists in medieval Europe refined distillation apparatus, using copper alembics...

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What Is the Correct Cooked Temperature for Chicken

Ensuring that chicken reaches the proper internal temperature is essential both for food safety and for achieving succulent results. Undercooked poultry risks harbouring harmful bacteria such as salmonella and campylobacter, while overcooking can dry out the meat, leaving it tough...

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What Is Disaronno

Disaronno traces its roots to 1525 in Saronno, a small town near Milan, Italy, where a local friar is said to have created an amber‐coloured liqueur as a gift for the Madonna della Misericordia fresco. Over the centuries this fragrant...

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What Is Cognac

Cognac is a refined brandy produced exclusively in the Cognac region of western France. Its history stretches back to the sixteenth century when Dutch traders began distilling local wines to create a more stable spirit suitable for shipping. Named after...

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What Is Rum Made From

Rum has a storied history that reaches back to the sugarcane plantations of the Caribbean in the seventeenth century. Early European colonisers discovered that the byproducts of sugar production yielded a potent spirit when fermented and distilled. Molasses, a dark...

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What Is Dim Sum

Dim sum refers to a collection of small, bite sized dishes that originated in southern China, particularly in the teahouses along the ancient Silk Road in the Guangdong province. The phrase dim sum literally means “touch the heart” and was...

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