Topics

Dec

In the Kitchen with OIC: Cooking with Spice!

by Joyce McGreevy on December 21, 2020

Nistha Trehun teaches an online class on cooking with spices, using Indian tradition as inspiration for any cuisine you like. (Image © by Nistha Trehun, The Kitty Party)

Live from Berlin, Nistha shares the art and science of spices with people around the world.
© Nistha Trehun, The Kitty Party

Nistha’s Top Ingredient: Indian Tradition

What’s in your spice collection? And how long has it been there? Even confident home chefs can feel intimidated when it comes to cooking with spices. Sure, we regularly summon familiar favorites into culinary action. But are they favorites because they’re familiar?

Meanwhile, turmeric, cardamom, fenugreek, and other spices may languish in a cupboard, their magic wasting away, if we’re not sure how to use them. Read more...

Joyce McGreevy 2 Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/India/The World's Chefs

Dec

Happy National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day

by Meredith Mullins on December 15, 2020

Chocolate covered strawberries, showing the cultural traditions of Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Image © iStock/5second.)

Celebrating chocolate in the best possible ways
© iStock/5second

Savoring the Cultural Traditions of Chocolate

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.
—Charles M. Schultz

Have you ever had a craving for chocolate-covered bacon? How about chocolate jalapeños? Could you resist a chocolate-covered mushroom?

Despite the challenges of the year 2020, we should rightfully honor any national day that delivers pure joy. One of those days that rises to the top of the bliss list is National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day (December 16). So, let’s celebrate its cultural traditions. Read more...

Meredith Mullins 4 Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/USA/Worldwide Sites

Nov

In the Kitchen with OIC: “Pan” Cultural Cuisine!

by Joyce McGreevy on November 23, 2020

In lockdown? Don’t flip out—flip a pancake instead!
Gilaxia/ iStock

Easy Pancakes from Around the World

Rembrandt sketched them. Shakespeare wrote them into his plays. Sweden established an academy in their honor. They’ve starred in ancient tales and modern movies, inspired mad dashes and dashes of spice and color.

They are pancakes. For many of us, that means a common breakfast food that takes minutes to cook, seconds to eat, and hours to walk off. In fact, that little circle on your plate connects to a multitude of ingredients, shapes, languages, and traditions. Oh, I see: Known by hundreds of names and varieties around the world, this food encompasses a rich “pan” cultural cuisine. Read more...

Joyce McGreevy 4 Comments

Cultural Diversity/Cultural Heritage & Traditions/The World's Chefs/Worldwide Sites

World Views: