Kerala July 23, 2008

Kerala is an Indian state on the tropical Malabar Coast in the south-western part of the country. Kerala has a wet and maritime tropical climate with 120-140 rainy days each year and an average annual rainfall right above 3000 mm. The climate is heavily influenced by the southwest summer monsoon.

The eastern parts of Kerala is drier than the rest of the state and some of Kerala’s lowland regions only gets around 1250 mm of rainfall per year. The mountainous district of eastern Idukki is no the other hand much rainier than average and receives over 5000 mm of rain annually.

Located on the tropical Malabar Coast, Kerala is a highly appreciated tourist destination and was named as one of the “ten paradises of the world” and “50 places of a lifetime” by the National Geographic Traveler magazine. Examples of popular tourist attractions in the state of Kerala are the Padmanabhapuram Palace and the Mattancherry Palace, both heritage sites, and the hill stations Munnar, Nelliampathi, Ponmudi and Wayanad. Kerala is also home to a rich flora and fauna, especially in the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, e.g. the Eravikulam National Park.

For those interesting in beach life and water sport activities, there are plenty of beaches to choose among, especially at Varkala, Cherai and Kovalam. Varkala is famous for having cliffs adjacent to the Arabian Sea, while Cherai is famed for having not only beautiful beaches but one of the main Hindu temples as well, the Cherai Gowreeshwara Temple.

Vanilla July 23, 2008

Vanila is a genus comprised of over 100 described orchid species. The most prominent of them is of course the species used to make commercial vanilla flavouring, the celebrated Vanilla planifolia. There are however a small number of growers that cultivate Vanilla pompona and Vanilla tahitensis instead. Vanilla is used in food as well as in cosmetic products and perfumes.

The name vanilla is derived from vaina, the Spanish word for scabbard. The diminutive form of vaina is vainilla. Before you can use vanilla, you have to cure it. This process is necessary to free the flavour components because they are bound as glycosides. During curing, they are freed by enzymatic reaction.

Mailordercomedy July 23, 2008

Mailordercomedy is a small comedy group consisting of no more than 4 members, but despite this they continue to entertain us immensely. Take for instance this enchanting little video about the life of white urban middle-class wizards living out their enthralling lifestyle on the streets of America. I hope you will like it; I know I did!

Coq au vin July 23, 2008

Coq au vin is the French term for ”rooster in wine” and different variants of this delicious dish can be found all over the country. Coq au vin is a fricassee with wine, mushrooms, and lardons. (Lardons are strips of fat bacon or salt pork.) It is also common to add garlic when cooking coq au vin. When making coq au vin, it is recommended to use a fairly old rooster because such birds contain a lot of connective tissue and this will serve to make the broth much richer.

As mentioned above, different regions and even different chefs have their own special variety of coq au vin. It is for instance common to use locally produced wines from the area. If you visit Alsace, you may be served Coq au vin Riesling, while cooks in Jura are known for their Coq au vin Jaune.

According to legend, coq au vin was prepared in ancient Gaul and the dish is said to have been eaten by Julius Ceasar himself, but these legends are not backed up by any hard evidence. The first documents regarding coq au vin are from the 1900s, but there is no doubt that this rustic dish was prepared in the French countryside using local wines and locally picked mushrooms long before that.