Week 1 Food

Let me introduce you to the Kabyle food !...

Family courses, exotic and spicy. The Kabyle food (which are my origins for 50% thanks to my mother:), is mostly composed of semolina, vegetables and fish (a lot of sardine with cumin for example). The « Couscous » which is prevelent in the Kabyle culture, can be composed of many different things: eggplant, pepper, chicken or chili... If I can talk about my experience, one of the specialities that I love is called « arhlum ». This is a kind of bread that differs from the others by it’s use of olive oil. And obviously the main ingredient is the semolia (you add also the oil, salt and water). Kabyle families use to make it early in the morning, and it could be repeted a lot of time in a week (it's quite easy to make and quick, in fact it could take more than 10 minutes to do it). I can remember that when I was a child and came to see my mother’s parents, my grandmother used to cook me this because she knew that it was a pleasure for me.

But I cannot talk about kabyle food without mention at least one of their famous cakes. As you know, it’s rich and sugary thanks to honey. But it’s so tasty and beautiful. To give an example, one of them called « Baklava » is my favorite. This is composed of two thick layers of puff pastry with in the center a mixture of honey, crushed nuts, and crushed pistachios. All this with orange blossom.
Thank you for reading me ! Have a nice day and go taste it !!

Kinz Mounier

kinz wrote:Let me introduce you to the Kabyle food !...

Family courses, exotic and spicy. The Kabyle food (which are my origins for 50% thanks to my mother:), is mostly composed of semolina, vegetables and fish (a lot of sardine with cumin for example). The « Couscous » which is prevelent in the Kabyle culture, can be composed of many different things: eggplant, pepper, chicken or chili... If I can talk about my experience, one of the specialities that I love is called « arhlum ». This is a kind of bread that differs from the others by it’s use of olive oil. And obviously the main ingredient is the semolia (you add also the oil, salt and water). Kabyle families use to make it early in the morning, and it could be repeted a lot of time in a week (it's quite easy to make and quick, in fact it could take more than 10 minutes to do it). I can remember that when I was a child and came to see my mother’s parents, my grandmother used to cook me this because she knew that it was a pleasure for me.

But I cannot talk about kabyle food without mention at least one of their famous cakes. As you know, it’s rich and sugary thanks to honey. But it’s so tasty and beautiful. To give an example, one of them called « Baklava » is my favorite. This is composed of two thick layers of puff pastry with in the center a mixture of honey, crushed nuts, and crushed pistachios. All this with orange blossom.
Thank you for reading me ! Have a nice day and go taste it !!

Kinz Mounier

Please forgive my ignorance, is Kabyle a type of Berber or are they different?

For this week, i will present you the typical food from Allier.

You can't go in Allier without eat the "Paté aux pommes de terres". This plate is eaten during family times at every times of the year. It's a generous, inexpensive and friendly plate. The "paté aux pommes de terre" can be eating like the first plate or like a principal plate.

To cook the "paté aux pommes de terres" you need only three ingredients : potatoes, cream (lot of cream), and two shortcrust. First, you have to put the first crust on the dish. Then, put the potatoes, peeled and sliced, on the plate. You can salt and put pepper at this moment. (In the false "paté aux pommes de terres" some people put parsley, but it's not the real recipe, and I don't like this). After, you have to add four spoon of cream, and to finish close the "paté aux pommes de terre" with the other crust on the trim, like a pie. Bake the dish on the oven, for 1 hour. After that, you have to cut the top of the "paté aux pommes de terres", like a medium hole, just for add some cream (the end of the cream pot).

It can be eaten hot or cold, with ham or other type of charcuterie, and salad.

Today I decided to talk about the sweet pepper because it is obviously the best "botanical fruit" in the universe!
And I say that with complete objectivity of course.
And yes, I did call the sweet pepper a "fruit". This is not a mistake on my part, because the sweet pepper is part of that rather special family called "botanical fruit" which are considered vegetables in the culinary sense. Just like avocado, olives, pumpkin, tomato, corn, courgette, cucumber, green peas, chilli and aubergine.

Now, back to our peppers.
It is a plant native to Mexico, Central and South America. It is now cultivated all over the world.
This sweet pepper needs a subtropical climate to grow.
The pepper belongs to the same species as the chilli pepper, and it is a plant that is very often found in the south because it needs a lot of sunlight, like the aubergine for example

I am sure you have already seen sweet peppers of different colours and shapes, so let's take a closer look.

The colour of the pepper will reflect its degree of ripeness
First green, later red (the internal composition will change, its sugar content will increase more and more to reach maturity with a complete red

Red: the ripest, it is sweet and rich in fibre and vitamins A and C
Yellow and orange: more delicate, softer and juicier, it has the most tender and fragrant flesh. The most Vitamin C
Green: the least ripe, least caloric and contains the most vitamin B9

There are several shapes of peppers, including the famous square pepper,
But we also find, for example, the semi-long (more gouty), the long sweet Landes (thinner skin), the mini pepper ("piquillo", Basque variety) and many others.
In general, sweet peppers are high in vitamin C (up to 150mg per 100g), which is twice as much as oranges and kiwi fruit. Excellent for the body's defences, rich in fibre, dietary and diuretic. It is 90% water. Isn't it wonderful?

Cooked or raw, it has many uses in the kitchen. Stuffed, in a coulis or as a condiment in the same way as an onion. You will find peppers in pies, pasta, salads, cakes, gratins, lasagne and of course the famous ratatouille.

Tips
It is possible to have digestive problems due to the skin of the pepper when it is raw
If you want to peel it, a little advice: use a blowtorch! Yes, this is a technique that is often taught in catering schools
When you cut it, remember to remove the membranes and seeds because they are not very digestible.

At the market or in the shop, here are some tips for choosing your beautiful peppers...
They should be bright and firm, not too wilted and with a nice colour.

At last, with these words, I will end this praise of this wonderful product.
Bon appétit!

Clément

Hello everyone!

As you know, I come from Tahiti, a small island located in the Pacific Ocean. And who says island, says fish.

Indeed, having the chance to have an ocean full of fish, our meals are often composed of fish.

Thus, fish is consumed in different ways: cooked obviously or raw in the form of tartar, sashimi, carpaccio of tuna, ...
However, today I am going to talk about raw fish with coconut milk, the typical dish of French Polynesia. It is simply raw tuna cut in small cubes, tomatoes, cucumber, grated carrots, onions, lemon juice without forgetting the famous fresh coconut milk which makes all the difference!

Served with rice or French fries (normal or local made of Tahitian products such as "taro" or "uru"), the raw fish is eaten as well at breakfast (on Sunday mornings with other specialties), as a starter or as a main course. It is a cold dish that is eaten all year round (the average temperature in Tahiti being 30°C almost all year round ). Needless to say, I miss it!

So I invite you to try this exceptional dish if you have the opportunity (the tuna in Tahiti is much better than in France so if you don't like it, go to Tahiti and you'll change your mind )

Heitiare

Heitiare YIP wrote:Bonjour tout le monde !

Comme vous le savez, je viens de Tahiti, une petite île située dans l'océan Pacifique. Et qui dit île, dit poisson.

En effet, ayant la chance d'avoir un océan rempli de poissons, nos repas sont souvent composés de poisson (la pêche étant la passion de beaucoup de tahitiens)

Ainsi, le poisson est consommé de différentes manières : cuit évidemment ou cru sous forme de tartare, sashimi, carpaccio de thon, ...
Cependant, aujourd'hui je vais vous parler du poisson cru au lait de coco, le plat typique de la Polynésie Française. Il s'agit simplement de thon cru coupé en petits cubes, de tomates, de concombre, de carottes râpées, d'oignons, de jus de citron sans oublier le fameux lait de coco frais qui fait toute la différence !  (/!\ on dit UN coco, UNE noix de coco )

Servi avec du riz ou des frites (normales ou locales composées de produits de Tahiti tels que le "taro" ou le "uru"), le poisson cru se consomme aussi bien au petit déjeuner (le dimanche matin avec d'autres spécialités), en entrée ou en plat principal. Il s'agit d'un plat froid qui est consommé tout au long de l'année (la température moyenne de Tahiti étant de 30°C presque toute l'année ). Inutile de vous dire que cela me manque !

Je vous invite donc à goûter ce plat exceptionnel si vous en avez l'occasion (le thon à Tahiti est bien meilleur qu'en France donc si vous n'aimez pas ça, allez à Tahiti et vous changerez d'avis )

Heitiare

Heitiare. It's English :-)

Me, I would like to speak you the tunisian food, and particular the my father's dishe : the pasta at tunisian tomato sauce (my father is tunisian and it his birthday today, so big up to my father lol) .

This dish is unbelievable thank's to it sauce composed to spices and harissa (warning ! It that "pick" cherry !).
-For the based (the noodles), we can use all sortes pasta, such as noodles or coquillettes for example, but the most use keep it's macaronis or spaghettis.
-For the meat, we can put chicken, sheep or beef (at my house, it's often beef because "it's married good").
-For the sauce, it's necessary have concentrated tomato, so much concentrated tomato, and oil of olive, garlic (=ail ?), then salt, pepper, harissa and to finish in terms of ingredients, we need flower of laurel (=fleur de laurier ?). Flowers that we take from my garden thanks to our laurel !

This dish is typical/traditional tunisian dish for his point spicy, very popular all of us, and very made in Tunis because it's simple and it's not expensive. His arabic name is "Makrouna salsa".
I have never made this dish before, but, I would love to because it’s really too good !!!
I advise you all to eat with Tunisians : the food is too good is wonderful (but it must to be strong against the spiciness ah ah ah).

The term “food” is mostly associated with “beverage”.
In hospitality “food and beverage” only do one. That is the reason why this article will deal with the Maison of Champagne Ruinart.
This is one of the most renowned Maison of Champagne and also the oldest. Ruinart was born in 1729 thanks to Mr. Dom Thierry Ruinart a historian. The aristocrats like bubble wine it’s new in this society. However, the name “Champagne” is unknown.
On the 1st of September 1729 in Épernay a city alongside Reims, Maison Ruinart was founded, the first Maison of Champagne in the world.
What is champagne?
Champagne is a yellow pale sparkling wine produced in the region Champagne with flavours of ripe and candied fruit, citrus, and fresh fruit.
In 1764, the Maison tested a new tasting: “Champagne rosé”.

Advice to conserve the champagne:
- Keep the bottles over 70% of humidity
- In the dark, champagne doesn’t like light
- Between 7° and 18°

Which temperature to enjoy all flavours:
- Champagne non-vintage: 8°
- Champagne vintage: 10-12°

Some ideas for food and wine pairing:
Ruinart Millésimé 2011 with a caprpaccio of Saint-Jacques.
Ruinart Rosé with a soft-boiled egg.


If the champagne world appeals to you, don’t hesitate to participate in Ruinart’s events such as “journées particulières”, “Brunch of the Maison Ruinart”, “Visit of Crayères”, or just buy a bottle to taste this incredible Champagne.

As a proud french and a proud inhabitant of my beloved region (Auvergne), I must present you some cheeses and dishes made with a lot of it!
There are 5 cheeses with the prestigious PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) designation that are made in my region.

The first one is “cantal”, it’s a hard cheese. You can buy it either young or aged which will affect the strength of the taste.
One of my favorite plates is named truffade, it is basically sliced fried potatoes and melted cheese on it. The ultimate secret that I am sharing with you is to put garlic while cooking the potatoes and instead of adding only fresh tome (another cheese) you must put half of it and the other half of cantal.  

The second and the third cheese are blue cheeses, “Fourme d’Ambert” and “Bleu d’Auvergne” the important difference between these two is the softness of the paste. Bleu d’Auvergne is creamier than the other one.

The fourth one could be quite similar to the first one for an ignorant, but the taste is very different. "Salers" cheese has hard paste and strong fruity taste.

The last one but not least (my favorite   ), "Saint-Nectaire" is a soft rind cheese used in many dishes. The texture isn’t to hard but not to creamy at the same time, and the taste is not as strong as a blue cheese so everyone can like it. There is one unknown specialty made with Saint-Nectaire… it is… a SOUP! A mix of onions and cheese to make a generous soup that you can only eat with bread.


Marine Serre

Hello, me, I decided to speak about vegetarian food because it’s something I know.

So, it does some time, I don’t eat meat anymore, and especially red meat. Why? I think you know why, but I am not strict with it, because something it’s hard, because it’s still not really “acceptable” in our society, so, I eat white meat like chicken, turkey but it is rare, I try as much as possible to avoid.

But that’s not what I want to talk about, I would like to talk about the reflections and the stereotypes that this creates …

Firstly, if a take my experience, in my family, when there is a family meal, I frequently the reflection: “ohlala, you’re not going to become a vegetarian and bother us with that!”, no need to specify that it is the old homophobic and racist uncle at the end of the table who says that … but something it’s reflection, more subtill but equally annoying : “oh really, you don’t eat meal ? but it’s really important for your heath, your muscles” BLABLABLA .. and yes, it’s right, and I know that, but that’s why a eat proteins but not animal, and my diet is rich in protein and even more than some people, it’s just differently, so please stop it, and let people eat what they want.

Now, I would like to talk about one stereotype common in vegetarians and valid for vegans too: “OMG you must eat only seeds, and be deficient in everything, your diet must be boring”, hum … NO, I’m not in deficient, my blood tests are good, don’t worry, but thank you :I
I think it’s just the opposite, because its “forces” us to eat new things with new ingredients, to innovate and to cook more and that’s not bad, on the contrary.

More seriously, it is important to be careful with your meat consumption, every little gesture counts, so don’t listen to old uncle Bob, when it’s too late he’s probably dead, we are the future!

Today, i'm not going to talk about my favorite food or what i have pleasure to eat but how i see food in my life and specially in my routine.

In fact, i love food in general but when i started to do some sport i discover a new aspect of the food and an other use than just taste pleasure.
I will explain...
Sport is not just take shoes and go run outside or juste lift some weight. This is a lifestyle where food take a bigger place than the simple activity of sport.
If u want to have some results you have to take care about what you eat, how much you eat, when etc.
You can of course take pleasure and eat well but personally, i just eat rice and chick 2 twice a day at lunch and dinner.
This is the most effective and quick thing to cook to be productive.
At breakfast, i eat some eggs, ham, cheese. The rest of the time in order to eat what my body need i take some protein powder, some protein bar and fruit.
For me, discipline is the most important thing to incorporate in life so i love this routine.

This is why, i can't talk about food that i like to eat because this is not my routine, good food for me are just memories. And it's okay i like this lifestyle i'm not sad about my eating habits !

Hi everyone
I’m sorry because I’m late (a little) in this work (next time I would be more organized).

I would like to speak you about « food accessibility ».

Last year in my missions of « service civique » in the association InPACT 37, I have work on this theme : « food accessibility » in France, in particular in the 37 department. The « right in food » was defined by l’ONU : « regular, permanent and free access [...] to food that is quantitatively and qualitatively adequate, sufficient, corresponding to cultural traditions [...] and which ensures a mental and physical life, individual and collective, free from anxiety, satisfying and worthy ». Nowadays, food aid and food aid structures appeared to help people in precarious situations. But, food aids is not the solution because : there are permanent emergency, wastes … So food aids aren’t respected the « rights in food ».

There is a project to integrate food into the general Social Security system : the Social Security of Food (SSF). The SSF wants to respond to the « right in food » for all, combining the right to food, the right of producers and the right to the environment.

In the 37 department, last year, a group of persons who were concerned to "food accessibilty" theme, have created a group named « SSF 37 ». To help the association InPACT 37 to work on this theme, I have co-wrote the request for grant « FDVA 2022 Nouveau(x) Projet(s) Innovant(s) ». The actions I proposed for InPACT 37 was : the animation of the SSF group, the development of new actions like organization of farms visits for the beneficiaries of the social centers.

Also, I was interviewed to introduce what is food accessibility on the local radio.

Hello everyone, I’m sorry I’m late (I’ll do better next time)

Winter is coming (I know we are still in September but it’s already cold outside) so I will talk about one of the best winter foods: Raclette.

Raclette is a Swiss dish where you scrap melted raclette cheese over, traditionally, potatoes. In France, it’s more often eaten with potatoes but also cold meats. It’s very good, and an excellent dish to eat with your friends or family when it’s cold outside. It takes some time to eat, because you have to wait for the cheese to melt, but it creates a very friendly atmosphere where everyone can speak with everyone.

Raclette is actually a super popular dish in France and is view as a festive dish: when you are going to eat a raclette with someone, friends or family, you know that you’ll have a good time.