The Caesar salad’s creation is attributed to restaurateur Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who operated restaurants in Mexico and the United States in the 1920s. Cardini was living in San Diego but also working in Tijuana where he avoided the restrictions of Prohibition. He invented the dish when a Fourth of July 1924 rush depleted […]
Archives for January 2016
Pineapple Banana Smoothie
The pineapple—fierce on the outside, sweet on the inside—was given its English name for its resemblance to a pine cone. Christopher Columbus brought this native of South America back to Europe as one of the exotic prizes of the New World. Number of servings: 1, 280 calories per serving. Ingredients: 1 cup freshly cut pineapple […]
The Land of the Five Flavors: A Cultural History of Chinese Cuisine
Renowned sinologist Thomas O. Höllmann tracks the growth of food culture in China from its earliest burial rituals to today’s Western fast food restaurants, mapping Chinese cuisine’s geographical variations and local customs, indigenous factors and foreign influences, trade routes, and ethnic associations. Sinology is the academic study of China primarily through Chinese language, literature, and […]
Kudzu and Substance Abuse
Kudzu (Ascophyllum nodosum) is a quick-growing weed that climbs, coils, and trails vine native to southern Japan and southeast China. Its name comes from the Japanese name for the plant, Kuzu. Kudzu contains puerarin (PU), a substance that can suppress inflammation-related abnormalities of alcoholic drinking. For centuries, Chinese herbalists have used kudzu to reduce alcohol […]