Aug 19 2020 - Spicy Foods and Chili Peppers

 

Which countries eat the spiciest food?  I think of India, China and Mexico.  But there are a few more:  Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Malaysia, Ethiopia, Bhutan and Jamaica. Most countries with the spiciest food have a hot climate and spicy food helps to cool their bodies down through perspiration.  Apart from body cooling properties, spicy food spoils less than plain food. Chili peppers started in the Americas in 7500 BC and can be traced to northeastern Mexico 6,000 years ago. Christopher Columbus encountered the chili pepper and brought it back to Europe. Its medicinal effects were of significance then.  It spread 'like wildfire across the European, Asian and African continents in less than 50 years between 1498 and 1549'.   It is interesting to me that Jamaica has significant Scotch bonnet pepper production. The Scotch bonnet is also known as Jamaican Hot.  It is named for its shape - it is supposed to resemble a tam o' shanter hat. It has other names - Bahama Mama, the Bahamian, and the Martinique pepper.  Scotch bonnets are compared to habanero peppers, with Scotch bonnets considered to have a sweeter flavour and stouter shape. It gives jerk dishes (pork/chicken) and other Caribbean dishes their unique flavour. In the world production chart, Jamaica doesn't even show up.  It is China with 16 million tons, then Mexica with 2 million tons of production.  That's green chilies production.  That's interesting that China is at the top of production.  It wasn't until the 15th century with European trade that China received the chili pepper.  What a testament to Chinese creativity and imagination that chili peppers were incorporated into their cuisine and food production with such enthusiasm. Here's another image from California's Pacific coast - this looks like wild Alliums growing at the cliff's edge.

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Pacific Fog and Pizza

I looked at the water level of Lake Ontario yesterday and it is high this year.  The reports are that it is higher than in 2017, which was a record year.  That made some of the beaches off-limits along the Niagara shores of Lake Ontario in 2017. We had mist come in from the escarpment yesterday along with cool temperatures, and one could imagine it was a San Francisco day. It is being repeated this morning.  We in Grimsby are getting a small experience of what it is like in San Francisco. What makes fog a common occurrence along the pacific coastline? The temperature of the Pacific Ocean means there is a lot of evaporated moisture.  There is a marine layer of water vapour near the surface and this encounters the colder waters along the coast.  The result is fog. There are aerial pictures of fog entering San Francisco through the Golden Gate - a fascinating weather story.    What I notice this morning, beyond the weather, is that one of the headlines is about Pizza Pizza.  It changed its original pan recipe after four decades.  This was reported by CNN.  It has a new cheese blend, new sauce and is baked in a newly engineered pan designed to turn out a crispier crust.  Meanwhile, the news at Little Caesars Pizza is that vegan sausage has made its appearance in the Impossible Supreme Pizza.  What makes this national news? Maybe this is because 43% of consumers order at pizza at least once a week.  And don't forget the keto diet where cauliflower pizza crusts are on the rise. This is also a news item. Here's the beehive gazebo at Winterthur, with the peonies in the foreground.

Sunsets Coming Our Way

Hi everyone,

As we move towards spring there will be great views of the the sunset at Port Dalhousie pier.  These images are of the Oregon Pacific Coast in the autumn.  What could be a better dog's life than daily walks along the beach!