Singapore's Satay

Satay is one of the earliest foods to be associated with Singapore; it has been associated with the city since the 1940s. Previously sold on makeshift roadside stalls and pushcarts, concerns over public health and the rapid development of the city led to a major consolidation of satay stalls at Beach Road in the 1950s, which came to be collectively called the Satay Club. They were moved to the Esplanade Park in the 1960s, where they grew to the point of being constantly listed in tourism guides.

Open only after dark with an "al fresco" concept, the Satay Club defined how satay is served in Singapore since then, although they are also found across the island in most hawker stalls, modern food courts, and upscale restaurants at any time of the day. Moved several times around Esplanade Park due to development and land reclamation, the outlets finally left the area permanently to Clarke Quay in the late 1990s to make way for the building of the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay.

Several competing satay hotspots have since emerged, with no one being able to lay claim to the reputation the Satay Club had at the Esplanade. While the name has been transferred to the Clarke Quay site, several stalls from the original Satay club have moved to Sembawang in the north of the city. The satay stalls which opened at Lau Pa Sat are popular with tourists. Served only at night when Boon Tat Street is closed to vehicular traffic and the stalls and tables occupy the street, it mimics the open-air dining style of previous establishments.

Other notable outlets include the ones at Newton Food Centre, East Coast Park Seafood Centre and Toa Payoh Central.

The common types of satay sold in Singapore include Satay Ayam (chicken satay), Satay Lembu (beef satay), Satay Kambing (mutton satay), Satay Perut (beef intestine), and Satay Babat (beef tripe).

Singapore’s national carrier, Singapore Airlines, also serves satay to its First and Raffles Class passengers as an appetizer.

Source: www.wikipedia.com

See also: sate, ice cream, seafood

Leuit: Sedia Makan Sebelum Kelaparan

By: Ratih

Soal kebiasaan makan membutuhkan penelitian yang serius sebab hal ini melibatkan berbagai macam aspek budaya masyarakat yang bersangkutan. Soal makan bukan sekedar makan. Ada nilai-nilai yang dianut masyarakat tertentu sehingga makan bersama merupakan sesuatu yang bernilai sosial. Bukan sekedar demi kepentingan makan hari ini saja, kebiasaan menyimpan persediaan makan telah ada sejak ribuan tahun lalu. Lumbung padi merupakan salah satu contoh cara manusia simpan persediaan makan untuk beberapa lama. Pada masyarakat sunda di desa-desa, lumbung padi atau leuit memiliki beberapa kategori khusus. Ada 6 jenis leuit, yaitu:

1.Ratna laten adalah lumbung padi terbesar untuk menyimpan padi pupuhu sekaligus tempat untuk melaksanakan ritual ;
2.Leuit rumbia untuk menaruh padi huma (biji padi yang ditanam di ladang);
3.Leuit biang untuk menaruh padi sawah(benih nandur/ tanam sambil mundur);
4.3 buah leuit pangiring sebagai lumbung padi cadangan bila leuit yang lain penuh.

Tentunya perbedaan fungsi setiap leuit mencirikan pula stratifikasi sosial atau tingkatan yang ada dalam masyarakat tersebut. Rakyat biasa tidak bisa seenaknya mengambil padi persediaan milik pupuhu. Ratna laten idealnya memang bukan miliknya pribadi, meski pupuhu mendapat keistimewaan sebagai pemimpin. Seandainya ratna laten hanya dimiliki pupuhu, tentu tidak akan dijadikan sebagai tempat ritual yang bisa dimasuki orang lain dalam rangka perayaan setelah panen. Sayangnya, nilai-nilai sosial dalam masyarakat sunda sekalipun di desa semakin luntur. Kepemilikan bersama bukan lagi menjadi tujuan utama produksi makanan di desa. Semua tergantung usaha sendiri, bergerak masing-masing dalam memproduksi dan mengkonsumsi makanan.

Maka dapatkah kebiasaan makan berubah dengan mudah seiring dengan maraknya jenis makanan baru dari kota? Tentu saja, hal ini tergantung dari kelompok sosial yang mana seorang anak desa berasal. Bila ia berasal dari kelurga kaya raya yang memonopoli kepemilikan sumber pangan di desa, maka bisa jadi akses untuk mengenal makanan fast food demikian mudahnya. Namun, bagi masyarakat kelas bawah yang makan sehari-hari pun sulit, fast food ibarat makanan dari surga yang harga dan rasanya hanya diketahui dari mulut orang lain. Bayangkan saja, orang-orang kecil yang tidak memiliki pekerjaan hanya mengandalkan kemampuan mereka mencari makanan dari sungai atau kebun. Ikan yang bisa ditangkap atau umbi-umbian yang bisa dicerabut akarnya lalu diolah untuk makan sehari-hari. Untunglah kepedulian para pemilik restoran besar pada masyarakat yang kekurangan seperti itu sudah mulai terlihat. Misalnya saja, kegiatan-kegiatan sosial yang mereka programkan pada waktu tertentu. Program ini biasanya melibatkan selebritis yang turun desa. Acara rakyat yang merakyat justru semakin membesarkan nama restoran yang sebelumnya tak pernah tersentuh masyarakat desa. Kita nantikan gebrakan-gebrakan mengejutkan lainnya dari restoran sebagai leuit orang kota.

Daftar Pustaka:

Counihan, Carole and Penny Van Esterik (eds). 2008. Food and Culture: A Reader. New York: Routledge

Lihat juga: minuman, ice cream, ramen

Kinds of Pasta

Pasta comes in an astonishing variety of shapes, some of which are common throughout Italy, and some of which are limited to a particular region, or even town. There are also specialty shapes produced by individual pasta makers.

Taken as a whole, pasta can be divided into pasta di semola di grano duro, made from durum wheat flour, water, and a little salt, and pasta all'uovo, which is made from eggs, flour, and salt. Commercial pasta all'uovo is generally made with durum wheat flour, which gives it a firmer texture and means it won't go soft if it's overcooked slightly (all pasta will become flabby if seriously overcooked). Homemade pasta is, on the other hand, generally made with cake flour, which has less gluten. Therefore, the cooking time of home made pasta all'uovo is more critical; if you leave it in the water too long it will become flabby.

Commercially made pasta can be divided into several basic kinds:

Sheet Pasta: Used primarily in making baked dishes. Often but not always all'uovo, with eggs.

• Cannelloni, also known as manicotti, and a pepper-and-ricotta filling.

• Lasagna: Square or rectangular sheets of pasta, which are cooked, interlayered with other ingredients and baked. There are many many variations.

Strips: Fettuccine, Linguini, tagliatelle, and so on. The broader strips are generally used for thick-to-chunky sauces, whereas the thinner strips are also used for creamier, though never really liquid sauces. Most of these pastas are made with egg, and will say all'uovo on the package.

• Pappardelle Broad strips, and a chunky tomato-mackerel sauce for them.

• Reginette Wavy-edged half-inch wide strips of pasta samed after Princess Mafalda of Savoy, which work quite well with rich sauces, and a pheasant breast sauce, that can also be made with duck or Guinea hen.

• Tagliatelle Quarter-inch strips of pasta, and a tomato and chicken breast sauce.

• Tagliatelline or Fettuccine Fine (1/8 of an inch) strips, and a smoked salmon sauce for them.

• Tagliolini All'Uovo The finest of strips, and a creamy mascarpone sauce for them.
  
  

Source: www.italianfood.about.com

See also: ice cream, seafood, dim sum

Ice cream in US

United States

In the United States, ice cream made with just cream, sugar, and a flavouring (usually fruit) is sometimes referred to as "Philadelphia style"ice cream. Ice creams made with eggs, usually in the form of frozen custards, are sometimes called "French" ice creams or traditional ice cream.

American federal labeling standards require ice cream to contain a minimum of 10% milk fat (about 7 grams (g) of fat per 1/2 cup [120 mL] serving), 20% total milk solids by weight, to weigh no less than 4.5 pounds per gallon (in order to prevent consumer fraud by replacing ingredients with air), and to contain less than 1.4% egg yolk solids. Federal government regulations pertaining to the process of making ice cream, allowable ingredients, and standards, may be found in Part 135 of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Ice cream is an extremely popular dessert in the United States. Americans consume about 15 quarts (more than 13 liters) of ice cream per person per year — the most in the world. As a foodstuff it is deeply ingrained into the American psyche and has been available in America since its founding in 1776: there are records of Thomas Jefferson serving it as a then-expensive treat to guests at his home in Monticello. In American supermarkets it is not uncommon for ice cream and related products to take up a wall full of freezers.

Although chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry are the traditional favorite flavors of ice cream, and once enjoyed roughly equal popularity, vanilla has grown to be far and away the most popular, most likely because of its use as a topping for fruit based pies and its use as the key ingredient for milkshakes. According to the International Ice Cream Association (1994), supermarket sales of ice cream break down as follows: vanilla, 28%; fruit flavours, 15%; nut flavours, 13.5%; candy mix-in flavours, 12.5%; chocolate, 8%; cake and cookie flavours, 7.5%; Neapolitan, 7%; and coffee/mocha, 3%. Other flavours combine for 5.5%. Sales in ice cream parlors are more variable, as new flavours come and go, but about three times as many people call vanilla their favorite than chocolate, the runner-up.

Source: www.wikipedia.com

See also: cake, Tamani

That Is Cafe

A café or coffee shop is an informal restaurant with full-service tables and counters and broad menu offerings over extended periods of the day. In hotels, the coffee shop is a more popular-priced alternative to the formal dining room. Coffee shops often encourage families and provide special menus for children. To establish a family-friendly atmosphere, in many localities they do not serve wine and beer.

Notes

The most common English spelling, café, is the French spelling, and was adopted by English-speaking countries in the late 19th century. As English generally makes little use of diacritical marks, anglicisation includes a tendency to omit them, especially in less pretentious contexts. Thus the spelling cafe has thus become very common in English-language usage throughout the world, especially for the less pretentious, ie "greasy spoon" variety (although orthographic proscriptivists often disapprove of it). The Italian spelling, caffè, is also sometimes used in English. In southern England, especially around London in the 1950s, the French pronunciation was often facetiously altered to /ˈkæf/ and spelt caff.

The English words coffee and café both descend from the continental European translingual word root /kafe/, which appears in many European languages with various naturalized spellings, including Italian (caffè); Portuguese and Spanish (café); French (café); German (Kaffee); Polish (kawa); Ukrainian (кава, 'kava'); and others. European awareness of coffee (the plant, its seeds, the beverage made from the seeds, and the shops that sell the beverage) came through Europeans' contact with Turkey, and the Europeans borrowed both the beverage and the word root from the Turks, who got them from the Arabs. The Arabic name qahwa (قهوة) was transformed into kaweh (strength, vigor) in the Ottoman Empire, and it spread from there to Europe, probably first through the Mediterranean languages (Italian, Spanish, French, Catalan, etc.) and thence to German, English, and others, though there is another well-based theory that it first spread to Europe through Poland and Ukraine, through their contacts with the Ottoman Empire.

Source: www.wikipedia.com

See also: ice cream, sate

What is ice cream?

Ice cream or ice-cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners. In some cases, artificial flavourings and colourings are used in addition to (or in replacement of) the natural ingredients. This mixture is stirred slowly while cooling to prevent large ice crystals from forming; the result is a smoothly textured ice cream.

The meaning of the term ice cream varies from one country to another. Terms like frozen custard, frozen yogurt, sorbet, gelato and others are used to distinguish different varieties and styles. In some countries, like the USA, the term ice cream applies only to a specific variety, and their governments regulate the commercial use of all these terms based on quantities of ingredients. In others, like Italy and Argentina, one word is used for all the variants. Alternatives made from soy milk, rice milk, and goat milk are available for those who are lactose intolerant or have an allergy to dairy protein, or in the case of soy and rice milk, for those who want to avoid animal products.

Source: www.wikipedia.com

See also: cake, cafe

Bizzare Foods

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern is a documentary-styled travel and cuisine program hosted by Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel. The first season debuted on Monday, February 26, 2007 at 9pm ET/PT. Season 5 began on Monday, April 26, at 10 E/P.

Bizarre Foods focuses on regional cuisine from around the world which is typically perceived by Americans as being gross, unique, or, of course, bizarre. In each episode, Zimmern focuses on the cuisine of a particular country or region. He typically shows how the food is procured, where it is served, and, usually without hesitation, eats it.

Originally a one-hour documentary titled Bizarre Foods of Asia, repeated showings on the Travel Channel drew consistent, considerable audiences. In late 2006, it was decided to turn the documentary into a weekly, one-hour show with the same premise and with Andrew Zimmern as the host. In 2009, Zimmern took a break from Bizzare Foods to work on a season of the spin-off Bizarre World which will not be airing anymore.

Zimmern ends every episode with his line "If it looks good, eat it."

Source: www.wikipedia.com

See also: cake, cafe, ice cream

Pasta

Pasta adalah makanan olahan yang digunakan pada masakan Italia, dibuat dari campuran tepung terigu, air, telur, dan garam yang membentuk adonan yang bisa dibentuk menjadi berbagai variasi ukuran dan bentuk. Pasta dijadikan berbagai hidangan setelah dimasak dengan cara direbus. Di Indonesia, jenis pasta yang populer misalnya spageti, makaroni dan lasagna.

Dalam bahasa Inggris, pasta adalah sebutan untuk berbagai jenis masakan dengan bahan utama salah satu jenis pasta yang diberi bumbu dan saus. Pasta berasal dari bahasa Italia "pasta alimentare" yang berarti adonan bahan makanan. Dalam arti luas, "pasta" bisa berarti semua adonan seperti adonan roti, pastry, atau cake. Dalam bahasa Italia, pasta yang berarti bahan makanan seperti mi disebut pastasciutta.

Pasta dibuat dari tepung terigu semolina yang merupakan hasil gilingan biji gandum durum dicampur telur sehingga sedikit berwarna kuning cerah, dan bila dimasak dengan benar akan menghasilkan tekstur sedikit kenyal. Pasta buatan Amerika sering dibuat dari campuran tepung terigu Farina dan Semolina, sehingga mempunyai tekstur yang lebih lembut untuk dijadikan hidangan seperti kaserol.

Di luar negara asalnya di Italia, pasta biasanya dijual di dalam kemasan dalam bentuk kering. Pasta kering dibuat di pabrik dengan menggunakan mesin ekstrusi yang mendorong keluar adonan pasta melalui lubang-lubang saringan. Bentuk-bentuk pasta yang lain diperoleh dengan menggiling adonan pasta menjadi lembaran yang kemudian dipotong-potong atau dicetak.

Pasta segar buatan rumah tangga dan restoran dibentuk dengan tangan beberapa saat sebelum pasta direbus. Pasta segar memerlukan waktu masak yang singkat, namun pasta segar tidak tahan lama disimpan karena memiliki kadar air yang tinggi. Pasta kering bisa tahan lama disimpan hingga 3 tahun atau lebih karena hanya memiliki kandungan air sebanyak 10%. Pasta yang sudah dimasak dan tinggal dipanaskan dengan oven microwave juga sering dijumpai di bagian makanan beku pasar swalayan.
sumber: wikipedia
lihat juga: steak, dim sum, wine

Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki (すき焼き, スキヤキ ?) adalah irisan tipis daging sapi, sayur-sayuran, dan tahu di dalam panci besi yang dimasak di atas meja makan dengan cara direbus. Sukiyaki dimakan dengan mencelup irisan daging ke dalam kocokan telur ayam.

Sayur-sayuran untuk Sukiyaki misalnya bawang bombay, daun bawang, sawi putih, shungiku (nama daun dari pohon keluarga seruni), jamur shiitake, dan jamur enoki. Sebagai pelengkap ditambahkan ito konnyaku atau shirataki yang berbentuk seperti soun berwarna bening atau sedikit abu-abu.

Sukiyaki memiliki dua versi, Sukiyaki versi daerah Kansai dan Sukiyaki versi daerah Kanto yang berbeda cara penyajian, jenis bumbu dan rasa.

Menurut Sukiyaki versi Kansai, Sukiyaki hanya dimasak dengan bumbu kecap asin dan gula pasir, sedangkan Sukiyaki versi Kanto dimasak menggunakan saus Warishita yang merupakan campuran dashi, kecap asin, gula pasir, dan mirin yang dimasak terlebih dulu.

Menurut cara Kansai, potongan lemak sapi dicairkan di dalam panci sebelum memasukkan irisan daging sapi. Bumbu berupa gula pasir dan kecap asin dituangkan sekaligus dalam jumlah banyak di atas daging yang sudah matang lalu diaduk-aduk dengan sayur-sayuran hingga matang. Menurut cara Kanto, bumbu warishita dididihkan dulu di dalam panci sebelum semua bahan dimasukkan.
sumber: wikipedia
lihat juga: seafood, pasta, steak, dim sum

SOTO

Soto, sroto, atau coto adalah makanan khas Indonesia yang terbuat dari kaldu daging dan sayuran. Daging yang paling sering digunakan adalah sapi dan ayam, tapi juga babi dan kambing. Berbagai daerah di Indonesia memiliki jenis soto sendiri, dengan kandungan yang berbeda-beda, misalnya Soto Kediri soto Madura, soto Betawi, soto Padang, soto Bandung, soto Sokaraja, soto Banjar, soto Medan, coto Makassar. Soto juga dinamai menurut kandungannya, misalnya soto ayam, soto babat, soto kambing. Soto memiliki banyak kemiripan dengan sop.

Karena ada beberapa jenis soto di Indonesia, masing-masing mempunyai cara penyajian yang berbeda-beda. Soto bisa dihidangkan dengan berbagai macam lauk, misalnya kerupuk, perkedel, emping melinjo, sambal, saus kacang, dan lain-lain. Dan juga pula dengan tambahan lainnya seperti sate telur pindang, sate kerang, jeruk limau, koya (campuran tumpukan kerupuk dengan bawang putih) dll. Seperti kita ketahui bahwa makanan pokok orang Indonesia adalah nasi, sehingga soto biasanya dihidangkan dengan nasi sebagai menu utama. Namun, ada perbedaan dalam hal menu utama nasi tersebut. Kebanyakan soto dihidangkan secara terpisah dengan nasi, seperti Soto Betawi, Soto Padang, dan lain-lain. Namun, ada juga yang dihidangkan bersama dengan nasi atau soto campur nasi, misalnya Soto Kudus. Selain itu, ada juga soto yang dihidangkan dengan lontong atau nasi yang sudah dimasak dengan dibungkus daun pisang, misalnya Coto Makassar. Kemudian, ada juga yang memakai mie, dan bukan nasi sebagai menu pokoknya, misalnya Soto Mie Bogor
lihat juga: wine, soto, restaurant

manjuuuuuu

Manju Adalah tradisional Jepang yang populer . Ada banyak jenis Manju, tetapi kebanyakan memiliki luar dibuat dari tepung terigu, tepung beras dan gandum dan pengisian an (pasta kacang merah), terbuat dari kacang Azuki rebus dan gula. Mereka direbus bersama-sama lagi dan diremas. Ada beberapa jenis pasta kacang yang digunakan termasuk koshian, tsubuan, dan tsubushian.
lihat juga: ice cream, pizza, nasi goreng

Makanan Italia

Makanan Italia memang memiliki tempat tersendiri di lidah orang Indonesia. Sudah banyak restoran Italia yang menggunakan konsep café & resto sebagai daya tarik mereka namun mungkin cuma satu yang memiliki visi: “Menjadi ‘café & resto’ franchise ala Italia yang dapat memuaskan hati para pecinta Café di wilayah Jakarta”, yaitu Pisa Café & Resto Tebet. Restoran ini sebuah franchise restoran Italia yang menawarkan keunikan rasa masakan, minuman dan ice cream ala Italia serta tempat dan lokasi yang nyaman nan strategis.

Terletak di wilayah Tebet, Jakarta Selatan, restoran ini memiliki area yang cukup luas yakni dengan kapasitas 133 tempat duduk yang terbagi dalam beberapa lantai dan ruang. Ruang VIPnya dilengkapi dengan peralatan presentasi, sound system, serta perlengkapan karaoke yang memadai. Accoustic Live Music yang hadir setiap hari Senin, Rabu, Jumat, dan Sabtu menjadikan resto yang buka setiap harpi mulai pukul 11.00- 14.00 WIB ini sebagai tempat yang asyik dan nyaman.

Restoran ini membidik pengunjung dari semua jenis usia dan kalangan. Berbagai fasilitas serta kegiatan seru disiapkan untuk menghibur pengunjung lintas usia mereka, misalnya kursus dansa Salsa gratis untuk kalangan dewasa, dan kegiatan menggambar, mewarnai, dan mengasah kreatifitas lainnya serta kegiatan membuat pizza mini untuk anak-anak. Jika ingin mengambil paket, ada beberapa paket menarik yang ditawarkan, seperti: seperti Lunch Package, Birthday Package, Arisan/Reunion Package, dan Coffe Break Package

Es krim khas Italia atau Gelato memiliki beberapa pilihan rasa. Sementara untuk hidangan utama, Fettucine Alfredo masih menjadi menu andalan selain Spaghetti o Fusilli Bolognese dan Lasagna Al Forno-nya yang merupakan menu favorit pilihan pengunjung.

(DSY)

Sumber: www.openrice.com