Text 15767, 141 rader
Skriven 2011-09-15 22:03:00 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Dave Drum
Ärende: CHILE TERMINOLOGY  10915
================================
 -=> Quoting Dave Drum to Glen Jamieson <=-

 GJ> The term, "capsicum" is universally used in our supermarkets for your
 GJ> bell peppers, regardless of colour.  Everything else is a "chili",
 GJ> which can also be labelled as "hot" or "mild".  "Pepper" is a spice
 GJ> which can be black, white, coarse ground or whole.  We simple souls
 GJ> can't cope with any more complication in our lives.
 DD> To the real world the problem with "capsicum" is that it is nearly as
 DD> ambiguous as "pepper".
 GJ> So the "real world" only exists in USA?
 DD> No, I didn't so much as imply that, Mr. Defensive. The "real world" is
 DD> that which exists outside of Fantasy Land. 

By implication, our supermarkets only exist in Fantasy Land, as they
only label one kind of vegetable as "capsicum", albeit in 3 colours.
 
 DD> And what of pink, green, and Szechuan peppercorns??? What are those in
 DD> the Antipodes?
 GJ> Unknown - unless you are talking about the bunches of little, green
 GJ> berries that small boys pick off a pepper tree to shoot at each other
 DD> 
 DD> Green peppercorns are harvested when the berry is immature and then
 DD> packed in brine. They offer a fresher flavor and less pungency than
 DD> black or white pepper. Dried green peppercorns are also available alone
 DD> or combined in four-pepper mixtures.

I suppose you are referring to the pepper bushes, and not the trees?
I once visited a pepper plantation in PNG, of bushes.  I was told that
when ripe, the berries were picked and dried for black pepper, while
to obtain white pepper the berries were put into sacks and left in the
river for a few weeks, during which time the black outside part rotted
off, leaving the white seed, which was ground to make white pepper.

 DD> The pink peppercorn, usually the fourth component in these blends, is
 DD> not actually a member of the pepper family although it is often
 DD> marketed as such. This faintly sweet spice is from the French island of
 DD> Reunion. These expensive pink berries add a touch of color and a rich,
 DD> sweet flavor to almost any dish. They are called for in almost
 DD> Kitchen Dictionary: Szechuan peppercorn - Not a true peppercorn, but
 DD> dried berry/seed of a deciduous prickly ash tree. The 3-4 mm berry has
 DD> a rough reddish brown shell that is split open and a black seed inside.
 DD> The black seed is bitter and can be discarded. The red shell can be
 DD> added whole to stewed dishes or ground to a powder and used a
 DD> seasoning. The spice has a unique aroma
 DD> and flavor that is not as pungent as black pepper and has slight
 DD> lemony overtones. Szechuan peppercorns are one of the five spices in
 DD> Chinese five-spice powder. Called sansho in Japan, they are used in the
 DD> spice mixture shichimi togarashi, or Japanese seven-spice seasoning.

Do you get all of these wondrous spices from your local shops?
I feel terribly deprived not to get them here.

 DD> Read more:
 DD> http://www.food.com/library/szechuan-peppercorn-441#ixzz1XXy9dVTd 
 GJ> We also get "chili powder" which is just ground dried chilies.  No
 GJ> other contaminants.
 DD> Which is the reason that I specify "chilli spice" and often a specific
 DD> type/brand when listing it as an ingredient. To avoid confusion among
 DD> the hoi-polloi.

Butter me confused...  The only brand of USAn style "chilli powder"
that I have used was the Drum brand, imported into Australia in an
unlabeled container.  It was excellent, particularly for coating
chicken wings before grilling.
 
 GJ> Also unknown. What a complicated life you lead!
 DD> Not complicated at all to anyone with an appreciation of calling
 DD> things by non-ambiguous terms and enough spare brain capacity to store
 DD> the knowledge. 
 DD> Then we can get into capsicum chinense, baccatum, pubescens, and
 DD> frutescens --- which tend to be even hotter than the capsicum annum

Such an admirable capacity for capsicums!

 GJ> I have heard of a shop in our eastern suburbs which sells Mexican
 GJ> ingredients; that may carry some of those items, although probably
 GJ> sold under Mexican names, such as Dried Ancho chilies.
 DD> Pardon me, Mr. Don't Know My Chilies - all Ancho chilies *are* dried.
 DD> Ancho is a dried poblano chile. Wide on top (ancho means wide, in
 DD> Spanish), then tapering to a round end. 

I know, I should have remembered reading that here.  Like in this:

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: Chorizo
 Categories: Tv-food, Latino, Pork, Sausage
      Yield: 8 Servings
 
      1 lb Lean ground beef
      1 lb Ground pork
      1 tb Finely minced garlic
      1 tb Salt
    1/4 c  White wine vinegar
      1 ts Black pepper
      1 ts Ground canela *
      1 ts Ground star anise
    1/2 ts Ground cloves
      2 tb Crushed Mexican oregano
    1/4 c  Dry white wine
      1 ts Sugar
      4 oz Ground ancho chile powder
      1 c  Boiling water
 
  * Cinnamon
  
  Recipe courtesy Aaron Sanchez
  
  Serving suggestions: as a stuffing for chicken or with eggs
  
  Place the ground meats in a large bowl and add the crushed garlic and
  the salt. Add the vinegar and mix well. Sprinkle the pepper and
  ground spices over the mixture and blend well. Add the white wine and
  sugar. Mix well.
  
  Place the ground chile powder in a small bowl and add the boiling
  water, stir well to make a paste. Work the paste into the meat
  mixture until well blended. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  
  In a hot skillet, cook the chorizo, making sure to break up all the
  lumps.
  
  Recipe Summary: Prep Time: 15 minutes
                  Cook Time: 15 minutes
                  Inactive Prep Time: 24 minutes
                  Yield: 8 to 10 servings
  
  Episode#: MP1B59 Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All
  Rights Reserved
  
  MM Format by Dave Drum - 20 April 2003
  
  Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives
 
MMMMM
 

___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR]

--- FLAME v2.0/b
 * Origin: Braintap BBS Adelaide Australia (3:800/449)