15 Fun Food Facts & Entertaining Trivia

The Shape of Your Pasta

Do you always choose the same pasta shape because that is what you usually buy, or do you like to switch around? Each pasta shape has its own special function and there are more differences than you might think. Always keep in mind that the purpose of pasta’s shape is to allow sauce to stick to it. Hollow pasta such as penne, paccheri or bucatini are meant for thick sauces, while flat or thin pasta is generally used for thinner sauces. For smooth sauces, it’s best to choose a smooth or slightly ribbed pasta variety and for thicker sauces, pasta with large ribs or strongly curved shapes are the tastiest option.

There are as many as 300 different pasta varieties with some 600 different names. That’s right, the same pasta variety may have different names. But there is a logic of sorts behind the pasta-naming mayhem. Usually, the names are literal translations. Orecchiette, for example, means ears and conchiglie, shells. Rigate stands for ribbed. Hence, Penne Rigate are ribbed hollow tubes. If the name of the pasta ends in either ‘ini’ or ‘ette’, it’ is a small version of a bigger sibling. In turn, types of pasta that end on ‘oni’ are the bigger sibling.

The Origins of the Hamburger

Think hamburger, think USA! The thick, round patty of ground beef is indeed a veritable American BBQ classic – however, the hamburger didn’t originate there. The story goes, that the history of the hamburger begins in the 13th century in the Mongol Empire. Mongolian warriors placed pieces of beef under the saddles of their horses to make it more tender and in so doing, created tartar. From there, the tartar is said to have made its way into Western Europe. The truth is a matter of academic debate.

It is a fact, however, that the idea to heat up this slice of chopped or ground steak originated in the German city of Hamburg, and German immigrants introduced the delicacy to America, where the meat was first sold as a steak and later served in a bun. In a bun, is how the hamburger conquered the world. You can come up with endless hamburger variations depending on the other fillings you choose. How about a hamburger bun with bacon, cheddar and jalapeño from the Big Green Egg?

Cheesecake, an Ancient Classic

Cream cheese as base for a cake? Actually, it is not a bad idea. After all, whipped cream and cake are marriage made in heaven and cream cheese is made from whipped cream and milk. The unripened new cheese has a subtle taste and a compact, creamy structure. New York cheesecake is undoubtedly the best-known variant of this delicious cake. That’s why you might think cheesecake has its origins in America. There’s even a National Cheesecake Day in the US, on 30 July.

But it is plausible that the origins of cheesecake lie somewhere on the Greek island of Samos, where moulds have been found dating back to 2000 BC. The Greeks considered cheesecake to be a good source of energy. The first recipe dates from 230 CE. It was recorded by the Greek writer Athenaeus and consisted of cream cheese, honey and wheat. The Romans seized the recipe and spread it throughout Europe, where cheesecake as we know it today was created. Immigrants brought it to America, and Americans fell in love at first bite.

Great Company

Barbecuing is even more fun in good company. That’s probably what they thought during an event organised at the Estado de Nuevo Leon in Parque Fundidora in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. On 18 August 2013, a barbecue was held there for 45,252 people, which earned the organisers a place in the Guinness World Records book.

Which Rice for Paella & Risotto?

Rice can be broadly divided into two types: ‘Indica’ and ‘Japonica’. Indica stands for long-grain, dry-boiling rice (such as basmati and jasmine rice). Japonica includes the round-grained varieties used for preparing paella and risotto. Although there are small differences between paella and risotto rice, you can substitute one for the other. If you want to make a tasty paella, for instance, and you don’t have paella rice on hand, then simply use risotto rice! Long-grain rice, however, is not recommended. Round-grain varieties can absorb a lot more moisture and contain more starch than the elongated variety. And it is the starch that lends risotto and paella their smooth and creamy texture.

Carpaccio, the Original

The true carpaccio is a dish created around thin slices of raw beef. Giuseppe Cipriani, the then owner of Harry’s Bar in Venice, conceived the dish in 1950 for one of his regular customers. The Venetian countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo was anaemic and given the advice to eat raw red meat. Cipriani named this dish after the painter Vittore Carpaccio, who often used deep red colours in his paintings. Nowadays, the term carpaccio is often used for any thinly sliced ingredients on a plate, but these usually lack the red colour. Would you like to make a delicious carpaccio variation on your EGG? This hay-smoked carpaccio is as tasty as the original.

Healthy Seasoning

Herbs and spices are not just delicious seasonings, they are also very healthy. Chinese medicine uses the medicinal properties of these natural ingredients for good reason. Turmeric, also known as curcuma, stands out in particular. This antioxidant regulates your metabolism, purifies your liver, is anti-inflammatory and the consumption of turmeric slows down the aging process. An additional health benefit of using herbs and spices is that you will often need to use less salt in a dish.