dICEd Blog Listing

The word curry always mystified me as an Indian, partially because I never made or ate curry growing up. It wasn’t until I got to college and studied the history between Britain and India that seeing...

Are Chickpeas and Garbanzo Beans the Same? Yes, the seeds are often seen in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine, such as curry, hummus and falafel. Though most are accustomed to seeing chickpeas in a...

What is Butter? Butter is a semi-solid emulsion made up of approximately 82% butter fat, 16% water and 2% milk solids. The percentages of fat and water in butter are unique, especially when it comes...

Growing up in a Venezuelan-American household, arepas were a staple of our daily breakfast. This typical South American comfort food is made using a handful of simple, household ingredients like...

The fragrant, slightly acerbic nature of perilla leaves is an acquired taste even for some Koreans – it took me years to come around to its one-of-a-kind aroma and essence. It’s hard to pinpoint the...

When I started researching where rice originated it led me to two popular beliefs from archaeologists and historians. Some say that rice was first domesticated in China almost 15,000 years ago in the...

The first recorded wine vessel was found in modern-day Iran around 5,000 B.C. Mass consumption of wine and beer is evident in ancient civilizations surrounding the Middle East and the Nile Valley...

Kohlrabi looks similar to a turnip, generally round in shape with leaves growing out of one end; both the ball and leaves are edible. Kohlrabi can range in color from white to green to purple and is...

My method for the last few years has been through notes (hence the punny title of this post, heh heh). Specifically, tasting them and mentally shuffling spices into top, middle or base notes. Much...

Akin to the East Coast ramp, the elusive Harry’s Berries are short-lived. Often described as what a strawberry should taste and look like, Harry’s are sweet, small, juicy and ruby red. That's perhaps...

There is another Asian ingredient, though, with comparably distinctive and delicious taste, health benefits, and potential for wide application in the food world. Often overlooked, it sits in your...

We tend to take potatoes for granted. The staple is a “simple," readily available, easily grown tuber that has been a part Western culture for at least 400 years. The potato was cultivated by the Inca...