Fun Food Facts
By Mike Bellino
()
About this ebook
Why do we knead bread?
What is the connection between cheese and the Milky Way overhead?
What can I do if I need buttermilk but dont have any on hand?
Can potatoes be poisonous?
Which American city was named for the onion?
The answer to these and hundreds of additional questions are found in the pages of the book, Fun Food Facts. Every page of this book will fascinate you with trivia and food facts that will inform and educate.
Fun Food Facts is a book that grew out of Mike's love of cooking and food. Having read many books on the subject, he began keeping notes of interesting food facts. He started sharing these notes with friends and co-workers and received an enthusiastic response and requests for more. As the facts began to pile up, Mike decided to make an effort to publish them -- The result of this effort rests in your hands.
Fun Food Facts: A book for people who eat!
Mike Bellino
Mike Bellino has an eclectic background in music, sound recording, aerospace, micro farming and electrical engineering. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to cooking and creating a meal for his family to enjoy together. Since he made his first “Wacky Cake” as a youth, he’s been captivated by cooking and its inner workings. The desire to “know how things work” has motivated him to read, learn, try, endure failures and even occasionally succeed. Mike makes his home with his wife, Mary, and five children on 23 acres in Bradford, New Hampshire. During the day, Mike is a mild-mannered electrical engineer. On weekends and evenings, to stave off boredom, he and his family raise chickens, turkeys, hogs, grow vegetables, tap maple trees, harvest wild blackberries and keep bees for their Circle Bell micro-farm.
Related to Fun Food Facts
Related ebooks
Summary of Kitchen Confidential: by Anthony Bourdain | Includes Analysis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYogurt Culture: A Global Look at How to Make, Bake, Sip, and Chill the World's Creamiest, Healthiest Food Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Good Food: Can You Trust What You Are Eating? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nourishing Transformations: Recipes & Stories For Loving & Living Well Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEat Raw, Not Cooked Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fermentation: River Cottage Handbook No.18 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGluten Free Vegetarian Delights: Exotic Flavours for a New Consciousness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Gift of the Greek: 75 Authentic Recipes for the Mediterranean Diet Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Temptations: Igniting the Pleasure and Power of Aphrodisiacs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Best of Vegan: 100 Recipes That Celebrate Comfort, Culture, and Community Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Eat Yourself Beautiful: True Beauty, From the Inside Out Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRAW DOG FOOD: MAKE IT EASY FOR YOU AND YOUR DOG Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free: 75 Recipes for Irresistible Desserts and Pastries Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ultimate Healthy Greek Cookbook: 75 Authentic Recipes for a Mediterranean Diet Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Evolution of Food Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHealthy D.I.Y. Food, Spirits & More Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKitchenWise: Essential Food Science for Home Cooks Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Healthy Eating: Introduction to Egg and Cheese Dishes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings201 Organic Baby and Toddler Meals: The Healthiest Toddler and Baby Food Recipes You Can Make! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOne Meal for All: Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Intermittent Fasting and Vegan Love to Cook Book Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAround the World in 80 Purees: Easy Recipes for Global Baby Food Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fast Easy Ferments: Simple Recipes To Improve Digestion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHomemade Meals for Cats and Dogs: 75 Grain-Free Nutritious Recipes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGreen Market Baking Book: 100 Delicious Recipes for Naturally Sweet & Savory Treats Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fifteen Cent Dinners for Families of Six Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Story of Your Favorite Meal: How to Listen to Your Food Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Legacy of Sephardic, Mediterranean, and American Recipes Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5
Cooking, Food & Wine For You
Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tucci Table: Cooking With Family and Friends Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Back to Eden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mediterranean Diet: 70 Easy, Healthy Recipes Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Eating Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quick Start Guide to Carnivory + 21 Day Carnivore Diet Meal Plan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cook Once Dinner Fix: Quick and Exciting Ways to Transform Tonight's Dinner into Tomorrow's Feast Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Joy of Cooking: 2019 Edition Fully Revised and Updated Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eat Plants, B*tch: 91 Vegan Recipes That Will Blow Your Meat-Loving Mind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Snoop Presents Goon with the Spoon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg's Kitchen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Small Apartment Hacks: 101 Ingenious DIY Solutions for Living, Organizing and Entertaining Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Carnivore Code Cookbook: Reclaim Your Health, Strength, and Vitality with 100+ Delicious Recipes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Medicinal Herbal: A Practical Guide to the Healing Properties of Herbs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Instant Pot® Meals in a Jar Cookbook: 50 Pre-Portioned, Perfectly Seasoned Pressure Cooker Recipes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Homegrown & Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-Reliant Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dutch Oven Cookbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ninja Creami Recipes: Easy, Delicious and Creamy Recipes to Enjoy from Smoothies, Sorbets, Ice Creams to Milkshakes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ultimate Cooking for One Cookbook: 175 Super Easy Recipes Made Just for You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Fun Food Facts
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Fun Food Facts - Mike Bellino
AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: 1-800-839-8640
© 2009 Mike Bellino. All rights reserved.
Illustrations by Christopher M. Bellino.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
First published by AuthorHouse 10/2/2009
ISBN: 978-1-4343-7770-8 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4678-6451-0 (ebk)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2008908808
Contents
Dedication
Foreword
Author’s Response
to the Foreword
How did cooking get started?
Milk:
Good food for a good long time
Butter (and margarine)
Cheese
Yogurt
Fruits
Vegetables
Mushrooms
Starch
Bread
Meet Meat
Herbs & Spices
Coffee
Chocolate
Onion & Garlic
The Cereals
Wine and Beer
Sweet Stuff…
Vitamins
Tidbits & Morsels
Bibliography - Recommended Reading
About the Author
About the Illustrator
Dedication
I dedicate this book to my Mom, who taught me to cook, and my Dad who is my chief editor. I also dedicate this to my wife, Mary, who has been a terrific help and support for this book; one project in a long chain of crazy projects I’ve engaged in over the years. Finally, I must give thanks to God for the yearning to understand His creation.
Foreword
In the spirit of the earliest humans, Mike has always been a hunter-gatherer
of one sort or another. As a small child walking to school, he would gather a plant, insect, stone, or shell. Each day his classmates would eagerly greet him wondering what he would bring to show them and to hear his rendition of the facts
.
His paternal grandmother referred to him as a mix-master
. For those who don’t know, that was the Kitchen Aide Mixer
of the nineteen-sixties. Kitchen Aide was not available in the mass market back then. He was always into everything, wondering what he could disassemble, get a chemical reaction from, or how to develop a better recipe. He tried everything from made home-made volcanoes, fireworks and go-carts, the likes of which you’ll never see. His current hobby is model rocketry. On any given day you might find him, when not at his full time job in engineering, raising his own pigs, chickens for eggs (his kids gather the eggs), foraging for berries, making maple syrup, gardening and raising honey bees on his Circle Bell farm in New Hampshire. Those hunter-gathering genes are alive and well!
As a youngster a favorite treat was his wacky cake
. Every Friday after school he made one, much to the delight of his siblings. It is a cake mixed in the pan you bake it in, and actually was quite tasty. He loved to make sausage for holiday celebrations. That was his job -- grinding the meat, adding spices and herbs and stuffing into casings. While growing up, he learned to make bread, pizza, pancakes, and a family favorite; ox-eye eggs. He was the matzo maker for Passover too.
He was generally interested in cooking while developing a keen interest in spices and herbs. While preparing meals he uses an array of spices and herbs. Used properly, spices and herbs make for delicious, interesting, and healthy food! At family gatherings, many of our conversations center on food, herbs, and spices: where to find them, how to use and store them and then experimenting to see what pleases the palate.
In so many ways, it seems natural for him to write this book on Fun Food Facts.
Having been inspired as a child by Laura Ingalls Wilder books, he is now a country boy, who enjoys where he lives and what he does. What will he jump into next? Only tomorrow will tell. In the meantime, enjoy Fun Food Facts
!
"The more things that thou learnest to know and enjoy, the more complete and full will be for thee the delight of living" - August Graf von Platen
That sums up Mike.
- Joanne G. Mom
Bellino
Author’s Response
to the Foreword
Aw shucks, Mom!
Introduction
In what art or science other than cooking could improvements be made that would more powerfully contribute to increase the comforts and enjoyments of mankind?
– Sir Benjamin Thompson,
Count Rumford
So why Fun Food Facts? If you’re curious and like concise facts, as I do, then Fun Food Facts is for you! If you are like me, you ask many questions about the whys and hows of cooking. As I look for answers, I’ve noticed a variety of books and web sites I have read tend to be either dry or indirect in their presentation of food facts. Why not present the facts in a way that is brief, informative and fun? It will likely improve your cooking skills as your knowledge of the various foods and cooking facts broadens. You will find this book a handy reference that you will want to keep in the kitchen.
It is my hope that this book will help people to learn and be motivated to learn more. I believe the Fun Food Facts will make cooking more interesting and encourage creativity. I am certain that Fun Food Facts will improve your culinary skills as it has mine. If nothing else, it will make you a small-talk star at the next party!
If you would like to contact me regarding questions, comments or corrections send e-mail to: FunFoodFacts@yahoo.com. I will make every effort to respond to all correspondence. I look forward to hearing from you!
Bread_Basket.tifHow did cooking get started?
Anthropologists believe that humans began cooking at least 250,000 years ago. Probably a fire started by lightning baked exposed tubers (edible roots such as potato, carrot, yam). These tubers would have been easier to eat and tasted better. Eventually fire was contained into cooking pits and similar gastronomical benefits were discovered for cooking raw meat.
From a survival perspective, cooking food made it easier to eat, digest and rendered plant poisons innocuous. It is also believed that the daily pattern of bringing food back to the fire pit may have helped in the formation of pair bonding and families.
Milk:
Good food for a good long time
I occasionally wonder how silly the first human may have felt approaching a cow, or some other lactating beast, and squirting the white liquid into their mouth or bowl. We will never know how silly that human may have felt but a satisfied belly would have been the result.
Milk is a universal food that is quite nearly a complete meal – it contains water, proteins, fat, vitamins and milk sugar (lactose). Its good taste and terrific nutrition has engrained milk in many cultures, religions and philosophies.
When did milking animals begin?
Records of humans milking animals dates back as far as 6,000 years ago. Fresh milk, butter and cheese became popular in Egypt, Northern Europe and Asia.
How about milk in the Mediterranean?
Despite today’s universal appeal, milk was not universally accepted. The Greeks and Romans thought anyone who drank milk was a barbarian, as that is what the barbarians did and they didn’t. The phrase milk drinker
(galaktopotes) was a derogatory name the Greeks cast in reference to the barbarians. The Greeks/Romans did not drink milk, it is theorized, because the climate was too warm for storage. Cheese, on the other hand, was quite popular in the Mediterranean region.
Does milk make the skin more supple?
I will place the burden of proof on the cosmetics experts. However, the wife of Domitius Nero, Poppea, would take her baths in milk believing this would help her complexion. When she took her show on the road, she’d bring 500 nursing donkeys along to ensure an ample supply of bathwater
.
What does Homogenized
in milk production mean?
Homogenization (derived from the Greek of the same kind
) involves forcing the milk through a high pressure nozzle onto a hard surface.