Chocolate is one of the most popular foods in the world – in the UK alone, we eat an average of 11kg each per year. But as well as being a sweet treat, chocolate is claimed to have lots of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, relieving stress and fighting heart disease.
Chocolate is made from cocoa beans – the seeds of the cocoa tree. It was the Mayans of Central America who first discovered the beans could be eaten; making drinks from cocoa powder mixed with water, flavoured with vanilla or chilli. The Spanish brought chocolate back to Europe in the 1500s, and by the middle of the 17th century, hot chocolate was being drunk in fashionable ‘chocolate houses’ across the continent. But it wasn’t until the 1800s when cocoa was used to make the chocolate bars we know and love today.
Tikka Masala or Jalfrezi? Korma or Balti? In the UK today, we’re eating more curry than ever before. But when did our love of these spiced, aromatic dishes begin? With National Curry Week in full swing, there’s no better time to find out.
Many of us might think that curry only really became popular in the UK thanks to the growing number of people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh who settled in cities up and down the country from the 1950s to the 1970s. But curry actually first came to Britain centuries earlier. And since then, there has been a fusion of British and Asian ingredients and recipes that have lead to the creation of some of our best-loved dishes.
The humble egg has been a staple of our diet for thousands of years. And, as British Egg Week gets cracking this week, it’s the perfect time to indulge in this versatile and nutritious food. From sandwiches to soufflés, quiches to cakes, for breakfast, lunch and dinner – eggs are the essential ingredient in countless dishes.
Although hens eggs are the staple, you'll also find quail eggs on the supermarket shelf (great for canapés) as well as large duck eggs with their rich tasting, deep orange yolk. For something really extraordinary – you might be lucky enough to come across an ostrich egg. It weighs a massive 2kg, is the equivalent of 24 hen eggs, and takes two hours to hard-boil!
