拌蕨菜 Fiddlehead Ferns

INGREDIENTS
蕨菜500克，蒜片25克，精盐4克，胡椒2克、干辣椒20克，麻油25克，芝麻20克

METHODS
1、蕨菜切段；干辣椒切末，蒜片待用；
2、炒锅内倒入麻油，烧至四五成热时，放入辣椒末和蒜片，炸成棕色，倒入蕨菜拌炒；
3、将蕨菜加入精盐、胡椒、拌匀，洒上芝麻，即可装盘。
--from 学做韩国菜

枸杞菠萝银耳汤

INGREDIENTS
枸杞子15克，菠萝150克，银耳(干)15克，冰糖50克

METHOD
1.　将枸杞洗净，用温水泡软；
2.　菠萝去皮挖去丁眼，洗净后切成小块；
3.　银耳用温水泡软泡发，洗净后摘去根蒂，撕成小朵待用；
4.　锅内倒适量清水，放银耳用大火烧开，改小火焖煮1小时；
5.　再放入菠萝块、枸杞煮10分钟，加冰糖，待冰糖煮化即可。
-- from 天天美食

老北京小吊梨汤

材料：
大个雪花梨1000克
水发银耳120克
冰糖120克
青梅60克（增加清香的口味）
枸杞适量。

做法：
1、把梨用水洗净，削成大片待用，注意连梨皮一起，因皮中含有丰富的营养，而且能增加汤色；
2、锅中加水2000克，水烧开后先下银耳中火煮10分钟，再下入其它配料，(梨水比例1比2，水多了味道不够香）
3、小火煮1小时，待水煮下三分之一左右即可出锅饮用。
-- from 昆山美式网

On pork and ham

'the best game in the Western world. Gaulish hunting, a kind of rustic war, skifully waged and with a quasi-religious element in it ... was the naturl complement of agriculture, a means of exploiting land and beasts that had remained wild.' For the forest also provided wood, the bark of trees, ashes, fruit and honey; it was silva melliflua, a forest flowing with honey, where pigs not much tamer than the related wild boars -- and none of them the products of stock-breeding -- fed on acrons, wandering almost at liberty under the nominal supervision of swineherds who were hardly more civilized than their charges; swineherds were serfs on the very lowest rank of the social ladder.
... ...

Today a certain amount of pig meat eaten in Europe, particularly ham, actually comes from China, to the annoyance of European pig farmers. However, as a result of some rather complicated trade agreements, certain countries such as Romania pay for Western goods with their own pigs, keeping the Chinese animals for home consumption: they are cheaper, and have certain diplomatic after-taste which does not go down too well in the West.
... ...

The pig was also popular with the Romans. According to Galen, its flesh tasted like human flesh, and it was to be discovered later that the cannibals of the South Sea Islands thought explorers were even better than pork. Such comments on "long pig" all seem to agree, though I do not know that anyone has gone to the trouble of checking them.

But the real delicacy of patrician Roman banquets was a dish made from sows' vulvas and teats. No account of such festivities omits to mention them. Pliny goes so far as to claim that the vulva of a sow who had aborted her first litter was the best of all, while other writers of the time preferred the virgin sow. Comparisons were also drawn between the teats of a sterile sow and of one who had just given birth and was about to suckle her young. Apparently the deranged Emperor Heliogabalus was capable of eating this dish ten days running. Asterix the Gual was not too far out in claiming that 'These Romans are crazy!'
--from 《A History of Food》by Toussaint-Samat

甗、甑、鬲、鼎

甗(yǎn)，可分为两部分，下半部是鬲(lì)，用于煮水，上半部是甑(zèng)，古代蒸饭的瓦器，底部有许多透蒸气的孔格，置于鬲上蒸煮，如同现代的蒸锅。

鼎与鬲的主要区别在于三足的实与空，两者器形相近，鼎有实足，鬲是袋形足，后世文献中便说鬲是空足之鼎。鬲新石器时代已出现，汉以后少见。

Dates and walnut snack

Pitted dates. Macerate in food processor;
Add walnuts or pecans, chop and mix;
Mix further by hands.
Roll the mixture into a log and wrap it in plastic;
Let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours or even up to a week.
Serve alone or with shortbread.
--From Food Chronicles

麻辣蚕豆

材料：蚕豆500克，香葱2棵，生姜1小块，花椒1小匙
调料：食用油30克，辣椒粉1／2大匙，精盐1小匙，白糖1／2小匙，味精1／2小匙
做法：1、将嫩蚕豆洗净沥干；葱、姜切成末。 2、锅内放油，烧热，投入葱、姜末煸出香味时，加入蚕豆翻炒匀，再加精盐、白糖、水、辣椒粉，继续炒1分钟左右，加味精、花椒炒匀即成。
--from 美食家

Spice: The History of a Temptation‎

by Jack Turner

Though the Victoria, at only eightyfive tons, was the second-smallest vessel of the expedition, its leaking hold yielded 381 bags of cloves, the legacy of the frantic buying that followed the crew’s arrival at Tidore. The net weight was calculated at 520 quintals, 1 arroba, and 11 pounds: 60,060 pounds, or 27,300 kilograms. There were also samples of other spices: cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg, plus, oddly, one feather (of a bird of paradise?).

In the debit column alongside is a listing of expenses: weapons, victuals, hammers, lanterns, drums “para diversion,” pitch and tar, gloves, one piece of Valencian cochineal, twenty pounds of saffron, lead, crystal, mirrors, six metal astrolabes, combs, colored velvets, darts, compasses, various trinkets, and sundry other expenses. Taking into account the loss of four of the five ships, the advances paid to the crews, back pay for the survivors, and pensions and rewards for the pilot, it emerges that once the Victoria’s 381 bags of cloves had been brought to market the expedition registered a modest net profit. For the investors it was a disappointment, paltry in comparison with the astronomical returns then being enjoyed by the Portuguese in the East; but it was a profit nonetheless. The conclusion must rate as one of accountancy’s more dramatic moments: a small holdful of cloves funded the first circumnavigation of the globe.

读书笔记：Crop Evolution, Adaptation and Yield

by L.T. Evans （1993）

关于产量

说起农作物产量（yield）一般指亩产（或吨每公顷），但是纵观历史，人们对作物产量的参照系是在变化着的。在最初野外采集阶段，重要的标准是单位时间的采集量，或更准确说是所采集食物能提供的热量。

到了农业初始，播种粮食的阶段，新的标准变为收获的种子和种下去的种子之间的比列。粮食不足的年代，此比例只有3－4，甚至更低至1.8，比如十三世纪英国的小麦。早期的大麦、小麦最好到圣经中所说的一百，可能也只是指个别植株。现代小麦这个比例大约高于160。用此标准，玉米和小米都是高产作物，玉米至少三百，小米则有几千。

当人口增长，需要的可耕地面积越来越大的时候，单位耕地面积的作物产量就成为更重要的指标，直至今日。在热带地区，长日照使得轮作成为可能，那么衡量产量的除了土地面积还有一年可能有几轮收获，换言之，产量更以单位土地单位时间来计量。

可耕地面积一方面会慢慢减少，而人口又将持续增长，对产量的要求也会越来越高。灌溉、化肥、杀虫剂因为都对作物产量提高有不同作用，相当于在替代日渐缩小的耕地面积。当这一类资源也开始紧缺的时候，它们也可能成为衡量产量的坐标，比如当水资源紧缺时，单位用水量的作物产量可能就变得更为重要。

Crops yield

Average yield of ancient wheat crops (from a field experiment in Britain):
Emmer: 202.43 g/m^2 = 2024.3 kg/ha
Spelt: 331.90
Club Wheat: 204.53
source: Environmental Factors and the Yield Potential of Ancient Wheat Crops

Wheat yield by country (2003-2004):
Highest (#1 UK) 7.78 -> Low (#26 Kazakhstan) 0.97
Average = 3.1 metric ton/ha = 3100 kg/ha
Average rice yield = 5 mt/ha = 5000 kg/ha
source: NationMaster

Typical yield of foxtail millet grain 小米:
800-900 kg/ha = 80-90 g/m^2
source: wiki

foodscape

蒜烧平菇

INGREDIENTS
新鲜的平菇500克，蒜1头，酱油2汤匙，绍酒1汤匙，胡椒粉、盐、淀粉、鸡粉适量。
METHODS
1、平菇洗净，撕大片，投入沸水中烫透，取出挤干水分。蒜切片待用。
2、起油锅，在油温热时，下蒜片爆香，烹入绍酒、酱油，加鸡粉和适量水，随即下平菇、盐、胡椒粉，烧开，转用小火慢烧，把平菇烧透入味，勾入水淀粉即成。
- from foods1

八宝粥

1。芸豆、苡仁米、大麦米、莲子：in slow cooker high for 4 hrs
2。水发银耳、玉米渣：2 hrs
3。枸杞、糯米、百合、枣：0.5-1 hr

石磨、面粉、小麦

查询五谷时，对小麦最终取代稷黍，我当时随意的猜测是新作物（小麦源于中东）和高产量，应当说都不对。小麦虽是外来作物，但传入中国的时间相当早；小麦相对于小米黄米的单位高产量更大的可能性是小麦普及的果而不是因。事实上，大约到南宋，小麦在全国的总产量可能才接近谷子（稷／小米），不过这里总产量和单位产量的关系不清，南宋时“全国”所指范围不清。

那到底是什么因素促使小麦成为北方主要作物呢？我最近读到先秦人们吃的粮食都是“粒食”，无论南北，米饭、小米饭、麦饭、粥。面食周朝末虽开始出现，但限于贵族，普及要到汉代，其决定因素是石磨的成熟。我想，这个才应当是小麦最终超越并取代小米的真正原因。现在麦饭或麦粥算粗粮，属健康食品，你若吃过就知道它没有米饭甚至小米饭好吃。但磨成粉，小麦面粉最佳。最初的面食都叫饼。另外，豆腐也出现于汉代，也是石磨促成。

磨，最初叫硙（wei），汉代才叫做磨，据说是由春秋末期鲁班发明，但多半属传说。石磨在中国迄今最早的考古发现有陕西临潼郑庄秦石料加工厂遗址出土的石磨（只有下扇），和河北满城汉墓出土的完整石磨。

根据百度，磨是公元前三世纪，在世界上突然出现的，包括中国［秦、］汉代的石磨，古罗马的齿轮传动水动力磨，土耳其的人力畜力碾砣。公元前三世纪之前的石磨，既没有在文物出土中出现，也没有相关历史记载。

Quern-stone（手磨石）据说由古希腊人发明。

====

此文合我查五谷的初衷，涉及更广略嫌泛泛：万国鼎：《五谷史话》
这篇可以印证我的解释：樊志民 ：《中国古代北方饮食文化特色研究》

Tataki, Maki & Scallop

V-D and food

If you live north of 40 degrees north latitude (about the latitude of New York City) or south of 40 degrees south latitude (about the latitude of Wellington, New Zealand), for at least half of the year, you can't.

In Boston, Massachusetts, for instance, there is insufficient ultraviolet radiation in the sunlight for skin to make adequate amounts of vitamin D from early November to early March. On the South Island of New Zealand, vitamin D deficiency is a real risk from early May to early September. In Calgary, Alberta, residents don't get enough vitamin D even if they get daily sun exposure from October until nearly April. And in northern Europe, Alaska, and Russia, the problem is even worse.

Food Vitamin D (IU)
Cod liver oil 2218
Herring (raw) 2061
Shiitake mushrooms (dried) 1122
Catfish (raw) 1122
Button mushrooms (raw) 691
Pink salmon, canned 530
Sardines (canned) 521
Herring (pickled) 519
Mackerel, canned 214
Caviar 184
... ...
--original article

Venetian Marinated Rib-Eye

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)
1/2 bottle rich, full-bodied red wine, preferably Amarone
2 tablespoons sugar
6 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 8- to 12-ounce rib-eye steaks, about 1/2-inch thick
Salt and pepper.

METHODS
1. Combine wine and sugar in a large pot and bring to boil; lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and orange zest, and remove pan from heat to cool.
2. Put steaks in a large baking dish and pour marinade over them. Marinate steaks in refrigerator for at least several hours and up to three days.
3. Take steaks out of the marinade, season with salt and pepper, and cook them in a very hot skillet, about 2 minutes each side for medium rare. (You can grill or broil them if you prefer.) Slice the meat about 1/4-inch thick and serve.
--from NYT The Minimalist

新宠宝刀

有一阵想买把Santoku刀，可一是家里不缺刀二是也没有看上哪把，何况法式刀也早用顺手了，也没细看。几个月前在附近的WS看上一把刀，当时店里缺货，也就作罢。上周又看上一把旬的，还是缺货，说一个星期内会进货，我想想到时大概兴头就又过了。不想之后的一周每次做饭都会想起那把刀，平日最烦打电话的，这次竟然打电话询问起来，依然没有。到昨天，一周了，决定不再坐等，打电话去另一间mall里，有，请他们给留出来。

到底也没等，放下电话就去了，七八英里远吧。不知上次来是什么时候了，忽然后悔电话里忘了问店在mall的什么地方。经济不好，逛mall的人可不少，转了很多圈才找到停车位，边找边想自己干嘛没事儿凑周末的热闹。不过要是大家没了工作没事干都来逛店，那平日人也少不了。Mall内也一片欣欣向荣。很幸运，WS就在我停车的这一端，不必迂回，直奔主题。拿到了刀，摩挲一通，又对着刀锋一阵凝视，售货员都有点儿不耐烦了。长条盒子，售货员要给装进一个大纸袋里，我说，哎，不用了，省个袋子吧。就拿了刀盒出店奔停车场。想着自己什么都不买店也不逛，买把菜刀拿了就走，不知怎么一下子就想起最近VT的案子，警方在朱的家里找到有买菜刀的收据等等。。。

晚上包饺子，刚学来的紫菜虾仁馅儿，挺简单的，都一样样切出来，发现这把刀——太好用啦。我的刀工立涨，难怪说必先厉其器哪。如此看来，电视上，Sushi bar里那些大厨们令我羡慕的刀工手艺，也不是那么可望不可及。或者这也是日式刀与法式刀的区别，刀刃一个15－18度，一个20－22度。我的Wüsthof chef's knife看来只能委屈呈基本退役状了。给A看我的新宝贝，他立即做自我保护状。跟他说，旧刀归你了，不许用我的新宠啊。

紫菜虾仁馅儿：
虾仁、鲜香菇（代原菜谱中的鸡胸肉）、紫菜大致等量。虾仁香菇切碎，打入鸡蛋两个，拌料酒、盐、胡椒粉、一勺生抽、香油；紫菜撕碎，不必过水，直接拌入馅儿中。即可。

凉面

Noodle
1) 1 box of whole wheat think spaghetti, boil in salted water and drain

Veggies
1) 1 pound sugar snap peas
2) 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded, and thinly sliced
3) 1/2 pound bean spouts

Cook the Veggies
1) Bring another large pot of salted water to a boil, add the sugar snap peas, return to a boil, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until crisp tender.
2) Lift the sugar snap peas from the water with a slotted spoon and immerse them in a bowl of ice water. Drain.
3) You may cook the peppers or not cook it. Up to you.

Ingredients for the Dressing
1) Kosher salt
2) 1/4 vegetable oil
3) 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
4) 1/3 cup soy sauce
5) 2 tbs dark sesame oil
6) 1 tbs honey
7) 2 garlic cloves, minced
8) 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
9) 2 tbs toasted white sesame seeds, divided
10)1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

Mix the Dressing
For the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a medium bowl.

Garnish
1)2 scallions (with and green parts), sliced diagonally
2)3 tbs chopped fresh parsley leaves

Finish and Garnish
1) Combine the spaghetti, sugar snap peas, peppers and scallions in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the spaghetti mixture.
2) Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, and scallions and the parsley and toss together.
－from coconuthead