History of religion

A really cool animated map showing the spread of religion - 5,000 years in 90 secs. While not food related I found it quite interesting to see the spread of ideas over the millenia.

Viamapsofwar.com

What the World Eats

Time magazine has released a great photo essay of what different families in different parts of the world eats. What is amazing is how much we spend on food each week and how much of that food is processed. You can see the photos here:
What the World Eats | Photo Essays | TIME

Which nation wastes the most water?

Australia.
We use water in the most unusual ways. It takes about 8,000 litres of water to make a pair of leather shoes. Each kilo of steak took about 16,000 litres of water to produce. A friend of ours works on a think-tank (no pun intended) on water usage in Qld and was telling us about the problems facing coal mines - apparently they use huge quantities of water.

Even a simple bag potato chips use or COST about 185 litres to make. We are so dependant on water that it is easy to see how many civilisations have collapsed because of water shortages. Even in this modern age, our economies and industries are totally entwined with our water resources. 10% of our water is consumed domestically, industry gobbles up the rest.

This is why the Queensland government is so desperate to control the water… it’s not about water… it’s about jobs and the economy.

Read more at theage.com.au

How much energy was used to make your food

We all know to check our food labels for fat content etc… after all, fat is important to us. But what about the environment? Open the Future have the sort of food label that will affect your kids, grandkids etc. It’s how much energy and fossil fuel is used to make your product. Just a concept at the moment:

We are so obsessed with ourselves that we forget about others and the future. Bottled water is another energy wasteful product. Water is taken from a place like Fiji or Mount Franklin, bottled in plastic (which is an oil based product) then shipped to your supermarket or shop (burning petrol or diesel on the way) and then the bottle is thrown in the trash where it takes hundreds of years to break down. The most economical and environmentally friendly water delivery system is the pipes in the ground… maybe we just have too much money, after all, we pay more for water than we do for petrol and yet we complain about petrol prices.

Glad to get that off my chest this week.

Watermelon carving projects

Want to blow your friends and family away with a carved watermelon fruit salad bowl? Then this is the site for you: Incredible Watermelon Creations, you’ll even find some instructions on how to carve a swan.

What Does 200 Calories Look Like?

A plate of broccoli has the same amount of calories as a small spoonful of peanut butter… why does the good tasting stuff have to be so bad?

What Does 200 Calories Look Like? has a neat photo collection or different foods to give you an idea on what 200 calories looks like.

Giant Roman Shipwreck Yields "Fishy" Treasure

Fish sauce called Garum was a valuable ancient Roman sauce/flavouring and was traded and coveted by Roman soldiers. An ancient roman shipwreck off the coast of spain has revealed hundreds of amphorae that still contain Garum. Apparently Romans loved Spanish garum the best and there was a lot of trade between Spain and Italy.

Here is an ancient recipe for garum:

Ancient Garum Recipe Use fatty fish, for example, sardines, and a well-sealed (pitched) container with a 26-35 quart capacity. Add dried, aromatic herbs possessing a strong flavor, such as dill, coriander, fennel, celery, mint, oregano, and others, making a layer on the bottom of the container; then put down a layer of fish (if small, leave them whole, if large, use pieces) and over this, add a layer of salt two fingers high. Repeat these layers until the container is filled. Let it rest for seven days in the sun. Then mix the sauce daily for 20 days. After that, it becomes a liquid.
Gargilius Martialis, De medicina et de virtute herbarum, reprinted from A Taste of Ancient Rome

Read more about this discovery atGiant Roman Shipwreck Yields “Fishy” Treasure

How much caffeine is in your drinks

Ive you’ve ever wondered how much caffeine was in popular drinks then Nutrition Action Healthletter will shock the pants off you. I’m not sure what the lethal dose of caffeine might be but Starbuck’s Cafe Grande is either going to kill you or keep you awake for a year.

Measuring the speed of light with Chocolate Chips

Time for some kitchen science. With some chocolate chips. a ruler and a microwave you can measure the speed of light. Head to
Superpositioned.com , grab your kids and unleash your scientific prowess on them.

Great history of chocolate

The national association of manufacturers have great videos on how stuff is made. Their video on chocolate making is fascinating… from beans to bars… lots of history as well: In Aztec days. how many coco beans was a rabbit worth? 10… there’s one for your trivial pursuit nights.
This whole website is worth visiting and browsing for its many interesting videos.
via make blog