Steamed dough products are widespread in Asia, more so, I think, than any other part of the world. The varieties are endless, with steamed dumplings to steamed buns, both filled with myriad items. Or, popularly, filled with nothing whatsoever. These empty buns are simple but filling, the food of common folk.
Fittingly, the first post here is not about a Mongolian food item, specifically. However, though “ricotta” is a cooking method named in Italian, it is familiar the world over. Simply put, it is heated and curdled milk, with the whey strained off to reveal only the moist curds. Read more…
Grains and dairy products compromise the bulk of our food, and they manifest in myriad forms across societies. Every society, since the agricultural revolution (and even before then) has incorporated some form of cereal (or pseudo-cereal) and dairy product into its diet, often to varying degrees. Meat (and other proteins), fruits, and vegetables also play important roles, but, once we shifted away from the hunter-gatherer paradigm, moved towards the “fringe” of our plates.
Cereal and milk form the ultimate foundation of diet, from providing sustenance in the hunger season to serving as a basis for reduced caloric intake. This blog will look at how we consume cereals and milk products, how we produce such, and what both mean to us culturally, politically, and maybe even spiritually.
