On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 879

right, and are described in detail in the next chapter Seeds Concentrate Cooking Liquids Because grains and beans are dry and soak up water, they remove water from the liquid they’re cooked in, and therefore effectively concentrate other materials in the liquid In this way they create a sauce for themselves When rice or polenta is cooked in milk, for example, the liquid between the grains becomes richer in both milk proteins and fat globules, and so more like cream When grains are cooked in a meat stock, the stock become more concentrated in gelatin, and so comes to resemble a reduced stock or demiglace The Grains, or Cereals Of the approximately 8,000 species in the grass family, only a handful play a significant role in the human diet Aside from bamboo and sugar cane, these are the cereals While their grains are very similar in structure and composition, the differences have made for widely divergent culinary histories The major Eurasian cereals — wheat, barley, rye, and oats — originally grew wild in extensive stands on the temperate high plains of the Near East Groups of early humans could harvest enough wheat and barley from these wild fields in a few weeks to sustain themselves for a year Some 12,000 to 14,000 years ago, the first agriculturalists began to plant and tend wheat and barley seeds selected for their size and the ease with which they could be harvested and used; and farmers gradually spread these crops throughout western and central Asia, Europe, and north Africa Each cereal had its advantages Barley was especially hardy, while rye and oats were able to adapt to wet, cold climates, and wheat produced a uniquely ... seeds selected for their size and the ease with which they could be harvested and used; and farmers gradually spread these crops throughout western and central Asia, Europe, and north Africa Each cereal had its... widely divergent culinary histories The major Eurasian cereals — wheat, barley, rye, and oats — originally grew wild in extensive stands on the temperate high plains of the Near East Groups of early humans could harvest enough wheat and. ..role in the human diet Aside from bamboo and sugar cane, these are the cereals While their grains are very similar in structure and composition, the differences have made for