Croissants ? Not so French after all…

On a bright, sunny  morning, I was enjoying a “café-croissant” at one of my local bakeries in Pimlico (“Quartiers” in Warwick Way),  when I suddenly asked myself why this delicious pastry had such a funny shape… While enjoying the unique taste of  the delicate, golden, crescent-shaped roll, I started investigating on Google… and found many interesting theories about “croissants” …the most remarkable being that they are not French at all!


Here are a few stories about its origins:

The Battle of Vienna
In 1683, during the Ottoman siege of Vienna, legend says that a baker working late at night heard the Turks tunnelling under the walls of the city and alerted the military.  The military collapsed the tunnel in on the Turks and eliminated the threat, saving the city.  The baker baked a crescent shaped pastry,  called “kipfel”, in the shape of the Turk’s Islamic emblem, the crescent moon, so that when his fellow Austrians bit into the croissant, they would be symbolically “devouring” the Turks.

Marie-Antoinette and the “Croissant”
Another legend is that Marie-Antoinette, Louis XVI’s Austrian bride, introduced the croissant to France.  Recalling memories of her favourite pastry from homeland, she requested the royal bakers to replicate it.  Nonetheless food historians question this as there are no records of the pastry in the numerous lists of foods from that time.

August Zang:  an Austrian in Paris…
An Austrian artillery officer, August Zang founded a Viennese bakery at 92 rue de Richelieu in Paris, in 1839.  This bakery served Viennese specialities including the “kipfel” and inspired French bakers who turned it into what is now known as “croissant”.

It seems that no printed recipe for the present-day croissants was written before the early 20th century and the earliest French reference to “croissants” was found in Payen’s “Des Substances Alimentaires”, published in 1853.  Will we ever know the true story of “croissants”? Probably not… This should not prevent us from enjoying their unmistakable taste!

Written by Florence Tilkens. Florence is Social Media & Marketing Manager at FOCUS.

For more information about FOCUS visit:  www.focus-info.org

Wake up and smell the coffee

I received an email from an American friend of mine recounting her recent experience with coffee.  She was invited to lunch at a friend’s house, whose husband is an Italian-born diplomat. After lunch, the hostess asked who wanted coffee. My friend was so excited to think that it would surely be an excellent Italian brew, maybe even a lovely cappuccino. It sadly wasn't. She popped the pot of filter coffee on the counter and served everyone.  ‘It's just not right,’ my friend thought, ‘I'm a coffee snob. Was I wrong to think an Italian home would have more refined taste?’

I, myself, have become the ultimate coffee snob.  My first memory of coffee was on a family trip to Portugal when I was four years old.  The coffee was served in the tiniest of cups; they looked like the cups from my doll’s tea set.  I still remember the smell; the aroma was so delicious, but the flavour left a bitter taste in my mouth.


When I moved to London more than 20 years ago, I was very disappointed to go into the kitchen at my office to discover Nescafe was being used for coffee.  To me, this instant, powdered drink was not coffee.  I had just arrived from Brussels where the most modest of coffees is served with a small biscuit or piece of rich, delicious chocolate.  At the time there was no Starbucks or Caffé Nero.  Tea was (and still is) the traditional hot drink. 

When I first met my Italian husband, he would bring coffee back from Rome in his suitcase.  He would go to

Caffé Sant’Eustachio and watch them grind the beans in front of him.  We had a traditional Moka pot and made espresso on the cooker.  Eventually we purchased an espresso machine in Italy which used capsules to make the coffee, producing a lovely, rich, frothy coffee similar to that found in a coffee bar in Italy.  But the capsules weren't available here in the UK so we had them delivered to his parents and brought them back in our luggage.  As a result, we had to ration them out.  We have now purchased a new Lavazza espresso machine and we can get the capsules here too, a real bonus as we can drink as much coffee as we want! 

After all these years of living in London, I still can’t call myself a tea drinker.  Coffee, on the other hand, is another story.  

Written by Eva Stock. Eva is Director of Sponsors Relations at FOCUS.

For more information about FOCUS visit:  www.focus-info.org

Pirouetting Ballerinas found in the wine of Burgundy

Do you ever drink wine and think of ballerinas pirouetting on your tongue or rolling around in a bowl full of cherries with a loved one?
If the answer is ‘no’ then you have not yet had the pleasure of experiencing a wine tasting led by the exuberant wine educator Quentin Sadler. FOCUS members recently enjoyed an evening led by Quentin and hosted by the BADA Antiques Fair which transforms the Duke of York Square each March.
After arriving at the fair, guests were led through the grand marquis displaying items from some of the most established antiques dealers to the Cellini Restaurant. Tables were set with glasses filled with a fine selection of  Louis Jadot wines and dishes of attractive parmesan crisps. Once we were all seated the real journey began.

Photos of the Burgundy region were shared as we moved from the Côte d'Or, through Côte Chalonnaise down to Mâconnais and ending in Beaujolais. Although, to be fair, we did not end with Beaujolais as from many who are passionate about wine that would have been a disappointment. We did in fact journey back to Côte de Nuits (which to my surprise stands for nuts, not night).
Quentin enlightened us all on the region - from the golden slopes to the colder regions noting the effect the climate has on the wine, colour of the grape and of course the taste. I enjoyed tasting cherries, nectarines, raspberries, currents and strawberries. Some wines were nutty and others smoky, some casual and happy and others angular; it all seemed to make sense at the time and  Quentin was certainly convincing.  Luckily we had a sheet for taking notes on the appearance smell and palate for each of the six wines.

We also were guided through the hierarchy of Village up to Premier Cru and right to the top with Grand Cru. We also were introduced to the oddly quirky system whereby the agricultural authorities in France determine what level the wine commands depending on the vineyards placement on the slope, the place, the reputation, and the price the wine commands.
Throughout the course of the evening Quentin entertained us with his stories of travel, wines and culinary excursions. He was able to bring a smile to everyone’s face in spite of there being guests of varying nationalities with competing views on where the best food and wine came from.
From now on I will wait for ballerinas to twirl on my tongue and look for that bowl of cherries…
Happy wine drinking!
 

Written by Nancy Dickinson.  Nancy is the Director of Events and Seminars at FOCUS. 

For more information please visit www.focus-info.org

RHUBARB: A FRUIT OR A VEGETABLE?

 

So glad it’s finally Spring!

I grew up in the Swiss countryside and my parents used to grow our own vegetables. I hated it! I didn’t like vegetables and the ones home grown actually tasted so intense that it took me even longer to swallow them than the ones we bought in the store.
Well, our garden didn’t make me like vegetables, but it did teach me the season of local vegetables and fruit. Even now living in the “big city” (like my parents would say), I try to buy seasonal and local (I place emphasis on “try”, because the winter is just too long to keep on eating 5 a day with apples, pears, carrots and cabbage alone, even by being very creative).
Every year, as soon as I see the first British rhubarb, my eyes light up and I go home and make my first Rhubarb Crumble. Here is my recipe:

Recipe for 4:

500g or 4 stalks rhubarb, chopped into ½ inch/1cm long chunks
6-8 teaspoons sugar or vanilla sugar (depending on how sweet you would like it)
4 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons ground almonds
30 g butter
2 tablespoons light brown muscovado sugar

1.    Mix the rhubarb and the sugar and divide the mixture to 4 oven proof dishes.

2.    Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. To make the topping, rub the flour, almonds, butter and sugar together with your fingers until you have a crumbly topping. Scatter the topping over the rhubarb and bake for 30 mins or until the rhubarb is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Serve piping hot.
Do not hesitate to experiment with this recipe: try other seasonal fruit (the sweeter the fruit, the less sugar you
need to add), try oats instead of flour or other ground or chopped nuts, desiccated coconut or frangipane instead of almonds. You can also add spices like cinnamon or ground ginger and why not try pepper for a strawberry crumble.

It’s an easy and quick dessert and counts towards your 5 fruits and vegetables a day (1 serving = 1 portion of fruit). Enjoy!

  
Percentage of the recommended daily allowance in 1 serving     
Rhubarb is rich in:  
-    Potassium  (15%). Potassium is good for lowering high blood pressure, for brain and nerve function.
-    Calcium (9%). Calcium is good for bones, teeth, heart.

Almonds are rich in:       
-    B-vitamins, for nerve function.
-    Vitamin E (40%), an antioxidant.
-    Magnesium (17%), good for bones, muscles and nerve function.

Written by Evelyn Dorkel. Evelyn is an HCPC registered dietitian practising in the multidisciplinary practice Physio For All in Chelsea. She offers a client focused dietetic service in English, French and German.
www.nutrition4yourwellbeing.co.uk


For more information about FOCUS visit: www.focus-info.org