Welcome to series 3 of the Culinary Alphabet A-Z…Where the middle letters today are Y and Z…

The end …the final post in this series… which has been great fun to research and write I have been ably supported by both Chel and Pete and I thank you for your contributions over this series…Take a bow!

Let’s go and see what I have found…

Beyaz Peynir…

Similar to feta cheese this Turkish white cheese is a brined cheese made from unpasteurised cows, sheep or goats milk. Beyaz peynir is produced in a variety of styles, ranging from non-matured cheese curds to a quite strong mature version. It is eaten plain, for example as part of the traditional Turkish breakfast, used in salads, and incorporated into cooked foods such as menemen, börek, gözleme and pide.

Biryani…

A family favourite I have made my version of Biryani for many years…A delicious mixed rice dish it is made by adding rice and spices to meat. Eggs and/or vegetables, such as potatoes, are also added in certain regional varieties as with many such dishes it will vary from region to region…

Claypot…

Claypot cooking is an ancient method of cooking that uses a two-part (top and bottom) unglazed clay pot that has first been soaked in water. When heated to a high temperature, steam is created, adding moisture to whatever is being cooked and retaining nutrients.

Romertopfs are a popular clay pot and lovely way to cook as is the Moroccan Tagine…

Bo zai Fan or Clay pot rice is also a classic Cantonese dish that combines traditional cooking methods with Chinese food staple rice.

Gruyere Cheese…

Is a smooth-melting type of Swiss cheese that’s made from whole cow’s milk and generally cured for six months or longer. Gruyère is a great table cheese, a term that refers to any cheese that can be eaten in slices, like on a sandwich or as part of a cheese platter. It also happens to be an excellent melting cheese, which is why Gruyère is one of the two main kinds of cheese (Emmental is the other one) used in preparing the traditional fondue recipe.

Gruyère cheese is a firm cheese with a pale yellow colour and a rich, creamy, slightly nutty taste. It features a few small holes, or “eyes”, characteristic of Swiss cheese, which are formed by gas bubbles released by the bacteria that are used in making the cheese.

Honeycomb…

Honeycombs are made from beeswax, a substance created by worker bees. When the temperature is right, worker bees secrete wax scales from special glands in their body. Then they chew the wax with a bit of honey and pollen to produce the beeswax.

One of my favourite things is honey fresh from the comb and I am very lucky to be able to source them wild here…I do however have concerns about the honey bee population worldwide as bees are one of our top pollinators and if they die and become extinct it won’t bode well for the human race…

It seems between insecticides, parasites and the Asian Giant Hornet hives are being slaughtered…I came across this article and it’s interesting in that Asian honeybees (Apis cerana), another Apis species, have evolved with Asian giant hornets, and have behavioural adaptations to protect their hives from Asian giant hornet slaughter attacks. If an Asian giant hornet enters the hive, Asian honey bees are able to surround and form a “ball” around the hornet. They kill the hornet by vibrating their wings, warming the “ball” cluster and the hornet within it, thus elevating the temperatures at the centre of the cluster to about 120°F. However, European honey bees (Apis mellifera) are defenceless against slaughter attacks, as they do not possess these defence strategies.

Johnnycakes…

A popular street food…the Johnnycake comes in many versions and is known by a few different names…not just in name though, but also in ingredients and preparation. .. grandmother’s johnnycakes, for example, were fluffy, not very sweet, and medium in size… But there are recipes that omit flour altogether and call for sifted cornmeal, boiling water, and pork fat. And if you venture into the Caribbean, you will find a version that’s more like a fried dumpling made of flour, baking powder, sugar, butter and water.

Thyme…

One of my favourite herbs…a Meditterean herb with dietary. medicinal and ornamental uses…Thyme is thought to have antibacterial, insecticidal, and possibly antifungal properties…People used thyme throughout history for embalming and to protect from the Black Death.

Forms of thyme include fresh, dried herbs and essential oil.

Idiazabal…

Idiazabal is a pressed cheese made from unpasteurized sheep milk, usually from Latxa and Carranzana sheep in the Basque Country and Navarre. It has a somewhat smokey flavour but is usually un-smoked. The cheese is handmade and covered in a natural hard, dark brown, inedible rind.

Bazin…

Bazin is an unleavened bread in the cuisine of Libya prepared with barley, water and salt. Bazin is prepared by boiling barley flour in water and then beating it to create a dough using a magraf, which is a unique stick designed for this purpose.

The traditional way to eat Bazin...It looks like a giant dumpling, made of barley flour, and is served in the middle of the plate surrounded by a stew.

Calzone or Pizza

A pizza folded in half to make a pocket which s filled with a variety of different fillings…Pretty much anything that goes on a pizza can go into a calzone.

The dough is pretty much the same just with a pizza the whole pizza is covered with topping with a calzone only half is covered with filling and it’s then folded over…

Mezze…

A  selection of Greek or Middle Eastern cuisine …small dishes served with an aperitif while enjoying a leisurely snack or watching the sunset…

That’s all for today this is the last post in this series ...I hope you have enjoyed it but I will be back next week with a new A-Z…Thank you for reading and leaving a comment which I always look forward to as I love to chat…

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