OPEN TEEL! (06/04)

Doesn’t have quite the same ring as OPEN SESAME!* does it?

Nevertheless, teel is one of the many names used for sesame. Here are more:

Other Names
Bene Seeds, Beniseed, Benne, Gingelly, Gingili, Gingilli, Semsem, Simsim, Teel, Til
French: sesame
German: Sesam
Italian: sesamo
Spanish: ajonjoli, sesamo
Arabic: tahina, tahine, tahini
Chinese: chi mah, hak chi mah (black sesame)
Indian: gingelly (oil)
Japanese: goma, kuro goma (black sesame)
Malay: bene, bijan

*The “Open Sesame” of Arabian Nights fame, probably derives from the sound the ripe seeds make when they burst from their pods, a popping noise that sounds like a lock spring opening.

Wear Gloves (03/23)

Jalapeno Pepper

I learned a few things about jalapeno peppers. First of all, the smaller the pepper the hotter it is. Second of all, if you are chopping a jalapeno – wear gloves.

If you do not , your hand will feel like it is burning (up to 24 hours). It feels like a slow burn, as if you are holding a cup of hot soup for just a little too long, coupled with the pins and needles feeling of a hand that has fallen asleep.

If you are experiencing this pain in your hands and are wearing contacts – DO NOT take your contacts out before going to bed. That is unless you want your eyes to burn as well.

The cure? I read several on message boards. The one that worked for me? Milk. Soak your hand in milk. It may sound a little gross, but it is better than be driven crazy by the pain in your hand.

I would like to share one more helpful tip that I learned last Thanksgiving:

You should also wear gloves when peeling butternut squash. If you do not, the skin on your hand will become dry, tight and have a film over it. This may be an allergic reaction (contact dermatitis) and not affect everyone, but it is worth knowing. It is also recommended to peel the skin off with a knife rather than a peeler. It gets the job done faster and your not in direct contact with the starch.

My hand was so dried out that I could not even open my palm. It was scary at first, but once again message boards saved the day. Although it took a few days, lotion and hand washing (with a little gentle scrubbing) took care of the problem.

Now you don’t have to make the same mistakes that I did…

Caribbean Pineapples (03/22)

For many years Eleuthra (Bahama) was a major center for pineapple production. It has a number of large pineapple plantations and because the pineapple are allowed to ripen slowly without chemical assistance they’re extremely sweet.

Pineapples have been cultivated in the Caribbean for thousands of years. Scientists have reached that conclusion because the Caribbean pineapple no longer produces seeds, and that the fruit has been farmed by man for so long that it no longer feels responsible for its own reproduction.

–Burt Wolf