Category Archives: Yahoo

What do the Chinese really eat during Chinese New Year?

by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 7th February 2014:

Chinese New Year at Yauatcha, London

A journalist friend of mine recently asked me what I was doing for Chinese New Year this year for an article she was writing. When I replied that we usually ate home-cooked foods and watched the Spring Festival Gala, like we did in China, she was surprised.

It seems that, from her experience at least, our way of celebrating Chinese New Year was very outdated and people no longer ate at home. It got me thinking, what do the Chinese really eat for Chinese New Year?

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Following the Tunisian date trail

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Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 31st January 2014:

Tunisia

Dates are probably one of the most underrated fruits around. Once prized by nations for its sweetness and nutritious pulp, it’s fallen to the wayside to make room for trendy super foods.

But it could be said that dates were the original super food, having been cultivated for some 5,000 years. They are nutrition-rich, with an abundance of iron, calcium, Vitamins A and C and are said to slow the development of heart disease and cancer. Yet they seem to be rarely acknowledged in the UK beyond being the perfect way to break a fast or as a moist-maker in cakes and puddings.

To learn more about dates, I travelled to Kebili in Southern Tunisia.

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A beginner’s guide to Scotch whisky

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Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 25th January 2014:

Scotch is undoubtedly some of the best whisky in the world. A bottle of Macallan “M” was recently sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for a staggering $628,205, making it the world’s most expensive single malt sold at auction.

What made this particular whisky so in demand was the fact that it was a blend of whiskies from seven different casks, out of a possible 200,000 at Macallan, that’s aged between 25 to 75 years old. Added to the rarity of the whisky was the six litre crystal decanter made by luxury glass designer Lalique which held the spirit.

That was a whisk for the record books but thankfully, most whiskies are not quite so expensive.

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Winter Warmer Recipe: Finnish salmon and potato soup

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Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 17th January 2014:

Finnish salmon potato soup

When I was in Helsinki last year, I found it hard to describe Finnish cuisine beyond calling it “Nordic”. The reason, I discovered, was that Finnish cuisine takes influence from its neighbours in Scandinavia, Russia and the Baltic states.

To help me define what is Finnish, I asked a few of the foodies I met along the way to list what they thought were typical Finnish ingredients. The results were surprisingly similar.

Potatoes, berries, fish and mushrooms consistently came up top. Beyond that, there was also reindeer and liquorice.

Thinking back over some of the meals I had in Helsinki, these ingredients seem obvious now.

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Tunisian recipe: sticky, crunchy makroud

by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 13th January 2014:

Tunisian makroud

On a recent trip to Tunisia, I discovered a deliciously addictive sweet pastry called makroud. The snack is found mainly in Tunisia and Algeria but has also spread to Morocco and other parts of Northern Africa.

It’s essentially date paste wrapped in semolina, deep fried and then doused in honey. It’s rich, like baklava but less sweet, with a nutty crunch like biscuits.

It’s not the easiest thing to make as the semolina can be quite crumbly but you’ll find yourself eating one after the other until they’re all gone.

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