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Category: Our Columns
Turn off your lights to save the planet
On the last Saturday of March, citizens all around the world are invited to make a collective gesture to tackle climate change by turning off their lights for one hour.
Beans of All Colours
Beans have been cultivated for over 8,000 years in Central and South America, and they were immediately adopted by Spanish “conquistadors” who valued their easy transport and storage, as well as the fact that they are highly nutritious. From Europe, these legumes then quickly spread to Africa and Asia, where they have been part of […]
Kale: Nutritious… and ornamental
Kale, also know as borecole (from the Dutch ‘boerenkool’ for ‘farmer’s cabbage’) doesn’t grow in the shape of an apple like other varieties of cabbage, but rather in branches.
The five basic tastes
We do not all have the same likes and … dislikes. But all of us do have about 4000 taste sensory receptors, 75% of which are located on the dorsal surface of the tongue, the remainder being distributed along the palate, pharynx and upper esophagus.
Kiwi, the migratory bird
Native to China, where it has been cultivated for over a thousand years in all shapes, sizes and colors, the fruit known as kiwi has only been called thus for about 40 years now.
Have a Happy and “Heart-Healthy” Valentine’s Day!
February is not only the month in which Valentine’s Day falls, but also the month during which awareness is raised about the heart and cardiovascular diseases that attack so many of us (the cause of one third of all premature deaths in the population).
Prawn and Shrimp
Shrimp and prawns refer to about 2,000 different species of small aquatic animals with a flexible body and long antennae, 10 legs and a fan-shaped tail. While in biological terms, shrimp and prawns belong to different types of crustaceans, they are both very similar in appearance. In commercial farming, fisheries, and at fishmongers, these two […]
Happy New Year of the Dragon!
Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on January 21, 2012. According to Chinese tradition, when the Dragon is master, all the demons go into hiding. That’s why the Year of the Dragon is generally happy and prosperous, and many couples want to have children during this year.
Bok Choy: A Chinese cabbage
Around three-dozen different varieties of cabbage are cultivated in China. The most famous among these in the West is the “Bok choy”, also known as “pak choy” and “Shanghai choy.” It was incidentally the Chinese who brought it to North America in the late 19th century, when they took part in the great gold rush.
How to prepare a “spritz”
A spritz is an alcoholic aperitif that is widely consumed in northern Italy. Originating in Venice during the Austrian Empire in the early 18th century, the spritz was the drink of choice for soldiers who couldn’t stomach the high alcohol content of local wines. So they topped up these wines with sparkling water (seltzer). In […]
A festive menu for diabetics
We are concluding our trilogy of menus for people with specific dietary needs, with a specially designed festive menu for diabetics. There’s no reason why you cannot celebrate just because you are diabetic, if you pay attention to a few points:
A gluten-free festive menu
This week I’m recommending a 5-course gluten-free festive menu for a the holidays. This means that foods containing rye, oats, wheat, barley, triticale and its derivatives have to be avoided.
