The AnswerBank Articles

How many different types of foie gras are there

A. Duck foie gras is more widely available than goose and is more rustic and robust. Goose foie gras is creamier and lighter in texture. Raw foie gras is raw lobes (livers) of foie gras, usually00:00 Mon 24th Dec 2001

Why do we still use marzipan, especially as so few people seem to like it

A. Marzipan isn't highly regarded in Britain today - it's often that bit of Christmas cake people leave to one side. It may be considered too sweet for the UK palate, but it has a long and varied00:00 Mon 24th Dec 2001

What will 'functional foods' mean to the way we eat

A. Food technologists are getting excited about functional foods, such as therapeutic breads modified to calm you down and beers manufactured to minimise your hangover. There are fortunes to be made00:00 Mon 17th Dec 2001

What foods can you cook for someone with a lactose intolerance

A. Someone that is intolerant of lactose is missing the lactase enzyme that helps digest milk and milk products. Foods with lactose cause symptoms such as bloating and stomach pains. This means no00:00 Mon 17th Dec 2001

Are glace cherries red when they're picked - or are they dyed

A. Glace cherries come from the white-fleshed Napoleon cherry, which isn't used as an eating cherry because of its lack of flavour. The fruit is pale yellow, a bit like Mirebelle plums, when its00:00 Mon 17th Dec 2001

Where does paprika come from

A. Paprika comes from peppers (capiscums) grown on the Hungarian plains near the towns of Szeged, Kalocsa and Ersekujar. They have to be planted in warm soil so the peppers open. Q. How are they00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

Why is salt bad for you

A. The negative effects on salt on health were recognised by the Chinese as early as 2000BC, who realised that if too much salt was used in food, the pulse hardens. Doctors recognise today that most00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

When was chocolate first sold

A. The Cadbury family came up with their own recipe in 1820 that was to make chocolate commercially viable. They created a drinking chocolate product that was affordable for the masses. By 1849,00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

Why is cinema suddenly so popular

A. Movies have become an instant and reassuring therapy for people in the world since the attacks on America on September 11. Despite the lure of television, videos and DVS, during the past two00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

Which Caribbean island is the real home of rum

A. Rum's hidden history starts 10,000 years ago when the sugar cane plant began its migration from the East Indies into China and India. Sugar cane became the main Caribbean/South American crop as00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

Which foods are important in which countries at Christmas

A. Roast turkey is a newcomer to the British table and only made its way to Europe from North America in about 1650. Before that, roast swan, goose or peacock was considered traditional fare. Mince00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

How is cranberry juice made

A. Cranberries are harvested in an unusual yet traditional way deep in the heartland of America. It's said that the cranberry harvest is a triumph of ingenuity over nature. Workers - mostly employed00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

Are bitters really bitter

A. Spirits were originally introduced for your health. Any thoughts of pleasure were forgotten and while most have managed to extricate themselves from this original purpose, bitters remain firmly00:00 Mon 26th Nov 2001

What are the best slimming foods on the market

A. There are thousands of low-fat, low-calorie food products on the shelves in this country. Slimming Magazine has come up with a "Light & Low Awards" system to help consumers pick the best options.00:00 Mon 26th Nov 2001

Have fish and chips had their day

A. Fish and chips still claim their place as the UK's national dish, according to the Sea Fish Industry Authority. Last year, more than 272 million meals were sold, with at least one in 10 of the00:00 Mon 26th Nov 2001

What do the labels on egg boxes mean

A. There is a huge variety of eggs on the supermarket shelves. Farm Fresh: unless an egg box is labelled organic, free-range or barn produced, you're buying battery eggs. Up to 88 per cent of the UK00:00 Mon 19th Nov 2001

Why are babies given a Vitamin K injection

A. Babies are given an injection of Vitmain K shortly after birth to make the blood clot. Mothers are given the choice by their doctor or midwife, but most accept the injection is important in00:00 Mon 19th Nov 2001

Where is the world's only Cointreau museum

A. The Cointreau Museum is in Angers in the Loire Valley in north-west France, and is a dedicated shrine for lovers of the liqueur. It is the latest in a string of museums set up at distilleries at00:00 Mon 19th Nov 2001

Do chocolate and wine go together

A. Chocolate and wine are linked surprisingly often. Terminology in chocolate tasting often echoes that of wine: fruity flavours and long aftertaste, for example. Individual varieties of cocoa bean00:00 Mon 12th Nov 2001

What's the traditional way to drink schnapps

A. The word comes from the Old Norse snappen, meaning to snatch or gulp. That indicates how the drink should be taken: ice-cold in small shots as part of a meal. In Denmark it's traditional for each00:00 Mon 12th Nov 2001