Which dessert best represents Taiwan? Instead of pearl milk tea, pineapple cakes or sun cakes, “xuehua ice” has been listed as one of the top 50 desserts in the world, according to an article by pastry chef-turned-food writer Jen Rose Smith on CNN. Xuehua ice (literally “snowflake ice”), a popular local frozen treat, is known as “shaved ice” or “snow ice” in English.
“Taiwanese snow ice is an invitation to get as creative as you’d like,” Smith wrote in her article, titled “50 of the World’s Best Desserts.” First, you need to shave the ice into a pile of crumbling ice flakes. Then, you can blend it with your favorite treats such as red bean paste and fresh fruit such as mangos, strawberries or pineapples, along with syrup, chocolate sauce or sweetened condensed milk.
Other top Asian sweets chosen by the foodie include sesame balls in China, egg tarts in Hong Kong, light cheesecake in Japan, cendol in Singapore, sticky rice with mango and tub tim krob in Thailand, and gulab jamun and kulfi in India.
Photo: Wu Chun-feng, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者吳俊鋒
(Eddy Chang, Taipei Times)
什麼是台灣最具代表性的甜點?不是珍珠奶茶,也不是鳳梨酥、太陽餅,而是被CNN列為全球五十大最佳甜點的「雪花冰」!該報導由點心廚師轉行美食作家的史密斯女士所撰寫。雪花冰是本地受歡迎的冰品,英文叫「shaved ice」或「snow ice」。
史密斯在這篇名為《全球五十大最佳甜點》的文章裡寫道:「台灣的雪花冰簡直讓你的創意大爆發。」首先你要把冰刨成一堆細碎的雪花片,然後和你最喜愛的紅豆沙等配料混合在一起,加上芒果、草莓、鳳梨等新鮮水果,最後再淋上糖漿、巧克力醬或煉乳即可。
這位美食家選出的其它亞洲最佳甜點還包括:中國的芝麻球、香港的蛋塔、日本的輕乳酪蛋糕、新加坡的煎蕊(珍多冰)、泰國的芒果糯米飯和椰香石榴冰、印度的玫瑰漿果和牛奶雪糕…等。
(台北時報張聖恩)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
There are several methods to prevent or slow down enzymatic browning in fruit. __3__ This lowers the pH level of the fruit tissue, causing the PPO to be far less active. Another method is to store the fruit in an airtight container or to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Doing this will reduce its exposure to oxygen. __4__ Although fruit that has undergone enzymatic browning may look less appealing, it is still safe to eat. However, by using one of these simple methods, you can enjoy fresh-looking fruit for a longer period. 有一些方法能避免或減緩水果的酶促褐變。其中一個有效的方式就是在切片水果的表面塗上酸性物質,像是檸檬汁或醋。這樣做能降低水果組織的酸鹼值,讓 PPO 更不為活躍。另一個方式是將水果存放在密封的容器內,或用保鮮膜將其緊緊包住。這樣做會減少水果與氧氣的接觸。快速蒸一下切片水果或將其短暫浸泡在滾水中也能使PPO失去活性,並終止 PPO 與空氣的作用。 雖然經歷酶促褐變的水果可能看起來較不吸引人,但仍然可以安全食用。然而,藉由採用這些簡單方法中的其中一個,你就能在更長的一段時間享用看起來新鮮的水果。 What Did You