Beans - These seeded pods of various legumes are among the oldest foods known to humanity, dating back at least 4,000 years. They come in two broad categories-fresh and dried. Some beans, such as the black-eyed pea, lima bean and cranberry bean can be found in both fresh and dried forms. Fresh beans are commercially available in their fresh form and are generally sold in their pods. The three most commonly available fresh-bean varieties are the green bean (eaten with its shell or pod), and the lima bean and fava (or broad) bean, both of which are eaten shelled. Store fresh beans in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; after that, both color and flavor begin to diminish. If cooked properly, fresh beans contain a fair amount of vitamins A and C; lima beans are also a good source of protein. Dried beans are available prepackaged or in bulk. Some of the more popular dried beans are the black bean, chickpea, kidney bean, pink bean and pinto bean. Dried beans must usually be soaked in water for several hours or overnight to rehydrate them before cooking. Beans labeled "quick-cooking" have been presoaked and redried before packaging; they require no presoaking and take considerably less time to prepare. The texture of these "quick" beans, however, is not as firm to the bite as regular dried beans. Store dried beans in an airtight container for up to a year. Gas and beans: The flatulence caused by dried beans is created by oligosaccharides, complex sugars that-because they're indigestible by normal stomach enzymes-proceed into the lower intestine where they're eaten (and fermented) by friendly bacteria, the result of which is gas (see digestive enzymes). Dried beans are rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus and iron. Their high protein content, along with the fact that they're easily grown and stored, make them a staple throughout many parts of the world where animal protein is scarce or expensive.
Packaging - Packaging is the enclosing of a physical object, typically a product that requires protection from tampering. Labeling refers to any written or graphic communications on the packaging or on a separate but associated label.
The purpose of packaging and labels
Packaging and labeling have five objectives:
• Physical protection of the object - The objects enclosed in the package may require to be protected from, among other things, damage caused by physical force, or rain, or heat, or sunlight, or cold, or pressure, or airborne contamination, or automated handling devices, or any combination of one or more of these.
• Agglomeration - Small objects are typically grouped together in one package for reasons of efficiency. For example, a single box of 1000 pencils requires less physical handling than 1000 single pencils. Alternatively, bulk commodities (such as salt) can be divided into packages that are a more suitable size for individual households.
• Information transmission - Information on how to use, transport, or dispose of the product is often contained on the package or label. An example is pharmaceutical products, where governments require some types of information.
• Marketing - The packaging and labels can be used by marketers to encourage potential buyers to purchase the product. Package design has been an important and constantly evolving phenomenon for dozens of years.
• Reducing theft - Some packages are made larger than they need to be so as to make theft more difficult. An example is software packages that typically contain only a single disc even though they are large enough to contain dozens of discs. These packages may also be deliberately difficult to open, to hamper thieves from removing their contents without drawing notice. Packages also provide opportunities to include anti-theft devices, such as dye-packs or electronic article surveillance tags, that can be activated or detected by devices at exit points and require specialized tools to deactivate. Using packaging in this way is a common tactic for loss prevention.
Soup - soup, liquid food in which different kinds of solid food have been cooked, e.g., meat, fish, fowl, vegetables, cereals, or fruit. Many soups are peculiar to certain localities, e.g., the pot-au-feu of France, the borscht of Russia, the mutton broth of Scotland, the minestrone of Italy, and the chowders of various seacoast places. Broth is a thin soup of meat or shellfish liquor, sometimes with cereals added, as in barley broth. Clear soups, made from a rich meat stock, include consommé (beef, veal, or fowl) and bouillon (beef or chicken). A clear soup with finely shredded vegetables added is a julienne soup. Thick soups include vegetable soups made with stock and vegetables (as in pot-au-feu) or with milk and flour (cream soups) or by cooking fish and vegetables in water as for a chowder. A puree differs from a cream soup in that it is thickened with pulp, usually of a vegetable; sometimes, particularly when made with fish, it is called a bisque. Gumbo is either vegetable or meat soup thickened with okra. Stock, the basis of a great many soups, is made by placing lean meat, bones, fowl, fish, or vegetables in cold water, simmering in a covered pot, skimming, straining, and removing the fat. Bones supply marrow and gelatin. The bones of old animals are much richer in marrow and gelatin than those of young ones. Stock is either white or brown; for white, fowl or veal is used; for brown, beef and beef bones or beef combined with veal are used. Jellied soups, served as appetizers in hot weather, may be made from stock or from strained vegetable juices with the addition of gelatin. Gazpacho, the cold soup of Spain, is made of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and seasonings in a base of tomato juice. Soups vary widely as to dietary value. The clear, delicately seasoned ones are important as appetizers and appetite stimulants, while the more substantial ones, like chowders, form, with the addition of bread, a one-dish meal.
Pickled - This category covers establishments primarily engaged in pickling and brining fruits and vegetables and in manufacturing salad dressings, vegetable relishes, sauces, and seasonings. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing catsup and similar tomato sauces are classified in SIC 2033: Canned Fruits, Vegetables, Preserves, Jams, and Jellies, and those packing purchased pickles and olives are classified in wholesale or retail trade. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing dry salad dressing and dry sauce mixes are classified in SIC 2099: Food Preparations, Not Elsewhere Classified.
Jams - Jam is a type of fruit spread made by boiling fruit with sugar to make an unfiltered jelly. Jam is often spread on bread and also as a culinary sweetener, for example in yogurt.
In the United States, jam that has been filtered to remove pulp and make it clear is called jelly (and is not called jam). In the United Kingdom and elsewhere, filtered jams are still called jams, the word "jelly" usually being reserved for a sweetened gelatine dessert. (An exception is bramble jelly, a seedless blackberry jam.) Jam that has whole pieces of fruit is sometimes called preserves, or conserves if it has nuts as well. Jam with citrus fruit peel is called marmalade.
The use of cane sugar to make jam and jelly can be traced back to the 16th century when the Spanish came to the West Indies, where they preserved fruit, but the Greek technique of preserving quinces by boiling them in honey was included in the Roman cookery book associated with the name Apicius.
The proportion of sugar and fruit varies according to the type of fruit and its ripeness, but a rough starting point is equal weights of each. When the mixture reaches a temperature of 104 °C, the acid and the pectin in the fruit react with the sugar, and the jam will set on cooling. However, most cooks work by trial and error, bringing the mixture to a "fast rolling boil", watching to see if the seething mass changes texture, and dropping tiny samples on a plate to see if they run.
How easily a jam sets depends on the pectin content of the fruit. Some fruits, such as gooseberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, citrus fruits, apples and raspberries, set very well; others, such as strawberries and ripe blackberries, need to have pectin added. There are proprietary pectin products on the market, and most industrially-produced jams use them. Home jam-makers sometimes rely on adding a pectin-rich fruit to a poor setter; hence the popular old favorite blackberry and apple. Other tricks include extracting juice from redcurrants or gooseberries. Making jam at home used to be common, but the practice is declining, and the accessories, particularly the cellophane covers for jam jars, are becoming more difficult to find in some locations.
In the European Union, the jam directive (Council Directive 79/693/EEC, 24 July 1979) set minimum standards for the amount of "fruit" in jam, but the definition of fruit was expanded to take account of several unusual kinds of jam made in the EU. For this purpose, "fruit" is considered to include many things that are not ordinarily classified as fruits: "tomatoes, the edible parts of rhubarb stalks, carrots, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, melons, and water-melons". This definition continues to apply in the new directive, Council Directive 2001/113/EC (20 December 2001).
Jellies - A jelly is a sweet or savory food gel, usually made through the addition of gelatin or pectin to edible liquids.
Sweet jellies include pectin-based fruit jam or gelatin desserts such as Jell-O and blancmange. Savory jellies include aspic or plain gelatine. Vegetarians and Vegans make jellies using agar, which is made from seaweed as opposed to animal collagen-based gelatin.
In the United States, the usual distinction between "jelly" and jam is that the latter contains visible pulp, seeds, or pieces of fruit, whereas the former does not. The traditional process of making jelly called for the cooked ingredients to be put into a cloth bag. The liquid that drained through the bag without squeezing could be made into a transparent Jelly: the remaining thick contents in the bag could be made into Jam. Gelatine desserts are not ordinarily referred to as "jelly" in the US, and it is rare (though not unheard of) to use the term for savory foods of any description. Mayhaw jelly is a delicacy in parts of the American South.
Canning - A method of preserving food by hermetically sealing it in glass containers. The use of special canning jars and lids is essential for successful canning. The canning process involves quickly heating jars of food to high temperatures, thereby retaining maximum color, flavor and nutrients while destroying the microorganisms that cause spoilage. During processing, the food reaches temperatures of 212°F (with the boiling-water-bath method) to 240°F (using a pressure canner). Any air in the container is forced out between the jar and lid. A vacuum is created as the food cools and contracts, sucking the lid tightly to the jar. This airtight seal is vital to prevent invasion by microorganisms. Refer to a general cookbook for specific instructions on canning foods.
Store Reset – see store reset page
The Terms and Explantions in this glossary are provided by www.answers.com and information obtained by Dutch Valley Food Distributors.
