The real Budweiser please stand up !!

Where is Budweiser from?

A simple question to which most would reply with confidence - USA. But hold on, in the world of food and beverage nothing comes without caveat and contradiction. So, true to the form our Bud also has two origins or shall we say a disputed origin that has been debated for last 140 years.

Curious case

The Czech Republic has its own Budweiser... since 1785!!

For the uninitiated - The Issue

This issue involves United States of America and the Czech Republic. For past hundred years, an international legal dispute continued between the American brewer Anheuser-Busch and the Czech beer producer Budejovicky Budvar over the right to use the trademark name Budweiser on their products. Currently, both of the brewers produce beer beverage labeled Budweiser, and battle over who does have the legal right to the commercial use of this name. Both the brews have a long history of existence. The disagreements over the right to use the trademark started in late 1870s, when the brewers began to export their like-named products to markets beyond their national borders. Attempting to legally win the exclusive right to the trademark use, the dispute has been taken to courts in different countries. The results so far did not provide either party the exclusive right to the name, but rather resulted in the division of market.

Why the same name?

Budweiser refers to beer produced from or in the style of Budweis, a city in Czech Republic.  Locals have been producing beer here since 13th century. Czech company Budvar has been brewing here since 1895. Two German speaking Americans - Adolphus Busch and his friend Carl Conrad (from Anheuser-Busch brewery, USA) in 1876, developed a "Bohemian-style" lager, inspired after a trip to Budweis in Bohemia (today's Czech Republic). They named their beer Budweiser after the Bohemian style beer they produced.

As it stands now

After over a hundred year of court battle eventually, the courts allowed Anheuser-Busch to use the Budweiser name in North America while Budvar's Budweiser is sold in North America as ‘Czechvar’. Budweiser Budvar has exclusive control over the Budweiser brand name in the whole European Union and Anheuser-Busch uses the brand name ‘Bud’ here.

Well, all this Bud-wiser gyaan is making me very thirsty. Time for Bud - American or Czech?

Checkout

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser_(Anheuser-Busch)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser_Budvar

Rosogolla – Ancient Bengali Sweet?

Quickly name a Bengali sweet – Bang-comes-the-answer - “Rasgulla”.

Well, that is what most people think, but the ‘unofficial national sweet’ of India officially comes from Orissa. A small village called Pahala, very close to Bhuvneshwar, is supposed to be the birth place of rosogolla. This sweet was earlier known as ‘Kheer Mohon’. It has been a tradition in Orissa to offer Rosogolla to Lord Jagannath, during the festivals. This practice has a recorded history of 300 years. 

The Pahala or original Oriya Rasgulla are however quite different from the spongy, syrupy balls of sweet, we call rasgulla now. For starters, they look different, Pahala rasogolla are off-white to cream or even yellowish brown in colour. They are crumbly in texture and tend to spoil (sour) in 10 to 12 hours time. This may be the reason why the locals in Orissa prefer to have them hot.

Modern white, spongy tennis ball rasgullas are the invention of Sri Nobin Chandra Das of Kolkata, who altered the Oriya recipe to add shelf life to this sweet. His son K. C. Das in 1868, started canning and selling of rasgullas.

Hence, rasgulla is a relatively modern and ingenious invention of India; a dish which was unknown in the world, when the Sepoy mutiny of 1857 took place or when Napoleon was expanding his empire.  Which means it took just 150 years for the sweet to rule the hearts of Indians. This is no small feat, considering Indian culinary heritage that dates back to Vedas and Ayurveda in particular which had first documented Indian food in 15^th Century BC. This would then make for an interesting thought as to why Chenna (sweet cheese used to make rasgulla) took so long to be invented when panner (cottage cheese) was known in India since 3000 BC?

Pandit Acharya, in his book, ‘Indian Food – A Historical Companion’ says that India has always been the land of milk, curd and butter but it has always shied away from cheese, unlike most counties of the world.  The reason according to him is that Ayurveda does not encourage Hindus to partake any food item that has been spoilt. This included milk, which needed to become rancid for cheese production.  Chenna and rasgulla making may have been possible only after the Dutch settlers came to Kolkata in the 19^th century. The Dutch were expert cheese makers and hence helped in development of rasgulla.

But all the proud Bengalis, do not lose heart, even if we lost our rosogolla to Orissa and Holland, we still have the ‘Sandesh’, or do we? 

Why bread is called ‘Double roti’ in India?

Why bread is called ‘Double roti’ in India?

The question had been bothering me for some time, and I was unable to find an authentic response, till I stumbled upon an article on British influence on Indian cuisine.

Bread has been alien to India, and our Indian breads have traditionally been unleavened or flat, comprising mostly of chapatti, roti, parantha, naan or poori. Baked western bread was popularized in India during the time of British raj. The use of Western bread however dates even further, most probably, during the Portuguese colonization period. The reference to this can be found in the vastly popular Maharashtra snacks – ‘Pao Bhaji’ .

In my quest for getting a correct answer to my question I came across many interesting theories about theses breads. For instance many people think that bread is called ‘double roti’ because it rises to double its size when baked. Also, more interestingly some say the term ‘pav’ or ‘pao rooti’ (Bengali word for bread) comes from the fact that commercial bread used to be kneaded by foot in bread factories of India in 19^th century.  

The truth however is not very startling. The word ‘Pav’ comes from Portuguese word for bread – ‘pão’. The dish however has a history of its own and revolves around the textile mill workers of Mumbai or ‘Bombay’ as it was called then.

The name ‘Double roti’ however comes from the fact that when British introduced sandwiches in India, the natives called it ‘Double roti’ as it had meat and vegetables stuffed inside two slices of bread.  The term later became popular for any kind of baked bread, whether stuffed or not.

So, next time you dig into a ‘pav’ or ‘double roti’ remember why it is called so.  Its caio for now, or should I say ‘pav’ ?

Baijiu - Most sold and yet unknown

There are only a few things that can make a man cry and Baiju is certainly one of them. This highly potent potable, is clear distilled spirit from China. The name Baiju means "white spirit" and is usually made from sorghum (Jowar).

Well it is no big surprise now as to why it is the most sold spirit, China being the most populated and this one here is their national drink. Now the next question is why hasn't it been popular around the world? well, as you may have already guessed it is the highly acquired taste of the spirit that needs a trained palette to appreciate it. According to spirit expert, Joshua Bernstein, "Baiju smells like diesel fuel and burns your inside like the worst moonshine." For Indians, maybe a bed Arrack or Feni could be a closer taste reference.

The spirit however is not untouched by recent globalization and love for all things Chinese. Diageo, the spirit giants, which owns Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie Walker whiskey, think that its newest brand, Shui Jing Fang baijiu, ( a non- flavoued variety) can conquer the globe just like some of its other famous brands have in the past. “This is a brand with a lot of potential,” said Gilbert Ghostine, the Singapore-based chief executive for the Asia-Pacific region at Diageo.

Some basics of Baijju

Types Of Baijiu

While baijiu is normally made from sorghum, it can, however, be made from other types of grains. In southern, China it is usually made from glutinous rice. In northern, China it can be made from ingredients, such as barley, oak or wheat.

Baijiu can be either unflavored or flavored, with many different varieties available for each type. Unflavored baijiu include:

·         Daqu jiu: fermented a long time and made from sorghum and wheat

·         Erguotou: inexpensive and, therefore, more commonly drunk

·         Fen jui: the original white alcohol made from sorghum

·         Gaoliang jiu: named for a certain type of sorghum

·         Jiugui: made from spring water, sorghum, glutinous rice and wheat

·         Maotai jiu: a gold medal winner made from sorghum and wheat

·         Shuang zheng jiu: a rice wine that is distilled twice.

Flavored types of Baijiu are:

·         Guihua chen jiu: distilled with Sweet Osmanthus flowers and has a lower alcohol content

·         Meiguilu jiu: distilled with a specific rose and crystal sugar

·         Sanhua jiu : made for over 1000 years and has an aroma of a Chinese herb

·         To Mei Chiew: made from rice wine with added to mei flowers and crystal sugar syrup. It is aged for more than one year.

·         Wujiapi jiu: distilled with Chinese herbal medicine

·         Yuk Bing Siu Zau: made from steamed rice. Pork fat is added, then removed.

·         Zhuyeqing jiu: translated to mean "bamboo leaf green liquor."

The cost of Baijiu varies widely according to the quality of the drink. For example, while the cheapest types cost pennies, the most expensive cost thousands of dollars per bottle.

How To Drink Baijiu

Baijiu is normally served at room temperature or warm in a small ceramic bottle, then poured into a small cup or shot glass. Baijiu sets, sold in specialty shops or Asian markets, generally include baijiu, a ceramic bottle and small glasses.

Baijiu is often served with food, but it is important that the proper baijiu is served with each meal. For example, Fen jiu is appropriate for instant noodles, dry biscuits or fried rice, while Jianzhuang best accompanies animal feet, claws and paws.

Making a toast or gesture to the other comrades at the table and drinking with them is the correct etiquette when drinking baijiu. When a glass is empty, it is polite to fill the glasses starting with the person with the most money and filling ones own glass last. It is considered rude to excuse yourself from joining in when offered a glass. After someone has filled a glass, it should be held with two hands, one hand holding the bottom so that it will not be dropped. Also, its considered rude to be the first one to leave for washroom, in midst of a drinking session.

So, bottoms up or “Gan bei!”  As your Chinese friend might say!!!

Hospitality and France

Angel's share and Devil's cut !!!!

The name

Many of us are aware of the Angel's share, yes it refers to the loss of a spirit or wine due to evaporation during long stay in barrels. Also a certain fungus (Baudoinia compniacensis or Torula) on the walls and ceiling of the cellar also plays a vital role in this evaporation. 

The new term in the market however is the Devil's cut, brought about by the famous Bourbon brand Jim Beam. They claim to reclaim whiskey which has been trapped deep inside the wood out of the barrel after the barrel has been dumped. They blend this pulled out whiskey with 6 year aged bourbon and market the product as 'Jim Beam's Devil's Cut' 

How does it taste?

Nose: Diffusion of baking spices, oak, and nuttiness

Taste: While the Angels have taken their share out of the barrel, the Devil has left a Southern ambrosia here. The overwhelming notes are cinnamon and red hot candies, but not so prevalent that it becomes overly sweet. There is a buttery note on this which rounds out the spice, sweet and woody notes.

A bite of fire and kick on the swallow. Noticeable DNA of Beam Bourbons with hints of the Small Batch collection, including fragments of the lightness of Basil’s Hayden and boldness of Baker’s.

While Devil’s Cut is 90 proof, it drinks a bit friendlier and doesn’t feel like 90 in the mouth.

Finish: Mellow and warm.

How is it made?

To create Devil’s Cut, Jim Beam is empties barrels of extra-aged Jim Beam Bourbon. The barrels are filled with water and mechanically agitated to pull the trapped Bourbon and flavors from the barrel wood. The liquid (with the extracted elements it now contains) is then held for an appropriate length of time in a proprietary process until it has developed the proper balance of Bourbon notes. In the final step, this special liquid is carefully added back to the extra-aged, 6-year Bourbon to create a finely-balanced, smooth 90 proof Devil’s Cut Bourbon. 

Cheers !!!!


courtesy, http://www.bourbonblog.com/

Desmondji - An Indian Tequila.

The man

Tequila is now made in India. Yes, you heard it right. The signature drink of Mexico made from the famous blue agave plant is now produced just 150 kms.off Bangalore. The brain child behind the spirit is Desmond Nazareth, an IIT engineer who returned to India after a Y2K crash in US. Back home,he found it difficult to replicate his perfect margaritas here as the imported tequila was too expensive.

His mission

He set out to make his own tequila. Desmond did extensive research in spirits, distillation and topography. He concluded that he could grow agave plant (raw material for tequila) in Deccan plateau. Desmond selected an area in Chittor district of AP and planted agave in 44 acres of land. The tougher part however must have been to recourse finance and getting clearance and licence for his micro-distillery. Thankfully he could cut across the redtape and open India's first micro- distillery.

The product

Desmond named the company 'Agave India'and it is the first alco-bev company in India to make high-quality Margarita blends, Agave Spirits and Orange Liqueurs using original production methods such as harvesting, baking of agave 'pinas', fermentation, double distillation, ageing etc. This method is in accordance with the international spirit production standards, unlike most spirit producers in India, who simply add flavour to ENA (extra neutral alcohol).

Agave India is also the only company in the world to produce 'Tequila' outside of Mexico. However according to international law a product can be termed 'Tequla' only if it is made in Mexico. Hence the company calls its products - Desmondji 100% agave and Desmondji 51% agave. The product is only available in Goa right now and is priced at Rs. 495 per bottle (750ml). The company has plans to launch it in Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune by the end of this year.

http://www.desmondji.com/home.php

Chaterbox salutes Jesmondiji's spirit !!!!