Well, if you’re into diving deep into food history as much as we are, you’ll enjoy this article! Check out this list of five popular food dishes and their origins. As the title says, you may be surprised at the unexpected sources. 

(And if you happen to run into a food and their origins quiz in the future, at least you’ll know the answers to some questions! LOL.)

Food origins: Pasta

From how we mentioned this food in our intro, you know it’s going to have surprising origins already. 

While we may automatically think of Italy when we start talking about pasta and pasta noodles, pasta history says otherwise. Pasta actually descends from China, which makes sense with all the noodles being eaten over there. The overall general belief is that the recipe for egg noodles got imported from China into Italy all thanks to the adventurer Marco Polo.

However, what is truly Italian about pasta is the Italians’ use of durum wheat. It made pasta noodles more affordable, versatile and also granted a long shelf life when noodles are dried. So if you really want to, you can technically say that pasta is still an Italian invention. 

There are now many versions of pasta nowadays, like fast food spaghetti. But if you want to make a “pasta” that is truly Pinoy, you can check out our Classic Pinoy Favorites class with Chef Chona. You’ll be able to make an Espesyal na Pancit Palabok!

Croissant’s food origin is…

And if you guess it by now, yes, the French didn’t invent the croissants (although croissant is a French word, meaning “crescent”).  The croissant’s first descendant is the Vienna, Austria treat known as kipfel or kipferl. It’s also a crescent-shaped bread that is served nowadays as a cookie.

The invention of the croissant that we know nowadays is attributed to August Zang, an Austrian artillery officer. He opened Boulangerie Viennoise in Paris back in the 1830s. The Parisians fell for the bread, and French bakers eventually made their own methods of doing this particular bread. Thus, the flaky French croissants we all know and love was born!

Want to make your own croissants? It’s easy! Just enroll in our Laminated Dough class with Chef Jimbo!

Where did sushi come from?

Here’s another of the popular foods associated with one country but originated elsewhere. Sushi is associated with Japan, but you can trace its origins back to China. It’s surprising food news, but it’s true! 

According to Roka Akor, sushi was first called narezushi. It was simply fermented rice and salted fish. You didn’t even eat the rice with the fish before – it was only used to wrap and preserve the fish! Hard to think about, huh?

The narezushi spread to Japan in the 8th century, where its popularity bloomed, and got called sushi by the Japanese. Apparently, in 1852, there were one to two sushi restaurants for every 100×100 meter square block! So the Japanese are still responsible for popularizing sushi. We have to give them that.
If you love sushi as much as we do, it’s worth trying out our class with Chef Allan Mertola: Modern Sushi and Maki!

Food origins: Doughnuts

Thanks to pop culture, we usually associate these treats with a hole in the middle with the US of A. You know, cops with doughnuts, that sort of thing. 

That’s why we were surprised that when it came to doughnuts, there were plenty of food origin stories!

For example, according to Britannica, there were already records dating back to the mid-19th century of the Dutch making them. They were called “olykoeks” or oily cakes, balls of cake fried in pork fat. The center of the cake wouldn’t cook as fast as the outside, so these pastries got stuffed with fruits or nuts, treats that didn’t need to be cooked.

Here’s another origin story. Elizabeth Gregory, a New England ship captain’s mother, was preparing deep-fried dough for the boat’s crew. Apparently, she was the one who thought of stuffing the dough with nuts. Also, she was the one who referred to the treats as “doughnuts.” 

But according to her son, Hanson Gregory, he was the one who innovated the hole in the middle, in 1847. He wanted to remove the raw insides, so he punched a hole through the center with his ship’s tin pepper box. The hole made the doughnut able to be cooked evenly.

One final story is that Greece is where the doughnut really comes from. Over there, they’re known as Loukoumades: small doughnut balls covered in honey and walnuts. They’re also considered to be the oldest recorded dessert, dating back to the very first Olympic Games in 776 BC. The Loukoumades are presented to the winners as honey tokens.

A very popular food comes with three origin stories. Isn’t it amazing? 

If you want to start your own doughnut origin story (or simply just make doughnuts), enroll in Chef Joey Prats’ Divine Doughnuts class!

Food origin of the Apple pie

There’s a saying: “As American as apple pie.” It means that whatever you are referring to with that saying is very American. But the ironic thing about this particular saying is that neither apples nor apple pies originated in North America. Oops.

For one thing, Apples are native to Central Asia. As for the apple pie itself? Well, apples weren’t the first thing that the English put in their pies. In medieval England, they put meat, and called a pie a “pye”.

The first apple pie was recorded in 1381 and was a far cry from the apple pie we know of today. Think of an apple pie, but mixed with figs, saffron, raisins, and pears.

We can argue that the Americans have perfected the apple pie. After all, they have made it one of their unofficial symbols.

And if you want to experience true apple pie perfection, enroll in our Fabulous Pies class with Chef Joey!

Final Thoughts

And those are five popular food items and their origins. Did any of them surprise you? Which delicious eats would you like to learn more about? Let us know in the comments!

Before you go, don’t forget to sign up at The Bailiwick Academy so you can learn to make some of the food on this list. You won’t regret it!

Also, keep coming back to The Bailiwick Academy blog for more informative articles about food, baking, cooking, business, and so much more!

The post Food and Their Origins That May Surprise You! appeared first on Online Baking and Cooking Classes - The Bailiwick Academy.

Fair warning though – you might end up craving after reading!

Why are cashews great in desserts, though?

That’s a good question. Well, you see, cashew nuts have a nice, crunchy texture. Plus, they’re soft enough to become cashew cream for desserts. 

Got it? Good. 

Now, on to our list of desserts with cashew!

1. Caramel Cashew Cheesecake – a cashew dessert classic

Raw cashews have a nice, buttery flavor that works well with caramel and cheesecake. Imagine a crust with a delicious filling of cream cheese, brown sugar, cashew, and caramel sauce. That sounds delicious already, right?

Now, add the following ingredients: vanilla extract, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt… Yum! Now that’s a caramel cashew cheesecake!

Best enjoyed with a glass of milk for awesome flavors. And speaking of awesome flavors, chocolate cheesecake sounds pretty good too!

Oh, and you can also do cashew cheesecake bars instead of a whole cake. Much better for storage and for light snacking.

2. Cashew Cookies – desserts made from cashew

Raw cashews taste great, but why not cashews in cookie form? We all know that cookies are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth. We also know that too much sugar can be bad for you. So instead of an actual cookie, try eating a cookie made from cashew nuts. They have amazing health benefits! Plus, they can be more nutritionally balanced. 

Eat them as desserts or as snacks. You can also add chocolate chips and end up with cashew chocolate chip cookies!

3. Cashew Butter – included in cashew desserts or not?

Okay, maybe this isn’t exactly a dessert. But if you’re on the keto diet, this low carb butter can be a dessert! Besides, you can’t exactly put this on bread, right? Unless it’s low carb bread made with cashew flour. Desserts are anything you want to be anyway, so all good.

Cashew butter is great for snacking, too! You can even choose either a smooth, creamy texture or a kind that’s crunchy and chunky. 

And just in case you’re wondering, “What can I make with cashew butter?”, you can make plenty. Your cashew butter won’t go to waste as just a spread or as a snack.

4. Baklava with cashews – a unique cashew dessert

Wait, what’s baklava, exactly? Baklava is a layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, chopped nuts, and syrup or honey. No one knows the origin of baklava, but it’s pretty popular in Iranian, Turkish, and Arab cuisines. 
If you’re wondering if it’s possible to get baklava in the Philippines, yes, it is. And also, mostly, baklava has walnuts or pistachios for ingredients, but some use cashews. Cashew baklava is something to be experienced, especially if you like cashews over other nuts.

5. Brownie cashew – a classic dessert enhanced by cashews

Who doesn’t like brownies? We bet no one reading this will say no if anyone offered them this classic treat. Of course, if you want to enhance brownies further, why not add cashews? Cocoa powder plus cashews equal one nutty, texture-y treat. Heat them up if store-bought to get the best flavor. Just make sure they cool completely before you dig in.

6. Cashew brittle – not your usual brittle

If you’re not familiar with brittle, it’s basically pieces of hard sugar candy. Nuts protrude from the surface. They taste better than they sound, believe me.

Who here hasn’t enjoyed peanut brittle from Baguio? Too bad for people in Manila, Baguio is kind of far. Thankfully, there are many makers of brittle. And not just any kind – cashew brittle! 

It’s a very simple dessert, composed of cashews, butter, sugar, corn syrup, and baking soda. But the taste… well, we’ll just leave for you to taste it. It’s a must-try, for sure.

7. Greek yogurt fruit tart – a fresh cashew treat

This Greek Yogurt dessert is definitely one of a kind! It’s made with Greek Yogurt and various fruits. So where are the cashews?

Well, the base is made with date and cashew, so you end up with a sweet and salty crust. The combination of the crust with the fruits and yogurt make for one refreshing dessert. Some don’t like Greek yogurt, so some shops use vanilla yogurt instead. That sounds good to us, too!

Make your own cashew desserts with The Bailiwick Academy.

Did our list of cashew desserts get your sweet tooth going? Well, you can go out and buy those desserts with cashew nuts. Or even better, enroll in our latest online classes with Chef Joey Prats. They’re both cashew cake recipes we’re sure you’ll love.

Festive Cashew Tart

You know cashew tarts? Those delicious, boat-shaped tarts made with caramel and cashew filling? Well, they’re so good, Chef Joey decided to make his high-end version in a pie/cake form. And of course, it’s made with ingredients that are so delicious: cashew, salted caramel, and a super buttery crust. And not only that: this tart will have a very rich salted caramel buttercream and caramel shards!

Take one bite and you will feel it melt in your mouth. Flavors are enhanced by Chef Joey’s secret ingredient. It’s one masterpiece you wouldn’t want to miss making!

Nelusko

Have you heard of Nelusko? It’s a classic Filipino cake that’s been around since the 1970s. Apparently, no one knows the origin of this dessert, but all that matters is that it’s delicious! 

Chef Joey grew up loving this cake made by his mother and amazing chef, Chef Myrna Prats. Sadly, the recipe got lost back in the 1990 earthquake. So Chef Joey recreated the original recipe – with a few tweaks of his own. 

Nelusko is another one of the many cashew nut recipes. Sweet and chocolatey. Yum! 

It is basically composed of layers of chocolate chiffon cake, dark chocolate buttercream, and cashew nut praline. But true to Chef Joey’s cooking style, you’re going to enjoy a whole new level of taste and texture.

And as a bonus, Chef Joey will share with you his techniques for tempering chocolate using the seeding method. It’s a process you will find invaluable, especially if you plan to become a professional baker.

Enroll in our cashew desserts classes today!

Like with any of our classes, you will get plenty of useful kitchen tips. You’ll also get advice on costing, shelf life, and more. And don’t worry, these cashew dessert recipes will be easy recipes to follow. You’ll be able to make your own cashew dessert in no time. 

Plus, if you don’t know yet what you’re going to serve for the holidays, why not these dessert recipes? And since they’re from Chef Joey, they’re guaranteed to be delicious!

What are you waiting for? Enroll in The Bailiwick Academy now!

The post Cashew Desserts That are Absolutely Delicious! appeared first on Online Baking and Cooking Classes - The Bailiwick Academy.