The History Of Italian Food
Posted by in Food History on September 15, 2011
Italian cuisine is world famous. Pizzas and pastas are the two popular dishes people around the world are familiar with. Italian recipes are known for it is use of fine ingredients such as herbs and spices. The history of Italian cuisine dates back to ancient Roman days. The historians believe the history of Italian food began during the eight century BC, when Greek settlers colonized Sicily and Magna Graecia, a region in Southern Italy.
Italian food of mountainous regions is a blend of French cuisine and mountain specialties. The Italian cuisine of this region has strong Gallic flavors adopted from France. Hence, a dish such as white truffles or “trifola d’Alba ” is one of the popular Italian dish. Seafood with a touch French flavor is found in Liguria, a city in North Italy.
History of Italian Food – Magna Graecia
The Italians believe the nourishing and tasty Italian cuisine was borrowed from the Greeks. The regular meals consisted of food prepared from chickpeas, lupins, dry figs, pickled olives, salted and dry fish and pork. On occasions such as weddings or festivals various delicacies were prepared. A few dishes belonging to Magna Graecia include sweet meats made from almonds and walnuts, honey sauces, soups and meat in vinegar. Sumptuous feasts were associated with ancient Roman nobles. Read the rest of this entry »
Steps to Becoming a Head Chef
Posted by in Chefs on September 13, 2011
Oh the Hors d’oeuvres! The sausages! The steaks, and the cheeses! There are two reasons to become a chef – either you’re a foodie, or you’re on a mission to turn the entire world into foodies. Doesn’t matter which category you fall into; what matters is the fact that cooking can turn into one of the most interesting careers in the world for you, if you have the knack of playing with spices and flavors. Think beyond, and you could manage a team of skilled chefs who know the nitty-gritty that the culinary world enfolds within. That said, the career of head chefs revolves around creating innovative recipes, establishing a name for themselves, managing a team of chefs and kitchen workers, and earning handsomely. If you’re a bon vivant and see yourself mixing the best of spices in a reputable eatery a few years down the lane, a career as a head chef awaits you with arms wide open. In the following segment, we bounce off the various steps on how to become a head chef, which are composed of the education requirements, specialization, and personal skills, all of which define the absolute process of becoming a head chef in a hotel. So, here goes.
Steps to Becoming a Head Chef
Just so you know, to become a head chef, one must be through the basics of becoming a chef, gain relevant experience in the field of cooking, and then plan on becoming a head chef in a large-scale eatery. Following are the steps involved in becoming a head chef:
Seek Education: While the knack of cooking is a requisite for every culinary aspirant who plans on becoming a chef later in life, one needs to enroll in a culinary school post high school. The United States of America boasts of a number of world-class culinary institutions such as Institute of Culinary Education (NYC), California Culinary Academy (San Francisco), and Texas Culinary Academy (Austin) which can be considered if one wants to kick-start their career as a chef. From basic cooking to baking art, these schools groom their students in the best way possible, and prepare them to cook some of the best dishes in the world. Lastly, they will help you discover your own unique style of cooking, and tell you how to maximize it. Read the rest of this entry »
Chef and Head Cook Job Description
Posted by in Chefs on September 5, 2011
Chefs entice the olfactory like no other perfume can. It is a skill that is honed over years of kitchen experience. A professional chefs can do it under extreme pressure as well. The job of head cook, is not an easy one. A head cook needs to be calm and composed under stress of meeting immediate orders and demands. He must have excellent communication skills to maintain his loyal clientele and have an efficient team. A head cook holds a managerial position that brings a great responsibility. He must be a leader in every situation, who can steer his teammates towards a successful career.
Job Description of a Head Cook
The primary task of a head cook is to decide the menu and cook. He is responsible for coming up with the right combination of drinks, starters, main course and desserts.
To prepare the whole menu or get the bare minimum ready, to prepare it when the order comes in, he must have an able staff and a sous-chef. Thus, a head cook must also play the role of a human resource manager and recruit the skilled chefs for his team.
He must also know the sources of buying the vegetables, meat, alcohol, spices and other required raw materials at wholesale rates, so that the work flow remains within the budget.
The biggest task of a head cook is that he needs to keep a quality check on food preparations and the surroundings. He must make sure that the food is being cooked as per the pre-determined standards and the eating area is clean and hygienic. A slight falter can cost him, his job.
The storage area, especially the cold storage has to be cleaned completely every twice a week to maintain prescribed sanitary norms.
The hotel industry records maximum food wastage, which in big ways contributes to global food crisis. A head cook must plan his preparation in a way, that it minimizes food wastage. Expensive spices and condiments have to be used judiciously to work within decided budgets.
A head cook is also responsible for taking inventories of stock, supplies and makes a list of items that will be required in the coming week. Read the rest of this entry »