Coriander - Grown But Not Eaten In Bulgaria

Coriander is a fantastic herb for its strong flavour and is produced as a major export food in Bulgaria. It is very rare indeed for Bulgarians who produce so much of it to use it in their National dishes – I really don’t know why?

This aside coriander or cilantro is an annual herb. It is native to south western Asia and west to North Africa. It looks a bit like parsley with its It is a soft, hairless leave growing up to 50 cm in height. The flowers form small umbels coloured white or light pink, asymmetrical, with the petals pointing away from the centre of the umbel longer (5-6 mm) than those pointing towards it (only 1-3 mm long). The seeds, another fantastic food ingredient is round and ranging from 3-5 mm in diameter.

Used sparingly in salads coriander leave ad a ‘zing’ to the taste. Many Asian dishes use coriander alongside many other herbs and spices. The herb is never overpowered in taste, even with the addition of chillies. The coriander seeds give an even stronger flavour and are often lightly dry roasted before being ground or crushed to bring out an even more intense flavour.

Coriander is easy to grow even in the UK if in a sunny sheltered position and of course in pots inside the house on a sunny window ledge would being good results. You can use the seeds from the supermarket or local Asian grocer to plant. You will find that if you do go to your local Asian grocer the leaves and the seeds will be much cheaper and fresher that supermarket produce.

I have introduced coriander to my Bulgarian family and friends in salads and other meat stew dishes, but although they like it, they will not use it and revert back to traditional ingredients where coriander is excluded. The only use they have in Bulgaria is to add coriander to the distilling of rakia – this is done most effectively and the resulting rakia takes on the flavour very successfully.

Elsewhere coriander seeds are used in other alcoholic beverages such as brewing certain styles of beer, particularly some Belgium.

Coriander has many uses in all types of food, but you must remember that always buy and store the seeds whole as ground coriander loses its flavour very quickly.

Hops for Beer, Medicine and Garlands

Back in the UK one of my pastimes was brewing my own beer. This was not done from kits but from gathering all natural ingredients. Many types of beer were made from a black Guinness type to lager and nettle and bran beer to cock ale (where the carcass of a chicken was also used in the brewing stage.)

In all the wonderful beers that I produced, the need for hops was apparent in each case, this is what made a beer taste like a beer.

History shows that the hop herb was used almost extensively in brewing throughout most of Europe. It has properties that give beer its distinctive flavour, it help preserve and clear the beer. This goes back to the 9th Century and was actually documented in the 11th century.

There are many reasons why hops are used in brewing. There is the distinctive bitterness of the hops balances with the sweetness of the malt. Then there is the flavour of the hops that add to the beers' characteristics and is achieved by boiling the hops in the wort for 10-15 minutes.

The aroma of the hops is absorbed into the beer by boiling the hops with the wort or by 'dry hopping', this is basically adding the hops to the secondary fermentation for up to a week. Finally there are the preserving qualities it holds. Hops are a natural preservative needed to insure a beer's aging process.

Traditionally in hop growing areas in the UK, the cultivated hop plant forms a beautiful garland that is ready to harvest at the end of August.

Little know is the fact that hops stems can be steamed and eaten, this is a recipe that came from the Romans..

Hops are the flowers of the plant. It has bitterness that balances out the sweetness of the malt in beer. It is common that hops are added at the end of the boil, know as the finishing hops, which give more flavour and aroma to the beer.

Particular hop varieties pertain to certain beer regions and styles. Pale lagers are usually brewed with European noble hop varieties such as Saaz, Hallertau and Strissel Spalt. British ales use hop varieties such as Fuggle, Golding and Bullion. Across the Atlantic in North American they use Cascade, Columbia, Willamette and Amarillo hops.

Hops are used in herbal medicine not too far removed from the effects of valerian; this is to treat anxiety, restlessness, and insomnia. A folk remedy is to fill a pillow filled with hops for sleeplessness. Although hops are usually be used alone, they combined well with other herbs, such as valerian.

Hops grown in gardens for home brewing use are not that popular today, even though they are easily manage. The reason is that buying in hops from professional producers will always guarantee quality. It you do want to try some out, planting should be made where there is a good drainage and a sunny position. Hops are climbers and will reach up to three metres, so they will need supports or a trellis. It is only in the second season that the flowers will appear. An established hop plant with give scented bloom in mid summer and the hops cones ripen in autumn to be harvested for decoration or home brewing.