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Top 10 Food Preservation Techniques From Then to Now

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Restaurants worldwide use various techniques to preserve food depending on factors like the ingredient, the climate, taste required, etc. Our ancestors have used various preservation techniques like canning, drying, pickling and many more, which are still being used in today’s modern world. Let’s have a sneak peek at the top 10 food preservation techniques ranging from ancient methods to the modern day of food preservation.

Ancient techniques-

There are various ancient techniques which are still useful in today’s world. Food preservation of the olden times most commonly used salt, oil, sugar among many other basic ingredients for preservation. It is also quite often said that these methods preserve food longer in comparison to present-day techniques.

Drying- Drying is a technique carried from the ancient times till now and it involves removing the moisture from the food until there is no moisture enough to breed microbes. It is mostly done for preserving certain vegetables, fruits, meats and many more. It can be done in various methods ranging from simple to using heavy equipment.

Fermenting- This method involves producing ‘good bacteria’ to inhibit the ‘bad bacteria’ from breeding. Fermenting is usually done on fruits (like grapes to produce wine), meat (like cured sausage, dairy products (like producing yoghurt). Although the method seems easy, it involves paying attention at different levels for different products.

Pickling- Pickling involves soaking meat, vegetables, or fruits and the like in a solution made of oils, salt, acid etc. Pickling can be tedious as it involves making the solution in the right concentration as well as taking good care of the product once it’s pickled. This method is usually combined with other methods like fermenting, canning, or refrigerating as pickling alone may not work out.

Dry salting- This method involves covering food in a very high concentration of salt. This method is one of the earliest forms of food preservation and is also considered tastier and fresher when compared to canning. Salted vegetables and meat were highly used during the 20th

Cellaring- This method is also one of the earliest forms of preserving wherein the food is stored under specific conditions like high humidity and a light- controlled space. Many grains, nuts, vegetables etc. have been stored in this way across the world. It is also one of the easiest methods of preservation.

Although there are plenty of ancient techniques used in food preservation, hotels these days prefer the modern and easier techniques.

Refrigeration and freezing- This is the most commonly used among the top 10 food preservation techniques. Refrigeration helps in slowing down the process of bacterial breeding while freezing helps in completely cancelling the process. Almost all kinds of foods are frozen except fruits, unless for specific requirements or recipes.

Freeze drying- Freeze drying is much more intense than normal freezing and does not affect the taste as such. This technique helps in removing the moisture completely from the food by turning it into ice first and then into vapour. This is widely used in making instant coffee.

Carbonated water- This method is usually used for the preservation of carbonated drinks, as the name suggests. Carbonated water is nothing but carbon dioxide dissolved in water under pressure. The oxygen is completely eliminated from the water so that no microbial growth is encouraged.

Chemical food preservation- This is the most common method of food preservation and is also considered unhealthy to a certain extent. Even though, it is widely practised as it is much more economical and it also helps in preserving the food longer. Chemical preserves either eliminate or slow down bacterial activity or function as antioxidants.

Food irradiation- This is one of the latest methods of food preservation and it uses gamma radiation to kill bacteria. Food in packets is usually nuclear radiated and then sealed airtight. However, this method is not widely practised due to its expense.

Although new methods of preservation are coming up, very few countries have adopted it. India, in specific, still uses the conventional methods of preservation.

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Source by Priya M

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Sex Tips: Temperature Play Methods

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Looking for sex tips to spice things up? There are many ways to do so, but one that many couples are unfamiliar with is incorporating hot and cold play in the bedroom. Altering the temperature can awaken the nerve endings and circulatory system in ways that deliver mind-blowing pleasure to both partners. The following examples, along with safety tips for maintaining vaginal and penis health, can help couples get their bearings in this exciting new world of sensation play.

Cup of Water

Keeping a cup of warm (not hot!) water near the bed can boost his oral sex enjoyment. A partner can take a sip, swallow, then take another sip and hold the warm water in his/her mouth, then take the man’s penis inside. Swashing the water around his penis for a few moments then swallowing it will give him a tantalizing experience.

Breath Play

Warm, moist breath is one of the body’s most pleasurable heat sources, and making use of this natural heat during foreplay and sex can bring both partners thrilling waves of enjoyment. Gently exhale on a lover’s sensitive spots, including the stomach, neck and ears. Gently breathing on the clitoris and testicles is also encouraged.

Candle Wax

Most people have heard of dripping hot candle wax on the skin as part of sex play, and many find this frightening. For good reason – most people don’t want to actually burn their skin. The trick to safely participating in wax play is to use candles made of soy, which don’t require as much heat to melt as those made of beeswax or regular wax, so they are less likely to deliver too much heat. Also, of course, if one has very sensitive skin concerning heat, this method should be avoided.

Chilled Spoon

Chill a metal spoon for a bit in a bowl of ice or cold water, then apply the back of the spoon to a lover’s neck, nipples, stomach, etc.

Plain Old Ice

An ice cube in the hand can go a long way. Trace a line extending from one side of a lover’s neck all the way down the side of the leg, them up the inside of the leg, down the inside of the other and back up the other side of his or her body. It’s best to avoid the penis and testicles.

Ice Dildo/Hot Towel

This is one of the more hardcore forms of temperature play, which should be pursued with caution. The idea is for the man to masturbate with a warm, wet towel around his member while a woman masturbates with a chilled dildo. Then, he enters her, and the sensation change for both is out of this world.

There are several options for a chilled dildo. Some glass and metal dildos are made to be chilled, but caution should be taken. Glass that gets very cold and then undergoes a sudden temperature change, such as inside the body, can break – yikes! And cold metal may stick to a lady’s warm, wet inside – also no good. Use proper precautions. Let the glass or metal warm just a little; use lube; use condoms; always, always follow packaging instructions.

Blindfold

Any of the above techniques can be combined with one another, and all of them may be more enjoyable with a blindfold in place. This will leave a lover anticipating, eager and unaware of what sensation is to come. Sight deprivation may be most exciting when lovers are combining a form of heat play like candle wax with a form of cold play, like ice cubes or a cold spoon.

Keeping it Safe

Always check in to be sure that the skin is not being burned or losing sensation due to excessive cold or heat. Don’t freeze or heat toys that were not designed to withstand such temperatures. Ease into temperature play to get to know what one’s skin can tolerate.

Maintaining skin health on the sexual organs can’t be overrated; one’s ability to sense pleasure depends on it. Men can take an extra step in the penis care department by using a quality penis health creme (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil) daily. Shea butter and vitamin E keep the skin moisturized, protecting it from the frictions of a vigorous sex life. Show one’s sex life some excitement with temperature play, and one’s manhood some love with a penis health crème.

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Source by John Dugan

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Training The Trailing Search Dog

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When training a dog for a true trailing dog to be used in the area of search and rescue there must be a definite understanding that you are NOT training for an A.K.C. title. Often the attainment of an A.K.C. title has nothing to do with following human scent nearly as often as it has to do with following the requirements that the handler sets up for the dog. Also, the motivation usually is pieces of hot dog which are laid on the track by the person who “sets” or “lays” the track.

A person training a dog for trailing must learn first the theory of scent and skin rafts; that a human being will constantly drop skin cells and that these cells form a “raft” which will drift with the wind and fall to the ground as the person moves. It is this trail of skin cells, which the trailing dog must be trained to follow. How and where the skin cells land on the surrounding vegetation or surface will determine how and where the trailing dog will locate the scent. The length of time that the scent may be picked up by the dog will depend on the quality of the training and the natural abilities of the dog, along with the effects of weather on the trail. The other requirement for successfully training a trailing dog is that the handler motivates the dog so that he will not deviate from the trail under any circumstance.

A person training a dog for a tracking title is not concerned with the life and death scenario of a true search “mission” but rather is concerned with the attainment of a title, which can only be earned by following a prescribed “track” which has been laid in a specific manner for the dog. Training for this title often involves the use of hot dog pieces laid in the track of the human, thus encouraging the dog to follow the exact foot impressions on the ground.

A person who is training a dog for certification as a “trailing dog” in the search and rescue area recognizes that the dog MUST be motivated to follow the trail of the rafts of skin to the source. The use of food, if used at all, must be limited to a reward after the trail is correctly followed. The major emphasis on training the trailing dog must be one of setting up many many different scenarios and using many different “victims”, all the while recognizing that the task of the handler is to learn to recognize how the dog is reading the trail and to train the dog to identify the trail correctly through scent discrimination.

The best motivation is without a doubt the strong desire to find a human and the old standby from the beginning for this type of motivation is the “puppy runaway” which has been the basis for the training of search dogs for many many years. The difference between training an area wilderness search dog and a scent discrimination trailing dog is simply that the dog’s exposure to air scenting is limited as much as possible during his early training. The human’s task is to learn to “read” the dog and also to discover how the wind carries and distributes the skin cells and lastly but most importantly to motivate the dog throughout the training to want to follow the trail to its source.

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Source by Michael Russell

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Steps To Resolve Error 1316 On Your PC – Installation Error

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Error 1316 – it’s a big issue caused by the way in which your computer will be unable to process a file / setting that it requires to complete an installation procedure for your PC. Despite this error continually preventing 100’s of computers from being able to install applications each day, it’s fortunately a very simple issue to resolve. This tutorial is going to explain how to cure the error you’re seeing for good.

This error will typically show in this format:

  • Error 1316. A network error occurred while attempting to read from the file F:data1.msi

The problem you’re seeing is basically that Windows is unable to correctly process a file / setting which it requires to complete an installation. The problem is that when your computer needs to install documents / settings that it needs to run, it will have to place a large number of files / settings into various folders that you will specify for your system. The issue is that a “Microsoft Installation File” (MSI file) that your isnstallation program requires cannot be used – leading your computer to run highly unreliably as a result.

The way to fix this error is to first ensure that the installation files / settings are working correctly. This can be done by first using the “Windows Installer Cleanup Utility” (a free download from Microsoft) to ensure that your computer’s files are working correctly, as well as then changing various registry settings which may be preventing the installation from occurring.

After that, it’s recommended you clean out the registry database of your computer by using a “registry cleaner” program. The registry is a central database which stores all the settings of Windows, and is used a lot whenever you try and install a program. Unfortunately, it may be the case that your system will have some sort of problem preventing it from being able to inset the settings required to complete the installation on your system, leading the 1316 error to appear. To fix this, you can resolve the problem by downloading & running a “registry cleaner” program to fix any of the errors your system may have inside the registry.

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Source by Greg Kahn

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Thinking About Hiring a Moving Company: Why an On-Site Estimate Matters

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When you’re planning to relocate, convenience is a major factor in the decisions you make. You’ll pick up the phone to order pizza while you pack up your personal items, you’ll make travel reservations through online booking websites, and thanks to real estate agencies, you may even have placed an offer or entered a rental agreement without personally having step foot in your new home.

When you’re shopping for a moving company though, it might be wise to go “old school” and insist on on-site estimates. Otherwise, short-term convenience can lead to long-term hassle.

Following are the three most compelling reasons why you want your prospective moving company to make a visit to your home before building an estimate for their services.

1. You just can’t get an accurate quote over the phone

You wouldn’t trust a surgeon to diagnose you without a thorough exam, would you? While relocation isn’t brain surgery, if your mover doesn’t know the specifics of the job, he can’t properly determine how much it will cost to prepare your valuables for shipment.

And, like a botched surgical job, you’ll end up with–at the very least–a bad headache. At worst, you’ll end up with additional charges when your moving company arrives at your destination and no choice but to pay them if you want your valuables back.

Skilled movers know to make note of potential parking issues and trouble spots such as steep stairways. When you’re present during an estimator’s visit, you can point out items that require special care, and estimators can take crucial measurements as needed.

2. “Bait and switch” is all too common

The relocation industry is competitive, and many companies are eager to quote you unrealistic prices or “specials” in hopes that you’ll book their services without reading the fine print. Often, you aren’t even dealing with the same company that will show up at your door. Many companies sub-contract jobs to outside moving outfits who aren’t as concerned with their brand.

When you’re collecting estimates for moving companies, be sure to ask if the estimator who comes to your home is employed by the same company as the team that will handle your move. Also, ask who is responsible for fees beyond the estimate and if there is any “standard variance” by which the contract requires the customer to pay additional fees. The last thing you want is for your belongings to be held ransom as the movers demand additional payment.

3. Contract negotiation is best done in person

When you set an appointment for your estimate, ask for a copy of the contract so you can review the fine print before the representative arrives. It’s always better to ask questions related to the contract when the other party is in front of you.

If your moving estimator can’t clearly explain any portion of the contract, ask them to call a supervisor for an explanation while they’re there. Professional, reputable moving estimators understand the need to clarify estimates, and won’t balk when you ask tough questions.

Make sure you’re clear about what may cause the moving company to cancel or refuse to complete the service. Moving companies hired over the phone have been known to refuse to fulfill their side of the agreement if roads are too narrow, it’s raining too hard or sidewalks pose a challenge.

Be sure that, when you’re handed an estimate, you’re not signing anything you haven’t read, and insist that any special instructions are carefully included and signed off by both you and your estimator.

Bonus tips

• Any time you’re interviewing prospective moving companies insist they provide proof of liability insurance, a US Department of Transportation number and your state’s Department of Transportation license. Check the USDOT number with protectyourmove.gov to make sure the company is current on all insurance and certifications, and not a fly-by-night operation.

• Take lots of notes, including time and date, whenever you’re dealing with your moving company, including during their representative’s on-site visit or any phone calls related to your job.

• Photograph all furniture your moving company will pack and ship, making notes of existing damage.

• Provide your moving company with a basic map of your street, and any hourly or permanent parking restrictions. Ask the representative to note where you might want to put cones to reserve a space for the moving truck and to make notations of areas that might cause access or parking issues. Have the estimator sign a copy for you, and keep a copy in their records.

• Make copies of your notes and agreement, and be sure they’re handy when your movers are scheduled to arrive at your destination.

The wrap-up (pun intended)

Relocation companies who are in it for the long haul rely upon good references to stay in business. The best movers know that surprise charges mean unhappy clients, and poorly-prepared moving teams can mean broken furniture and lost belongings. Get referrals from friends, do a bit of homework, and feel more confident that your stuff will make it to the other end without hassle or headache.

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Source by Eshon Howard

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You Can Do The Hard Things

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Former US President Theodore Roosevelt’s wise words:


“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”

These positive, wise words can, unfortunately explain away negative situations such as “advance aging” because advanced aging is most often the result of backing off from doing the hard things, especially regarding our health.

In life, we are constantly tempted to take “the path of least resistance” because, well, it’s the easiest and usually the quickest way. But easy does not translate to better nor does it translate to growth. Easy translates to lazy. And, when it comes to our health, lazy translates to disease and “advanced-aging.”

An Exchange of Energy –

Have you ever really gotten anything of lasting value in your life without some form of valuable/energy/ monetary exchange? Certainly nothing that has any lasting value comes free because everything is an energy exchange.

When we put a little energy into accomplishing or achieving something, the “little” value we receive back matches. But when we push the envelope and challenge ourselves to do the harder thing, to reach beyond our current limits, our ROI grows expoentially.

There’s no better example of this than lifting weights in the gym – one of the best things we can do to sculpt our bodies and strengthen our muscles. What’s hard today, won’t be after many repetitions. Enjoying the benefits that stronger muscles provides us demands that we continually challenge ourselves by adding more weight.

There is no gain in life without some sort of stretch/pain. It’s called evolutionary growth and all human emotional, mental and physical challenges hold within them the greatest opportunity for growth.

Rather than avoid the “hard stuff,” we need to see the “silver lining” hidden within the hard stuff and stop running away from a race we can never win.

Perceptions are Key

Shifting our perceptions is the starting point. Seeing challenges as opportunities for growth is the clear answer to confronting fear and eliminating its paralyzing effects. Challenges boost our adrenalin and energy output and increase our heart rate but not the same way as a “fight or flight” response would.

Different hormones are released when we’re faced with challenges; we’re more focused and able to access our mental and physical faculties easier.

We’ve become weak as humans, literally and figuratively because we “take the easy way out” too often. This explains the reasons we are currently experiencing a global health crisis.

We want to be healthier but it’s “too hard to lift weights or make time to go to the gym

We want to be healthier but it’s too hard to let go of unnecessary easy things eating up time

We want to be healthier but it’s “too hard” to give up our destructive diet in lieu of nutrient dense foods

We want to be healthier but we don’t want to take time to cook and prep our own meals. It’s too hard and so we opt for “fast foods”… (the only thing fast about fast foods is how quickly they destroy our health).

We want to be healthier but want it as a gift, not something we’ve earned through “hard work” and as a reward for adjusted lifestyles

We want to be healthier without putting forth any “hard effort”

Easy doesn’t push the envelope. Life is not set up to operate that way. Life is set up as a reward – give and take system. What you put in, you get out. It’s really that simple.


Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

-Thomas A. Edison

Pushing challenges aside and continuing to opt for the easy way sends very clear messages to our minds and to our body that we are satisfied with our lot in life. Life returns the same to us and rather than pushing the door to new opportunity wide open or healing us from the inside out, it begins the process of sedentary decay.


The raw truth is, we are either moving in a forward direction by tackling the “hard stuff” or we subtly move ourselves in a negative direction by staying in our comfort zone of safety.

Success at anything is directly connected to sacrifice. Sacrifice most often means giving up something in exchange for something else.


The “good” we’re all searching for in life is cleverly wrapped up in a willingness to tackle the “hard things” rather than wimp through the easy ones. Our current health status is the perfect example and reason to begin tackling the “hard things.”

It’s time we traded our “easy path” false delusions about getting healthy for some real growth “hard solutions” because we cannot move forward or heal completely from any health crisis, personal or global until we address the causes. If we have not focused on and addressed the initial causes, it is only a matter of time before another global health catastrophe reappears cleverly disguised in a “different virus or disease.”

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Source by Carolyn Hansen

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Video Remote Interpreting Services – Find ASL Interpreters Easily

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Many businesses struggle to find American Sign Language interpreters to help them communicate with deaf and hard of hearing employees, patients and customers. There is a national shortage of qualified ASL interpreters and this makes video remote interpreting one of the best options to overcome this struggle. Finding available interpreters has never been this easy.

How Important Are ASL Interpreters To Your Business?

It is important for many companies to have a high availability of sign language interpreters to fill their needs. Companies with deaf employees often have weekly meetings to keep in touch, but they may also need interpreters on an as needed basis. This can be a big issue if a company is operating in an area where there are few certified ASL interpreters. Many times this means rescheduling meetings or the deaf individual may actually have to miss out on what is taking place if there is no interpreter available to assist.

Video Remote Interpreting Changes Everything!

Video Remote Interpreting or VRI has changed this situation for many people. Now they can use interpreters from all over the country to provide services when needed, not just those that live near the physical location of the business. This has helped hundreds of companies receive the interpreting services they so desperately need. VRI can help in most casual encounter situations. There are a few scenarios that it is still suggested to use an in person or face to face ASL interpreter.

Video remote interpreting can help deaf consumers get the services they need in more places than ever before. Using the internet and a simple laptop or tablet setup, you can access these qualified ASL interpreters almost anywhere. These services are growing and becoming much more common today. It is very convenient and it is one of today’s most popular ways to bridge the communication gaps with both deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

Find ASL Interpreters Easily

The fact that there is a national shortage of qualified American Sign Language interpreters makes finding great interpreters to serve deaf and hard of hearing consumers hard. However, using the flexibility that VRI or video remote interpreting solutions offer makes this process much more simple. It can be easy to find the interpreters you need if you know where to look. Make sure you choose a reputable company to work with and make sure that they are only providing nationally certified ASL interpreters so you have a high level of competence in all interpretation services you receive.

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Source by Jeffery Sherwood

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Viral Marketing Strategies Are More Popular Than Ever

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Viral marketing strategies are becoming implemented more as we’ve come to know more about it’s power to propel a business faster. Viral marketing has really taken off in the last couple of years and with it, so have many of the viral marketing examples and strategies in which people are utilizing. In the course of just the last year we have seen some amazing software products and several programs in which to spread your viral marketing campaign farther.

In any viral marketing campaign, there are certain things that a person or company has to keep in mind. For one thing, behind every campaign there has to be some type of gain or incentive for the person to want to pass the message on. Campaigns that don’t really give back to the sending party, most likely won’t benefit from viral marketing advantages.

For example, if we are speaking of cases of viral marketing for list building, many viral marketers have taken to using tell-a-friend forms. But, regular tell-a-friend forms are not usually enough to give a person the needed incentive to push a campaign along. It’s for this reason we started seeing products such as Viral Friend Generator come into play. With Viral Friend Generator, we seen that by adding a third step to the process, we could add a bonus of some type to the sending party. Prior to this, regular tell-a-friend forms weren’t really hitting the mark.

In some cases of viral marketing it doesn’t always need an incentive such as material goods to be effective though. In fact, the most successful viral campaigns are the ones that are created with emotion being involved. People that have been touched either by compassion, laughter, or shock are usually the most effective. If a person can have some type of profound experience by receiving a message this can spark a huge viral campaign. We don’t have to look very far to find campaigns of this type online. With the advent of video being used so much in marketing these days, it has completely impacted the way in which viral campaigns are developing.

Blogs are becoming much more viral friendly as well. Some of the WordPress plug-ins that have been developed for boosting people’s posts in many of the Social Bookmarking sites, or RSS submission services are really getting amazing. It’s so great to see some of the technology that’s coming out with helping in viral marketing. But, remember to use some of these plug-ins you do need to have a WordPress blog hosted on your own hosting account. Otherwise, most aren’t created for use with such blogs created on Blogger.com or WordPress.com.

There are a few very good products and strategies that have come to very good use for marketing viral. Definitely one of my favorite outlets these days for re-branding and creating my own versions of viral marketing software came with a membership I got with the guys at IMBuzz software. Each month I get a brand new one, and each of these has always been of very good quality. It’s one of the best memberships I think I’ve ever been a part of. Since I’m in the viral marketing niche, this software suited my business like a glove with some key advantages for viral marketing! I’m also a huge fan of Viral Spiral. It’s helped a very good friend of mine and myself to create a good sized mailing list, and also provided a place to help people along with their online marketing careers. It’s great to be able to do this virally, plus help people at the same time.

If you have ever been interested in implementing what is now available to you with viral marketing, there really couldn’t be a better time than now. We are living in a perfect time with access to some very powerful platforms and programs to help with your viral marketing campaigns.

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Source by Davin Ogden

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Australian White Wine Varieties

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When it comes to wine, Australia should not be disregarded, as it’s the 4th largest wine producer and exporter in the world. Approximately 750 million litres of Australian wine ends up on the international market and the local market is also strong. Australians love consuming wine and a massive 530 million litres is consumed each year with white wine being the most popular at 50% followed by red wine at 35%.

Practically, every state of Australia is producing wine with places like South Australia’s Adelaide Hills, Western Australia’s Margaret River and New South Wales’ Hunter Valley regarded as some of the top wine growing regions. All up, Australia has about 60 regions that are entirely designated to growing grapes and making wine, which cover about 160,000 hectares of land, the main regions being located in the southern part, where the air is cooler.

When it comes to grapes and wines varieties, there are quite a few, the following list presenting the most popular types of grapes and the wines these regions produce:

SAUVIGNON BLANC

Sauvignon Blanc is a white grape variety, with a light green skin. Originally, these grapes come from Bordeaux, a region in France, from which it spread all over the world. The climate can influence the flavor of these grapes, which ranges between grassy and exotic notes. The wine made from these grapes is fresh, crisp, and elegant, being the perfect accompaniment for cheese and one of the few wines that can be served with sushi.

VERDELHO

This is another type of white grape variety, which comes from Portugal, being mainly planted in Madeira. It’s known for being richer in sugar in comparison with other white grape types, so the taste of the wine is also be sweeter. In Australia, Verhelho is famous for its honeysuckle and lime flavours, and tends to get an oily texture once it starts aging.

SEMILLON

A type of white grape with a beautiful golden skin, the Semillon is commonly used in France and Australia. This grape variety is well known for the fact that it produces sweet and dry wines, with a citrusy flavor, of lime or green apple.

CHARDONNAY

This is a white variety of grapes that originates from the Burgundy area of France, famous for its wine. Its versatility and flavours, plus its importance to wine making, made the Chardonnay appreciated and cultivated around the world. In warm locations, such as Australia, the body of the Chardonnay wine tends to be rather acidic, with a fruity flavor of pear, plum, or apple.

RIESLING

Riesling is a white grape type originally from Germany. It is highly regarded because it tends to produce very aromatic grapes. Its flavor is rather flowery, almost like a perfume, although in Australia it also gets a citrusy taste, similar to lime.

PINOT GRIS – PINOT GRIGIO

Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio is the white variety of Pinot Noir. The fruits have a grayish-blue color, which explains the name. The wine produced from this type of grape has a variety of colours, ranging from a brilliant gold to a coppery shade, and even a soft shade if pink. It is appreciated for its light body and rather spicy flavor.

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Source by Fiona S

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History and Origins of the Celtic Cross

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The Celtic cross is a cross whose four “arms” are intersected by a central, circular ring – a function of both structural form and symbolism. While the roots of the Celtic Cross are likely in Paganism with the ring symbolizing the sun and “renewal,” it has become a potent symbol of Christianity and Irish heritage. The roots of the Celtic Cross can be traced back to Prehistoric Europe where the “sun cross” – a circle with an “x” or cross shape scratched inside began to appear on cave drawings and burial sites. The image persisted through the Bronze and Iron ages evolving into the Celtic Cross. It’s likely that the “cross” symbolized North, South, East and West.

Irish folklore tells the story of how Saint Patrick combined the Christian Cross with the “sun” to emphasize the importance of the cross to the Pagan followers, giving birth to the Celtic Cross. Though there is likely little truth to the tale. Around the 7th Century, Irish monks in the Celtic regions of Ireland and Great Britain began to erect upright or “high” crosses, many incorporating the Celtic Cross’ characteristic ringed structure. Many of these crosses survive today in Cornwall, Wales and on the island of Iona along with many others in Ireland.

Early Celtic Crosses often bore zoomorphic, or animal imagery, carved in the stone due to the influence of the animal style common in the Iron age. Not surprising given that warrior-herdsmen were so dependent on wildlife for food and clothing. This influence died off after the Iron Age as art in Ireland and Britain moved into the “Insular Period.” Artists during the Insular Art period produced many Celtic Crosses throughout Ireland, Wales and Scotland in the Hiberno-Saxon style. The “Insular Art” movement takes its name from the Latin word “Insula” which means “island.” This applied to the Isles of Britain and Ireland, and spoke to the shared nature of the artwork between the two regions that were vastly different than what was being produced throughout the rest of Europe. The Celtic crosses of this time were ornate and often bore spiraling geometric patterns that likely symbolized man’s “twisting” journey through life.

Around the 15th century, interest in the Celtic Cross and its influence as an art form waned. In the mid-19th century, a Celtic Revivial began that resulted in increased display and use of Celtic crosses in Ireland. The Celtic cross became fashionable as a cemetery marker in Victorian Dublin around the 1860s. This revival continued to spread across the whole of Irland and beyond and the symbol began to take on importance as a symbol of Irish heritage in addition to its religious conotation.

Today, the Celtic cross is commonly used as a gravemarker, though this is a departure from both medieval and Celtic revival periods when the symbol was used mainly as a monument and had little association with grave markings. The imagery of the Celtic cross has expanded its influence even in modern times, often spotted in jewelry as an expression of Irish pride and Christianity. The symbol is also seen in everything from T-shirts to tattoos. The Northern Ireland national football team use the Celtic Cross imagery in their logo and branding. The symbol has had some unfortunate attention as well and was recently banned from display in Germany when a prohibited neo-Nazi party co-opted the image as a symbol of their movement.

Famous Celtic Crosses that can still be seen today are at the Cross of Kells, County Meath, Ireland; Ardboe Auld Cross, Ardboe, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland; the crosses at Monasterboice, County Louth, Ireland; and the Cross of the Scriptures, Clonmacnoise, Ireland.

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Source by Rob Mabry