Jun 14
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May 20
Oranges are classified into sweet and bitter categories, and popular sweet varieties are Valencia, navel,
Jaffa and the hybrid blood orange. The bitter oranges are utilized in jams, marmalades, preserves, and liqueurs such as Cointreau.
Oranges are indigenous to China and the south Asian subcontinent, and were first cultivated in the Middle East around the 9th century, and it was Christopher Columbus who introduced orange seeds to North America in the 16th century.
The word orange comes from an old Sanskrit word nagarunga, which means “fruit beloved by elephants”. Later on, the word became narandj in Arabic, and then naranja via the Moorish conquests in Spain. The first recorded use of the word in the form orange is in a Middle English text from somewhere around 1380.
Today Brazil is the world’s largest producer of oranges, and in the United States oranges are the biggest fruit crop.
Apr 20
Asparagus originates from The Mediterranean, and the Southern and Northern areas of Africa, with Egypt
possibly being the first to cultivate asparagus, where it was valued for it’s medicinal properties. Roman emperors kept an “Asparagus Fleet” of boats for collecting this prized delicacy. Today China is the world’s largest producer of asparagus, with Peru, United States, Mexico and Mediterranean countries being the other main producers. Asparagus and smelly pee was first researched in 1820, and the French novelist Marcel Prost famously remarked that asparagus “transforms my chamber-pot into a flask of perfume”.
possibly being the first to cultivate asparagus, where it was valued for it’s medicinal properties. Roman emperors kept an “Asparagus Fleet” of boats for collecting this prized delicacy. Today China is the world’s largest producer of asparagus, with Peru, United States, Mexico and Mediterranean countries being the other main producers. Asparagus and smelly pee was first researched in 1820, and the French novelist Marcel Prost famously remarked that asparagus “transforms my chamber-pot into a flask of perfume”.Health Benefits
- Asparagus is low in calories and carbohydrates, and relatively high in protein.
- Asparagus is an excellent source of potassium, and a good source of dietary fiber.
- A study of Asparagus-P, a traditional herbal medicinal product consisting of a combination of asparagus roots and parsley concluded that Asparagus-P supports kidney function.
- Research of anthocyanins from purple asparagus has proved their high antioxidant activities.
