sharp_as_knives: (Default)
sharp_as_knives ([personal profile] sharp_as_knives) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2014-01-17 09:31 am
Entry tags:

Flavors, Food Choices, and Menu Planning - Friday, 4th period

Hannibal nodded at the students as they took seats; today it was on stools around a counter.

"The first part of the class name is 'flavor'," he pointed out, "so, to start - there are any number of flavors to food, but current classifications recognize only a few basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, savory - which you may also hear called 'umami', and pungent or piquant. Various combinations of these give foods a portion of their flavor. More flavor is related to smell, which we will cover later. Other senses can also affect it.

"In cooking, flavor is organized into seven groups, which overlap a bit with the tastes. Four seasonings and three condiments: saline, acid, hot seasonings, saccharine; pungent, hot condiments, and fatty."

He chuckled. "So, what does this mean for cooking and eating? These flavors combine in different ways. Foods interact with each other. One food with a bitter taste may be a good contrast; too many and nobody will want to finish your meal. A slight metallic taste may be forgivable, but nobody wants to feel as if they're chewing on tinfoil. And if you're looking to substitute for something you don't have, it's good to know the taste you're aiming for."

He set a tray in front of them. "All foods are a combination of tastes, but some are stronger examples of one than others. So, today, we have strong examples of each." He pointed them out. "Sweet: spun sugar. Sour: lemon juice. Bitter: bitter melon. Salty," he paused and gave them a wry smile, "salt. Specifically, sea salt. Savory: cheese. Pungent: raw ginger." Hannibal wasn't rude enough to serve raw chili peppers; you could thank him later.

He put another dish up. "Bread, as a fairly neutral taste to cleanse your palate between trying each. Try them, learn them, and please ask questions."

Sign in!

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2014-01-17 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
D'oh! Forgot the OCD.

Re: Sign in!

[identity profile] 3girls-1core.livejournal.com 2014-01-17 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar

(Zhari)
shippedtomaine: (Default)

Re: Sign in!

[personal profile] shippedtomaine 2014-01-18 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
Emma Swan

Listen to the lecture, ask questions

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2014-01-17 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay flavor!

Re: Listen to the lecture, ask questions

[identity profile] rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com 2014-01-17 04:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Rilla made a little face as she tried the bitter melon. "Do you have to use all of these elements in a meal?" she asked. "Can you maybe skip bitter?"

Possibly forever?

Re: Listen to the lecture, ask questions

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2014-01-18 04:56 am (UTC)(link)
"Bitter foods can be used to cut sweetness or to enhance other flavors," Hannibal pointed out. "Coffee is bitter, for example. So is unsweetened chocolate. Generally you won't be using only bitter foods, but it's essential to know what they taste like."
myownface: (Hmmm...)

Re: Listen to the lecture, ask questions

[personal profile] myownface 2014-01-17 06:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Sparkle already knew what salt tasted like, but he was going to try a little of everything anyway. And then he was going to mix-and-match.

Salty and sweet, he decided, was his favourite combination.

Re: Listen to the lecture, ask questions

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2014-01-18 04:57 am (UTC)(link)
"Combining flavors is next week," Hannibal advised with a smile. "Though it's good to learn what you enjoy."
myownface: (Default)

Re: Listen to the lecture, ask questions

[personal profile] myownface 2014-01-18 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
"Sugar and salt really work," Sparkle shared, because, okay, this was some kind of revelation, and why the hell hadn't anybody told him this sooner? "I wasn't expecting that like at all."

Re: Listen to the lecture, ask questions

[identity profile] 3girls-1core.livejournal.com 2014-01-17 09:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Salt and the melon went well together, as did tiny chunks of the ginger with slices of the cheese.

The cheese also went really well with the sweet. And the bread. And--okay, Zhari just thought it was good cheese.

Re: Listen to the lecture, ask questions

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2014-01-18 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
"I suppose I should bring in cheese more often?" Hannibal asked.

Talk to the TA!

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2014-01-17 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
When he pings in.
myownface: (O Rly?)

Re: Talk to the TA!

[personal profile] myownface 2014-01-17 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, man. Taste-testing? Sparkle's life was so hard.

... Well, it kind of was. But today's class continued to be awesome, if you asked him.

Talk to Hannibal!

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2014-01-17 04:24 pm (UTC)(link)
If you need anything before or after class.

OOC!

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2014-01-17 04:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Just saw this (http://fuckyeahannibal.tumblr.com/post/73596196652/the-flesh-you-so-fancifully-fry-the-meat-in-your). Relevant to our interests? *g*