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Canarian cuisine is a fusion of native Guanche, Spanish, Latin American and African foods. Because of the warm climate light meals are usually eaten as they are more easy to digest. Fish, fruit and fresh vegetables form the main diet with meat used in stews or eaten as steaks.

FOOD

Plantain Bananas
The Canary Islands are Europe's only plantain banana exporter. These delicious bananas are small and aromatic and are usually fried, they are very common in the West Indies. Mousse de Gofio is a desert made from gofio (grain flour), miel de palma (palm honey) and plantains and is absolutely delicious.

Tapas
Tapas is a Spanish concept, usually eaten before lunch or dinner with a beer or glass of wine. Tapa is a small light piece of food presented as a canape, pincho (on a stick) or as a mini-dish of a tradition recipe.

Papas Arrugadas or Papa Sancochada
Often used as a tapa, this is a dish of potatoes which have been boiled in very salty water and then served with mojo picon, a cold spicy sauce made with chilli, garlic, paprika and oil.

Arepas
These are tortas (Mexican sandwich) made from fine corn flour and filled with meat, cheese or sweet mango.

Fish
With fish being caught locally, you will find fish and seafood widely used in local and international dishes. Varieties of fish include sea bass, white sea bream, mackerel, parrot fish, wreckfish, damselfish and bogue. Fish is usually prepared in one of three ways - covered in salt, baked, fried or jareado (sun-dried and then seasoned). A popular fish dish from Tenerife is Sancocho Canario, a salted white fish served in a 'mojo' sauce.

Sampling the varied cuisine of the Canary Islands is a must when on one of the many travel deals available to these amazing islands.

DRINK

Beer
The Canary Islands have three locally brewed beers which are Dorada, Reina and Tropical.

Wine
Winemaking is a part of Canarian tradition. Many local people make their own wine with fruit from their own vines. The traditional sweet Malmsey wine is produced in the volcanic fields on Lanzarote.

Rum
Gran Canaria is well known for its rum factories. Ronmiel (honeyed rum) is a sweet drink made from rum and honey.

Barraquito
Also known as barraco, this is a coffee speciality from the Canary Islands and is very popular on Tenerife and La Palma. A barraquito is made from coffee, milk, condensed milk and a syrupy liquer called Cuarenta y Tres (43).

The Canary Islands are blessed with great weather, beautiful beaches, plenty of history, culture and traditional and welcoming friendly people who will go out of their way to make sure you enjoy your package holidays to these wonderful islands.

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Water constitutes 60 per cent of your body. It is present in your skin, hair and even in your teeth and bones. Water acts as a universal solvent that dissolves minerals and other compounds and carries them throughout your body. Water carries nutrients and other necessary building materials to each cell in the body, besides being an integral part of the cells themselves. Water is critical to the body's chemical reactions and also removes impurities from the blood stream and vital organs.

Water acts as an ideal cushion between joints, organs and sensitive tissues. It maintains pressure on the optic nerves enabling vision, helps to stabilize blood pressure and regulate body temperature. It also cools the body by getting converted into water vapour due to body heat.

Did you know that your body loses about 1,000 ml of water daily through sweating and by passing urine? This amount needs to be replenished daily by drinking fluids and food that contain moisture. Drinking eight glasses of water a day is a must to keep the cleaning and cooling systems of the body in prime condition.

Alcohol

Unfortunately, drinking is too often associated with hard liquor, beer or wine. However, it is wiser to opt for non-alcoholic beverages and water. Juices and squashes are better than aerated drinks. If you do drink alcohol, it should be in moderation. One drink means a small peg of hard liquor, a single cocktail, or a glass or two of wine or beer. But remember to eat before you consume alcohol. Ifyou have not eaten for the last couple of hours, the liver's capacity to handle liquor will diminish, thereby increasing the effect of alcohol on your body.

For most people, two drinks in less than an hour will affect their judgment. After four standard drinks, a person loses all emotional control and eight drinks will affect your vision. Any more than this and the person could go totally haywire.

If you are hoping to lose weight, then your daily wine is a soul mate you can do without. Whether you like it or not, the fact remains that alcohol is fattening. Before you guzzle some more, cast an eye on the number of calories you take in with each sip. On an average, a peg of whiskey has 97 calories while a vodka martini will add anywhere between 105-125 calories to your frame. If you are fond of liquers, be prepared for at least 75-100 calories and with beer, anywhere between 90-145 calories.

While alcohol consumed in moderate quantities i.e. controlled and regulated drinking, is an accepted part of urban lifestyles today and may not necessarily be harmful, the consumption of excess liquor can be extremely damaging to one's health as well as one's mental equilibrium.

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When you were born and raised in Belgium, like I was, love of beer is a given. Make that a birth right. A requirement, even. So imagine my parents' dismay when I announced at the age of 18 that I did not care for beer. They cried. They yelled. They threatened to disown me. They tried to make me see a shrink. All to no avail. I could not understand for the life of me why anyone would love to drink fermented barley juice. What's the fun in that, when you can have a Mojito instead? Or a Piña Colada? Beer, to me, was just a foul-tasting beverage that I would only consider if I'd been stuck in the Mojave desert for three weeks straight. And only if the beer was ice cold.

So for years, I was the butt of the joke every time my friends took me drinking. While they were having beers with exotic names like Westmalle, Chimay and Herkenrode Triple, I was ordering chocolate milk. On the rocks. With a straw, please. Hilarity ensued.

In my late 20's, I met a Canadian couple living in Brussels. They loved Belgian beers, being particularly fond of trappists and abbey beers. I didn't get it. Weren't those beers for people with senior cards?

After hearing them rant and rave about my country's biggest export product after chocolate, my curiosity got the better of me. I went to out and bought one bottle of every beer I'd ever seen them drink and took them home. For the next two weeks or so, I sampled. I vowed to keep an open mind. And honesty compels me to admit that I was pleasantly surprised more often than not.

Without further ado, allow me to introduce to you, some of Belgian's finest.

Orval
The first on the list is a trappist beer. Currently there are only 8 trappist beers in the world, 7 of which are Belgian. This one was an acquired taste for me, probably due to its complex flavor. At bottling, brettanomyces yeast (a local wild yeast) is added, which, along with the dry-hopping method, gives this beer its unique flavor. I found it to be unusually crisp for a trappist, but it may take several sampling sessions for you to come to the same conclusion. Persistance is key, I assure you that you will not be disappointed.

As with all trappist and some abbey beers, the Orval monastery only keeps part of the proceeds to ensure their survival, the rest of the money goes to charity. (Next time your wife complains about you going out drinking with your buddies too often, you can honestly say, "But honey... it's for charity!"

Westvleteren
Another trappist beer, this beer was named"Best Beer in the World" by RateBeer.com and a slew of other beer related websites.

I'm not sure I agree.

Don't get me wrong, this beer is nothing short of amazing, but the lack of availability is a bit of a party pooper for me. You see, this beer isn't available in any stores. Naah, that would be too easy. The monks at the Saint Sixtus monastery do not give money to charity, like Orval does. They only want to brew and sell enough beer to get by. As a result, their beer can only be bought by calling the beer hotline (I kid you not). You provide your license plate and arrange a date and time on which you can pick up your brewskis.

I can hear you thinking, no big deal, I'll just order a few cases. Wrong. You can only order one case a month. If you're lucky, you can sometimes order two, depending on the kind of beer and depending on how busy the monks have been doing other trivial things, like praying and stuff. Plus, when it comes to communication, the Saint Sixtus abbey hasn't quite made it into the 21st century just yet. No email, no cell phones, no Blackberries. They only have one phone line and, to add insult to injury, no call waiting. When I called them to get a case, I had to try a staggering 159 times before I didn't get the busy signal and got through.

(For a while, there was talk of the monastery commercializing their beer and making it available in one of Belgium's biggest grocery store chains. The monks were in dire need of money for the renovation of several of their buildings. Unfortunately the deal fell through.)

No wonder then that Westvleteren beers are a hot commodity on eBay. I've seen people ask as much as $200 for a 6-pack. Insanity. Especially in light of what I'm about to tell you about the next beer in the list.

Saint Bernardus
Shortly after WWII ended, the monks at the Saint Sixtus monastery decided to outsource the brewing of their Westvleteren beer to another brewery down the road. For nearly 46 years, the Saint Bernardus brewery brewed what was then known as St Sixtus beer, following the original Westvleteren recipe. In 1992 this agreement ended because of the decision by the trappist breweries that a beer could only be sold as a "trappist" if it was brewed within the walls of the monastery.

Since the agreement ended, the St Bernardus brewery has continued to make their own beer, which is virtually identical to Westvleteren. Both breweries use a different strand of yeast, which results in a subtle taste difference, only noticeable to the most trained of palates.

The good news? This beer is available in stores all over the country. That is, if you're lucky enough to live in Belgium.

Lambic
Lambic is a type of beer with an old tradition, going back to the 16th century. Unlike most other beers which are fermented by adding yeast, lambic is the product of natural fermentation. It is exposed to a type of bacteria that is only found in a particular area around Brussels. Lambic has a very distinctive flavor and aftertaste, which can be quite sour.

Lambic comes in many types: the unblended kind, Geuze and Faro (which is much sweeter because of the added brown sugar). It is also used as the base for many fruit-flavored beers such as Kriek (with cherries), Framboise (with raspberries), Pêche (with peach) and many others. Often, these fruit-flavored beers are referred to as "girly beers".

Duvel
Duvel is Flemish slang for the Dutch word "duivel", meaning devil. Make no mistake about it, this ale is definitely worthy of its name. I've seen grown men cry after consuming 4 of these.

The trouble with Duvel is that it's deceptively easy to drink. It goes down the hatch like water but with an alcohol content of 8.5%, this beer isn't to be taken lightly. Don't let that be a reason not to try this intense, aromatic beer though, as it's quite delightful. (Just don't say I didn't warn you.)

Kwak
I've added this beer to the list mainly because of its original glass, rather than its taste. Legend has it that the glass and its holder were designed back in the 19th century by Paulus Kwak, the brewer and owner of a tavern, called De Hoorn (The Horn). The tavern was frequented by coach men who weren't allowed to leave coach and horse behind, so Kwak designed the holder so it could be hung from the coach.

If you ask me, the real story behind the name of this beer and glass is the sound the beer makes when someone, who is not carefully drinking from the glass when it's nearly empty, gets the last of the beer in his face. Just my two cents.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6362532

manzana

Beer has a reputation of being the world's best drink, and beer lovers consider the intoxicating experience as a divine experience. This notion dates back in the ancient times.

The process of beer making was discovered in the ancient times by the Sumerians. The basic ingredients of beer making even then are Hymn of Ninkasi otherwise known as the goddess of brewing, which consists of barley and baked bread. The accidental discovery of beer making happened when baked bread crumbled into water and formed a mash, which was then fermented and an inebriating pulp resulted. This was how the ancient Sumerians discovered beer making.

When the Babylonians became rulers of Mesopotamia after the Sumerian empire collapsed, the Sumerian culture of brewing beer was passed on; and the Babylonians were able to produce twenty different types of beer. This gave the Babylon people the luxury of enjoying the divine drink even more.

Additionally, the King of Babylon at that time recognized his people's want for this exhilarating and blissful drink, thus he decreed a daily beer ration to his people. During his reign, beers were not being sold but were used to barter trade.

Beer making did not stop in Mesopotamia; other countries also produced fermented beverages just like Chang, the beer in Tibet and Chicha, the corn beer and Kumis, the beer that comes from fermented camel milk. Other countries also produced beer, the beer they prouced does not have much difference from the Mesopotamia brew.

Historically, after the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans succeeded beer making and brewing. There was even a time where Romans considered beer as barbarian drink. Even with this notion though, beer drinking was still very much popular.

The beer they brew during that era can never be stored becuase it was too cloudy and with almost no foam.

Popularity of beer making and brewing is a result of the early civilizations belief that beer making is a neat sacrifice for their Gods. Additionally, because of the wonderful feeling they get from drinking beer, they treat beer making as a gift to themselves as well.

Thus, beer making became so popular and workers do not resent doing it for both these purposes.

Moving forward, in this modern time, beer is not that hard to acquire. You can find beer in every corner of the world, from small stores to big entertainment houses.

Additionally, some American beer aficionados even perform beer making in the confines of their own homes. This beer making process done by some Americans are no longer for sacrifice to the Gods but for their personal enjoyment, and for sharing with their friends as well.

Like in the ancient times, beer making ingredients are malted grain, barley, wheat and sometimes rye.

Brewing is also almost the same such as malt would come from germinated grain. This malt will be dried in kiln or roasted, the germination creates enzymes, which will convert starch in the grain into sugar.

The malt will take on dark color and strongly influence the flavor of the beer; this process is dependent on the amount of roasting done on the malt.

Grist will come from crushing the malt, and mixed in heated water and mashed together in a mash tun.

The process of brewing will then take effect, the result will be the beer that will provide enjoyment to you, which you can also share them with your friends.

There may be some equipment necessary in the process of brewing beer, but if you will only do beer making for personal use, what you have on your kitchen may be enough.

Commercial beer making may need the other sophisticated equipments. You will only need these special equipments if you are making beer for commercial purposes.

Various beer making websites will be able to help you brew your own beer. If your friends know that you made the beer specifically for their enjoyment, surely, your friends will consider your beer as the best beer in town.

Continue the saga of beer making and live on the tradition of drinking this exhilarating, wonderful and blissful drink that people consider divine.

Seek help from beer making websites and brew the beer you longed for.

okanagann

Pull out a chair and order a pint, because you're about to learn the secrets of experiencing a successful beer tasting.

So you're going to a beer tasting? Congratulations. A beer tasting is a wonderful (some say magical) place where you can sample quality beers from home and around the world. To avoid looking like a newbie, follow these simple beer tasting tips.

Beer Tasting 101 - The drunkenness factor

A beer tasting is an opportunity to sample a wide variety of import and micro-brew beers. Chances are, with all the vendors that usually frequent beer tastings, you'll have a lot of beer to consume. Unless you happen to be Hank the Tank, you will probably experience the full effects of inebriation. Remember though, a beer tasting is a gathering of gentlemen (and ladies) and your behavior should in turn be gentlemanly. A beer tasting is not the place to whip out your homemade beer-bong and pound an Irish Stout. Save that for another night.

Also, don't worry too much about what you wear. Jeans and a t-shirt is perfectly acceptable at most tastings. If the tasting is open to the public, jeans and t-shirts are fine. If you are invited to a private tasting (you lucky dog), dress a little more formal, khakis and a polo should do.

Oh, and another thing- this isn't a wine tasting. Don't spit your beer out. If you don't like your beer, swallow what's in your mouth and pour the rest of the beer into a pot on the table. A word of warning: Be careful about pouring your beer out - there have been reports of confrontational Brewmaster's pestering unsuspecting beer drinkers for pouring out their beer at the Brewmaster's table.

We Want Beer - Get beer for "Free"

If you're like me, going to a beer tasting is like a kid going to a candy shop. I just can't wait to try all the different Ales and Lagers that are being offered. Sadly, many beer tastings restrict the amount of beer a visitor can consume by forcing visitors to use tickets to get their beer. Ideally, the ticket system works like cash. One ticket=one beer. Hand your ticket to a vendor, the vendor pours you a glass of beer. Seems like the perfect system for limiting the consumption of beer right?

Wrong. Vendors agree to participate in beer tastings because they want beer connoisseurs to put their name down on "the list" (more on that later). Due to the relatively small number of tickets that an individual receives, vendors can maximize the number of visitors they get to their table by giving away "free" (read: not asking for tickets) samples. Generally, during the first two-hours of a beer-tasting vendors offer "ticket-free" samples.

This unspoken rule provides an opportunity for connoisseurs to get their drink on without having to use any of their tickets. A word of caution: During this "two-hour window", don't make your tickets visible (this includes offering a vendor your ticket) this is a rookie mistake and vendors will feel pressured into taking your ticket. Keep your tickets in your pocket (or purse) and only offer up your ticket when it is asked for by a vendor. Also, if you really like a specific beer, wait a while (but not too long if it is a popular beer, as it might go fast) until you re-visit that vendors booth. If a vendor has supplied you with a free sample, he has given himself an opportunity for his beer to get on your "list". If you keep pestering him for more free beer, the vendor will begin to view you as a leech and will certainly begin to charge you tickets.

The List

"The list " is the holy grail for vendors. Some say that "the list" is the only reason Brewmasters even agree to attend beer tastings.

The list is simply a sheet of paper that beer coinsures carry with them when they go to a tasting. Beers that
the connoisseurs particularly enjoy make it onto the list. At the end of the night, the connoisseur will have a list of beers that he will buy on his next beer run.

*** A tip for digitizing your "list" *** Maybe it's just me, but once I exceed the 100oz mark, I find the whole pen and paper thing a nuisance. To avoid this annoyance, I use my cell phones camera to record beers that I enjoy. All you have to do is take a picture of either the label of the beer bottle, or the vendors signage to document your new beer of choice. This also provides the benefit of being able to carry "the list" with you at all times, as well as having a visual reference for what the bottle looks like.

Talk with the Brewmasters

Whenever I go to a beer tasting one of the things I always try and do is talk with the Brewmasters. By spending a few minutes talking with these folks, I have learned so much about the beer industry. One such conversation led to some free gear and an invitation to an insider's only tasting. If you love beer, these guys are the superstars that make that beer possible. Talking with the Brewmasters and learning more about the beer industry is an opportunity and honor that shouldn't be passed up.

Now that you have a generally idea of what to expect at a beer tasting, you're prepared to experience a successful beer tasting.

Remember, stay classy, keep your tickets hidden, make a list of your favorite beers, talk with the men and women at the booth, and most of all- enjoy yourself. It is not every day that you get the opportunity to drink good beer and network with other knowledgeable beer coinsures.

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