tropit

Upon reviewing my recent posts on this thread I've come to realize that I've been posting about foods that are all slightly alkaline. Alkalinity gives foods a certain taste, which I really like.

For example, have you ever sat on a Mexican beach, or in a cantina, enjoying an ice cold Mexican beer? Why does it taste so different...So good? Maybe because you're on a much deserved vacation in Mexico, but it's also because they use their own, slightly alkaline water to make that beer. Same goes for the food. Mexican beer that is brewed in the US just doesn't taste the same and Mexican food served in Mexico always has that something special that sets it apart.

I've been playing around with my Natto lately and every time I make a fresh batch, I smell that smell. It's like an old house in Kyoto where we stayed once. It smells earthy, good and the natto tastes amazing. Again, it is the alkalinity that is created by the Natto bacteria that makes this smell and flavor.

Lastly, I recently gave away a secret to making really good saimin noodles..that is to add some twice baked, baking soda to the dough. Again, the soda makes the noodles more alkaline, hence tastier and chewier.

So, what other foods have that alkaline taste? I'm on a quest to find out.

~ C

tropit

I think that "stinky" cheeses like Limburger, or Red Linens might also be made with an alkaline-based bacteria. There's a hint of ammonia when you open them up. They smell so bad, but taste so great!

~ C

Tartan

Your post on Limburger chees brought up a memory of my father telling me a story from his youth. One of their friends in a group of boys got married. Instead of the old cans behind the car they snuck in and put a chunk of Limburger under the hood. As you could imagine as soon as the motor warmed up, the smell was atrocious. Of course by that time the cheese had melted and there was no easy way to remove it.

tropit

Funny!! Too bad they couldn't eat it. It doesn't taste anything like it smells.

I'm busy making a late, "Father's Day" dinner today. My dau couldn't get off work on Sunday, so we're having it tonight instead. I got thinking...here's another alkaline food...tortillas! Corn tortillas and tamales are both made with masa harina flour, which is made from corn that has been soaked in lye, an alkaline process. Hominy is a close cousin. So now I'm thinking...aren't grits made with hominy?

Anyway...I'm making homemade tortillas for our fried fish tacos. I was raised in Southern California and I think that just about every family that I knew in the 60s took their kids down to Ensenada, Mexico at least once. There on the beachfront, (and later with a view of the SS Catalina slowly sinking and rusting into the bay,) there was a large, taco shack. They served only one kind of taco, fried fish, with a mayonnaise sauce, chiles, and pico de gallo on top. 1 taco cost exactly $1. They were small, but hey, at that price you could feed the entire family for under $10 and they were sooooo gooood. The place was always packed.

When I was in high school, my boyfriend and I would go on surfing trips down there with his buddies. As soon as we got out of the water, we headed into town for our $1 fish tacos. After I was married, my DH and I had a sailboat docked in Ensenada and we introduced our kids to the (gasp!) $2 tacos. They loved them too. The SS Catalina is now gone and I don't know how much those tacos are today, but I'm certain that the taco shack is still there. It just has to be. So, as you can see, I'm cooking up some memories tonight.

And it's alkaline!



~C

tropit

Bagels and pretzels get their chewiness from dipping them into an alkaline bath of water and baking soda.

~ C