Melo Enterprises

Origin: Vietnam

Sweet marjoram: Origanum (O) hortensis (orMajoranahortensis). Potmarjoram: O.onites Wildmajoram: O.vulgare. Syrian majoram is called zatar Family: Labiatae or Lamiaceae (mint family). In Europe, marjoram was a traditional symbol of youth and romantic love. Used by Romans as an aphrodisiac, it was used to cast love spells and was worn at weddings as a sign of happiness during the middle Ages. Greeks who wore marjoram wreaths at weddings called it “joy of the mountains.” It was used to brew beer before hops was discovered, and flavored a wine called hippocras. A cousin of the oregano family, marjoram originated in Mediterranean regions and is now a commonly used spice in many parts of Europe. Called zatar in the Middle east and often mistaken for oregano, it is also a popular spicing in Eastern Europe. Origin and Varieties Marjoram is indigenous to northern Africa and southwest Asia. It is cultivated around the Mediterranean, in England, Central and Eastern Europe, South America, the United States, and India. Description Marjoram leaf is used fresh, as whole or chopped, and dried whole or broken, and ground. The flowering tops and seeds, which are not as strong as the leaves, are also used as flavorings. Sweet marjoram is a small and oval-shaped leaf. It is light green with a greyish tint. Marjoram is fresh, spicy, bitter, and slightly pungent with camphor like notes. It has the fragrant herbaceous and delicate, sweet aroma of thyme and sweet basil. Pot marjoram is bitter and less sweet. Chemical Components Sweet marjoram has 0.3% to 1% essential oil, mostly monoterpenes. It is yellowish to dark greenish brown in color. It mainly consists of cis-sabinene hydrate (8% to 40%), -terpinene (10%), a-terpinene (7.6%), linalyl acetate (2.2%), terpinen 4-ol (18% to 48%), myrcene (1.0%), linalool (9% to 39%), -cymene (3.2%), caryophyllene (2.6%), and a-terpineol (7.6%). Its flavor varies widely depending on its origins. The Indian and Turkish sweet marjorams have more d-linalool, caryophyllene, carvacrol, and eugenol. Its oleoresin is dark green, and 2.5 lb. are equivalent to 100 lb. of freshly ground marjoram. Marjoram contains calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and niacin. Culinary uses of Marjoram Marjoram is typically used in European cooking and is added to fish sauces, clam chowder, butter-based sauces, salads, tomato-based sauces, vinegar, mushroom sauces, and eggplant. In Germany, marjoram is called the “sausage herb” and is used with thyme and other spices in different types of sausages. It is usually added at the end of cooking to retain its delicate flavor or as a garnish. It goes well with vegetables including cabbages, potatoes, and beans. The seeds are used to flavor confectionary and meat products.

Nutmeg Myristica fragrans Fam: Myristicaceae The nutmeg tree is a large evergreen native to the Moluccas (the Spice Islands) and is now cultivated in the West Indies. It produces two spices — mace and nutmeg. Nutmeg is the seed kernel inside the fruit and mace is the lacy covering (aril) on the kernel. The Arabs were the exclusive importers of the spice to Europe up until 1512, when Vasco de Gama reached the Moloccas and claimed the islands for Portugal. To preserve their new monopoly, the Portuguese (and from 1602, the Dutch) restricted the trees to the islands of Banda and Amboina. The Dutch were especially cautious, since the part of the fruit used as a spice is also the seed, so that anyone with the spice could propagate it. To protect against this, the Dutch bathed the seeds in lime, which would prevent them from growing. This plan was thwarted however, by fruit pigeons who carried the fruit to other islands, before it was harvested, scattering the seeds. The Dutch sent out search and destroy crews to control the spread and when there was an abundant harvest, they even burned nutmeg to keep its supply under control. Despite these precautions, the French, led by Pierre Poivre (Peter Piper) smuggled nutmeg seeds and clove seedlings to start a plantation on the island of Mauritius, off the east coast of Africa, near Madagascar. In 1796 the British took over the Moloccas and spread the cultivation to other East Indian islands and then to the Caribbean. Nutmeg was so successful in Grenada it now calls itself the Nutmeg Island, designing its flag in the green, yellow and red colours of nutmeg and including a graphic image of nutmeg in one corner. Spice Description The nutmeg seed is encased in a mottled yellow, edible fruit, the approximate size and shape of a small peach. The fruit splits in half to reveal a net-like, bright red covering over the seed. This is the aril which is collected, dried and sold as mace. Under the aril is a dark shiny nut-like pit, and inside that is the oval shaped seed which is the nutmeg. Nutmegs are usually sold without the mace or hard shell. They are oval, about 25 mm (1 in) in length, lightly wrinkled and dark brown on the outside, lighter brown on the inside. Nutmeg is sold whole or ground, and is labeled as ‘East Indian’ or ‘West Indian’ indicating its source. Whole nutmeg may be coated with lime to protect against insects and fungus, though this practice is giving way to other forms of fumigation. Bouquet:sweet, aromatic and nutty Flavour : Nutty , warm and slightly sweet Hotness Scale: 1

Sumatra Coffee In North Sumatra, a road snakes around the lush forest, beautiful waterfalls and striking volcanoes to arrive in a land that grows a strong coffee with enchanting flavor. Lintong Nihuta lies southwest of Lake Toba, one of the worldâ??s most buried inland bodies of water. The land in this region rises to a high plateau, providing the altitude necessary for Arabica cultivation. Lintong accurately describes only coffees grown in a relatively small region just southwest of Lake Toba in the district of Lintong Nihuta. Small plots of coffee are scattered over a high, undulating plateau of fern-covered clay. The coffee is grown without shade, but also without chemicals of any kind, and almost entirely by smallholders. Each of the small farmers produces coffee on less than a hectare of land. They may bring some of their coffee to sell at the weekly market in Lintong, but companies also go directly to the farmers to purchase most of it at a better price. Because of its dark bluish color, the coffee is also well known as â??Blue Batakâ?? (Batak is the ethnic group that inhabits the region). Notes of chocolate are evident in the finish. High-quality Lintong differentiates themselves from other Sumatran coffees in their clean mouthfeel and slightly brighter acidity. In contrast with Mandailing, Lintong has a medium body but retain notes of dark chocolate and fresh earth. The coffee's taste recalls sage, tobacco, cedar and herbs, but these earthy flavors are balanced by chocolate tones. It is a fairly robust cup with a low to medium level of acidity and a syrupy mouthfeel.

Try them all! Cappuccino Cappuccino Intenso Cappucino Ice Ingredients Whole Milk Powder (82,4%), Sugar, Roast & Ground Coffee Dietary Information Contains Milk May Contain Soya Allergy Advice May contain Soya