Interview with an Olive Oil Expert (2): Sensory Aspect

Everything you need to know about Olive Oil
(Part 2)

We continue in this post, part 2 of the Interview series with the Olive Oil Expert.

This time it covers the topic of the sensory evaluation of Olive Oil.

Sensory Aspect of Olive Oil

Olive Oil tasting should be done in tapered (Dark Blue) glasses.

WHAT COLOR IS GOOD OLIVE OIL?

The color of olive oil is not an indication of quality. Choose olive oil for taste not for its color.

Interview with an Olive Oil Expert (1): Health Aspect

Everything you need to know about Olive Oil
(Part 1)

“And a tree (olive) that springs forth from Mount Sinai, that grows (produces) oil, and (it is) relish for the eaters.( Quran 23:20 )”

Today’s contribution comes straight from the Olive Oil industry!
Pearl’s interviewed an avid experienced Food scientist who has been working in the olive oil production for 6 years. It is important for consumers like us know briefly about olive oil production, the sensory characteristic of the best olive oil, and how can we detect the differences or how can they choose the best olive oil brand from the market. We will be covering a week of posts about Olive oil, so stay tuned!

Mr. Mohammad Kobayter is the Quality Assurance and Logistics Manager at KOBAYTER S.A. in Malaga -Spain. Kobayter holds a Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Management from the American University of Beirut (AUB) and he is a certified expert in virgin olive oil tasting (from the University of Jaen, Spain). He previously worked as a Production manager assistant at KOBAYTER FRERES S.A.L. in Lebanon. (Alwazir historic Ad ) 

Mohamad, undergoing a sensory test on the olive oil

A Superfood Breakfast: Goji Berries with Warm Quinoa

Guest Post from Christele - Nutritionist & Blogger at Health 'n' Horizons

Hello everyone! My name is Christele, I’m a nutritionist, a mom, a lover of real food, and a blogger over at Health ‘n’ Horizons! I am so excited to be guest posting for Pearl's Powder today. Hope you all like some real satisfying food for breakfast cause I’ll be discussing superfoods, particularly goji berries.

I will also be sharing a warm breakfast recipe for those cold winter mornings (and if you live in a warm climate, don’t worry, a cold version* is as good, if not better).

What are Superfoods?
Goji berries are what some may consider a superfood.

Food Blessed : A CSR in Action

If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your

head a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world.

12.7% is the average percentage of hungry people in the Arab region.

In Lebanon, the population living under the poverty line reaches 28.6 %. HUGE amounts of food are being thrown away after almost every event. People always feel the urge to take action, to find a solution, to not
throw away untouched food, but most of the cases they just don’t know
where to turn to!!

53 % of consumers are willing to pay extra for dealing with a company who is socially responsible.
Ideas are worthless unless one finds the courage and acts upon them.



3 social activists saw a problem and decided to do something about it. They saw it as an opportunity to make a greater good!


BY aiming at 'feeding the hungry, one meal at a time', this is exactly what the foodblessed team has done..

This is HOW they do it:

The Secret to Enjoying the Perfect Cup of Espresso from Daria Illy

A guest blog post from Darine Sabbagh*

 A few weeks back I had the pleasure of personally meeting Daria Illy, the grand daughter of Francesco Illy, who started Illy Cafe and also invented the first automatic espresso machine for all of us to enjoy. Because Illy want to bring pleasure through their coffee, Daria explained to each of the attendees personally how a great shot of espresso should look like. 

Coffee is an art 

So here are her tips for the perfect cup of espresso and how to drink it:

Save the Grace

Few days after Ramadan started I read this article by Washington Post about
How Muslims Celebrate the month of Ramadan.  

The first wrong word is " Celebrate". Ramadan is not a month of celebration, it is a month of pious devotion and struggle with one's desires and  curbing one needs.  Ramadan is solely being conveyed merely as a month of diverse "Iftar" food, drinks and scrumptious meals. This might be true in some families. But breaking one's fast should always be done in moderation for one's own  health and for fulfilling the main reason why he is fasting in the first place.

Here is one beautiful comment I saw on the web "Let us also be reminded that when you and I break the fast at sunset, the hungry continue with their fast."But what should be done to those hungry? Here is one cause " Save the Grace" Lebanon , find more about it the interview with  the team : 

Chicory Leaves: "Hendbeh"

                                                                      Guest Post by Food Technologist Francine Francis

Chicory Leaves

General Information on Chicory
Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) also known as “Succory”, “Hendibeh” or “Witloof” is part of the family plant of Asteraceae. This perennial plant is indigenous to South Africa, Europe and Asia but it is now grown, found and consumed worldwide. 

Sushi Safety In Beirut

( Guest post by Food Scientist Rawan Hammoud) 

One of the sushi samples taken for testing

Sushi Popularity in Lebanon:

Sushi as a food product has grown and evolved to create an entire industry of Sushi bars which has found its way to the Lebanese market. Sushi was first introduced in Lebanon upon the opening of “Le Sushi Bar” in 1997. A decade ago there were only two Sushi bars in Lebanon, but now this number has had a fifteen fold increase amounting to about 35 Sushi restaurants in Beirut.  The manager of “Le Sushi Bar” considered the consumption of raw fish not unusual in Lebanon. He maintained that in some areas the consumption of raw meat is normal like in the Lebanese staple “Kebbeh Nayye”.

A Light Advice from a Licensed Dietitian

Popular diets don’t necessarily mean healthy or balanced. That’s the case of most diets that have emerged in the last three decades such Atkins, Dukan, Zone and the south beach diet.

The American Academy of Family Physicians warns that these fad diets don’t typically result in long-term weight loss and even some can be dangerous to health such as the cabbage soup diet, Hollywood diet, apple cider vinegar diet, and Acai berry diet ( promoted by Oprah Winfrey).

How can one know how these diets are fad? Most of these diets promise a quick fix or are based on a simple study or have claims that sound too good to be true. They even eliminate one of the five essential food groups, promote a certain product or emphasize a "popular" lifestyle.

I asked Nour Hammami, a Licensed dietitian in the Lebanese ministry of Public health and currently pursuing her Master in Nutrition, to give students some advice about the popular low carbohydrate (carb) -high protein diets.

Sea Food Night!

Featured and written by Strawberry Blu and Pearl's Powder

Shrimps Ratatouille! 

After the revamping of the luxurious Phoenicia Hotel Beirut’s Mosaic restaurant, the restaurant is aiming to take us on a voyage to a new country to visit the folklore, traditions, costumes and mostly taste the exquisite cuisine.
The week I and Cynthia ( from Strawberry Blu) visited was the French cuisine promotion with the 60’s Photo exhibition at Mosaic.