Ice cream- A royal delicacy

Strawberry Gourmet

Ice cream is a very essential summer delicacy. On a hot day, we never hesitate to loosen our purse strings over ice -creams. While many of us reflect that ice-cream is a modern concept, it has got a very interesting origin dating back to 400 BC.   

In the Persian Empire, people would pour grape-juice concentrate over snow, in a  bowl, and have this as a treat on a hot day. Snow would either be stored in the cool-keeping underground chambers known as "yakhchal", or taken from the snowfall that remained at the top of the mountains. In 400 BC, the Persians went further and invented a special chilled food, made of rose water and vermicelli, which was served to royalty during summers. The ice was mixed with saffron, fruits, and various other flavours.  

Chocolate Ice cream

Ancient civilizations have served ice for cold foods for thousands of years. The BBC reports that a frozen mixture of milk and rice was used in China around 200 BC. The Roman Emperor Nero (37-680) had ice brought ice from the mountains and combined it with fruit toppings. 

Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat asserts, in her History of Food, that "the Chinese may be credited with inventing a device to make sorbets and ice cream. They poured a mixture of snow and saltpetre over the exteriors of containers filled with syrup, for, in the same way as salt raises the boiling-point of water, it lowers the freezing-point to below zero. It has also been claimed that, in the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan enjoyed ice cream and kept it a royal secret until Marco Polo visited China and took the technique of making ice cream to Italy.

So, the next time you have an ice-cream, whether it’s a sundae or a gelato , do remember that you are relishing a royal delicacy!  

                                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                                                                                  source:Wikipedia

The War of Siachen

The Siachen Glaciers

The war of Siachen has been the Indian army’s longest running military operation since independence, code-named Operation Meghdoot. Its objective is to prevent Pakistani intrusions into the Siachen Glacier, and to establish India’s right over the area ceded by Pakistan to China. The war has lasted for eight long years, and none of the sides has yielded. The Siachen Glaciers have an extreme cold and forbidding terrain. Since April 13, 1984, when Siachen became an active war zone, both countries have spent over Rs 15,000 crore here and both sides have lost over 2000 soldiers. The Indian rate is a staggering 63 per cent –of every two men sent up, one will be dead. Temperature in these glaciers can drop to forty degrees below the freezing point, when any exposed flesh will freeze within minutes. In such an extreme environment, normal livelihood is impossible because almost everything is solid; metal and the human skin become so chilled that when a jawan tries to load his gun, the bullet sticks to his bare hands. 

At Base Camp, the Siachen Battle School is responsible for training the men to survive the extremes of conditions on the glacier. The training culminates in a survival test. Sections of 10 men are asked to stay on the glacier for the night. If they survive, they pass. Almost all the food on glacier comes in tins, which taste all the same. In clear weather, the men are overworked, first repairing the damage cause by the last storm, then carting the supplies to the forward posts. Thousands of veterans have already sacrificed their lives for a war over a frozen, waste land.

 The government of both sides should take initiatives to discover a new way of settling the matter. I am touched by the plight of the jawans. I hope this war of agony and violence comes to an end very soon. I would like to make an appeal to readers to share their thoughts.. Fundaytimez pays tribute to all the martyrs who have sacrificed their lives, fighting for their motherland. 

Recipe for Delectable Chocolate Lava Cakes

Chocolate Lava Cake

If it's your mom's birthday and there's a party at your house, and you want to give her something really special,then here is the recipe for tempting chocolate lava cakes. Just six simple procedures and your cakes are ready!

Ingredients:                                                      
10 oz(280g) bittersweet chocolate(60% cocoa)
4/5 cup(180 g)butter
8 eggs
1 + 1/4 cup (275g) sugar
1 +1/4 cup (140g) all purpose flour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F (Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C).
2. Grease 10 large muffin tins or cups;paper muffin bake cups can also be used.
3. Grind the chocolate into small pieces and melt it with butter over hot water.
4. Beat the eggs with sugar and mix with flour.
5. Slowly fold in the melted butter and chocolate.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for only 8-12 minutes; the outer part should be cooked and the inner part liquid.
The chocolate lava cakes may be served hot with custard ,ice-cream or berries. The cakes may be dusted with icing sugar.
So, if you wanna make your special ones happy, then go ahead and try baking Chocolate Lava Cakes.  The sweetness of chocolate won't fail to impress your loved ones!

Halloween Special - How to make a Jack O Lantern

A basic item for Halloween decorations is a Jack O Lantern. Making a Jack O Lantern is very easy. Here are a few simple steps to make a lantern for yourself :-

Jack O Lanterns

• Choose a dry pumpkin with a hard shell. Consider size. The pumpkin should be big enough to carve eyes,nose and mouth on.You can choose a pumpkin of your desired shape,for e.g. moon-shaped,or round.
• Wash dirt off the pumpkin.
• Mark the features on the pumpkin slightly smaller than you want them to be with a pen or pencil.
• Cut the top off by putting the knife all the way through the shell into the pumpkin. Draw a circle around the stem and lift it off.
• Clean the inside, discarding the seeds and sticky interior. Make sure the inside of the face is free of clinging tissue.
• Carve out each feature by pushing the knife through,then cut on the line until the piece comes out.
• Clear away the rough edges and your lantern is ready.
• To light up your Jack O Lantern,open the top and press a candle down into the bottom of the pumpkin. If needed, cut a little bit out of the bottom so that the candle properly fits inside.
• Light the candle with a long'stemmed match or an electric kitchen lighter.

So, go ahead, make your own Jack O Lantern this Halloween and make sure it looks scary enough to make others have goosebumps!

Halloween Special- The Tower of London

The Tower of London

Dating back over nine hundred years, the Tower of London is known as one of the most haunted spots in Britain. The first stone section of the tower was built and authorized by William the Conqueror. Much human sufferings went on inside the dark, stone walls of the tower, including execution,imprisonment and torture.

There are reports that the ghoul of Anne Boleyn haunts the creepy corridors of the White Tower. She was one of the two wives who were ordered for execution by their husband,Henry VIII; the other being Catherine Howard. Anne's spirit is also spotted in the Chapel of Saint Peter and Vincula where she keeps a watch on her own grave under the altar. On the other hand, Catherine can be heard screaming behind the door of the room where she was kept locked up before her execution.

The tower is also a haunt for famous spirits like Thomas A. Becket who was chopped down at the Traitor's Gate with a crucifix, witnessed by a priest. People have also seen twelve year old King Edward and his nine year old brother Richard Duke of York in the deadly tower, still wearing the white gowns they were imprisoned in.

Misty figures, soldiers, and sixteen year old Lady Jane Grey visits the embatllements of the Tower of London. Whole squads of soldiers have been seen marching the grounds.

Several paranormal investigations were made to try and capture some of the ghostly images using special cameras and temperature gauges. Most of their experiences did not fail to baffle the investigators.

So, if you make a trip to London in future, don't miss out the opportunity of visiting the Tower of London. Who knows, you might as well have an encounter with some of the spirits that haunt the tower.

Pigeons on a bathing spree

They say you got to be lucky enough to experience incredible things a second time. So, I think I'm lucky enough to watch pigeons at bath for a second time. But, I can ensure you that this time they look even more adorable and happier than before. These buddies really made me happy early in the morning and I loved watching them , splashing and dancing in the water. I hope you enjoy watching them, as much as I did!

Pigeons at bath

It was a cloudy morning, and as I woke up from bed, I was enthralled by the sight outside my bedroom window. These fun-loving creatures were having a wonderful time in the rain. It was something really worth watching so I captured a video to share it with my friends and my readers.