It is official; Cook’s Fresh Market is now serving Illy Coffee. As we were in the process of making the switch I realized that even though I see the brand quite often, I did not know anything about the company. So I decided to do some research…

Francesco Illy Started the company in Trieste, Italy in 1933. Upon it’s opening, Trieste became the only city in the world to house the complete coffee production process and is still recognized for having the most important coffee research and test laboratories. In 1935 Francesco designed and patented a machine that was the stepping stone to all modern espresso machines, called the “Illetta”. And also played a role in revolutionizing pressurization, which allowed them to preserve the coffee during shipping across Italy.

That was all of the back ground information about the company that was interesting for me. There are some other cool sections on their website about the different programs they run as well as institutes for learning all about coffee from bean to cup. If you are interested in more of the info on that, check out their website at Illy.com. As for me I am interested in learning more about the beans. Illy uses a blend of 9 types of pure Arabica beans from Central and South America, India and Africa. I personally don’t know the difference between an Arabica bean and any other coffee bean. Actual I couldn’t even tell you any other type of coffee bean, so we will be looking into that…

The first written record of coffee made from the roasted beans was from Arabian scholars that said the drink aided in lengthening their working hours. Later, the Egyptians and Turks began making their brews of roasted beans and from there, as they say, the rest is history. Coffea Arabica is a species of coffee that is native to Yemen, which is located in the heel part of the Arabian Peninsula (I had to look it up). It is also native to the Southwestern highlands of Ethiopia and Southeastern Sudan. Coffea Arabica is thought to be the first species of coffee to be cultivated, and has been grown in Southwest Arabia for more that 1,000 years. Coffea Canephora (Robusta) is another widely used species of coffee bean and in comparison to Arabica is considered to produce a lesser quality coffee, but contains more caffeine.

The Arabica plant is shrub like and its sweet jasmine scented flowers only last for a few days. After they subside, the berries start forming. Starting as dark green and slowly turning red. When the berries turn a deep dark glossy red, they are referred to as cherries and are ready to be harvested. As with many tree crops, they are often harvested by hand so that only the perfectly ripe berries are picked, since they do not all ripen at the same time. The coffee beans are actually the two seeds within the fruit and there is sometimes a third seed or only one. When there is only one it is referred to as a ‘Peaberry’ since it is round in shape like a pea rather than flattened on one side like the beans we see regularly. The first written record of coffee made from the roasted beans were from Arabian scholars that said the drink aided in lengthening their working hours. Later, the Egyptians and Turks began making their brews of roasted beans and from there, as they say, the rest is history.

I can never decide if I prefer to know the background on products or not. I do like to learn new facts and tid bits but does it take some of the enjoyment out of my morning cup of Jo? Will I now be analyzing and comparing coffee from different places and begin asking what types of beans are in my morning blend, trying to identify different aromas as you learn to do with wine? Who knows, only time will tell. As for you, come in and give our new coffee a try and let us know what you think.

Until next time… CFM

What is the difference between a Sweet Potato and a Yam? Many will tell you that they are the exact same thing; this is just not true. Quite often in the US the names are used interchangeably, calling Yams Sweet Potatoes and vice versa. No one really pays much attention, so many just go on assuming they are the same. With the Holiday season coming up and so many amazing things to do with both of these nutritious tubers, I figured doing some research and possibly finding out their differences will help us decide if we have a preference between the two. Who knows, maybe our favorite recipes will come out better than ever due to our new found favoritism.

Even though Yams and Sweet Potatoes looks pretty same and taste very similar, Yams tend to be starchier and drier than a Sweet Potato. Both are flowering plants but that is where the similarities end; at least taxonomically. All flowering plants are split into two categories, monocot and dicot. Yams are a monocot (one section to the seed, think of a corn kernel) and belong to the Yam family. They are closely related to lilies and grass and are native to Africa and Asia. Yams can vary in size from as little as the size of a small potato to record numbers of up to 130 pounds! Sweet Potatoes, on the other hand are a dicot (two sections in the seed, think of a peanut) and in the Morning Glory family. The skin color on Sweet Potatoes can vary in color from white, yellow, red, purple and even brown; the flesh colors also come in an array of colors ranging from yellow to orange to orange-red. There are firm and soft varieties of Sweet Potatoes, and just as the descriptors read, soft varieties are soft when cooked and firm varieties remain firm. It is the soft variety of Sweet Potato that is often sold as a Yam in the US. African slaves referred to these soft varieties as Yams because they resembled the Yams they were familiar with from Africa. More often than not you are eating Sweet Potatoes and not Yams, unless you purchased Yams at an ethnic market.

So now that we have some background information on what separates the two tubers in the world of botany, let’s look a little further into nutrition. Both Yams and Sweet Potatoes are both great health foods. But, they offer their own different nutritional benefits. Sweet Potatoes are well known for being packed full of nutrients and are still pretty low in calories. One Sweet Potato contains almost eight times the daily amount of Vitamin A recommended for adults, they also contain significantly higher amounts of calcium, iron, and vitamin E, and twice as much protein per serving as a Yam. However, Sweet potatoes contain less omega-3 fats than yams. The Yam and Sweet Potato are both loaded with potassium, magnesium, and phosphorous, as well as several so-called trace minerals: selenium, zinc, and copper. Again, as before, the Sweet Potato tends to win with these health benefits as well. Either way you look at it they are both great additions to the diet, we should all try to make an effort to have them more often than just once a year during the holidays.

As far as recipes go, our Chef recommends this one for Candied Sweet Potatoes with Streusel Topping:

Serves 8-10

• 4-3/4 Pounds Yams or Sweet Potatoes
• 3/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
• 6 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Grated Orange Zest
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

Streusel:

• 1 Cup Softened Butter
• 5 Oz. Brown Sugar (about 1/2 +1/8 Cup)
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 Pound All Purpose Flour ( Approximately 4 Cups)

Preheat oven to 375*. Cook Sweet Potatoes for 30 minutes. (They will not be fully cooked). Cook, peel and cut into 1 inch pieces. Place in 9x13x2 baking dish. Blend melted butter, syrup and orange zest in a small bowl; pour over Yams. Sprinkle with salt & pepper; toss to coat. Bake until just tender, stirring and basting occasionally.

Make streusel by mixing all ingredients until crumbly. Crumble over top of Potatoes and continue to bake until browned, approximately 20 minutes.

So that is that on this topic, please let us know what you think when you try the recipe. Until next time.

CFM