Appetizers before Meals

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*Appetizers before Meals*

 

Western culture demands for serving of fruit juice in small chic glasses

before a heavy meal. These are appetizers which serve to improve appetite

before a feast. Among the appetizers served, the most popular is the

lemon-ginger juice. The major ingredients of this drink are lemon and ginger

juice along with scraped lemon peel bits, sugar, water and citric acid. The

ginger has a lot of medicinal value and dried ginger locally called "Chukku"

is all the more welcome. Lip smacking appetizers may also be prepared with

orange, apple, watermelon, papaya and mango. Fruit juice and vegetable soups

are excellent appetizers and help easy digestion too.

 

In some countries, soups are served before the meal. When protein rich soup

reach the digestive system, more digestive enzymes are prepared due to which

the food which follows gets digested easily. Soups also help to build up a

healthy appetite before a heavy meal. If an appetizer is what you want, the

vegetable soups will be best for you. The biggest advantage of soups is that

they are easy to prepare and can be prepared at home. Delicious soups can be

made from tomato, carrot, spinach, garlic, drumstick leaves and drumstick

too. Shredded cheese or cream added to these vegetable soups double the

taste. The easiest to prepare of the lot is the tomato soup. Ingredients are

tomatoes, cloves, cinnamon, chopped onions and boiled and mashed potatoes.

The onions, mashed potatoes, tomatoes, cloves and cinnamon are sauted well

in butter to which about two cups of water are added. When the soup begins

to boil it is taken off the stove, strained and served sprinkling enough

salt and black pepper powder. Small pieces of bread deep fried in oil added

to the soup, adds to its taste. Other soups may also be prepared with the

same procedure.

 

Now here are some figures difficult to believe! One cup of drumstick leaf

soup contains as much vitamin A as in 16kg. mutton and 80 cups of milk, as

much vitamin C as in 2? kg grapes and 6 oranges, as much calcium as in 20

eggs and as much protein as in 100gm. mutton, 100gm chicken, 120gm fish, 2?

cups of milk and 2 eggs. "Not feeling hungry" is a complaint very common.

This may lead to other discomforts too. There are many remedies to this

problem. Wine and cake is a combination served as the first course of a

wedding reception. Wine is an excellent appetizer. With fruits like

pineapple, orange, gooseberry, bananas and grapes, wine may be prepared at

home. Gooseberry syrup helps develop appetite (and is a main ingredient in

many ayurvedic medicines). In a glass jar, gooseberry and scraped jaggery

are arranged in alternate layers.

 

The container is closed air tight and thereafter opened only on the 22nd

day. By this time the syrup comes out. In between, the ingredients

are stirred. This syrup is then strained through a dry linen cloth and

stored in bottles. An ounce of this wine, just before a meal builds up

appetite and soothens the digestion process. In this way wine can be

prepared from almost all fruits. Pineapple wine is another very good

appetizer that can easily be prepared at home.

 

Rgds

VallabhaN