Spice of the week: Basil

One of the fundamental spices in southern European cuisine, Basil is this week’s spice selection from the Biodiversity Library Exhibition.

Its origins lie in India, where it was said to be sanctified by the god Vishna. The name “basilicum” however, doesn’t come from a deity, but from the Greek word for royal. It should therefore come as no surprise that this herb was highly regarded and that throughout European history, many medicinal and ritual uses were found for it!

Even in today’s cuisine, basil plays an important role, since it is one of the major components of pesto. So sit back, check out Basil in the Biodiversity HeritageLibrary, and celebrate its importance by making Spaghetti with pesto sauce. Bon appétit!

Turkey rolls with basil

400 g turkey  breasts

100 g ham

2 eggs

100 g grated cheese

2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion

1 dl white wine

3 mushrooms

1 tablespoons cornstarch

Parsley, ground pepper, salt

Cut turkey breasts into thin slices, salt and pepper to taste, roll in mixture of eggs, julienned ham, coarsely grated cheese and basil. Roll strips and pin with toothpicks, and coat with cornstarch. Braise in butter with chopped onion and mushrooms, marinate occasionally with wine. Serve with boiled potatoes, covered with gravy and garnished with parsley. Also garnish with tablespoon of finely chopped basil if desired.

Spice of the Week: Sesame

Once again, it’s time for our Spice of the Week. And this week, we’ve selected for you a spice derived from one of the oldest known cultivated plants in the world: sesame!

Sesamum indicum

And while it has no aroma, it is definitely full of taste, a taste which is slightly nutty and rather sweet. It also features in so-called sesame salt, also known as Gomasio, a mixture of roasted, ground sesame seeds and sea salt. It is also very effective against osteoporosis, as it is high in calcium and many essential oils.

Find out more at the BLE and try Australian burgers!

Australian burgers with sesame

500 g ground meat

I cup breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons milk

2 eggs

1 onion

1 red pepper

1 tablespoon chopped capers

2 tablespoons fresh parsley(1 tablespoon dried)

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

pinch chili powder

breadcrumbs for breading, salt

Mix ground meat with breadcrumbs, milk, one egg, finely chopped onion, paprika, parsley, capers and chili powder. Salt to taste, mix thoroughly and set aside for one hour in refrigerator. Beat other egg, dip in meat patties, then coat with breadcrumbs and sesame seeds. Grill on both sides until golden brown.

Spice of the week: Thyme

This week’s featured spice is one of the more traditional spices found in cooking today: thyme.

Thymus vulgaris

Thyme, which has been known and used for its medicinal properties for thousands of years, is one of the strongest antibiotic herbs known today. In France, it is even referred to as “poor man’s penicillin”. It acquired this name because thyme stimulates the production of white blood cells, which strengthens the body’s immune system.

Find out more about Thyme at the Biodiversity Library Exhibition.

Orange duck

1 duck

1 tablespoon thyme

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 oranges

2 apples

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 dl white wine

1 dl orange juice

20 g flour

Salt duck, rub with thyme mixture of thyme and oil, fill cavity with sections of orange, apple, bay leaves and parsley. Bake. When the duck is almost tender, baste with wine. Continue frequent basting until skin is crisp and red. Finish by adding orange juice and cut-up skin to drippings. Portion duck, surround with orange slices baked in butter and sprinkle with thyme. Serve with rice, white bread or potatoes.

BLE as virtual bridge between projects, content and knowledge

We are glad to inform you that the BiodiversityLibrary Exhibition (BLE) is now connected to the Europeana portal via all images on informative cards. BLE is a virtual exhibition focused on disseminating  natural history content (literature, illustrations and images) to the broader public via curated collections centered around a variety of themes.. BLE is also creating interconnections between portals/archives which are providing content under public domain or variable CC licenses.

BLE is now connected to the Europeana portal.

BLE was officially launched in February as a virtual exhibition for Biodiversity Heritage Library Europe and BHL US/UK. Since then, BLE has disseminated natural history literature via two thematic topics, Spices and Expeditions, using impressive illustrations, interesting information and high quality images. These exhibitions also link to the BHL-Europe and BHL-US/UK portals.. The BLE platform was developed by a team from the National Museum Prague and developers from the IT4Care company under the BHL-Europe project. Since the BHL-Europe project’s closure in April, 2012, BLE has been released as an as open source application. The Prague team is also involved in the OpenUp! project, which is providing Natural History content for the Europeana portal.  A new BLE topic, "Poisonous Nature," is under development by the OpenUp! project and will use content from BHL (illustrations) and OpenUp! (images) which are displayed on the Europeana portal. ”Poisonous Nature” offers a great opportunity for OpenUp! And Europeana to use this platform and reach expanded audiences, including those of BHL-Europe and BHL US/UK.

Schema of content connection between BLE, BHL US/UK and Europeana.

Development work on BLE is still continuing and additional platform improvements are being implemented. At the global BHL meeting in Berlin, June 2012, project participants decided to share BLE with all possible global BHL nodes, including Australia, China, Egypt, Brazil, US and Europe (with possible participation in sub-Saharan Africa in the future), allowing these nodes to create new, interesting thematic topics, link them to variable portals including Europeana, BHL-Europe,BHL US/UK, EOL etc., and use it as a dissemination tool. Once the platform is populated with a wider variety of thematic exhibitions, the potential to reach broader audiences will rapidly grow, particularly if disseminated via global partners. BLE will serve as a central repository, allowing content providers to reach new audiences, while simultaneously being promoted by a variety of BHL nodes.

Schema of BLE portal connections. Green arrows are running connections and blue arrows are prepared connections. Yellow cloud cover Global BHL nodes where will be included also BHL Egypt and BHL Africa.

The addition of new topics and information will also expand the potential for use in the education sector, introducing the content and knowledge in attractive ways for future generations.

Schema of prepared design adaptations of BLE front page.

In order to share BLE via other partners, such as Global BHL nodes, project organizers will coordinate an international workshop as part of the TDWG conference in Beijingin October 2012. The event is open to everyone. If you would like to know more about this workshop, please contact us via the BLE contact form.

Spice of the week: Dill

Dill is our Spice of the Week, and while it’s often celebrated for its favourable effects on our health system, this post will focus on its fascinating history and relevance to old cultures.

In ancient Rome, for instance, dill represented life energy, and gladiators rubbed their muscles with it before combat. Its usage in Greek society was slightly less spectacular – the Greeks used it to remedy a hiccup. The middle ages saw dill being used as a protection against witchcraft and magic – even though “witches” were said to use it in many magic potions themselves. It also served as an aphrodisiac that boosted men’s passion and endurance.

Find out the rest of its history, along with its favourable health effects, on the Biodiversity Library Exhibition!

For inspiration how to use dill in your kitchen you can try:

Chicken with dill gravy

2 small chickens (750 g – 800g)

15 fresh boletus mushrooms

2 onions

100 g butter

150 ml sour cream

4 tablespoons chopped dill

2 tablespoons flour

ground pepper, salt

Halve chickens, salt and pepper to taste. Melt butter in pan, add sliced onions and sliced mushrooms, place chicken halves on top and cook. Transfer chicken with onions and mushrooms to a baking dish. Fry flour in remains of fat in pan to make a roué, add sour cream, bring to a boil, add dill and pour this gravy over the chicken halves. Cover dish and simmer on medium heat until chicken is tender.

Stay tuned with BHL-Europe!