According to Wikipedia, the origins of bitters can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians, who infused medicinal herbs in jars of wine. In the Middle Ages, the availability of distilled alcohol for the base led to much more concentrated preparations.

But fast forward to the cocktail. By 1806, American publications referenced the popularity of a new alcoholic drink, the “cocktail…a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters.”

Bitters are used in the Manhattan, Old Fashioned and Whiskey Sour, among other cocktails. We enjoy them every day in a mocktail: a glass of club soda with lime. It has all the satisfaction of a cocktail, without the alcohol.

Bitters fell out of favor along with classic cocktails in the 1960s and 1970s. They were were supplanted by wine, which became the alcohol of favor following the growth and promotion of California wines. But a few years ago, as cocktail culture became stylish again, there evolved a comeback in bitters.

The flavor of bitters is highly concentrated, and just a few dashes are enough to flavor foods and beverage. Beyond drinks, you’ll find them as an ingredient in fruit pies, marinades, seafood recipes, soups, salad dressings and so forth.

ANGOSTURA BITTERS

Angostura, the best-known brand, was invented in 1824 by a German physician, Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, in Angostura, Venezuela. He created a blend of tropical herbs and plants as a remedy for a variety of illnesses, especially sea sickness and stomach maladies.

He subsequently formed the House of Angostura, and sailors were major customers. The oversized label, which covers the entire body of the bottle, is said to be a mistake—someone ordered the wrong size and no one took responsibility to correct it (hmm…some things never change).

Today the brand is produced in Trinidad by CL World Brands.

To us, the flavor is ginger-like: We call our club soda-Angostura drink “unsweetened ginger ale” (although ginger is also an edible root, it is no relation to gentian). The trick is to add enough bitters, until the drink becomes a deep rosy color. Keep tasting until you find your preferred intensity.
 
*Gentian is made from the root of a flowering plant. More information.

The gentian*-based bitters, comparable to Angostura bitters, but with a lighter body, sweeter taste and more floral aroma.

Most American bitters producers went out of business during Prohibition; Peychaud’s is one of only two companies that managed to survive, according to the company. If you can’t find it locally, you can buy it online. Today it’s produced in Kentucky, by The Sazerac Company.
THE BITTERS RENAISSANCE

A popular style of bitters that emerged from the early “cocktail era” were Orange bitters, typically made from the rinds of Seville oranges plus spices. Orange bitters are commonly called for in older cocktail recipes and delicious in modern drinks. The style can range from dryly aromatic to fruity; Regan’s Orange Bitters (see below) were developed by a mixologist who wanted his own version of perfection.

 
So don’t be shy: Buy bitters and see where they take you.

FOOD 101: WHAT’S A DASH?

Recipes often call for a “dash” of bitters. According to Scrappy’s, 6-8 drops equals 1 dash.

Amaretto, Butterscotch, Caramel, Dark Chocolate, Fior di Sicilia, French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Irish Cream, Lemon, Mojito Mint, Orange and Raspberry…hungry yet?

You can have all of these flavored syrups for just 15 calories a “pump,” in Amoretti’s line of all natural syrups made without any sweetener. You can use your sweetener of choice, or none at all (other sugar-free brands tend to use Splenda).

The company also makes conventional syrups with sugar.

If you’re looking to cut calories or carbs in the new year but don’t want to give up that daily caramel macchiato, or if you need Valentine gifts for calorie counters, consider a bottle or two.

Use the syrups in:

Use them to top:

 
There are about 62 servings per bottle, $14.65. You can buy them at fine retailers and online. Amoretti is pricier than other brands, but has superior flavor. And over the course of 62 beverages, the extra cents per serving don’t amount to much.

We mix the Fiori di Sicilia flavor with nonfat ricotta, Splenda and a few mini chocolate chips for “diet ricotta cream” (cannoli is one of our passions). Fiori di Sicilia (“Flower of Siciliy”), which may not be familiar to many Americans, is an extract used in Italian desserts that combines vanilla, orange and flower essences.

We also add flavors to nonfat Greek yogurt, and have become very fond of raspberry iced tea. Once you have a bottle, you’re free to experiment. Be sure to let us know what your “winners” are.

The line is certified kosher by Kehilla Kashrut.

For more information about the Amoretti product line, visit the company website.

The Shiraz pea variety was first developed in the United Kingdom in the early 2000s; the Midnight Snow and Sugar Magnolia varieties originated in the United States around the same time. However, there’s always a considerable lag to market, as breeders perfect the new produce and produce enough quantities for commercial introduction.

The snow pea—purple, green or otherwise—grows in cooler climates, and has a peak season from mid-fall and throughout the winter months. Purple is a fun change from green snow peas, for recipes, salads or just plain snacking.

Similar to their green siblings, purple snow peas have a slightly sweet flavor and a crunchy, meaty texture and are the same size as conventional snow peas—two to three inches in length. The pod encases petite, flat, green peas. Once the inner peas become visible through the skin, the snow pea is at its best eating quality.

Purple snow peas can be used raw or cooked, in any recipe that calls for conventional snow peas:

Fun food: purple snow peas. Photo courtesy HonestCooking.com, which used them in a colorful pasta salad.

 
The purple skin will turn dark green if steamed or boiled for too long. To preserve the bright purple hue, stick to quick cooking methods such as blanching and sautéeing.

Yes, it’s real: purple snow peas. Photo
courtesy TorontoGardens.Blogspot.com.

RECIPE IDEAS

These recipes are from Melissas.com, which sells exotic produce including purple snow peas.

The purple snow pea is a member of the Fabaceae family, commonly known as the legume, pea or bean family. The species is Pisum sativum, which includes all peas. The purple snow pea is Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon; the green variety is Pisum sativum var. saccharatum.

Snow peas, along with sugar snap peas, have edible pods. By contrast, the pods of field peas and garden peas are made of inedible fiber, requiring the peas to be shelled.

While thought of as a vegetable, botanically speaking peas are a fruit:

 
Purple snow peas contain antioxidants known as anthocyanins, which are provide the vibrant coloring. Anthocyanins provide the blue, purple or red coloration in flowers, fruits, leaves, roots and stems. (For detail geeks: the color depends on the pH of the plant.)

A member of the powerful flavonoid antioxidant group, anthocyanins been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties which boost the immune system and can help aid in the prevention of certain cancers. And they’re very low in calories.

So: Eat up!

If you’re not a veggie lover—or simply don’t make the right choices—increasing your daily intake of vegetables may seem like a chore. But it pays off big time over the long run, and is worth your attention.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, “Eating plenty of vegetables and fruits can help you ward off heart disease and stroke, control blood pressure, prevent some types of cancer, avoid a painful intestinal ailment called diverticulitis, and guard against cataract and macular degeneration, two common causes of vision loss.”

If you don’t already pack three or more servings of veggies into your daily food plan, here are five pretty painless ways to get with the program.
1. ADD VEGGIES TO CAKE & MUFFINS

That got your attention, didn’t it? If you regularly enjoy a piece of cake or a muffin, switch to carrot, pumpkin or zucchini bread (make them yourself to pack in the maximum amount of veggies); or a carrot muffin instead of another variety. Add some nuts for protein. Add mashed beets to chocolate cake and cupcakes: That’s how the original red velvet cake was created.

Zucchini bread, like carrot bread and pumpkin bread, does include a serving of veggies (or partial serving, depending on the recipe and portion size). Photo courtesy Valerie Confections.

Mind you, this isn’t “health food”; but it’s a better choice.
2. ADD VEGGIES TO SANDWICHES

Forget that tasteless slice of tomato until the real deal arrives with summer. Instead, add grilled vegetables: red bell peppers to replace that tomato, grilled summer squash or other favorite. Cucumbers don’t pack a lot of nutrition, but if you like the crunch, pile them on.

Pickled vegetables are another delicious option. You can pickle them in an hour, and keep them in the fridge for easy access. Here’s how to pickle vegetables. You can also pickle fruit, like apple and pear slices.

Mash them! Cauliflower and broccoli make an impressive alternative to mashed potatoes. To get the best out of them, simply boil the florets in salted water for about five minutes, then blend with olive oil, salt and pepper.

In fact, mashed cauliflower is a far more nutritious alternative to mashed potatoes. While it’s delicious as cauliflower, some of the veggie-averse might think it’s mashed potatoes. You can fool some of the people some of the time.
 
*There is a famous quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” However, there is no record that Lincoln ever said this (here are the facts). However, it’s such a great quote, we have to attribute it to someone.
 
PASTA

It’s easy to “hide” vegetables in pasta dishes. You can dice them, steam them and mix them into the sauce; or simply toss them with olive oil and Parmesan cheese.

And while you’re at it, switch the refined white flour pasta for whole wheat pasta. No one will complain.
 
5. SOUP

Even people who don’t like to eat veggies enjoy a bowl of vegetable soup. If you don’t have time to make your own, just steam chopped veggies in the microwave and toss them into store-bought soup to amp up the veggies in there. Or cook them in your choice of beef, chicken or vegetable broth (like College Inn or Swanson’s), tomato or vegetable juice.

Get the most nutritional mileage from deep-colored vegetables like bell peppers, carrots, green beans and summer squash; and the cruciferous group, which includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kale, among others.†

While you’re at it, add some protein-packed, fiber-filled beans.

This article was adapted from an original article by Shubhra Krishan published on Care2.com.
 
*The expanded group includes arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, collard greens, cress, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mizuna (a variety of mustard green), radish, rapini (broccoli rabe), rutabaga, tatsoi (also called rosette bok choy, spinach mustard or spoon mustard), turnip and wasabi (a type of horseradish).

We wish you a healthy new year; but just in case those pesky cold viruses wish you a sore throat, here are two palliatives from the National Honey Board.

For centuries (if not millenia), people have used honey as a natural cough suppressant. Research conducted by Penn State College of Medicine research shows that honey is an effective and natural alternative to over-the-counter cough medicines. As little as one to two teaspoons—from the spoon or in a cup of tea—can help ease and soothe the irritation caused by a cough.

The National Honey Board turned to Nurse Practitioner Barbara Dehn, RN, MS, NP to develop honey cough and cold remedies. Soothing liquids both coat the throat and prevent dehydration. Nurse Barb has long supported using honey as a natural cough suppressant. Both kids and adults like the sweet taste of her homemade remedies much better than drugstore products.
 
RECIPE: NURSE BARB’S HOMEMADE HONEY COUGH SYRUP

Ingredients

This ice pop soothes a sore throat and helps to suppress a cough. Photo courtesy National Honey Board.

Preparation

1. COMBINE lemon zest, sliced ginger and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes and then strain into a heat-proof measuring cup.

2. RINSE the saucepan and add 1 cup of honey. On low heat, warm the honey, but do not allow it to boil. Add the strained lemon/ginger water and the lemon juice. Stir the mixture until it forms a thick syrup. Pour into a clean jar and seal with a lid.

This cough syrup can be refrigerated for up to 2 months.

Children younger than 1 should not be given honey.

Serving Suggestions

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. MIX together 1/2 cup of Nurse Barb’s Honey Cough Syrup and 1½ cups of water. Pour into your favorite Popsicle molds, paper cups with wood sticks or other containers to freeze.
 
ALL ABOUT HONEY

Find everything you want to know about honey—the history of honey, different types of honey, food and honey pairings and more—in our Honey Section.