The acai berry has been a recent fascination of the whole world and especially America, but it’s been around and been important for a lot longer than just a few years. The very special berry has been important to many different cultures for a long time and has contributed a lot to the health of many people. Here is a brief history of the acai berry to help you understand more about where it comes from and where it is going.

The Acai palm tree grows in tropical areas and one of the most important places it grows is Brazil. It has long been a super food in Brazil and other South and Central American countries. It is a small purple berry that grows on the acai palm and is harvested directly from the tree. It is known for its very high nutritional content and provides many health benefits for people who include it in their diets. The tree is itself is quite tall and produces about 40-50 pounds of fruit per year. The trees generally produce fruit twice a year. Continue reading

If you are thinking about a warming, hearty dinner, chicken stew is one of those recipes that always spring to mind. You can make lots of different versions of chicken stew and this dish has a very interesting history spanning thousands of years.

A stew is two or more different foods simmered together in a liquid. Hungarian goulash, beef stroganoff, coq au vin, and beef bourguignon are all stews.

The oldest cookbook ever found, the “Apicius de re Coquinaria”, contains stew recipes, although these are fish and lamb stews rather than chicken stews. The identity of the author is unknown although there were three Romans with that name between 1 BC and 2 AD and the book is believed to date from that era. Continue reading