Some Bitter Taste

The Twelfth Marshal Guarnaccia Investigation When an elderly woman drops by the Florentine carabinieri to complain that someone broke in to her apartment while she was out, Marshal Guarnaccia listens patiently, offers advice, and vows to pay her a visit. But before he can keep his promise, Miss Hirsch is found dead, her throat cut. She wasn’t the only person to come to the Marshal for help in recent days. There’s also a young Albanian prostitute, who wants his help to stay out of prison, and a wealthy foreign robbery victim whose case the captain is quick to prioritize. The Marshal has his hands full, and his best efforts may not be enough to stop a murderer

The champion of uncelebrated foods including fat, offal, and bones, Jennifer McLagan turns her attention to a fascinating, underappreciated, and trending topic: bitterness. What do coffee, IPA beer, dark chocolate, and radicchio all have in common? They’re bitter. While some culinary cultures, such as in Italy and parts of Asia, have an inherent appreciation for bitter flavors (think Campari and Chinese bitter melon), little attention has been given to bitterness in North America: we’re much more likely to reach for salty or sweet. However, with a surge in the popularity of craft beers; dark chocolate; coffee; greens like arugula, dandelion, radicchio, and frisée; high-quality olive oil; and cocktails made with Campari and absinthe—all foods and drinks with elements of bitterness—bitter is finally getting its due. In this deep and fascinating exploration of bitter through science, culture, history, and 100 deliciously idiosyncratic recipes—like Cardoon Beef Tagine, White Asparagus with Blood Orange Sauce, and Campari Granita—award-winning author Jennifer McLagan makes a case for this misunderstood flavor and explains how adding a touch of bitter to a dish creates an exciting taste dimension that will bring your cooking to life.

The Twelfth Marshal Guarnaccia Investigation When an elderly woman drops by the Florentine carabinieri to complain that someone broke in to her apartment while she was out, Marshal Guarnaccia listens patiently, offers advice, and vows to pay her a visit. But before he can keep his promise, Miss Hirsch is found dead, her throat cut. She wasn’t the only person to come to the Marshal for help in recent days. There’s also a young Albanian prostitute, who wants his help to stay out of prison, and a wealthy foreign robbery victim whose case the captain is quick to prioritize. The Marshal has his hands full, and his best efforts may not be enough to stop a murderer

In this compendium of current studies on olfaction and taste - the most comprehensive yet to appear in this series - the chemical senses are elucidated from points of view ranging from anatomy, electrophysiology, molecular biology (especially chemoreceptor gene cloning), biochemistry, and psychophysics to the latest clinical and technological applications of chemosensory research. Specific topics include the structure and function of the tastebud and olfactory epithelium; the genetics and mechanisms of olfactory and taste transduction; the chemistry and function of flavor compounds; the psychophysics of taste and olfaction in daily human life; the brain mechanisms of coding, learning, and memory in olfaction and taste; the clinical assessment of taste and olfaction with special reference to aging and disorders; noninvasive measurements of human olfactory and taste responses for therapeutic purposes; artifical sensing devices; chemoreception in aquatic organisms and other species; and chemosensory transduction in insects. With its multidisciplinary approach, this volume will be an invaluable source of information not only for researchers, clinicians, and students but also for technologists in fields such as artificial sensing, perfumery, brewery, food chemistry, aquafarming, and agriculture.

The increasing demand for healthy foods has resulted in the food industry developing functional foods with health-promoting and/or disease preventing properties. However, many of these products bring new challenges. While drugs are taken for their efficacy, functional foods need to have tastes that are acceptable to consumers. Bitterness associated with the functional foods is one of the major challenges encountered by food industry today and will remain so in years to come. This important book offers a thorough understanding of bitterness, the food ingredients that cause it and its accurate measurement. The authors provide a thorough review of bitterness that includes an understanding of the genetics of bitterness perception and the molecular basis for individual differences in bitterness perception. This is followed by a detailed review of the chemical structure of bitter compounds in foods where bitterness may be considered to be a positive or negative attribute. To better understand bitterness in foods, separation and analytical techniques used to identify and characterize bitter compounds are also covered. Food processing can itself generate compounds that are bitter, such as the Maillard reaction and lipid oxidation related products. Since bitterness is considered a negative attribute in many foods, the methods being used to remove and/mask it are also thoroughly discussed.

The follow-up to Murder in Chianti finds ex-NYPD detective Nico Doyle recruited by Italian authorities to investigate the murder of a prominent wine critic. One year after moving to his late wife’s Tuscan hometown of Gravigna, ex-NYPD detective Nico Doyle has fully settled into Italian country life, helping to serve and test recipes at his in-laws’ restaurant. But the town is shaken by the arrival of wine critic Michele Mantelli in his flashy Jaguar. Mantelli holds his influential culinary magazine and blog over Gravigna’s vintners and restaurateurs. Some of Gravigna's residents are impressed by his reputation, while others are enraged—especially Nico's landlord, whose vineyards Mantelli seems intent of ruining. Needless to say, Mantelli’s lavish, larger-than-life, and often vindictive personality has made him many enemies, and when he is poisoned, the local maresciallo, Perillo, has a headache of a high-profile murder on his hands—and once again turns to Nico for help.

Don’t just eat your greens—eat your reds, yellows, and blues with this guide to the colorful world of nutrition and optimal health. Forget about bland, colorless diet foods. Vibrant health begins when we embrace the full spectrum of naturally occurring nutrients. In TheRainbow Diet, nutritionist and health expert Deanna Minich, PhD, explains how foods of different colors correspond to different dietary needs. You’ll learn how to create a balanced meal featuring colorful foods that boost your mental clarity, emotional wellbeing, spiritual fulfillment, and more. Providing information on foods and supplements, Minich also includes delicious recipes, as well as activities to help you heal and flourish. The Rainbow Diet combines ancient healing and eating practices with modern nutritional science to create an integrated view of body, psychology, eating, and living. With this holistic approach, Minich gives readers an easy-to-follow guide to attaining physical, mental, and spiritual health through colorful whole foods and natural supplements.