Halaal

Indian food is much loved around the world – the British have even elevated it to National Food status and with over 9,500 curry houses in the UK, ‘going for a curry’ on a Friday evening has become as English as ‘popping down the pub for a pint’.

Leading South African meat wholesalers, N1, are a favourite supplier to the restaurant and hospitality industry and for many of us, eating out at our favourite restaurant is the ultimate indulgence.  But, because it’s a treat, we’ll often choose dishes that we can’t easily replicate at home, whether that’s due to intricacy or because we just can’t seem to achieve the same flavour as our favourite eatery does.

Spring has sprung, and while the rest of the country enjoys fine sunny weather; Cape Town, shrouded in a fine drizzle, doesn’t quite seem to have caught on yet. But regardless of the drizzle, spring is synonymous with growth and new beginnings; and this season more than any other is the perfect time to improve and expand on a winning formula, which is why N1 are proud to announce their recent move to new premises.

It’s that time of the year again, spring has sprung and National Braai Day (otherwise known as Heritage Day) is nearly upon us. A day to celebrate with friends and family, gathered around a fire, doing what we South Africans do best – laughing, braaing and enjoying sumptuous braai-fare, whether it be delectable steaks and chops, chicken, sausage or fish; it’s all available from N1, quality suppliers of the best in Halaal certified meat and Halaal fish.

Have you ever wondered why it’s called animal husbandry? As it turns out, the word carries more than one meaning; to ‘husband’ is to use one’s resources economically which makes sense if one considers that the definition of animal husbandry, or animal science as it’s also commonly known today, is the science of breeding and caring for farm animals. A major sector of agriculture, and therefore an integral part of any country’s economy, animal husbandry has been practised for centuries – in essence since animals were first domesticated.

If you think bacon should be classified as a whole new food group, then you’ll be ecstatic to know that there’s a global day dedicated to celebrating your favourite food – International Bacon Day on 5 September. The idea of Bacon Day was first conceived in Bedford, Massachusetts and has been observed since 2009 on the Saturday before American Labour Day (the first Monday of September), although some are also known to celebrate it on 30 December.

As mentioned in last week’s blog, the International Food Information Council Foundation (also known as Food Insight), commissions a survey each year to further examine topical themes prevalent at the time about health, diet, food safety, and sustainability – should we be eating more fish and fewer eggs, does labelling really affect purchasing decisions, how healthy is fish oil perceived to be, are we willing to pay more for sustainably produced food? These are just a few of the questions posed over the years.

The International Food Information Council, also known as Food Insight, was formed in 1991; its mission is to effectively and transparently share science-based information on a variety of topics from food safety to health and nutrition. It says it delivers on its mission by remaining impartial and not aligning itself with any particular brand, product, company or industry.

We’re into our last month of winter, and while it may soon officially be the end of the season, the chilly and hopefully wet weather (if you’re in Cape Town you’ll know that our dam levels are still not where they should be) will continue for at least another month or two, which means pot roasts, soups and stews are still the order of the day so don’t put away that slow cooker just yet.

In our previous article, Food eVangelists – The Influential Food Consumer of Today, we examined how this cohort was first identified in 2013 by Ketchum (one the world’s largest public relations and marketing agencies), and how this segment of the population has grown in numbers since then. To recap, Food eVangelists are people who frequently engage in conversation and share their opinions about food, whether in person or online – they are said to generate up to 1.7 billion conversations about food every week.