a closer look at some terms

sometimes I don't know what it means. So I had a look and wrote it down... ;-)

Capsaicin

Thats the stuff that makes it really hot. Although its just a trick to prevent mammals from eating the fruits. Birds dont realize the stuff they are just not irritate by it. Sad for them... On the other hand they fly further and dont destroy the seeds by consuming the fruits as mammals do.

if you want to learn more abou it please visit Wikipedia again.

Chutney

Chutney is the english transcription of the old hindi word catni or Chatni. A Chutney normally is a spicy, mostly sour-sweet, sometimes hot sauce of the indian cuisine. It has a mushy consistence. There are also variations with pieces of vegetables or fruits. In India many chutneys are freshly prepared for every meal and add another taste to the mostly hot currys. They could be used for about a week when kept in the fridge.

The British brougth the chutneys to europe during the colonization of india. In europe it became usual to preserve the chutneys in glasses so that they get a longer endurance. A chutney as it is made in Europe or in the USA consists of Vegetables an/or fruits. Often Mango are used or Tomato, Onions, Garlic, Coconut or Koriander are used as main ingredients but also other combinations are known. By adding Salt, Sugar, Chili, Pepper, Ginger, Cumin, or Lemon/Tamarind Juice or vinegar the taste could be varied in a wide range.

Chutneys are, depending on the ingredients, cooked like marmelade or pureed raw. The cold method is similiar like making relish. Chutneys is very well with short grilled beef (specially game), fish, cold roaster or cheese. It may be used as an adder or just for spicing the dish.

Dominica

Wasserfall auf DominicaDominica is also called the green-isle (so its the name spender of our company) is the natural bauty that Columbus found as one one of the first things he saw after months on see. Dominica is also on the 5th longitude degree same as Gomera where Columbus started.
Still today the Island is one of the carribean beauties with more rivers than a year has days. Mountains high as the sky etc.

more informations could be found on Wikipedia

Scoville Heat Units

The so called Scoville Scale was invented around 1912 by the Pharmacologist Wilbur L. Scoville. He wanted to measure the heat of Pepperplants. So he took a liquid and diluted it until a test person did no longer tasted heat in it. The grade of the dillution then was the Scovile Value of this liquid. The problem here is and was the different tolerance against Capsaicin of people. Also tzhis tolerance is growing with the consume of Capsaicin. That means that the same test with the same liquid and tester may result in differnt values.

Today this is mostly done by the High Performance Liquid Chromatography. But also this is problematic, cause of missing callibration abilitys and missing Refrence values.

Although this is an often used value you can not trust the results of it. If you have a look at these high values that are often given than you may find them suspicious. You may say: if it has 7 digits then don' believe it.

If you want to have it more detailed then you may find thishelpfull.

St. Lucia

St. Lucia ist one of the bigger ones of the Small Antilles. To be excat ist is the third biggest one of them. It is characterized by the lovely landscape that is dominated by the twin hills of the Gros Piton and Petit piton. Aside this you cammot see much of the soil caause it is covered with Vegetation that contins a real exotic mix of animals. For example you may find the smallest snake of the world on the little island Maria Islands at the south coast.

As ususal on theses islands there was alot of struggle between the usual suspects on the ownership on this island. The Arawaks were the first on the island, folllowed by the Black Caribs followed by diofferent europwan nations like Spain, England, France and so on. There were different coaloitions between all of them over the years always trying to rule the island. Inbetween the Pirates lived here like Jambon de Bois (Woodleg) that lived here around 1502 on the small Pigeon Islands. This was a good place for capturing the Spanish Gold Ships that sailed along the coasts. That all ended up in the Commonwealth. St. Lucia is still member here.

You still may find dances from the Slavery times on the island like Konto, Katumba, Solo or Belair. Kele, a vodoo-like ceremony, that came up 100 years ago comes up again nowadays.Sure the Carnival is a week where nearly no one likes to work but to make party all over the day. Once a year a very famous Jazz-Festival takes place on ST. Lucia. This is well known throughout the Caribbean Seas.

As usual  Wikipedia knows more about this island.

St. Vincent and the Grenadinen

Wandern auf St. VincentSt. Vincent and the Grenadines is an only 388 qkm big chain of 33 little Islands, that are located between Martinique and Grenada.

The original name of the island "Hairoun" (Land of the blessed) could nowadays still be found in the most famous beer of the Island.

St. Vincent was one of the islands where the Caribs (after banishing the Arawaks) prevented the Englishmen from occupying the island. This was the reason why it did not participate in the first sugar boom in the 18th century.

St. Vincent itself as some real nice but hard to find places. Ths was one of the reasons to film the first pat of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" here. On one hand this was a real avantage for this island on the other hand it was not. For example they now have a real probem with the little Fruit Flies. They were imported with the food of the film crew. (normally it is not allowed to import unprepare food to the island...)

Another islands of the Grenadines may beknow to some more pople, Mystique the isle o the rich and the beauties. For example Mick Jager or Prncess Mrgeret have a house here. You may rent it but only if you have the spre money that is needed here...

Also on the other island some real markeable places could be found. On St. Vincent itself there is the Botanical Garden in Kingstown. Here you may find some nice references of colonial agricultural politics. For example they still breed anchestors of the Bread Fruit tree that caused the mutiny on the bounty. It was just an experiment to feed the slaves from Africa in a cheap way.

Every Sailor in the caribbean Sea will know the bay of Bequia just an 1h by ship away from Kingstown. Here you may find the Caribbean as you expect them from every catalogue. Sand, blue Sea, Palms, Sailingboats and what ever your heart may beat for.

As usual you may find more on Wikipedia.

Windward Islands

Baum auf DominicaThe so called Windward Islands are a group of small islands at the lower edge of the caribbean Bw of Islands. The contain Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia and Dominica.

All these islands are independent states that have a common currency, the East Caribbean Dollar (EC). Ths currency is bound to the dollar with a fixed exchange rate. There are some other interests that are tracked by these countries together. For example they own the shipping agncy Geest together. All islands did change the owner during their history more or less often (St. vincent for example more than 40 times) Most of the tims they were owned by England and France and you may find the heritage of both them all over these islands in names and other things.