By Rabbi Chaim Loike
Breed History
The origins of the Aracouna chicken have baffled scientists for the last century. The Aracouna Indians kept no written records and the source of the mutations observed in these birds is unknown. European explorers took note of these birds shortly after reaching South America. The birds are mentioned in the writings of the Portuguese explorer Magelhaes (Magellan) who documented their presence in 1519, less than thirty years after the maiden voyage of Columbus. The sky blue eggs were mentioned seven years later by Sebastian Cabot (1526). Although it is possible that the chickens were introduced by the Europeans, the immediate dispersal and distinct husbandry of these birds suggest that the bird was being raised by the natives before 1492. Similarly, radiocarbon and DNA analysis indicate that these birds are not of European origin (Story et al., 2007).
By Rabbi Aharon Brun-Kestler
If a picture is worth a thousand words, actually visiting a place, interacting with the people and seeing what they do and how first-hand is transcendental. Recently, I had the privilege of making my second trip to Peru. The purpose? To better understand the country and the business environment so that the OU can best service both current and potential kosher clients. To that end, I met with several Peruvian firms and also spent critical time with Mr. Sandro Monteblanco (the OU Business Liaison in Peru – featured in the last BTUS), as well as members of the local Jewish community.
By Norene Gilletz
Buckwheat kasha has been one of my favorite foods since I was little. My Russian-born mother always prepared kasha (buckwheat groats) exactly the same way that her mother and grandmother did before her. She poured the kasha into her big, blackened, aluminum skillet and mixed it with a lightly beaten egg until each grain was well coated. She then toasted it over medium-low heat until the grains were dry and separate, with a wonderful, nutty aroma. She slowly added homemade hot chicken soup, creating a giant cloud of steam. Mom covered the skillet and cooked the kasha on the stovetop until the grains were swollen, tender and fluffy, 10 to 15 minutes. Then she moved the pan off the heat and stirred in a big spoonful of golden schmaltz (chicken fat), salt and pepper, covered it and let it rest for 20 minutes. Then she tasted it, hot from the pot, to make sure it was just right...and it was.
By John McMath, Consultant, The Birkett Mills
Founded in 1797, The Birkett Mills is the oldest and one of the primary millers of buckwheat in America. The company is located in Penn Yan, New York, and has been family owned for over 200 years. Originally the mill was water powered and it generated electricity for both milling of grain, but also for the village of Penn Yan until the village had its own source of electricity. The town was founded by Connecticut Yankees and Pennsylvania Dutch and thus got its name from both of these groups.
By Bayla Sheva Brenner
“There’s no business like food business, like no business I know!” It may not be the lyrics you’re familiar with, but for every company-founder of any segment of the industry, be it beverages, dairy, baked goods, or flavors, the dream to make it big definitely rings true – and when it happens, the taste is mighty sweet.
“The Greek Gods Yogurt draws a great sense of pride from its Orthodox Union kosher product certification,” said The Greek Gods’ Managing Partner Basel Nassar. “Not only does the famous OU symbol take the guesswork out of the well-known yogurt’s ingredients and manufacturing processes, it also signifies a higher level of dedication to its customers’ rigorous dietary standards.”
Stonyfield Farm, celebrating its 27th year, is the world's leading organic yogurt company. Its all- natural and certified organic yogurt, smoothies, milk, cultured soy, frozen yogurt and ice cream are distributed nationally. The company advocates that healthy food can only come from a healthy planet. All of Stonyfield’s products are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union – a certification that symbolizes purity and quality, two attributes which are at the core of the company’s mission. Stonyfield chose to be certified by the OU because of the organization’s international respect -- for being known to hold products to the highest standard possible.
Karoun Dairies: From String Cheese to Mediterranean Specialty Yogurts, a Growing Company With a Special Product
Founded in 1992, Karoun Dairies is proud of its heritage as a family-run business established to fulfill the family’s American dream of producing dairy. The company has continued to grow from its early days of creating hand-braided string cheese for local grocery stores to its current status of producing a wide variety of Mediterranean specialty yogurts, labne and sour cream with nationwide distribution.
From the Beautiful Hills of Athens…Whoops, New York… Comes Creamy Chobani Greek Yogurt…And it’s Nothing But Good
Chobani is based in the beautiful hills of Upstate New York, where it was founded by Hamdi Ulukaya. From this rural area, Chobani has quickly grown into the number one brand of Greek yogurt in the country and is now a household staple among American consumers.
By Rabbi Andrew Gordimer
Yogurt was first produced thousands of years ago. Dairy history and legend indicate that yogurt originated in Iran or Turkey. One story has it that an ancient Turk was carrying milk in his goatskin for some time, whereupon he noticed that the substance had developed into a thick, creamy mass (precipitated by the bacteria in the goatskin and the warm temperature).This new product was referred to as ‘yogurut’.
Rudolf Jelínek is a joint stock company engaged in the production of alcoholic beverages and currently ranks among the major producers of fruit brandy in the world. The company was founded in 1894 and follows a 400–year-old tradition of slivovitz-making in Walachia, Czech Republic.
By Dr. John Meyer
My grandfather was what they call in the United States a “revenooer.” He was the excise man for the Scotch whisky distilleries in Campbeltown, a little town on the west coast of Scotland. I was born there and still vacation there. A little town now, but in its heyday it had more than 30 distilleries. There was a distillery/maltings not far away from our house, and as a little boy I routinely played in the maltings with the cats who “lived” in the barley. I retained an interest in Scotch whisky, including drinking it when I was old enough, and was thrilled when Rabbi Safran asked me to audit some distilleries which wanted OU kosher certification on their single malt whiskies. One of them was only a few miles over the water from my vacation cottage!
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