Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Chocolate

2008-04-14T19:52:00Z

PeterGiddings: /* References */

'''Chocolate''' is a foodstuff, originating from the [[cocoa bean]]. Chocolate is often used in savory desserts.

Chocolate originated in [[Mexico]] and was used by the Aztecs. A chocolate beverage called ''cacahuatl'' (the Nahuatl source of the word ''cocoa'') that was the precursor to hot chocolate, but bitter and stronger, was a popular drink among them. [[Montezuma]] drank around 50 cups of this beverage a day, according to legend. Chocolate was spread to the [[Old World]] after [[Hernan Cortes]] conquered Mexico and traded cocoa beans to [[Europe]] in exchange for European goods as part of the [[Columbian exchange]]. The Spanish made it into the drink we know today, heating the drink and adding sugar. Soon, chocolate was extensively used in desserts and drinks.

Nowadays, chocolate is most often eaten in the form of candy bars or hot cocoa. There is a common belief that chocolate is bad for people's health and that it causes [[acne]]. In actuality, however, chocolate contains large amounts of healthy [[antioxidant]]s, and food is not a cause of acne.<ref>[http://www.acne-resource.org/acne-articles/chocolate-myth.html The Chocolate and Acne Myth]</ref>

==Origins==

Chocolate originates from the Aztec civilisation of south america. In its original form it was consumed as the a sharp tasting drinking chocolate, called xocolati, which means bitter water. It was mellowed by passing the cocoa bean through the digestive tract of the kapibarra, a large south american rodent. Kapibarra chocolate is considered one of the very best chocolates available. The only other foodstuff produced this way is Civet coffee (Kopi Luwak), in which the coffee bean is digesed by an asian civet cat.

==References==
<references />

[[category:food and Drink]]

Coffee

2008-04-14T19:40:55Z

PeterGiddings: /* Forms of Coffee */

Domesticated in [[Ethiopia]] in ancient times, '''coffee''' is a [[botany|plant]], the roasting and grinding beans of which may be used to make a stimulating, [[caffeine]]-containing, beverage.

Coffee reached [[Europe]] in the 17th century AD, when traders from the East brought it to Venice. Soon afterwards, coffeehouses began to spring up across Europe. Coffee was most widely embraced in England over the next two centuries. [http://www.realcoffee.co.uk/Article.asp?Cat=history&page=3] Today, [[Brazil]] exports more coffee than any other nation. [http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/coffee-cn.htm]

Coffee grows best in areas with moderate amounts of both rain and sunshine, and with temperatures that do not deviate far from 70º F. [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/coffee/ax/frame.html]

==Forms of Coffee==

*A '''double double''' is a cup of coffee containing two cream and two sugar; '''regular''' means one of each, and black indicates that the coffee is without either.

*A '''latte''' is named from the Italian word for milk, and refers to a coffee with milk.

*'''Cappucino''' is like a latte, but with frothy steamed milk on top.

*A '''doppio macchiato''' is double shot of espresso, with some milk foam.

The world's most expensive coffee is Civet coffee (Kopi Luwak). It is unusual in that the coffee bean has to pass through the digestive system of Civet (an asian cat), which mellows the bean. The only other foodstuff produced this way is kapibarra chocolate, in which the cocoa bean is first eaten by the kapibarra (a large south american rodent).

[[category:Food and Drink]]

Koala

2007-12-17T21:20:30Z

PeterGiddings: /* Diet */

[[Image:Koala-cub.jpg|right|250px|thumb|A koala with her cub.]]

The '''Koala''' ''(Phascolarctos cinereus'') is an arboreal (tree-dwelling) [[herbivore|herbivorous]] animal native to [[Australia]], and the only known member of the family Phascolarctidae. This animal sleeps about 20 hours a day so it is rarely awake at all.
Although sometimes referred to as a koala bear, it is not a bear at all, but rather a [[marsupial]], which means it raises its young in a pouch on its belly.

== Distribution ==
The Koala is found all along the eastern coast of Australia from near [[Adelaide]] to the southern part of [[Cape York Peninsula]], and as far from the coast as there is enough rainfall to support suitable forests. The Koalas of [[South Australia]] were largely exterminated during the early part of the 20th century, but the state has since been repopulated with [[Victoria]]n stock. The Koala is not found in [[Tasmania]] or [[Western Australia]].

== The pouch ==
The pouch of the Koala, unlike those of [[kangaroo]]s and [[possum]]s, but like those of [[wombat]]s and the extinct [[Tasmanian tiger]], faces to the rear, i.e. downward. And as the mother is unable to lick the pouch clean in readiness for a new fetus, like the kangaroo does, it has a remarkable self-cleaning mechanism.<ref>Catchpoole, David, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/4892/ Practical Pouches] 13th March, 2007 (Creation Ministries International).</ref>

== Diet ==
The koala feeds exclusively on the leaves of the eucalyptus (Australian gum) tree. It's diet determines many of its characteristics.

The eucalyptus leaf contains enough water so that the koala never has to drink. This gives the animal its name, which means "no water" in Aboriginal.

The eucalyptus is unpalatable to ther animals because of its high resin, phenol and terpene content. The koala is immune to these toxins, which are stored in its fat cells. The effect of this is that the koala is unpalatable to predators. When a coala dies it is quite common for the corpse to become mummified due to the anti-bacterial properties of the phenol. The fact that the koala has no predators is contrary to the theory of evolution, in which every animal is in a food chain.

Koala scat becomes saturated with the volatile terpene and is combined with kangaroo fat to produce a gel used to make the Aboriginal kokanut, an insect-repellent torch.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Marsupials]]
[[Category:Australia]]

Koala

2007-12-17T21:20:02Z

PeterGiddings:

[[Image:Koala-cub.jpg|right|250px|thumb|A koala with her cub.]]

The '''Koala''' ''(Phascolarctos cinereus'') is an arboreal (tree-dwelling) [[herbivore|herbivorous]] animal native to [[Australia]], and the only known member of the family Phascolarctidae. This animal sleeps about 20 hours a day so it is rarely awake at all.
Although sometimes referred to as a koala bear, it is not a bear at all, but rather a [[marsupial]], which means it raises its young in a pouch on its belly.

== Distribution ==
The Koala is found all along the eastern coast of Australia from near [[Adelaide]] to the southern part of [[Cape York Peninsula]], and as far from the coast as there is enough rainfall to support suitable forests. The Koalas of [[South Australia]] were largely exterminated during the early part of the 20th century, but the state has since been repopulated with [[Victoria]]n stock. The Koala is not found in [[Tasmania]] or [[Western Australia]].

== The pouch ==
The pouch of the Koala, unlike those of [[kangaroo]]s and [[possum]]s, but like those of [[wombat]]s and the extinct [[Tasmanian tiger]], faces to the rear, i.e. downward. And as the mother is unable to lick the pouch clean in readiness for a new fetus, like the kangaroo does, it has a remarkable self-cleaning mechanism.<ref>Catchpoole, David, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/4892/ Practical Pouches] 13th March, 2007 (Creation Ministries International).</ref>

== Diet ==
The koala feeds exclusively on the leaves of the eucalyptus (Australian gum) tree. It's diet determines many of its characteristics.

The eucalyptus leaf contains enough water so that the koala never has to drink. This gives the animal its name, which means "no water" in Aboriginal.

The eucalyptus is unpalatable to ther animals because of its high resin, phenol and terpene content. The koala is immune to these toxins, which are stored in its fat cells. The effect of this is that the koala is unpalatable to predators. When a coala dies it is quite common for the corpse to become mummified due to the anti-bacterial properties of the phenol. The fact that the koala has no predators is contrary to the theory of evolution, in which every animal is in a food chain.

Koala scat becomes saturated with the volatile terpene and is combined with kangaroo fat to produce a gel used to make the Aboriginal kokanut, an insct-repellent torch.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Marsupials]]
[[Category:Australia]]

Mead

2007-12-11T20:06:21Z

PeterGiddings: New page: Mead is a traditional English drink made of honey, that has been brewed in monestaries since the middle ages. It is typically a rather sweet and strong "wine" up to 20%abv. The drink is cl...

Mead is a traditional English drink made of honey, that has been brewed in monestaries since the middle ages. It is typically a rather sweet and strong "wine" up to 20%abv. The drink is closely associated with the Arthurian legend of the round table, in which it was typically drunk from a golden goblet, which matches it's own amber colour.

The diocese of Chalfont St Giles still produces the finest quality mead, which is flavoured by dingleberries, a small hard Peit Verdot grape, that balances the sweetness.

Mead enjoys the privileged position of being the only alcoholic drink in England that is not subject to taxation, due to its exemption by King Alfred I.