Writing 1 : Chemistry Of Indian Kitchen.

Hello Steemit, Today I am going to share the writing post first time on Steemit. In this post I have shared the information about the chemistry in the kitchen of India. I hope you like it.

• Introduction : -

A meal is likeable if it possesses a pleasant flavor, attractive color, enjoyable taste, and a palatable texture. The art of coking, the lady of the house can skillfully turn the insipid food ingredients into an attractive and tasty meal or snack in the kitchen. The whole process involves numerous changes in the chemicals present in the food ingredients and complex chemical reactions carried out during cooking. Even though our grandmothers and mothers are not graduates in chemistry, they are pioneers in practical chemistry without getting recognized and acknowledged so often in our kitchen.

Understanding the chemistry that makes our food turn from one physical state to other ( liquid to solid or solid to liquid), from raw to cooked, insipid to tasty, native to fermented/malted etc. could make our cooking experience a fascinating one.

The Indian traditional food formulations show ingenuity in the choice of ingredients and additives with critical attention to wholesome nutrition besides taste. Indian cuisines have great aromas and in-depth taste profiles, which are derived from complex combinations of spices and preparation techniques. A well balanced Indian meal contains all six defined tastes, viz. sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. Besides balancing of these tastes, every meal aims to achieve a good balance between these sensations to promote digestion and well-being. side dishes and condiments contribute to the overall flavor and texture of an Indian meal. The pungent sour, and crunchy side dishes and condiments whether chutneys, curries or soups, enhance and provide balance to the overall flavor ad texture of the main staple. Here is an overview of the various chemical processes happening in our kitchens almost everyday.

Chemicals in food ingredients contributing to taste

Taste	Food Ingredient	Attributable chemical
Salty	Common salt	Sodium chloride
-	Rock salt	Potassium chloride
Sour	Lime/Lemon	Citric acid
-	Amchur	Citric acid
-	Tamarind	Tartaric acid
-	Kokum (Malabar tamarind)	Hydroxycitric acid
-	Vinegar	Acetic acid
-	Curds, Buttermilk	Lactic acid
Pungent(Hot)	Red Chilli	Capsaicin
-	Black Pepper	Piperine
Sweet	Cane Sugar	Sucrose
-	Jaggery	Sucrose
-	Honey	Glucose & Fructrose
Bitter	Bitter Gourd	Alkaloids, Steroid, Glycoside
-	Bitter Orange	Flavonoid Glycosides, Limonoids
-	Amala (Indian goose berry)	Polyphenols/Tannings
Astringent	Jamun	Polyphenols/Tannings
-	Tea	Polyphenols/ Tannins

• Emulsification

The or and water ( or vinegar) doesn't mix. But certain preparations manage to make them mingle, and that is because of an emulsifier such as egg yolk. The proteins in the egg yolk essentially hold on to both the fat molecules in the oil and the water molecules in the vinegar, linking between them and preventing them from separating.

• Souring & Curdling of Milk

Souring of milk is an intentional cooking techniques that uses exposure to an acid to effect a physical and chemical change. Addition of lime juice or vinegar to hot milk makes it curdle almost immediately. Milk is a colloidal solution of fat and of dissolved salts in water. Curdling is the physicochemical processes of flocculation, creaming and coalescence,

The acid can also be produced within the milk itself by a microbe such as lactobacillu. The sugar lactose present in milk breaks down to lactic acid by microbial action This lactic acid lowers the PH of milk making it sour Sometimes, especially in summer, if milk is kept at room temperature, microbial production of lactic acid starts spontaneously and when the milk is warmed, the casein ( protein) molecules of milk begins to lump due to increase in acidity.

• Making of Curds

For making curds, raw milk is boiled and cooled to near ambient temperature, and curd cultures are added After letting at room temperature for around 12 hours, the curd is ready. The Lactobaclli present in the culture converts lactose sugar milk into lactic acid which is responsible for the sourness of curds.

• Fermentation

Fermentation is a way to greatly improve the digestibility and nutritive value of grains Typically, grains are soaked, ground and allowed to sour ferment for overnight or longer, In addition to the reduction in toxins and anti-nutrients afforded by soaking and cooking, grinding and fermentation of forded by soaking and cooking, grinding and fermentation of other further benefit.

Grinding greatly increases the surface area of the grains by breaking up their cellular structure, and releasing enzymes which are important for further transformation. subsequent fermentation by lactic acid bacteria (naturally present on grains) rapidly acidifies the batter. The combination of grinding and sour fermentation causes grains to efficiently degrade their own physic acid by the enzyme phytase released from grain, absorption. Fermentation also increases the concentration of the amino acid methionine and vitamin C.

Fermentation followed by cooking increases the digestibility of grain protein, due to the destruction of protease inhibitors and the partial per-digestion of grain proteins by bacteria.

Changes in the food may improve the flavor, texture and color of the food, making it more appealing At the same time, cooking may also reduce the nutrient value of the food, or produce undesirable compounds.

I have done hard work for this post like refereed the book about food & chemistry. If any suggestion for this post then please comment it. If you like my this work then don't forget to Upvote & Resteem this post.

Image Sources
Introduction-1
Introduction-2
Introduction-3
Introduction-4
Emulsification
Souring Of Milk
Curd Milk
Fermentaion

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