Amber soup is a clear broth made of meat stock, chicken, ham and herbs to flavour, boiled for several hours before being sieved, left to stand overnight and then skimmed, left to stand again and reheated prior to serving. In France amber soup was sometimes thickened with tapioca, and in America often coloured with natural caramel and egg shells. Research Amber Soup
Caramel is the brown mass which cane-sugar becomes at 220 degrees Celsius. It is used in cookery as a colouring and flavouring ingredient, in giving a brown colour to spirits, etc. Research Caramel
Coca-Cola is the trade name of a coloured, sweetened, flavoured carbonated drink, originally made with coca leaves and flavoured with cola nuts, and containing caramel and caffeine. It was invented in 1886 and sold in every state of the USA by 1895 and in 155 countries by 1987. Coca-Cola, like other carbonated, sweetened soft-drinks, has little or no nutritional value and in excess can cause dental problems, contribute towards obesity and diabetes. After initial success, Coca-Cola was imitated by numerous manufacturers who were subsequently taken to court and banned from using names similar to the trademarked 'Coca-Cola'. The only real opposition to Coca-Cola came from 'Pepsi-Cola', which in the early 1980's launched a revolutionary marketingstrategy entitled 'The Pepsi Challenge'. The Pepsi Challenge was a blind tasting conducted among the public across the USA and the world in which consumers blind tasted Pepsi against Coca-Cola. The results showed that people preferred the taste of Pepsi, and in 1985 Coca-Cola changed their recipe. This was a marketing disaster for Coca-Cola which rocked the USA and within three months the original Coca-Cola recipe was reinstated and re-branded as 'Classic Coca-Cola'. The marketing war between Coca-Cola and Pepsi rages on, with both side aiming for a total monopoly of the world soft drinks market, and in the USA both companies sponsor schools and local authorities in cynical brand awareness programs that offer schools funding in return for advertising and vending machines within the school. Research Coca-Cola
Curacao is a liqueur or cordial prepared from a peculiar kind of bitter oranges growing in Curacao, which have a persistent aromatic odour and taste. It is prepared from the yellow part of the rind, which is steeped in strong alcohol, the infusion being afterwards distilled and rectified and mixed with syrup. For the true orange, the common bitterorange of Europe is often substituted, and the genuine deep-yellow colour imitated by caramel, etc. Research Curacao
E150 is the EEC food labelling code for sulphite ammonia caramel. Various forms of the colourant are used, ranging from the harmless E150(a) produced by heating carbohydrates (usually glucose) to the toxic E150(c) ammonia caramel produced by heating carbohydrate with ammonia. Research E150
Marsala is a dry or sweet Sicilian fortified wine, with a dark amber colour and a caramel flavour. It is fortified in one of three ways: with grape spirit; with alcohol boosted grape juice from very sweet, late grapes or with concentrate, that is grape juice that has been cooked and reduced to one-third of its original volume. Research Marsala
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research 150
