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Discovered by many in recent history, chai is actually an ancient beverage with origins dating as far back as five thousand years. Known and loved for its bold and distinctive taste, the recipes for chai are as varied as the families who create them. Chai is a generic term in India meaning tea, and the delicious beverage traces its origins to India, Pakistan, Tibet and Nepal. The most common variety of chai is Masalas, created from some traditional basic ingredients that typically include black tea, milk, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and fennel. Vanilla, chocolate and licorice are also favored by many when brewing chai.

Many health benefits are attributed to Masalas Chai as well, including enhancing digestion, reduced risk of diabetes, lowering blood pressure and a calming effect. Each of the ingredients used has its own particular health benefit. For example, cinnamon, a standard ingredient in chai, is known to aid in lowering blood pressure and also hinders yeast and bacterial growth. Cardamom aids in the digestive process as well as being an anti-inflammatory and can help in relieving asthma symptoms. Each of the traditional ingredients has a different health benefit, so a bit of research into your favored additives could result in not only a delicious cup of chai, but a sense of well-being and revitalization of energy and spirit. Kashmiri Chai is a green tea chai that originated in China. Gunpowder tea, as it is called in English, was first created during the Tang Dynasty in the seventh through tenth centuries. For Kashmiri Chai, the tea leaves are individually rolled to form little pellets and is typically prepared with a delicious mix of almonds, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper and occasionally saffron. As with Masalas Chai, there are a wide range of health benefits associated with this soothing beverage.

The history of tea is a long one dating back to ancient India. The legends say that chai was the invention of a king in the royal courts of India in ancient times, but the history can be traced to healing methods practiced by the Hindus of millennia past. They used a type of natural healing and medicine called ayurveda, incorporating the spices that contain healing properties into the tea as part of a total system of healing arts. Not to be confused with “herbal tea,” true tea comes from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant, where the commonly called herbal tea is a mixture of dried flowers, fruit, plants and herbs. Although herbal tea is not truly tea, it can be mixed with green or black tea to create exotic and flavorful beverages.

Tea is a potent antioxidant and is known to fight numerous types of cancer and helps in reducing cholesterol and blood pressure. Combined with ingredients such as ginger, which helps prevent colds and flu, it is a powerful wellness tool. Chai remains a favorite beverage and is gaining popularity with many who enjoy the delicious taste and the amazing health benefits. It is not only served in trendy coffee houses, but it is now available in popular restaurant chains.

There are many things to consider when choosing gluten free flours.

* The glycemic index is a concern if you are diabetic, a celiac or just trying to lose weight.
* If you are allergic to other things as well.
* There is taste to consider. Not all flours taste the same to everyone.
* Whole grain. We all know it is healthier to eat whole grain. If it is important to you, you would choose whole grain flours.
* How a mix performs for you. Not all mixes are the same. You have to find one that is right for you.
* Digestion problems. People do not tolerate are flours well.
* Affordability. Some flours are very expensive. Since I own my own wheat grinder I grind my own brown rice flour and save a bundle. You can buy brown basmati rice anywhere they sell bulk foods. Try Asian markets as well.
* Availability. Sometimes you just can’t find the flours that a recipe calls for. That is where online shopping comes in handy, but now we are back to affordability again. I would rather tell a store manager what I need and see if he will get it for me. Remember if you want to buy it they want to be the one to sell it to you.

Sorghum Flour

This has become very popular gluten free flour and is ground from the seeds of the Sorghum plant. On the farm this was grown with the corn. The dairy farmers would harvest the sorghum and corn together, chop it and put it in a sloping pit, cover it with black plastic and pile old tires on top. In winter the plastic would be peeled back and the steam that rose off the top smelled sweet and earthy. It is called corn silage and the farmers serve this warm mixture to the dairy cows, who love it. The sorghum has a sweet nutty flavor and adds texture to gluten free bread.

Sweet Rice Flour

I buy brown basmati rice and grind it fine, unless I am making bread and then I grind it just a little bit coarser. It is also called sticky rice and it is the rice the Japanese use. I make Swedish Pancakes using the sweet rice flour. I have made them out of all-purpose flour for years and loved them. Then when I discovered I was allergic to all grains I started making them out of the sweet rice flour. May I tell you I find that they are more delicate out of the sweet rice flour and melt in your mouth? Sweet rice flour is the best at thickening sauces and gravies. If you miss fried chicken and never thought you could have it again, try this flour. It will be crispier than you remember your chicken being. It works well for anything you want to coat in flour.

Brown rice and white rice flour

Chocolate has changed the lives of billions of people since it was first discovered. It comes from the cocoa bean which is over 4000 years old. Ancient cultures worshiped this magical black bean and thought that it was a gift from the heavens. These early cultures made a thick rich drink from the cocoa beans. Some early cultures even used the cocoa bean as a means of currency. There were a lot of things that this bean could buy. Four beans could buy you dinner. The cocoa bean consumed alone is bitter and was in fact pushed aside by the first Spanish conquistadors. They had no idea what they had discovered and brought back with them to to their countries.

The Spanish brought with them a method for making for this bitter beverage. It was not all that popular until the well known Spanish explorer Cortez decided to mix the bitter beverage with sugar. Subsequently it became a sensation and only royalty was allowed to drink this wonderful drink. They included other spices nutmeg and vanilla. They managed to conceal this drink from the world for over 100 years! From that point on it rapidly travelled around the planet. Various cultures began brewing it in a number of ways, changing it, and incorporating other ingredients. It was gradually evolving into the delicious sweet candy that we know in modern times.

Today you can come across this delicious dark candy all over the world and it is available in just about any variety conceivable. You will come across chocolate in milk, biscuits, coffee, candies, cereals, chocolate covered fruit, ice cream and you can even drink chocolate wine! And you can of course buy chocolate presents! You won’t find a better offering for any candy lover than a box of chocolates. Do you realise what the top selling item is on Valentine’s day? Chocolates! More people exchange chocolate gifts on this day than any other kind of gift. All of us know the way to man’s heart is via his stomach and apparently the way to get to woman’s heart is through a gift of this gorgeous sweet treat!

It also makes a fantastic present on other special occasions too. At Easter Several million youngsters will excitedly look to see if they have been visited by the Easter bunny. Who knows how many plastic eggs will be hidden with this most coveted gift inside. At Christmas time a certain white-bearded man has been known to stuff Christmas stockings to the brim with this dark sweet treat.