Olive oil is a natural extract of olives, therefore providing many benefits to health due to its natural origin. Experts say olive oil is good for you, especially if its extra virgin. So here are 3 facts on why you should use Extra Virgin Olive Oil;

1.Extra Virgin Olive Oil has many antioxidants and healthy fats.

It contains over 30 types of antioxidants that help protect the body against any damaging cells that contribute to disease and ageing of the body. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a great source of monosaturated fats, a healthy fat that is essential to the Mediterranean diet. Studies show that monosaturated fats reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke. It can also assist in reducing blood pressure, inflammation and blood glucose levels.

2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil promotes a healthy heart.

Heart disease is the leading cause of mortality in Australia. Heart disease contribute to less deaths in Middle-Eastern countries due to their nutritious diet. Extra Virgin Oil being part of this diet. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has properties that reduce blood pressure levels and assist in preventing atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries).

3. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the best oil to cook with.

When you consider the many benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to our health, it is important to rethink the oils we use while we are cooking and what harm they may be doing to our bodies. If used more regularly, Extra Virgin Olive Oil provides more benefits to our health as it sustains a healthy diet. While providing most health benefits to the heart, it is also beneficial to bone growth and maintenance as well as reducing the risk of disease such as type 2 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. At Medfoods, we provide best of the range Extra Virgin Olive Oil, imported directly from the Middle-East. We are conscious of the importance of maintaining health, therefore we provide the most nutritious and beneficial Extra Virgin Olive Oil on the market.

The post Medfoods Extra Virgin Olive Oil; Health Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil first appeared on Medfoods Melbourne.

Its Middle-Eastern heritage sprouted from the land of Persia, where it was imported by Ottoman merchants. For over 400 years, the rose plantations grew which led to the naming of the ground, “Valley of Roses” located in Bulgaria. It has been known ever since, as the worlds source for rose oil and rose water.

Rose water had developed not only for its use in foods but also assisted in beauty which recognised Middle Eastern women amongst the most beautiful. Rose water had benefits towards their skin, hair and overall health which allowed them to indulge in their beauty. Egyptian queen Cleopatra glorified the use of rose water in her beauty regime as she would cleanse her face and body with authentic rose water.

Along with its beauty benefits and scented rose aroma, rose water was also used for medicinal purposes first discovered by the Romans. It then became a medicinal element for many cultures due to its natural healing powers.

Today, rose water is traditionally known for its use in sweets and drinks, to which Medfoods has sourced the worlds best rose water to accommodate for food purposes. A traditional Middle Eastern dessert, Knafeh, is well known for its use of rose water.

Teta swears by this recipe to satisfy the sweetened tastebuds of her family and friends.

Knafeh Recipe:

• 4 cups of Full Cream Milk
• ¼ cup of Medfoods Cornflour
• 500ml of Thickened Cooking Cream
• 1 tsp of Medfoods Vanilla Sugar
• ¼ cup of Medfoods Caster Sugar
• ½ cup of Medfoods Semolina Fine
• 2 tsp of Medfoods Rose Water
• 1 tsp of Medfoods Orange Blossom Water
• Unsalted butter for spreading
• Breadcrumbs, to cover top and bottom of baking dish.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Before bringing to heat, combine Medfoods Cornflour and cream in a large saucepan, beat. Then bring Medfoods Semolina Coarse, Medfoods Vanilla Sugar and Medfoods Caster Sugar, stir. Add milk, then stir all together until everything is combined. Place saucepan on high heat, continuously stir until mixture boils and thickens to become like custard. Add in Medfoods Rose Water and Medfoods OrangeBlossom Water to mixture, stir for another 30secs and turn off gas top.

Line serving dish with unsalted butter, sprinkle breadcrumbs to cover the dish and then pour in the mixture while still hot, allowing it to spread evenly. Then cover with remaining breadcrumbs and spread 2-3 teaspoons of butter on top; this allows it to give a golden finish while in the oven. Place dish in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Before serving, allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm with sugar syrup.

Sugar Syrup Recipe:

• 2 cups of Medfoods Sugar
• 1 cup of cold water
• 4 tsp of Medfoods Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp of Medfoods Rose Water
• 1 tsp of Medfoods Orange Blossom Water

Place Medfoods Sugar and water into saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, leave until all sugar is dissolved. Add Medfoods Lemon Juice, Medfoods Rose Water and MedfoodsOrange Blossom Water. Remove from heat; use to serve on Knafeh or store the syrup in a squeeze bottle at room temperature. It has a very long shelf life, it can be stored for months.

The post The History of Rosa Damascena (Rose Water) first appeared on Medfoods Melbourne.

This essential water has been used in many traditional Mediterranean desserts but has found its way into many other cuisines. From Europe to Mexico, it flavours wedding cakes and cocktails, to curing stomach aches in small children; Orange Blossom Water is becoming widely used in everyday lives.

It is a traditional ingredient in Middle Eastern recipes such as Baklava, Knafeh and Ghraybeh. Medfoods offers Orange Blossom Water, imported straight from the Middle Eastern lands of Lebanon, providing best of the range flavour to meet your sweetful needs.

Teta’s favourite recipe to bake is “Ghraybeh” (Lebanese Butter Cookes). Teta says you can’t wrong with these flavoured cookies and are an essential recipe to bake weekly. Here’s Teta’s home-made Ghraybeh recipe;

Ingredients:

• 125g of softened butter
• ¾ cups of Medfoods Icing Sugar, sifted
• 1⅓ cups of Medfoods Plain Flour, sifted
• 1 tsp of Medfoods Orange Blossom Water
• 30 pieces of Medfoods Whole Blanched Almonds

Method of preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C or 140°C fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter, Medfoods Icing Sugar and Medfoods Orange Blossom Water in a bowl, until mixture is pale and creamy. Then add in sifted Medfoods Plain Flour and mix on lowest speed possible, until the whole mixture is combined.
3. Roll mixture into balls (about 2 teaspoonfuls) and then place on lined trays, apart from each other. Press one Medfoods Whole Blanched Almond into each of the biscuits to flatten them slightly.

Bake the biscuits for about 20 minutes or until they are pale golden and cooked through. Then cool for 20 minutes.

The post Medfoods Orange Blossom Water: Traditional Middle Eastern Aromatiser first appeared on Medfoods Melbourne.

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cup of Medfoods Self-raising Flour
• ½ cup of Medfoods Caster Sugar
• Medfoods Plain Flour, to dust
• 1/3 cup of Medfoods Fig or Apricot Jam
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Essence
• 125g of Softened Butter

Method of Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 180.C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Using an electric beater, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla essence in a medium bowl until pale and creamy. Add in egg and beat until combined.
3. Sift flour over mixture and stir well until combined.
4. Light flour your hands and roll teaspoonful of mixture into ball. Place them on prepared trays, leaving room for them to expand in the oven. Make an indentation with finger in the centre of each ball and spoon ½ teaspoon of jam into the centre of each ball.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until biscuits are cooked through and lightly golden.
6. Set aside on trays for 30 minutes to cool completely.

Teta suggests adding in almonds and/or sultanas to the mixture for extra tasty biscuits.

The post Medfoods Fig and Apricot Jam: Teta’s Famous Jam-Filled Biscuits first appeared on Medfoods Melbourne.

Rose Syrup:

Medfoods Rose Syrup is best used a cordial with both still and sparkling water; just add ice. It is the perfect refreshing and sweet drink and makes a good addition to cocktails. It is best served with summer berries and a little of Medfoods Lemon Juice to give it a evenly sweet taste. Teta likes to get creative in the kitchen and developed her own recipe of home-made dairy ice cream with a touch of rose syrup.

Mulberry Syrup:

Best served cold, mix Medfoods Mulberry Syrup with still or sparkling water, and a lot of ice.

Teta says it is best to lower cholesterol levels and improve blood sugar levels, which is

perfect to have after Teta’s big family feast.

Jallab Syrup:

Just like any other ready-made syrup, mix Medfoods Jallab Syrup with either still or sparkling water and ice. Teta says this is a guests favourite, best garnished with crushed ice, pinenuts and pistachios.

Tamrind Syrup:

Teta says if you’re a sour lover then you’re going to love Medfoods Tamrind Syrup. Just add chilled water (still or sparkling) and Medfoods Tamrind Syrup. To even out the tangy taste add some dried limes to enrich the drinks flavour.

The post Medfoods Rose, Mulberry, Jallab and Tamrind Syrups: Teta’s Guide to Summer Drinks first appeared on Medfoods Melbourne.

Used a sweetener in replacement of sugar, it has many health benefits than it may seem. It contains important nutrients and antioxidants that are essential for everyday living and it is a healthier option than refined sugar.

Molasses is a thick syrup made during the making of sugar. Juices are boiled down to form sugar crystals and then removed, leaving a thick browned syrup, which is known as Molasses. Each process of this creates a different type of molasses.

At Medfoods, we offer a range of Molasses to choose from; Pomegranate, Grape, Date and Carob Molasses. Each of these serve their own purposes within Mediterranean dishes, also providing many health benefits to our bodies. Teta believes that these molasses often help with managing diabetes; she believes the best mix is Ricotta Cheese and Medfoods Date Molasses in order to maintain glucose levels.

The nutrients you can find in Molasses include vitamin B, Calcium, Potassium, Copper, Iron and Magnesium. Even though it should not be the main source for these nutrients, it is a great way to get these nutrients when wanting to eat something sweet.

Due to the nutrients found in these Molasses, it can encourage bone health through its decent amount of calcium, which promotes healthy bones and prevents bone-related diseases such as osteoporosis. It can also promote cardiovascular health, as it is a good source of potassium. This promotes healthy blood pressure and can even help increase good cholesterol levels, preventing cardiovascular-related diseases.

Along with providing nutrients and antioxidants, it has also been used to remove the frizziness in bleached/coloured hair. It should be mixed with warm water and applied to the hair for 15 minutes. However, at the end of the day, it is a sugar-based product, and when eaten in excessive amounts can have negative effects on health.

The post Health Benefits of Molasses first appeared on Medfoods Melbourne.

The post Get the Best Health Benefits from Wheat and Barley Products from Medfoods Australia first appeared on Medfoods Melbourne.

Sugar makes life a bit sweeter in a variety of ways. Main courses, sauces, desserts and other edibles can contain this ingredient. You may or may not be aware that this tasty ingredient comes in various forms. While the standard one that most people are familiar with is the white sugar that is sold in most markets, there are also brown, raw and caster versions of it. We are going to discuss all these versions in this information to educate you on their characteristics since our company, Medfoods Australia, carries them.

Facts About White Sugar

White sugar is more commonly known by most as granulated sugar due to its texture, but some simply call it cane sugar. As the sugar cane is processed, 100% of the molasses is removed from it to create this sugar, and it is pure white. It has many uses from baked goods to sweetening cups of tea or coffee.

What Is Brown Sugar?

Brown sugar is a mixture of white sugar and molasses. Since it has the molasses in it, this sugar is softer than white sugar is and is moist. It is used in various types of baked goods along with other edibles.

Definition of Raw Sugar

Raw sugar is processed similar to white sugar except that it contains some of the molasses that is removed from the sugar cane. As a result, it has a golden brown colour and a caramel-like flavour. Unlike brown sugar, it has the same granulated texture as white sugar. Many consider white and raw to be interchangeable in cooking and baking but using raw sugar may alter the texture and flavour of the finished product has in comparison to using the white sugar.

Description of Caster Sugar

Caster sugar is a white sugar but with a finer granulation. For this reason, some called it superfine sugar. Its granules are between the size of the ones of white sugar and the ones of powdered sugar. Because of its extremely fine texture, caster sugar dissolves faster in beverages, baked goods and other edibles. Also, it is ideal to dust cakes, muffins and cookies with on their surfaces.

Medfoods Also Offers an Icing Sugar Mixture

Our company also offers an Icing Sugar Mixture that contains cane sugar and a tapioca starch base. It is ideal for cream fillings and cake icing.

Browse through our website or contact us to learn additional information about these sugar products. Also, we carry a wide assortment of other local and imported foods from various places in the world.

The post White, Brown, Raw or Caster: Different Options of Sugar Products from Medfoods Australia first appeared on Medfoods Melbourne.

Here at Medfoods, we understand that a healthy life is all about having a healthy diet. When it comes to building your diet, you need to rely on great foods sourced from even better locations. We’ve been serving Melbourne with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean imports since 2003. Among our most popular products are our varieties of lentils and peas. Today, we are going to discuss the health benefits that these two foods can add to just about any type of diet!

Health Benefits of Lentils and Peas
When you are building a dish from the ground up, adding tasty legumes can be a great way to establish a foundation of health benefits. Likewise, peas provide a punch to your diet that won’t go unnoticed. While you can get peas and lentils from pretty much anywhere, there is a reason that people keep turning to our team at Medfoods for all of their high-quality lentils and pea needs. Let’s dig right into the health benefits that these two foods can provide to you when you incorporate them into your next dish!

1) Health Benefits of Lentils – Lentils are one of the best legumes that you can add to your diet, transcending even chickpeas! Lentils are tiny legumes that grow in a pod. You can get them in a variety of different colours, including black, brown, red, green, and yellow. Typically associated with soup, you can incorporate lentils into just about every dish. Lentils are packed with protein, loaded with iron, and filled with fibre. Adding lentils as a side component to your next entre can be a great way to fill out the nutritional profile of your meal. We suggest using lentils in soup, pasta, and salad. Of course, you can experiment with your food to find out what works for you!

2) Health Benefits of Peas – Peas are an incredibly popular legume for a variety of reasons! Green split peas are probably the most commonly eaten pea in the world as they’ve been a part of the human diet for hundreds and hundreds of years. Green split peas are a great source of protein and they have the added benefit of filling you up while you eat them. Green split peas are relied upon for vegetarians to make sure that they get the right amount of protein in their diet. Green split peas also help with digestion while reducing your blood sugar.

Here at Medfoods, we are all about supplying our customers with high-quality foods at an affordable price. Whether you are a chef or a supermarket owner, we can help get you the healthy foods that you need to make your customers happy.

The post Medfoods High Quality Lentils and Peas Contributes to Good Health first appeared on Medfoods Melbourne.

Since 2003, Medfoods has served the entire Melbourne area with a comprehensive variety of fine Middle Eastern foods. It is now a leading and highly respected supplier of these exotic foods, herbs and spices to all regions of Australia and beyond. Using top-tier contemporary packaging equipment and methods, this company now provides customers with prepackaged beans, rice, flour, polenta, semolina, nuts and dried fruits as well as exotic herbs and spices from the Middle East. This company’s clientele now has the opportunity of purchasing products packaged and ready to sell in their customers’ local produce markets and fine food stores. 

Medfoods has also introduced its gourmet brand product selections from Lebanon, all sourced from premium, award-claiming growers and producers of food products in the Middle East. This innovative specialty foods supplier now also offers under the Medfoods brand name such excellent quality items as Blossom Water, Pomegranate Molasses, Moughrabia (large size cous cous pearls) plus Eggplant and Chickpea Dips and other condiments. Additional fine products include oils, rice, olives, sauces, herbal teas and fine coffees.

Exotic Packaged Gourmet Middle Eastern Food Products from Medfoods

The Medfoods brand of prepacked specialty food products now available across Australia and beyond includes the following intriguing, highly nutritional choices: 

• Adzuki Beans. – Adzuki beans contain an abundance of healthy fiber, protein, plant compounds, vitamins and minerals. They are often soaked, sprouted or fermented for better absorption of these nutrients when ingested. The beans are often boiled with natural sugar and mashed into a sweet red-coloured paste that is used as a condiment or filling in specialty foods and Asian or Middle Eastern desserts. These beans are also ground to make flour for use in baking, and they are often added to salads or chili and rice recipes.   

• Baba Ghannouj Eggplant Dip. – This popular Middle Eastern condiment is made with eggplant, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. The fresh eggplant is often smoked and marinated in additional exotic herbs and spices for a fuller, more complex and delicious flavour with flat breads and freshly cut vegetables or fruits. 

• Biryani Mixed Spice – As a traditional South Asian, Indian and Middle Eastern mixed spice product, Biryani contains cloves, pimento, curry, cinnamon, cumin, pepper, nutmeg, coriander and chili. This sophisticated mix of rich herbal ingredients and spices will complement and enhance many different types of foods, including combination vegetable dishes, chicken, fish and broths. It can also be used in specialty sweets and sauces.       

When you obtain fine quality gourmet Middle Eastern Food Products from Medfoods, you will distribute excellent quality specialty foods to your clients for selling in their local produce markets and fine food stores. Our experts at Medfoods supply all of Australia and points beyond with the ultimate fine quality Middle Eastern products currently available worldwide today.

The post Medfoods Australia: Your One-stop Shop for Quality Gourmet Middle Eastern Products first appeared on Medfoods Melbourne.