Tag: food

Learn English with the News – Amsterdam Restaurant Introduces ‘quarantine greenhouses’ for social distancing

The news is a consistent source of entertainment, knowledge and discovery that never ceases to exist and always comes out with more and more material each day. Because it plays such a vital part in our lives and is so important to keep up with, it is without a doubt a piece of your everyday routine that can’t go ignored. 

Whether it is to understand the ramifications of recent legislation passed, to hear about recent events and grasp the potential consequences to your country, or simply hear about what is happening in other countries in order to compare them to what’s happening in yours, the news is certainly a staple in our lives and the most consistent way to get information.

This is why Scrambled Eggs has decided to unite two of your biggest worlds: learning English and keeping up with what is happening in the world. We hope our challenging daily exercises, composed of listening, vocabulary and comprehension exercises in English, will satisfy both of those above worlds in a satisfactory and also entertaining way.

So enough about introductions, let’s get to today’s Learn English with the News topic:

Adapted from this article.

Now that you’ve had a listen, let’s put your knowledge to the test with some of our vocabulary and comprehension exercises:

Amsterdam Restaurant Introduces ‘quarantine greenhouses’ for social distancing | Definition Match

Put the following words to the correct definitions.

Amsterdam Restaurant Introduces ‘quarantine greenhouses’ for social distancing | Fill in the Blank

Fill the empty spaces with the proper words.

Amsterdam Restaurant Introduces ‘quarantine greenhouses’ for social distancing | True or False

Indicate which sentences are true and which ones are false.

 

And that’s it for today’s English lesson, where you can improve your English with the news and current events. Do you have any comments or special requests for us for the next edition of Learn English with the News? Be sure to leave any feedback you have in the comments section below, as we would love to help you on your quest to learn the English language!

For other Learn English with the News segments, be sure to check out the rest of our posts:

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The Hidden Treats in British Fish and Chip Shops

If you made a list of iconic British foods, fish and chips would surely be at the top. A deep-fried white fish, typically cod or haddock, accompanied by chunky chips and often some mushy peas is a traditional seaside treat. That is not all that’s available in our much-loved chip shops though – here are some lesser known items you could try on your next trip to the UK!

A Battered Sausage

Cooked Sausage

First off, we have probably the most common alternative to fish – a battered sausage. What type of sausage you may ask? Pork? Chicken? Pidgeon? Who knows! Although the origin of the mystery meat within the same batter as you would find on a chip shop fish may never be truly known, if you can let that curiosity go you will find a very comforting, filling snack.

Scraps

Mother and Child Preparing Crepes

Speaking of the batter which surrounds the fish, any excess batter is put to good use. When your dish is being prepared you may well be asked ‘Would you like scraps?’. If you answer yes, a scoop of small pieces of batter will be added to your plate or takeaway box (actually, fish and chips are very frequently served wrapped in newspaper pages!) Free of charge.

Curry Sauce

Person Holding Chopsticks and White Ceramic Bowl

Despite not often being mentioned when I hear people from abroad discussing fish and chips, curry sauce is an extremely popular condiment to enhance the flavor of your meal! Chip shop curry sauce has its own distinct flavor and texture, very different from, for example, an Indian curry sauce. In fact, many companies have tried to replicate the taste and you will find sauces marketed as real chip shop curry sauce in many British supermarkets. This is my personal favorite thing to pour over my fish and chips! It’s also great for dipping your battered sausage in!

To Chip Butty

Fries on Brown Table

Chips and bread. A chip butty (a regional term for a sandwich). So simple, yet so satisfying. Take some deep-fried fatty chips, add plenty of butter to some white bread and stick as many of the chips as you can inside and there you have it – one of the dirty secrets of British cuisine! A healthy dollop or two of tomato ketchup is usually appreciated to add a little flavor to the fat and carbs.

Deep-fried Mars Bar

Brown Chocolate Bar on Multicolored Surface

Finally, a heart-busting treat from north of the border. The Scots are a bit more experimental with deep-frying than their English counterparts, and a Mars bar deep-fried in batter is a sickly but quite popular treat. In fact, many chip shops in Scotland will allow you to take any chocolate bar to them and they’ll deep-fry it in batter for you, for a small price.

 

We hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about British fish and chip shops. Would you like to try any of these delicacies? Do some of them sound terrible to you? Let us know in the comments!

A Brit in Italy: i miei 5 cibi italiani preferiti

(read this blog in English)

L’italia è uno dei paesi più famosi e rinomati in tutto il mondo quando si parla di cibo e di cucina, ma siete veramente sicuri di conoscere tutti i suoi piatti più tipici e regionali? Ecco cinque piatti a prova di esperto che potreste non aver mai sentito nominare:

 

  1. Arrosticini

 

Nati nelle montagne abruzzesi, gli arrosticini sono sicuramente uno dei miei cibi preferiti. Questi deliziosi spiedini sono fatti con carne di agnello e vengono tradizionalmente cucinati usando una speciale griglia lunga e sottile chiamata “fornacella”. La carne è solitamente separata da piccoli pezzi di grasso in modo da garantire che ogni pezzo sia succoso e tenero. Gli arrosticini vengono spesso accompagnati con pezzi di pane leggermente tostato e vengono passati sulla superficie per trasferirne il gusto. Tradizionalmente, vengono serviti avvolti in un foglio dentro una speciale pentola di terracotta.

 

 

  1. Pizzoccheri

Muovendosi verso il nord Italia, i pizzoccheri sono un abbondante e ricco piatto di pasta della Valtellina. La ricetta è composta da pasta di grano saraceno, patate, cavoli, aglio e Grana Padano. Perfetto per l’inverno, questo piatto è il preferito di chiunque ami visitare le montagne. Niente di meglio dopo una lunga ed estenuante giornata sugli sci!

 

 

  1. Orrechiette con le cime di rapa

All’estremo opposto troviamo questo delizioso e leggero piatto di pasta originario della Puglia. La forma della pasta simile a delle “piccole orecchie” integra perfettamente le rape, in quanto rappresenta la forma perfetta per raccogliere sia la salsa che i pezzi di verdura. Il piatto è incredibilmente semplice e facile da preparare ma soddisferà le tua fame senza lasciarti pieno fino all’orlo! Come ogni piatto di pasta, anche questo è preferibile con della pasta fresca pugliese, anche se questo non è sempre possibile!

 

 

  1. Pasta al pesto di pistacchi

Uno dei piatti preferiti che abbia mai provato in Italia è sicuramente la pasta al pesto di pistacchi siciliano. Di solito mangio questo piatto con la pancetta e con le conchigliette, anche se può essere preparato con qualsiasi altra pasta, dai fusilli alle linguine. Ad alcune persone piace anche aggiungere la ricotta fresca per un gusto extra cremoso, ma questo dipende ovviamente da te! Questo pasto è perfetto per quando non si ha molto tempo a disposizione per cucinare o se si sta cercando qualcosa di leggermente diverso dal pesto classico.

 

 

  1. Timballo

Questo è uno dei piatti meno conosciuti che abbia mai provato da quando mi sono trasferita in Italia, ma rimane in assoluto uno dei miei preferiti. Il timballo è estremamente simile alle lasagne, ma può essere preparato con pasta, riso o patate. Le varietà differiscono a seconda della regione ed è difficile scegliere una preferenza! Il timballo abruzzese utilizza strati di sfoglie di lasagna e carne di manzo e viene cotto fino a quando non diventa croccante e morbido al centro. La versione napoletana, tuttavia, è solitamente realizzata con maccheroni e besciamella. Qualunque sia la tua scelta, non te ne pentirai!