Happy Thanksgiving! In celebration of Turkey Day, today's Dollecule is one often associated with the Novembird... Tryptophan!
Tryptophan |
Name: Tryptophan
Other names: 2-amino-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)propanoic acid, Trp, W
Chemical formula: C11H12N2O2
Found in: Poultry, eggs, dairy products, fish
Key: Brown=C, Gold=H, Taupe=N, Red=O
It is frequently said that high amounts of tryptophan in turkey are responsible for post-Thanksgiving food coma, but turkey actually has tryptophan content similar to other poultry. The sleepiness is likely due to the large quantities of food (especially carbohydrates) consumed alongside the turkey.
As usual, this year I'm thankful for friends and family. Speaking of family, Thanksgiving isn't complete without my mom's persimmon pudding. It's the best. You may question that, but the proof is in the pudding. Boom. Solid dad joke there to keep the family theme going. Oh brother, right? Boom again. Something something sister pun something. All the booms.
Stove top stuffing? |
But I digress. Here is the secret family recipe for persimmon pudding:
Bird's eye bird's-eye view |
Thanks given. Goodbye.