tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/recipes-37698/articles
recipes – The Conversation
2023-07-06T20:21:44Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/207837
2023-07-06T20:21:44Z
2023-07-06T20:21:44Z
Eggs are so expensive right now. What else can I use?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534516/original/file-20230628-21-na5m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1279%2C852&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-man-in-a-black-shirt-cracking-an-egg-6944027/">Vlada Karpovich/Pexels</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The price of eggs <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-14/egg-shortage-high-prices-blamed-on-shift-from-cage-to-free-range/102474282">is rising</a>. So many of us may be looking for cheaper alternatives. </p>
<p>First, the bad news. Nothing can replace a boiled, poached or fried egg. </p>
<p>Now, the good news. Lots of other ingredients can make foods puff and rise, give your meal a rich taste, or hold together ingredients.</p>
<p>So try using some of these egg substitutes and save the real eggs for your breakfast.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-save-50-off-your-food-bill-and-still-eat-tasty-nutritious-meals-184152">How to save $50 off your food bill and still eat tasty, nutritious meals</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Why are eggs so popular?</h2>
<p>Eggs are incredibly <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science/monitoringnutrients/afcd/pages/default.aspx">nutritious</a>. They’re a <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/3/684">rich source</a> of protein, vitamins A and D, pigments called carotenoids, and minerals.</p>
<p>Eggs are also versatile. We use them to make a range of savoury and sweet foods, sauces and drinks, not to mention breakfast.</p>
<p>Their popularity and versatility lies in the unique characteristics of the two main parts of the egg – the white and yolk. Each contribute <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Food-Cooking-Harold-McGee/dp/0684800012">different properties</a> in cooking.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/3/684">Egg yolk</a> is about 55% water, 27% fats, 16% protein (with small amounts of carbohydrate). <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/3/684">Egg white</a> is about 10% protein and 90% water, with only traces of fat and carbohydrates. Different types of protein in egg white contribute to them foaming when whisked.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/five-foods-that-used-to-be-bad-for-you-but-now-arent-50333">Five foods that used to be bad for you ... but now aren't</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Eggs are versatile</h2>
<p>Eggs have a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268005X2200131X?casa_token=1yXlEb1uvwQAAAAA:s3h5KCozwn-hjIn6kLOEoW45An255V6Z0G8TcJAQgTejfLEwV7nKqkS6VPWXiNkNxR4m5Mr2lHc">different role</a> in different types of cooking.</p>
<p><strong>1. Eggs are a raising agent</strong></p>
<p>Beaten or whisked eggs act as a raising agent by creating pockets of air in foods, which expand with cooking, making the foods puff and rise. This gives baked products like cakes, biscuits and muffins volume and an airy feel. </p>
<p>Using just the egg white leads to a remarkably light and delicate foam, as we see in meringues. In mousse and souffles the whites and the yolk are beaten separately, then mixed together. This leads to a light, airy and smooth texture. </p>
<p><strong>2. Eggs hold together other ingredients</strong></p>
<p>Eggs combine ingredients and hold them together during cooking. This gives foods – such as vegetable or meat patties – their structure.</p>
<p><strong>3. Eggs bind other liquids</strong></p>
<p>The liquid from eggs binds other liquids from other ingredients in the recipe into a soft, moist and tender mass. We see this in scrambled eggs, omelettes and egg custard.</p>
<p><strong>4. Eggs act as emulsifiers</strong></p>
<p>The egg yolk contains different proteins (livetin, phosvitin) and lipoproteins (lecithin). These act as emulsifiers, allowing fat and water to mix together in foods such as mayonnaise and hollandaise sauce.</p>
<p><strong>5. Eggs boost flavour</strong></p>
<p>The fat in egg yolks helps carry and release the flavour of some fat-soluble components of food. These foods <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224401000796">may taste differently</a> without the eggs. Eggs also contribute to foods feeling soft in the mouth.</p>
<p>As eggs have different roles in cooking, you may need different egg substitutes depending on the outcome you want. Here are some cheaper (and vegan) options.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/eight-cracking-facts-about-eggs-150797">Eight cracking facts about eggs</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Aquafaba</h2>
<p>Aquafaba is the liquid drained from cans of bean – typically from chickpeas as it has the most neutral flavour. This is the all-round winner, especially as most of us probably throw it away without realising what a gem it is. </p>
<p>Aquafaba is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224421001424?casa_token=P45Z4G2SFdsAAAAA:DRy8adcAU_QHl96LONyWOEhUXvrExVZsJ18xKvc8OiPYeVKHSOkGOKefiixXFPY9UhdscEaHF70">versatile</a>. You can whip it up like egg whites to form a foam that can be used to make meringue (even pavlova), gelato, in baked goods, and for binding ingredients in patties. It also contains emulsifiers and can be used to make mayonnaise.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534518/original/file-20230628-15-2hvg8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Chickpeas in strainer sitting over glass of aquafaba" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534518/original/file-20230628-15-2hvg8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534518/original/file-20230628-15-2hvg8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534518/original/file-20230628-15-2hvg8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534518/original/file-20230628-15-2hvg8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534518/original/file-20230628-15-2hvg8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534518/original/file-20230628-15-2hvg8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534518/original/file-20230628-15-2hvg8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Aquafaba is the liquid drained from cans of beans, usually chickpeas.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-aquafaba-filtered-chickpea-broth-used-1907028793">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>You’ll need different quantities of aquafaba depending on the recipe. Generally, though, you use about two to three tablespoons of aquafaba to replace the volume of fluid from an egg.</p>
<p>On the downside, aquafaba can taste a bit beany. So it is best to use it with stronger flavours to overcome this.</p>
<p>Nutritionally, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224421001424?via%3Dihub">aquafaba</a> has small amounts of carbohydrate (about 2.6g/100 millilitre), and negligible levels of protein (about 1.3g/100 millilitre). </p>
<p>You can also freeze aquafaba.</p>
<h2>Vinegar and baking soda</h2>
<p>Mixing a teaspoon of baking soda with a tablespoon of vinegar can replace an egg in most baked goods. This produces carbon dioxide, which is trapped into air pockets, and makes foods rise.</p>
<p>This is a very cheap option, however its success may be limited by how heavy the rest of the ingredients are. This combination also has very little nutritional value.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-apple-cider-vinegar-really-a-wonder-food-86551">Is apple cider vinegar really a wonder food?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Commercial egg replacements</h2>
<p>These are available at most supermarkets, are very cheap compared with eggs, have a long shelf life, and are easy to use, with instructions on the packaging.</p>
<p>Typically, they contain different starches from potato, tapioca and pea protein (which act as leavening agents and form foams), along with raising agents. They are recommended for use in baked goods. However they have very little nutritional value compared to an egg.</p>
<h2>Flaxseed meal and chia seeds</h2>
<p>Use either a tablespoon of flaxseed meal, or chia seeds, added to about three tablespoons of water. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes to form a gel. </p>
<p>The gels can be used in baked goods, however this option isn’t as cheap as the others, and has a slight nutty taste. </p>
<p>Both these seeds provide nutritional value. They are both rich in the plant-based omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid. We <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/59/6/1304/4715808">can convert</a> this fatty acid into healthy omega-3 fatty acids, but at a slow rate. These seeds also provide fibre, polyphenols and antioxidants.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534946/original/file-20230630-27-kgb8rn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Chia seeds in a bowl, in a spoon, spilling onto surface" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534946/original/file-20230630-27-kgb8rn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534946/original/file-20230630-27-kgb8rn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534946/original/file-20230630-27-kgb8rn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534946/original/file-20230630-27-kgb8rn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534946/original/file-20230630-27-kgb8rn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534946/original/file-20230630-27-kgb8rn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534946/original/file-20230630-27-kgb8rn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">You can add chia seeds to water to form a gel.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/healthy-chia-seeds-wooden-spoon-on-331447064">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/does-tiktoks-chia-lemon-internal-shower-really-beat-constipation-heres-what-science-says-188744">Does TikTok's chia-lemon 'internal shower' really beat constipation? Here's what science says</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Tofu</h2>
<p>Tofu, which is made from soybeans, is widely available and fairly cheap. It has the most “eggy” appearance and so makes it ideal as a substitute for scrambled eggs and in quiche. However, you will need to use silken tofu and puree it. </p>
<p>Tofu is highly nutritious and provides protein, fat, calcium, polyphenols and anti-oxidants. </p>
<p>You could also use soy flour. Add one tablespoon to three tablespoons of water, then use immediately in baking and for binding ingredients together. However, soy flour does not contain calcium, which tofu does.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-fake-meat-healthy-and-whats-actually-in-it-187532">Is fake meat healthy? And what's actually in it?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Mashed fruit</h2>
<p>Mashed bananas or applesauce are also used as egg substitutes. These mainly act to bind and hold moisture in the food and help carry the flavours. </p>
<p>You also get the nutritional value of the fruit. Due to the natural sugar that in fruit, this will sweeten your baked goods so you will need to drop the sugar by about a tablespoon (or more) for each piece of fruit you add.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207837/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Evangeline Mantzioris is affiliated with Alliance for Research in Nutrition, Exercise and Activity (ARENA) at the University of South Australia. Evangeline Mantzioris has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, and has been appointed to the National Health and Medical Research Council Dietary Guideline Expert Committee.</span></em></p>
There are lots of other ingredients you can use to make foods puff and rise, give your meal a rich taste, or to hold together ingredients.
Evangeline Mantzioris, Program Director of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Accredited Practising Dietitian, University of South Australia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/204100
2023-04-20T03:10:34Z
2023-04-20T03:10:34Z
Coronation Quiche anyone? You’ll need to fork out A$35. Here are cheaper and healthier options
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521744/original/file-20230419-20-hg9dc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1%2C0%2C1052%2C703&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.royal.uk/coronation-quiche-0">www.royal.uk</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you are a monarchist, or just enjoy the tradition of the royal family, you may have heard about the Coronation Quiche – made with spinach, broad beans and tarragon.</p>
<p>The idea is for us to make it and share it with friends and family during the coronation celebrations in May. King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla have just shared a <a href="https://www.royal.uk/coronation-quiche-0">recipe</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1647917367798939648"}"></div></p>
<p>As dietitians, we’re interested in the quiche’s nutritional value. So we analysed its contents and found that although it’s quite a healthy dish, we could make a healthier version. Spoiler alert: the original recipe contains lard (pork fat).</p>
<p>We’ve also found we could make the quiche using cheaper or more easily available ingredients.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/king-charles-iii-will-be-crowned-in-may-the-ritual-has-ancient-origins-heres-what-we-can-expect-191262">King Charles III will be crowned in May. The ritual has ancient origins – here's what we can expect</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What exactly is a quiche?</h2>
<p>Today, most people consider quiche a French dish that’s essentially a savoury pie. It typically consists of a pastry crust filled with a mixture of eggs, cream and cheese, plus various other ingredients such as veggies, meat and herbs. </p>
<p>Quiche can be served hot or cold. You can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner with salad or veggies. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/platinum-pudding-a-history-of-desserts-with-royal-connections-175264">Platinum pudding: a history of desserts with royal connections</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How much does it cost?</h2>
<p>Quiches are usually quite economical to make. Most of the basic ingredients are cheap, and you can adapt the fillings depending on what’s in the fridge or left over from recent meals.</p>
<p>Let’s see if this applies to the Coronation Quiche. We split the costs into typical quantities you can buy at the shops (for instance, six eggs) and the costs to make the quiche (which only needs two eggs).</p>
<p>If you make the quiche from scratch and have to buy the ingredients in quantities sold in the shops, this will cost you almost A$38. Although this may seem a lot, you’ll have some ingredients left over for another meal.</p>
<p>So how much do the ingredients cost for one quiche? We worked it out at
$12 for the entire quiche, or $2 a serve. Quite reasonable!</p>
<p><iframe id="4kwy0" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/4kwy0/5/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Can you make it even cheaper?</h2>
<p>Busy lives and the rising cost of living are front of mind right now. So here are a few things you can do to save time and money when making a Coronation Quiche:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>buy pre-made pastry. Keep any sheets you don’t use for the quiche in the freezer</p></li>
<li><p>use <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-home-brand-foods-healthy-if-you-read-the-label-you-may-be-pleasantly-surprised-189445">home-brand products</a> where possible </p></li>
<li><p>consider vegetable shortening as it is a little cheaper than lard</p></li>
<li><p>buy vegetables in season and from a farmers’ market</p></li>
<li><p>can’t find tarragon? Try seasonal and cheap herbs such as parsley, basil or rosemary</p></li>
<li><p>can’t find broad beans? Try cheaper pulses such as edamame or cannellini beans. </p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/are-home-brand-foods-healthy-if-you-read-the-label-you-may-be-pleasantly-surprised-189445">Are home-brand foods healthy? If you read the label, you may be pleasantly surprised</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How nutritious is the Coronation Quiche?</h2>
<p>We also looked at the Coronation Quiche’s nutritional profile. We expressed quantities for the whole quiche, and per serve.</p>
<p><iframe id="OnW3S" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/OnW3S/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>The healthy … and the not so healthy</h2>
<p>This quiche has high amounts of healthy protein and fibre that come from the broad beans and eggs. </p>
<p>One serving of this quiche gives you about 18-25% of your daily protein and about 10% of your daily fibre requirements, which is great.</p>
<p>But the quiche has high levels of saturated fat, mostly from its high amounts of lard, butter and cream.</p>
<p>Saturated fat has been linked to an increased risk of <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD011737.pub3/full">cardiovascular events</a>, such as heart attacks and stroke, because it raises levels of LDL cholesterol (the bad kind of cholesterol). </p>
<p>This LDL cholesterol can build up in the walls of arteries and form plaques, leading to arteries hardening over time and increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. So, high amounts of saturated fats is something we want to avoid eating too much of, especially if we have cardiovascular disease. It’s also something we want to avoid if we’re trying to lose weight.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521811/original/file-20230419-24-axsfat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Pouring jug of cream into mixing bowl" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521811/original/file-20230419-24-axsfat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521811/original/file-20230419-24-axsfat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521811/original/file-20230419-24-axsfat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521811/original/file-20230419-24-axsfat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521811/original/file-20230419-24-axsfat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521811/original/file-20230419-24-axsfat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521811/original/file-20230419-24-axsfat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The quiche has high levels of saturated fat, mostly from its high amounts of lard, butter and cream.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cream-pouring-into-bowl-ready-whip-1088041406">TayaJohnston/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For an average Aussie consuming roughly 9,000 kilojoules per day, the recommended maximum intake of saturated fat is about 24 grams. </p>
<p>Just one serve of this quiche has about 17g of saturated fat, which means there’s not much wriggle room for other foods after you have a slice. </p>
<p>You may be better off trying <a href="https://nomoneynotime.com.au/healthy-easy-recipes/clares-rolled-oats-quiche">this quiche</a> instead, as it has half the amount of saturated fat as the Coronation Quiche. You could even try a <a href="https://www.wellplated.com/crustless-quiche/">crustless quiche</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/health-check-is-margarine-actually-better-for-me-than-butter-82445">Health Check: is margarine actually better for me than butter?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>4 ways to make a healthier quiche</h2>
<p>Here are a few swaps to help make this recipe healthier:</p>
<p><strong>1. Use low-fat options</strong>. If you’re watching your weight and looking to reduce the kilojoules of the quiche, swap the full-fat cheddar cheese, milk and double cream to low-fat products. This will reduce the total fat content per serve from 29.6g to 15g and save 112.2 kilojoules per serve</p>
<p><strong>2. Ditch the lard</strong>. Swap the lard for butter to save 15g of total fat per serve. This may change the texture of the quiche slightly but it will reduce the kilojoules </p>
<p><strong>3. Use feta</strong>. Swap the cheddar cheese for feta cheese, which has fewer kilojoules per gram</p>
<p><strong>4. Add extra veggies</strong>. This increases the fibre content of the quiche and adds loads of extra nutrients. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>Correction: This story has been updated to price butter at $3.70 per 250 grams. An error was made in the original calculation.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204100/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lauren Ball works for The University of Queensland and receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council. She is a Director of Dietitians Australia, a Director of the Darling Downs and West Moreton Primary Health Network and an Associate Member of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emily Burch works for Southern Cross University.</span></em></p>
Coronation Quiche may be fit for a king. But with a few tweaks, can be made to suit your budget. Hint: store-bought pastry is cheaper.
Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland
Emily Burch, Dietitian, Researcher & Lecturer, Southern Cross University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/198337
2023-01-24T06:16:08Z
2023-01-24T06:16:08Z
Five non-alcoholic cocktails to take you past dry January
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505848/original/file-20230123-20-o3h1ni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5217%2C3206&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/alcohol-cocktails-standing-on-bar-row-1019383378">Mateusz Gzik/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>More people, particularly young people, are opting to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220920-why-gen-zers-are-growing-up-sober-curious">drink less or are cutting it out all together</a>. This change in habits has inspired a healthy industry of non-alcoholic distillates offering reasonable substitutes for gin, rum and whisky, to be stirred up in “mocktails”.</p>
<p>But despite the recent emergence of non-alcoholic spirits and beers as a burgeoning new category, this idea has actually been around for nearly two centuries.</p>
<p>Early “temperance” drinks – such as the Milk and Seltzer, Orgeat Lemonade, and a soda cocktail laced with Angostura bitters – worked well on menus created by famed 19th-century barmen <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/31/dining/31cock.html">Jerry “The Professor” Thomas</a> and <a href="http://www.euvs.org/pdf/HarryJohnson.pdf">Harry “The Dean” Johnson</a>. Prohibition in the US ushered in a new style of non-alcoholic sippables and imbued creative flair in this category, which remained popular well into the cocktail party heydays of the 1960s.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A book cover featuring an outline of a person drinking." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505861/original/file-20230123-7721-u5ynf8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505861/original/file-20230123-7721-u5ynf8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1029&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505861/original/file-20230123-7721-u5ynf8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1029&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505861/original/file-20230123-7721-u5ynf8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1029&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505861/original/file-20230123-7721-u5ynf8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1293&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505861/original/file-20230123-7721-u5ynf8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505861/original/file-20230123-7721-u5ynf8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1293&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">By bartender Harry Craddock, the book sought to popularise American cocktail culture in the UK.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Chump Change</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Even if you’ve never gone on the wagon or taken an oath of sobriety, you may find non-alcoholic drinks surprisingly enjoyable. Here are five historical alcohol-free cocktails to try at home:</p>
<p><strong>1. Parson’s Special</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.diffordsguide.com/encyclopedia/2345/people/harry-craddock">Harry Craddock</a>, the British barman who promoted American cocktail culture in London during the 1920s and ’30s, presided over the American Bar at The Savoy Hotel. Craddock was known for serving the rich and famous hundreds of cocktail concoctions. </p>
<p>In his seminal compilation <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-savoy-cocktail-book/harry-craddock/9781640321083">The Savoy Cocktail Book</a>, published in 1930, he offered a creamy fruit treat called the Parson’s Special. The drink looks deceptively like a Brandy Alexander when served in a small old-fashioned glass.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Ingredients</strong>
240 ml freshly-squeezed orange juice<br>
1 egg yolk<br>
1-2 dashes fresh grenadine </p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Method</strong>
Shake the juice, yolk and grenadine vigorously over ice. Strain into a small old-fashioned or rocks glass.</p>
<p><strong>2. Keep Sober</strong></p>
<p>Craddock also devised a long drink for customers abstaining from the popular Collinses, Rickeys and Highballs of the day. The Keep Sober appears in The Savoy Cocktail Book too. A rose-tinted, citrusy refreshment, it’s a good alternative for gin-and-tonic lovers.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Ingredients</strong><br>
10 ml fresh grenadine<br>
10 ml lemon syrup<br>
150 ml tonic water</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Method</strong>
Combine grenadine, syrup and water in an ice-filled highball glass. Stir with a spoon and serve.</p>
<p><strong>3. Orgeat Fizz</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.diffordsguide.com/encyclopedia/2881/people/trader-vic">Victor J Bergeron Jr</a> was a Californian restaurateur who packed up his bags and headed to Havana, Cuba during the early 1930s in search of inspiration for his food and drink menus. When he returned in 1934 to open the first Trader Vic’s, he pioneered a new era in Caribbean- and Polynesian-style cuisine.</p>
<p>As one of the kings of Tiki, Vic crafted dozens of simple, tropical-style beverages. His Orgeat Fizz, featured in his 1947 book Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide, serves up two key components of classic Tiki drinks in one glass: orgeat syrup and fresh lime juice.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Ingredients</strong><br>
45 ml orgeat syrup<br>
Juice of half of a lime<br>
Club soda</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Method</strong>
Pour orgeat syrup and lime juice into a highball glass filled with ice. Fill the glass with club soda. Stir with a spoon and serve.</p>
<p><strong>4. Tea Punch</strong></p>
<p>For something loaded with flavour and colour, Trader Vic came up with his own non-alcoholic answer to a Long Island Iced Tea, which also appeared in his 1947 bartender’s guide. His Tea Punch transforms a regular iced tea into a fruity delight that serves a party of eight.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Ingredients</strong><br>
750 ml strong black tea<br>
1 litre fresh orange juice<br>
250 ml fresh lemon or lime juice<br>
500 ml raspberry syrup<br>
250 ml crushed pineapple
2 litres sparkling water
Caster sugar to taste</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Method</strong>
Pour tea, juices, syrup and pineapple over a block of ice in a punch bowl. Let chill. Just before serving, pour in 2 litres of sparkling water.</p>
<p><strong>5. Mandarin Punch</strong></p>
<p>Probably the most elaborate drink a teetotaller or temporary abstainer could ever serve to guests is Trader Vic’s Mandarin Punch, which also appeared in his 1947 bartending classic. A complex blend of fruits and spices, this punch recipe amuses with surprise bursts of flavour and aroma that will make any occasion a celebration. This recipe serves eight.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Ingredients</strong><br>
500 ml caster sugar<br>
24 whole cloves<br>
2 stocks of cinnamon<br>
125 ml water<br>
500 ml fresh orange juice<br>
125 ml fresh lime juice<br>
3 drops spearmint oil<br>
1 tsp chopped, candied ginger root<br>
1 bunch fresh spearmint, finely chopped
Sparkling water to taste</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Method</strong>
Simmer the sugar, cloves, cinnamon and water in a small saucepan for ten minutes. Let cool. Pour into a punch bowl with a block of ice. Add the juices, oil, ginger root and spearmint. Stir. Add sparkling water to taste and serve.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198337/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anistatia Renard Miller does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
More people are choosing sobriety than ever, but there is a storied history of non-alcoholic cocktails.
Anistatia Renard Miller, PhD in History, University of Bristol
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/195994
2022-12-14T16:05:58Z
2022-12-14T16:05:58Z
Five historical hot cocktails that are perfect for cold weather
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499032/original/file-20221205-18-vtlbba.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C28%2C1000%2C738&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An illustration from Charles Dickens's Bleak House of men drink hot toddys.</span> </figcaption></figure><p>It is cold outside and there’s nothing quite like a hot drink to warm the cockles. In the history of British mixed concoctions, there are arguably more hot drinks than cold for one simple reason: central heating was not <a href="https://www.museumofthehome.org.uk/explore/stories-of-home/how-central-heating-changed-our-lives/">ubiquitous in the UK until the late 20th century</a>. Before that, cold drinks were something of a novelty unless you frequented American bars, which specialised in iced drinks.</p>
<p>Here are five historical warming sips from Britain to see you through the bright lights of the holidays and the dark days of winter.</p>
<p><strong>1. Tom and Jerry</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An illustration of people dancing." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499029/original/file-20221205-17-mgj0xb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499029/original/file-20221205-17-mgj0xb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499029/original/file-20221205-17-mgj0xb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499029/original/file-20221205-17-mgj0xb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499029/original/file-20221205-17-mgj0xb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499029/original/file-20221205-17-mgj0xb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499029/original/file-20221205-17-mgj0xb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The drink Tom and Jerry was first mentioned in Pierce Egan’s London magazine serial.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_and_Jerry,_or_Life_in_London#/media/File:Tom-and-Jerry-Cruikshank.png">Wikimedia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pierce-Egan-the-Elder">Sportswriter Pierce Egan</a> is credited with this precursor to the modern egg nog. It appeared in 1821 in his monthly serial Life in London, or <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Life+in+London%2C+or+The+Day+and+Night+Scenes+of+Jerry+Hawthorn+Esq.+and+his+Elegant+Friend+Corinthian+Tom&oq=Life+in+London%2C+or+The+Day+and+Night+Scenes+of+Jerry+Hawthorn+Esq.+and+his+Elegant+Friend+Corinthian+Tom&aqs=chrome..69i57.425j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn Esq. and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom</a>, which was adapted for the stage that same year. </p>
<p>The drink seemed to follow the play’s success as it traversed from London’s West End to New York’s Broadway in 1823. It was recognised as a Christmas classic in 1843 when it was revered in <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=OyIZAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false">The Symbol, and Odd Fellow’s Magazine</a> as a more refined version of “a long concocted beverage”, <a href="https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/761/flip-cocktail-generic-recipe">the Flip</a>. It might seem a bit fiddly to make, but the result is worth the extra effort.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Ingredients for batter mix (makes about 40 servings):</strong><br>
3 eggs (whites and yolks separated)<br>
15 ml rum
½ tsp cinnamon<br>
1/8 tsp ground clove<br>
1/8 tsp allspice<br>
1/8 tsp creme of tartar<br>
1/8 tsp vanilla extract<br>
120 ml caster sugar</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Method:</strong> In one bowl, beat the egg whites to a stiff froth. In another bowl beat the yolks until they are as thin as water. </p>
<p>Mix yolks and whites and add the rum and spices. Thicken with sugar until the mixture attains the consistence of a light batter. </p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Ingredients for one serving:</strong><br>
60ml of Irish whiskey<br>
Milk of choice<br>
Grated nutmeg </p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>To make one serving:</strong> Combine one tablespoonful of Tom and Jerry batter with Irish whiskey in a coffee mug. Fill the mug with hot milk. Garnish with a little grated nutmeg. </p>
<p><strong>2. Gin Twist</strong></p>
<p>Among the most popular gin drinks during London’s severe winter of 1822, Gin Twist was immortalised in several poems published in London newspapers. One such poem comprised <a href="https://dvpp.uvic.ca/poems/blackwoods/1822/pom_9892_a_twistimony_in_favour_of.html">149 lines</a> with each stanza comparing the tipple with other popular drinks at the time, such as this one about rum:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Ye Bailies of Glasgow! Wise men of the West!<br>
Without your rum bowls, you’d look certainly tristes;
Yet I laugh when I’m told, that liquor so cold
Is as good as a foaming hot jug of gin-twist.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It is a remarkably simple drink made with gin, sugar, water and lemon juice, plus a lemon twist garnish to prove the concoction was made with fresh lemon juice – a true luxury back then. The Gin Twist still offers a superior drink today.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong><br>
50 ml gin<br>
25 ml simple syrup (or a tablespoon of white sugar)<br>
25 ml fresh lemon juice<br>
75-100ml boiling water</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Method:</strong> Combine ingredients in a teacup or Irish coffee mug. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.</p>
<p><strong>3. Dog’s Nose</strong></p>
<p>This might seem an odd combination to a modern palate more accustomed to sugary mixers such as cola or tonic water, but the blend of porter or stout, gin, and brown sugar or dark treacle makes for a remarkably good winter sip. The Dog’s Nose first emerged in Charles Dickens’s 1836 book <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Pickwick-Papers">The Pickwick Papers</a>.</p>
<p>Thereafter, the potion was frequently mentioned in newspapers and magazines for nearly a century before its popularity waned. Served at Victorian-era room temperature or heated with a loggerhead (a red-hot poker heated in the fireplace), this drink warms both the heart and soul as the wintry snows settle on the ground.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VrJCUOr2UI8?wmode=transparent&start=28" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong><br>
25 ml gin
100 ml porter or stout
10 ml dark treacle</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Method:</strong> Combine gin and treacle in a rocks glass or tumbler. Stir to dissolve the treacle. Add the porter and stir gently once more. Warm in a microwave if you want to make the heated version.</p>
<p><strong>4. Smoking Bishop</strong></p>
<p>When Ebenezer Scrooge finally came to his senses in Dickens’s 1843 novella A Christmas Carol, he said to Bob Cratchit with a smile:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We will discuss your affairs this very afternoon, over a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop, Bob!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There is a bit of mystery to this drink’s origins. While Dickens appears to have added the “smoking” to the name, the English literary critic George Saintsbury hypothesised in his <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/notes-on-a-cellar-book/george-saintsbury/thomas-pinney/9780520253520">1920 Notes on a Cellar-Book</a> that it was born at Oxford University.</p>
<p>Its earliest mention is in the 1827 edition of <a href="https://euvslibrary.com/?p=347">Oxford Nightcaps</a>, the first British book devoted to drink recipes. That book calls it a traditional drink and cites its origins in antiquity – and its rich, spicy tones and imported ingredients may have indeed made it a favourite among the elite in late medieval England.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong><br>
6 Seville oranges<br>
115 g caster sugar<br>
1 bottle Portuguese red wine<br>
1 bottle port<br>
whole cloves </p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Method:</strong> Stud the oranges with cloves and roast them in a small metal bowl or baking tray until they are golden brown. Deglaze the roasting pan with wine. Combine the remaining ingredients with the roasted oranges in a pot, and simmer covered on a low heat for about 20 minutes. Optionally, you can also press the oranges in the pot and sieve the liquid before serving.</p>
<p><strong>5. Brandy Toddy</strong></p>
<p>To heat drinks before microwaves, many landlords opted for a loggerhead which took a Toddy from a cold drink to a boiling hot one in five seconds. Heated with a loggerhead, the toddy acquires a distinctive taste since the heat from the loggerhead is so intense it caramelises the sugars in the drink and fills the room with the aroma of toasting marshmallows. </p>
<p>You can occasionally find a loggerhead on Etsy or eBay mislabelled as a “fire poker”. The dramatic effect of heating a toddy with this antique device is a holiday visual treat, but they are quite dangerous so I advise caution. Here we recommend making this warming winter nightcap the modern way.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong><br>
1 tsp caster sugar<br>
60 ml brandy or cognac<br>
60 ml boiling water </p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Method:</strong> Pour brandy or cognac into a coffee mug. Add sugar and water. Stir to dissolve.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195994/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anistatia Renard Miller does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Recipes inspired by the social scene of 1800s London or which made their first appearance in a Dickens novel.
Anistatia Renard Miller, PhD in History, University of Bristol
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/185552
2022-07-14T13:51:14Z
2022-07-14T13:51:14Z
Amazing ting: South Africa must reinvigorate sorghum as a key food before it’s lost
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/472489/original/file-20220705-17-8z9t8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sorghum.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dusty Pixel photography/GettyImages</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The world’s <a href="https://www.futureoffood.ox.ac.uk/what-food-system">food systems</a> have developed in a way that is not serving health and sustainability. </p>
<p>People are increasingly eating industrially produced foods that are low in nutrients and high in fats and sugars. For example, in South Africa between 2005 and 2010, sales of snack bars, ready meals and noodles all rose by <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001253">more than 40%</a>. These are associated with <a href="https://ipes-food.org/_img/upload/files/Health_FullReport(1).pdf">increasing levels</a> of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases like diabetes. </p>
<p>The diets of people living in poverty are typically monotonous, <a href="https://www.unicef.org/southafrica/media/551/file/ZAF-First-1000-days-brief-2017.pdf">dominated by</a> refined cereals with impacts on nutrition, especially for children. Healthy diets <a href="https://foodsecurity.ac.za/news/healthy-diet-remains-unaffordable-for-most-south-africans/">remain unaffordable</a> for most South Africans. </p>
<p>The way food is produced, processed and transported also has environmental impacts. Among these are loss of biodiversity, high levels of water extraction and greenhouse gas emissions. </p>
<p>At the heart of the food system’s problems is a lack of diversity. Power is consolidated in the hands of a few mega-corporations. Growing single crops in a big area makes them susceptible to shocks. And the world relies on four main staple crops – <a href="https://croplife.org/news/beyond-the-big-four-staple-crops-around-the-world/">wheat, rice, maize and soybean</a> – to meet most food needs. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/russia-ukraine-crisis-highlights-africas-need-to-diversify-its-wheat-sources-181173">Russia-Ukraine crisis highlights Africa's need to diversify its wheat sources</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There have been widespread calls for the food system to change. The question is how. </p>
<p>In our research project on <a href="https://shefsglobal.lshtm.ac.uk/">sustainable and healthy food systems</a>, we set out to explore some options. We looked at the South African, English and Indian food systems and how they could become more sustainable, healthy and fair. In particular we explored how to make these systems more diverse by growing local and indigenous foods.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/8/3493">We found</a> that the benefits and value of indigenous foods in the African context have not been fully understood. Knowledge of how to use these foods is being lost from one generation to the next. </p>
<p>So we decided to do a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15528014.2021.1984631">deep dive</a> into one specific crop indigenous to the African continent: sorghum. In South Africa it’s also known by names like <em>ting ya mabele</em> and <em>amazimba</em>.</p>
<h2>Following the ting</h2>
<p>Sorghum is one of the most important cereal grains for food consumption in Africa. Africa is the world regional leader in total production of sorghum at <a href="https://one.oecd.org/document/ENV/JM/MONO(2016)27/en/pdf#page=15">25.6 million tonnes</a>, but it has the average lowest yield at 967 kilograms per hectare. It is indigenous to the continent’s savannas and there is <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/359721a0">archaeological evidence</a> in the Sahara of the use of sorghum dating back 8,000 years. </p>
<p>Sorghum is <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/2305/lost-crops-of-africa-volume-i-grains">as nutritious</a> as maize and has high drought tolerance. This makes it a resilient option for farmers to plant under <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jac.12191">changing</a> climatic conditions. </p>
<p>Sorghum also has traditional significance. <a href="https://nationalmuseumpublications.co.za/umqombothi-our-african-beer/"><em>Umqombothi</em> or <em>utshwala</em></a> is a beer traditionally made from maize and sorghum by the family matriarch for special occasions. As well as traditional beer, the Tswana people of South Africa <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168160511004260?via%3Dihub">also make</a> a fermented porridge (<em>ting ya mabele</em>) from sorghum. </p>
<p>Despite these benefits and traditional significance, production of sorghum in South Africa <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2022.786151/full">has declined</a>, with a peak of around 700,000 tonnes in the 1980s to a low of 100,000 in the later 2010s.</p>
<p>There is also a need to overcome its perception as a backward or “poor man’s food” and its association with drunkenness, which was reinforced during <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/history-apartheid-south-africa">apartheid</a> to denigrate indigenous food and traditional practices.</p>
<p>From <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15528014.2021.1984631">encounters</a> with a range of South Africans connected through sorghum by either its consumption, processing or production, we learned of <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2022.786151/full">three key interventions</a> that could be made to reinvigorate this food. They involve availability, affordability and appeal.</p>
<h2>New life for sorghum</h2>
<p>There is a need to focus research on improving sorghum production in collaboration with small scale farmers to allow them to adapt to new local conditions under climate change. This can also improve yields to be more competitive with maize, which has globally received a lot more research funding for crop improvement.</p>
<p>Making sorghum a zero-rated tax foodstuff so that it can compete with maize on the shelf could make it more competitive. As a rough comparison, the cheapest house brand mabele meal product in one retailer’s online store is R26.99 (US$1.58) for 2kg, whereas a brand of maizemeal is R22.49 (US$1.32) for 2.5kg. </p>
<h2>Innovation meets tradition</h2>
<p>Another important intervention is around product innovation and, through this, increase in demand, to offer a more guaranteed market to farmers. Once local production can be increased, this should reduce dependence on sorghum imports. As a respondent in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2022.786151/full">our research</a> said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If sorghum can be bought at the same price as maize, then people will start to shift their consumption because of its health benefits and because its indigenous heritage has marketing potential.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another respondent said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>You need to create aspirational products. It shouldn’t be considered poor man’s food – if you ask many people in (South Africa) about sorghum, they come up with two associations: beer and the ‘drunk uncle’; and poor man’s food, ‘porridge’.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Sorghum products – newly developed ones and reconfigurations of traditional gastronomy – must meet modern consumers’ need for convenience and aspirational preferences. Then there could be a revolution in the sorghum market. Public procurement of sorghum, for example in schools, could not only teach children about these crops, but provide a more diversified and healthy diet – while enabling a market for farmers. As a third respondent told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Most people have a positive story about sorghum – we need to tap into tradition and culture … People remember things – what grandmother would eat. There is a lot of marketing in the stories – it’s tradition. It’s gogo (grandmother). </p>
</blockquote>
<p><em>Ting ya mabele</em> is now registered on <a href="https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/ting-ya-mabele/">Slow Food’s Ark of Taste</a>. This features a collection of artisanal products steeped in culture, but also at risk of extinction as the traditional practices upon which they are based are lost or the species from which they are made become endangered. </p>
<p>The potential loss of sorghum from the South African food system has implications not only for climate adaptation and agro-biodiversity, but for nutrition security, cultural practices and a sense of identity.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15528014.2021.1984631">Our research</a> highlights that a strong cultural link to sorghum remains in South Africa. If an enabling policy environment for research and innovation could be broadly interpreted, this might invigorate a richer engagement with sorghum. Not just as a commodity, but as a culturally significant food that could help build resilience in local food systems.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185552/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laura Pereira receives funding from the Wellcome Trust through the Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems
(SHEFS) Project Grant number-205200/Z/16/Z); the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), which is carried out with support from the CGIAR Trust Fund and through bilateral funding agreements (See <a href="https://ccafs.cgiar.org/donors">https://ccafs.cgiar.org/donors</a>); the National Research Foundation of South Africa (Grant Number 115300); the Swedish Research Council FORMAS Project No 2020-00670; the Exxaro Chairman's fund and the Future Ecosystems For Africa programme at the University of the Witwatersrand in partnership with Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation
</span></em></p>
Known as ting or amazimba, indigenous sorghum is resilient and rich in cultural and health benefits – yet crops are declining.
Laura Pereira, Associate professor, Global Change Institute, University of the Witwatersrand
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/176736
2022-03-06T12:15:19Z
2022-03-06T12:15:19Z
Top 3 reasons to add plant-based proteins into your diet
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447544/original/file-20220221-27-1h8t1z4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=141%2C0%2C4138%2C2765&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Meatless Monday inspiration: Lentil bolognese, from the Guelph Family Health Study's plant-based proteins cookbook.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Social by Nature)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Fostering sustainable food systems is an <a href="https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/eat-lancet-commission-summary-report/">urgent global priority</a>. <a href="https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/eat-lancet-commission-summary-report/">Sustainable diets</a> are a part of food systems with important implications for human and environmental health. </p>
<p>While definitions of sustainable diets are still evolving, increasing plant-based protein consumption is a common theme among recommendations, including <a href="https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/healthy-eating-recommendations/make-it-a-habit-to-eat-vegetables-fruit-whole-grains-and-protein-foods/eat-protein-foods/">Canada’s Dietary Guidelines</a> and the <a href="https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/eat-lancet-commission-summary-report/">EAT-Lancet Report</a>. </p>
<p>Plant-based proteins are protein-containing foods that come from plants instead of animals. Common plant-based proteins include foods such as beans, nuts, seeds and tofu. </p>
<p>Despite this increased global and national focus on sustainability, not very many of us are eating a sustainable diet — only <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980020003444">five per cent of Canadians have indicated that they follow a plant-based diet</a> and <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2018004-eng.htm">just 14 per cent of Canadians</a> reported eating legumes on any particular day. </p>
<h2>Benefits of eating more plant proteins</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449867/original/file-20220303-6135-1udjoft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A snack bar on a square white plate" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449867/original/file-20220303-6135-1udjoft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449867/original/file-20220303-6135-1udjoft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449867/original/file-20220303-6135-1udjoft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449867/original/file-20220303-6135-1udjoft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449867/original/file-20220303-6135-1udjoft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449867/original/file-20220303-6135-1udjoft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449867/original/file-20220303-6135-1udjoft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Homemade chocolate chip puff bars are a delicious source of fibre and protein, without the extra sugar and salt that is often found in processed snack foods.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Social by Nature)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Adding more plant-based proteins to your diet can provide multiple benefits. Key among these include:</p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>Improving your health</strong>. Canada’s Dietary Guidelines recommend eating plant-based proteins, which tend to contain higher quantities of fibre and lower amounts of unhealthy fats compared to animal-based foods. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2020.11.007">Research shows</a> that plant-based protein intake is associated with a reduced risk of death from cancer, heart disease and all causes.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Improving the health of the planet</strong>. Eating more plant-based proteins can also help protect the environment. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(18)30206-7">For example</a>, in high-income countries like Canada, consuming a balanced, low-meat diet can reduce the environmental impacts of the food system by lowering emissions of greenhouse gases, use of nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers, and use of land and water. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Reducing your grocery bill</strong>. According to the <a href="https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/sites/agri-food/Food%20Price%20Report%20-%20EN%202022.pdf">Canada Food Price Report 2022</a>, the cost of food is predicted to rise by five to seven per cent this year. Although food prices vary across Canada, plant-based proteins such as beans and tofu are typically more cost-effective compared to animal-based proteins like red meat. By purchasing plant-based proteins more often, you may reduce your grocery bill despite the rising costs of food. </p></li>
</ol>
<h2>Where to start?</h2>
<p>If plant-based eating is associated with significant benefits, why aren’t we consuming more plant-based foods? While there are many factors that influence eating habits, a key barrier relates to food literacy. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2021-0414">Our research</a> shows that people are unsure how to prepare plant-based proteins. </p>
<p>To address this barrier, we developed a cookbook to support Canadian families in replacing some of their animal-based proteins with plant-based proteins. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449868/original/file-20220303-23-gb9lyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Tukey chili in a white bowl" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449868/original/file-20220303-23-gb9lyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449868/original/file-20220303-23-gb9lyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449868/original/file-20220303-23-gb9lyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449868/original/file-20220303-23-gb9lyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449868/original/file-20220303-23-gb9lyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449868/original/file-20220303-23-gb9lyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449868/original/file-20220303-23-gb9lyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Turkey chili: Chicken and turkey are leaner proteins and contain less unhealthy fat than most red meats.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Social by Nature)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our free online cookbook, <a href="https://guelphfamilyhealthstudy.com/cookbooks/"><em>Plant-based proteins: Recipes made easy-peasy!</em></a>, was created in collaboration with Health Canada, George Brown College and the Canadian Nutrition Society. The first section of the cookbook is an educational resource that provides information about plant-based proteins. The second half includes delicious, easy to prepare, family-friendly recipes. </p>
<p>While some recipes are solely plant-based, others introduce plant-based proteins alongside animal-based foods, ensuring that there are recipes everyone will enjoy!</p>
<p>Tips from our cookbook that may help you to start adding more plant-based proteins into your diet include:</p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>Try a “Meatless Monday</strong>.” Meatless Mondays can be helpful for starting your plant-based journey by encouraging you to plan one day a week when you try a plant-based meal. Check out our lentil Bolognese pasta recipe for inspiration.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Add some plant-based proteins alongside more familiar animal-based foods</strong>. This is a helpful approach for those who hope to try to eat more plant-based foods without completely removing meat from their meals. For example, our beef and bean burger is a tasty option that provides both animal protein and plant-based goodness. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Replace highly processed snack foods with a plant-based option</strong>. Homemade snacks like our chocolate chip puff bars are a delicious source of fibre and protein, without the extra sugar and salt that is often found in processed snack foods. The fibre and plant-based protein in our puff bars will help keep you feeling full and satisfied between meals. They are sure to be a lunch box favourite!</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Replace red meat with more environmentally friendly animal protein</strong>, like chicken or turkey. <a href="https://static.ewg.org/reports/2011/meateaters/pdf/methodology_ewg_meat_eaters_guide_to_health_and_climate_2011.pdf?_ga=2.235548481.134140016.1644622780-1537055229.1644622779">The carbon emissions</a> from chicken and turkey production are much lower than those of their red meat counterparts. Not only are these proteins better for the planet, they are also better for our bodies. Chicken and turkey are leaner proteins and contain less unhealthy fat than most red meats. Give turkey a try and warm up with a big batch of turkey chili. Leftovers can be frozen for a quick meal on a busy day. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Finding strategies that can work in your home to increase plant-based proteins can be a delicious and easy way to improve your health and the health of the planet, as well as to save money at the grocery store.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176736/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine Eckert receives scholarship funding from the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jess Haines receives funding from Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Danone Institute International, and Public Health Agency of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Wedde does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Why is plant-based eating important? There are health, environmental and financial benefits of plant-based diets. Here are some great ways to start eating more plant-based foods.
Katherine Eckert, Ph.D. Candidate & Registered Dietitian , University of Guelph
Jess Haines, Associate Professor of Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph
Sarah Wedde, MSc Candidate & Registered Dietitian, University of Guelph
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/171693
2021-11-16T18:57:28Z
2021-11-16T18:57:28Z
Paella given official cultural recognition – what this new status means for the iconic dish
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431958/original/file-20211115-19-9eo60o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C24%2C5347%2C3541&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/classic-dish-spain-seafood-paella-traditional-1879727512">Elena Eryomenko / Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Paella – the <a href="https://www.comunitatvalenciana.com/en/gastronomic-tourism/recipes/paella-valenciana-en-">iconic Valencian</a> rice dish made with fish, meat or vegetables – has been officially recognised for its cultural importance. In October, the local government in the Valencia region of Spain declared paella an <a href="https://english.elpais.com/culture/2021-11-12/paella-gets-protected-status-as-part-of-valencias-cultural-heritage.html">Asset of Intangible Cultural Interest</a>. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://dogv.gva.es/es/resultat-dogv?signatura=2021/11298&L=1">decree of recognition</a> acknowledges the tradition and cultural significance of the preparation and tasting of paella, describing the dish as representative of “the art of joining and sharing”. It establishes a series of <a href="https://www.pressreader.com/spain/costa-levante-news/20211105/281895891472054">safeguarding measures</a>, including the identification, description, study and documentation of paella so that its recipe can be passed on to future generations. </p>
<p>Curiously enough, the decree <a href="https://www.bullfrag.com/paella-is-already-an-asset-of-intangible-cultural-interest-but-the-norm-does-not-dare-to-define-a-specific-recipe-2/">explains</a> that different ingredients can be used for the making of paella, acknowledging that there are several versions of the recipe and methods of preparation. The decree mentions rice as the necessary ingredient to properly make the dish, and gives <a href="https://www.kiratas.com/paella-is-already-an-asset-of-cultural-interest-the-rice-is-put-in-a-cross-it-is-not-stirred-and-it-is-best-eaten-with-a-spoon/">recommendations</a> on how it should be added and cooked.</p>
<p>The recognition follows the request of the Valencia City Council <a href="https://newsrnd.com/life/2021-04-07-the-valencian-government-wants-to-declare-the-paella-a-site-of-cultural-interest.Sks3r_iB_.html">presented</a> back in <a href="https://boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?lang=en&id=BOE-A-2021-8509">April</a> and <a href="https://www.archyde.com/valencian-paella-is-already-an-asset-of-intangible-cultural-interest/">backed by local politicians</a>. It was intended to protect paella’s rich history and tradition, after many years of variations on the recipe and <a href="https://reason.com/2017/01/02/rob-schneiders-paella-and-the-mortal-sin/">controversies</a> over its preparation. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/04/jamie-olivers-paella-chorizo-brings-fractured-spain-together-against-him">inclusion of chorizo sausage</a> in paella is one such controversial variation, as was UK supermarket Tesco’s limited edition <a href="https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2017/11/08/crumbs-uks-paella-sandwich-is-panned-in-spain-but-the-story-is-stale">paella sandwich</a>.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.web24.news/u/2021/11/paella-the-art-of-uniting-and-sharing-is-already-an-official-intangible-cultural-interest-asset.html">origin</a> of paella, first a food for farmers and peasants, dates back hundreds of years. An 18th-century manuscript <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/10/paella-icon-of-the-mediterranean-diet-given-protected-status">refers</a> to paella or “Valencian rice”, explaining techniques for making this dish and clarifying that the rice has to end up dry. Paella acquired international recognition at the beginning of the 20th century, especially as the Valencia region started to attract tourists.</p>
<h2>Next steps</h2>
<p>This recognition may be the first step of a broader process which could finally <a href="https://www.comunitatvalenciana.com/en/news/paella-on-the-way-to-becoming-a-world-heritage-site">turn paella into</a> an item of <a href="https://ich.unesco.org/en/lists">Unesco Intangible Heritage</a>. Other musical, artistic and gastronomic cultural expressions have been protected under this scheme, including <a href="http://www.spainisculture.com/en/genero_escenico/flamenco.html">Flamenco music</a>, the <a href="http://www.spainisculture.com/en/propuestas_culturales/dieta_mediterranea.html">Mediterranean diet</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42264437">Neapolitan pizza</a>.</p>
<p>This would take the recognition which has just been given in the Valencian region to a more global level. The endorsement of a prestigious organisation like Unesco (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) would be important. The message that “authentic” paella is made according to certain quality standards would be amplified internationally. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dy1o7xZjjbY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Heritage protection, both at local and international level, certainly strengthens the significance that an object or a practice has in the life of a community. This status can be used by traditional producers as a strong marketing tool to promote food which is prepared according to certain approved standards. </p>
<p>But it does not offer a monopoly over the use of a recipe or a name, as a patent or registration as geographical indication (for example, sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France) would do. Intangible heritage status does not give local producers in Valencia exclusive rights over the process of cooking paella or the use of the “paella” brand. This means that anyone wanting to produce and sell paella products can label them as such, even outside the Valencia region and Spain.</p>
<p>The intangible heritage status also does not stop people trademarking the term “paella”. In the EU, the trademarks “<a href="https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#details/trademarks/017333444">Authentic Paella way recipe</a>” or “<a href="https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#details/trademarks/016386741">Paella Rica autentico sabor</a>” have been registered by companies selling ready-made food products. These trademarks will continue to exist even after paella has obtained cultural heritage status in Spain and internationally.</p>
<h2>EU protection</h2>
<p>What could give paella a stronger legal protection is the registration as <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/food-safety-and-quality/certification/quality-labels/quality-schemes-explained_en">EU traditional speciality guaranteed</a> (TSG). Like recognition of cultural heritage, TSG registrations can be used by traditional paella makers (who follow the required standards) to better market and communicate the cultural value of their products.</p>
<p>TSG status would give an additional layer of (more substantive) protection, as opposed to national and Unesco intangible heritage awards. Specifically, traditional paella makers would be able to stop other people from misusing the paella name in a way which could confuse consumers.</p>
<p>One famous example of protected TSG is <a href="https://www.qualigeo.eu/en/product/mozzarella-tsg/">mozzarella</a> cheese. Such protection means that mozzarella sold in the EU needs to be produced according to a traditional recipe. Those who do not follow these rules can be prevented from labelling their product as mozzarella.</p>
<p>To obtain a TSG registration, it is necessary to demonstrate usage of the product on the domestic market for a period of no less than 30 years (this arguably guarantees transmission between generations). Paella would clearly meet this requirement. Other Spanish products have been given TSG status, including <a href="http://www.fundacionserrano.org/serrano-ham/tsg/tsg_701_3957_800_0_1_in.html">jamon Serrano</a> and <a href="https://www.foodswinesfromspain.com/spanishfoodwine/global/food/products/subproducts/PRG2017735835.html">tortas de aceite de Castilleja de la Cuesta</a>, both of which have benefited from this recognition. </p>
<p>Paella purists would also benefit from this additional protection. But in the meantime they should be content with relying on the recognition as an intangible cultural asset – one step at a time.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171693/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Symbolic recognition will boost the marketability of the Valencian delicacy.
Enrico Bonadio, Reader in Intellectual Property Law, City, University of London
Magali Contardi, PhD Candidate, Intellectual Property Law, Universidad de Alicante
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/127160
2019-11-26T14:26:33Z
2019-11-26T14:26:33Z
What to do with those Thanksgiving leftovers? Look to the French
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303518/original/file-20191125-74584-1bsviim.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=137%2C129%2C2175%2C1373&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Leftovers, as one French chef put it, 'can be as good as, if not better than, the first time they are served.'</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/half-eaten-turkey-carcass-on-blue-77204038?src=e3e515e0-b44d-4b0c-92de-10183888f5d9-5-66">Tom Grundy/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s the day after Thanksgiving, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/turning-to-turkeys-tryptophan-to-boost-mood-not-so-fast-125633">tryptophan</a> has worn off, and there are towers of <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-slag-to-swag-the-story-of-earl-tuppers-fantastic-plastics-100564">Tupperware</a> filled with turkey, stuffing and potatoes in your fridge.</p>
<p>If you rely on your microwave, you might simply resign yourself to eating the same meal, over and over again, until the leftovers run out.</p>
<p>But you don’t have to get stuck in a cycle of nuke and repeat. This Thanksgiving, take inspiration from the French, who saw leftovers as an outlet for creativity.</p>
<p>My research on the history of French home cooking reveals how restyling dinner scraps first became fashionable more than a century ago. </p>
<h2>Reheating ‘with art and discernment’</h2>
<p>In 19th-century France, leftovers were a way of life for the <a href="http://www.pur-editions.fr/detail.php?idOuv=3147">lower classes</a>. </p>
<p>In the countryside, the broth from the evening <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/pot-au-feu-convivial-familial-histoires-dun-mythe/oclc/300065944?referer=br&ht=edition">beef stew</a> would become the basis of breakfast the next morning. In cities, street hawkers known as “<a href="https://www.doi.org/10.3828/cfc.2017.22">arlequins</a>” purchased dinner scraps from restaurants and rich households to resell them to the poor. For these Frenchmen and -women, repurposing previous meals wasn’t about style but survival. Because of their association with poverty, leftovers were stigmatized up until the late 19th century. </p>
<p>But by the turn of the 20th century, it had become hip to whip something up with the remains from last night’s meal.</p>
<p>In 1892, French chef Alfred Suzanne wrote that “there are dishes which, when reheated with art and discernment, transformed with taste and presented in an appetizing manner… can be as good as, if not better than, the first time they are served.” In the preface to his encyclopedic cookbook, “<a href="https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb31422725c">150 Ways to Accommodate Leftovers</a>,” the former chef to British royalty declared that the “deep-seated prejudice that many people have” against leftovers was “an error.” </p>
<p>Suzanne’s colleagues and culinary connoisseurs concurred. French food critic <a href="https://data.bnf.fr/fr/12976931/fulbert-dumonteil/">Fulbert-Dumonteil</a> <a href="https://bibliotheques-specialisees.paris.fr/ark:/73873/pf0001775372?highlight=*&posInPage=3&bookmark=f517caa0-7a3a-4697-ab12-6c27958b14e0&queryid=00c849fa-28b9-439e-b3ad-ba0c462471c2&searchType=all">praised</a> the chef for explaining “all the ingenious and charming ways to restore mutilated bits and pieces from epic feasts” and turn “cumbersome remains” into something that delights the palate. </p>
<h2>Marketing to the masses</h2>
<p>Why did “leftovers” make the leap from insipid plates peddled by “arlequins” to inspired dishes perfected by culinary artists? </p>
<p>In 1882, France’s new republican government passed legislation <a href="https://www.gouvernement.fr/partage/8723-la-loi-jules-ferry-rend-l-enseignement-primaire-public-et-gratuit">mandating education</a> for all children ages 6 to 13. Many public schoolchildren came from the lower and lower-middle classes, and educators designed home economics lessons <a href="http://proxy.library.nyu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxy.library.nyu.edu/docview/304347150?accountid=12768.">with this in mind</a>. Girls learned how to preserve and prepare their leftovers safely, nutritiously and economically. They were also taught that their talent for accommodating leftovers was a reflection of their thrift and resourcefulness – <a href="https://www.sunypress.edu/p-757-schooling-the-daughters-of-mari.aspx">the markers of middle-class French femininity</a>. </p>
<p>As the percentage of literate females spiked in France, the publishing industry pounced on this potential market. The late 19th century saw more and more domestic manuals aimed at “ménagères” – wives and mothers from the working and lower-middle classes. Many guides featured a chapter on fixing leftovers, while some, such as “<a href="https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb312451543">100 Ways to Accommodate Leftovers</a>” and “<a href="https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb33247084h">The Art of Accommodating Leftovers, Dedicated to Those of Meager Means</a>,” made revamping remains their central focus.</p>
<h2>France’s top chefs join in</h2>
<p>In the 1890s top chefs also started to contribute recipes to domestic cooking magazines. This genre of culinary literature <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/All_Manners_of_Food.html?id=wdRnNPb8z3sC">proliferated</a> in the late 19th century during a period of rapid growth for the popular press. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303528/original/file-20191125-74557-1ti39yf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303528/original/file-20191125-74557-1ti39yf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303528/original/file-20191125-74557-1ti39yf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=744&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303528/original/file-20191125-74557-1ti39yf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=744&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303528/original/file-20191125-74557-1ti39yf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=744&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303528/original/file-20191125-74557-1ti39yf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=935&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303528/original/file-20191125-74557-1ti39yf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=935&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303528/original/file-20191125-74557-1ti39yf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=935&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">William Orpen’s ‘Le Chef de l'Hôtel Chatham, Paris’ (1921).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:William_Orpen_Le_Chef_de_l%27H%C3%B4tel_Chatham,_Paris.jpg">Royal Academy of Arts</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Chefs wanted to appeal to a wide audience, and their contributions ranged from columns on economical cooking to instructions for assembling “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi%C3%A8ce_mont%C3%A9e">pièces montées</a>,” which are elaborate edifices made of confections. Many of these journals designated a special section for accommodating leftovers, with titles like “Utilizing Leftovers” and “Delicious Ways to Accommodate the Scraps.”</p>
<p>The repetitive nomenclature belies the range of the recipes printed under these rubrics. Some were simple and modest and reflected the original rationale for leftovers, which was economical. </p>
<p>For example, a July 1907 recipe for “Lisette’s Cake” in the magazine <a href="https://data.bnf.fr/fr/32753419/la_cuisine_des_familles__paris_/">Family Cooking</a> offered a sweet solution for yesterday’s bread. The cook needed only to soak the loaf in sweetened milk, strain the mixture through a fine sieve, add two eggs and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. </p>
<p>But some recipes got complicated and costly. Family Cooking also published a leftovers recipe for “Veal à la Russe,” which required, in addition to veal chops, a quarter pound of butter, anchovies, tomato coulis, jus and truffles for garnish. The <a href="https://www.cordonbleu.edu/news/ouverture-ecole-paris/fr">Cordon Bleu Magazine</a> suggested repurposing leftover pheasant in a way that required an hour of boiling in fine <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demi-glace">demi-glace</a> and two hours of cooling on ice, before being pureed by hand, seasoned, molded and fried. </p>
<p>Such recipes would hardly qualify as time- or cost-saving. But practicality wasn’t the only point anymore. Scholars have shown how women at the turn of the century read popular and prescriptive literature as a “<a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Bourgeois_Consumption.html?id=unuhYgEACAAJ&source=kp_book_description">form of escapism</a>” that encouraged them to “<a href="https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=22400">fantasize</a>” about what modern domestic life could be. </p>
<p>By turning leftovers into an art form, early home cooking magazines inspired a modern generation of home cooks to be creative and think critically about cooking. And they left their legacy to us and our leftovers. </p>
<p>So this year, instead of scraping together another tiresome turkey sandwich, try <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/792/Untitled_2.pdf?1574698612">a turkey recipe</a> adapted from Alfred Suzanne’s “150 Ways to Accommodate Leftovers.”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303512/original/file-20191125-74580-md2vc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303512/original/file-20191125-74580-md2vc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303512/original/file-20191125-74580-md2vc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303512/original/file-20191125-74580-md2vc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303512/original/file-20191125-74580-md2vc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303512/original/file-20191125-74580-md2vc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=570&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303512/original/file-20191125-74580-md2vc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=570&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303512/original/file-20191125-74580-md2vc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=570&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A leftover turkey recipe adapted from Alfred Suzanne’s ‘150 Ways to Accommodate Leftovers.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Samantha Presnal</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>[ <em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklysmart">You can get our highlights each weekend</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127160/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samantha Presnal does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
It doesn’t have to be a week of tiresome turkey sandwiches. A food historian explains how the French came to see leftovers as an outlet for creativity and experimentation.
Samantha Presnal, Fellow, Center for Humanistic Inquiry, Amherst College
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/107967
2019-02-11T13:28:25Z
2019-02-11T13:28:25Z
Fried, steamed or toasted: here are the best ways to cook insects
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248679/original/file-20181204-126668-10gu4at.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Insects are nutritious and many species contain relatively more protein than conventional meat sources.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">CK Bangkok Photography/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>For thousands of years people from all over the world have eaten insects. Today about 2.5 billion people – many of whom live in Africa – eat insects. To date, 470 African edible insects <a href="https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2014.0016">have been</a> scientifically recorded, with grasshoppers and termites among some of the favourites. </p>
<p>There are many reasons why we should be eating insects. They support a “greener” lifestyle for meat eaters. Of the total greenhouse gases each year <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280545565_Mopane_worms">at least</a> 15% comes from livestock. For their part insects produce 1kg to 3kg less greenhouse gases per kilo. They also need between 40% and 80% less feed per kg than livestock and anywhere from 50% to 90% less acreage to produce one kg of protein than beef – depending on the insect species and farming method used. That’s great news in a world battling scarce land and water resources. </p>
<p>Insects are also nutritious. Many insect species contain relatively <a href="https://ac.els-cdn.com/S1364032111003625/1-s2.0-S1364032111003625-main.pdf?_tid=fb95aa57-834c-4e93-a940-2151d4b7f471&acdnat=1548666556_c19871fbccac5554d91df24c5356ce28">more</a> protein than conventional meat sources, like chicken or pork. Insects also contain essential fatty acids and important minerals and vitamins. For example termites, when dried, they contain up to 36% protein. </p>
<p>We need to rethink our diets and food habits, in particular those related to meat consumption. Because insects are an affordable and local food source rich in protein, they can be used as a meat replacement. To help in this, we put together <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280545565_Mopane_worms">a guide</a> on how insects can be eaten. To collect the most authentic, flavourful and varied recipes we visited villages in rural areas and spoke to local cooks about how to prepare their favourite specialties.</p>
<h2>Insect recipes</h2>
<p>It’s important to prepare the insects properly before eating:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Wash the insects</p></li>
<li><p>Boil, steam or fry them for at least five minutes</p></li>
<li><p>Eat the prepared insects directly after cooking</p></li>
<li><p>If not eaten immediately, the insects must be preserved. Either keep them in a fridge or freezer, or sun-dry them to preserve them. They can last for a few days. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>In the tropics, insects are mainly harvested in the wild so those steps are important. But some of these insects are now <a href="https://www.crunchycritters.com/">available</a> in Western supermarkets. Here are a few recipes to get you started: </p>
<p><strong>Termites</strong> (nemeneme)</p>
<p>Termites are one of the tastiest forms of protein available on the planet. Termites are best toasted or lightly fried until they are slightly crisp. Since their body is rich in oil, very little or no additional oil is needed. </p>
<p>Soldier termites can be coaxed from their tunnels by probing their mounds with long reeds which they clamp onto. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248677/original/file-20181204-126683-1ifdqt9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248677/original/file-20181204-126683-1ifdqt9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248677/original/file-20181204-126683-1ifdqt9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248677/original/file-20181204-126683-1ifdqt9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248677/original/file-20181204-126683-1ifdqt9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248677/original/file-20181204-126683-1ifdqt9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248677/original/file-20181204-126683-1ifdqt9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">khlungcenter/shutterstock.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>They can be preserved by dry frying in salt until they are crispy. They can then be made into a stew with tomato, onion and whatever spices you like. </p>
<p>Flying termites are traditionally caught by placing pots of water under lights, which attract them. </p>
<p><strong>Thief Ants (dinhlamakura)</strong></p>
<p>These huge black ants only appear above ground once a year, just after the first rains, when they leave their nests to mate, reproduce and start new underground colonies.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258824/original/file-20190213-181615-15uqwl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258824/original/file-20190213-181615-15uqwl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258824/original/file-20190213-181615-15uqwl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258824/original/file-20190213-181615-15uqwl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258824/original/file-20190213-181615-15uqwl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258824/original/file-20190213-181615-15uqwl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258824/original/file-20190213-181615-15uqwl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bernard Dupont/Wikimedia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Also called “big bottom” ants, they are prized for their rich taste. They can be eaten raw – their fat abdomens bitten off, discarding the head and legs. But they do very well as a fatty snack, like peanuts. For this, they should be lightly fried with salt. </p>
<p><strong>House cricket</strong> </p>
<p>Grilled house cricket snack:</p>
<p>These insects are great with sesame oil. Remove wings and mix them with a few drops before putting them under an oven grill for about ten minutes, until they become crispy. Another preparation is to fry the wingless crickets in a few drops of sesame or olive oil for about ten minutes until crispy. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248717/original/file-20181204-34157-3h2tp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248717/original/file-20181204-34157-3h2tp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248717/original/file-20181204-34157-3h2tp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248717/original/file-20181204-34157-3h2tp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248717/original/file-20181204-34157-3h2tp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248717/original/file-20181204-34157-3h2tp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248717/original/file-20181204-34157-3h2tp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Vitalii Hulai/shutterstock.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>House crickets and dates:</p>
<p>The crickets can also be used to stuff dates - a beautiful contrast with the sweet date and nutty insect. Cut the dates open from the side, remove the pit, and fill with fresh or frozen crickets. </p>
<p><strong>Caterpillars</strong> <em>(Cirina forda)</em></p>
<p>These caterpillars can be collected from <em>Burkea africana</em> trees, which are found <a href="http://pza.sanbi.org/burkea-africana">in most</a> African countries. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248680/original/file-20181204-126668-31dzvd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248680/original/file-20181204-126668-31dzvd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248680/original/file-20181204-126668-31dzvd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248680/original/file-20181204-126668-31dzvd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248680/original/file-20181204-126668-31dzvd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248680/original/file-20181204-126668-31dzvd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248680/original/file-20181204-126668-31dzvd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">WikiMedia.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When home, rinse with fresh water. Their innards need to be squeezed out – this is because they contain their food plant which is indigestible. Then boil them for 30 minutes in salted water. After boiling, spread them out on a tray and leave them in the sun. Allow them to bake in the sun for one or two days until crisp. If cooked over a fire they develop a distinct and tasty smoky flavour – like biltong.</p>
<p>They can then be eaten as a snack or prepared as a stew. To make the stew, fry them in oil with chill and garlic. Add tomato, onion and capsicum and allow them to stew for 15 minutes. They go really well with rice or <a href="https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/Pap_(food).html">pap</a>, a cornmeal porridge. </p>
<p><strong>Long-Horned Grasshopper</strong></p>
<p>These grasshoppers have long been part of the food culture in the Lake Victoria region of East Africa. They are most commonly green or brown. Collection is easy because the insects are attracted to light in the evenings.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248718/original/file-20181204-34148-68tmlm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248718/original/file-20181204-34148-68tmlm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248718/original/file-20181204-34148-68tmlm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248718/original/file-20181204-34148-68tmlm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248718/original/file-20181204-34148-68tmlm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248718/original/file-20181204-34148-68tmlm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248718/original/file-20181204-34148-68tmlm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Poppap pongsakorn/shutterstock.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Pull the wings off and eat them raw. But if you prefer to cook them, they can be either boiled or fried. </p>
<p><strong>Mopane worms</strong></p>
<p>After harvesting the mopane worms, squeeze out their guts starting from the head. Wash the mopane worms in cold water and then boil them for about 15 minutes. Add salt to taste. Allow them to cool and put them out in the sun for a few days, or smoke them until they are completely dry.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248720/original/file-20181204-34154-1gdr9u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248720/original/file-20181204-34154-1gdr9u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248720/original/file-20181204-34154-1gdr9u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248720/original/file-20181204-34154-1gdr9u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248720/original/file-20181204-34154-1gdr9u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248720/original/file-20181204-34154-1gdr9u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248720/original/file-20181204-34154-1gdr9u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">jbdodane/flickr.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Dried mopane worms can be eaten as snacks with or without porridge, or cooked again. To cook dried mopane worms; soak one cup of dried mopane worms in hot water for about 30 minutes. Rinse them in cold water. Put them in a pot with half a fried onion, 2 tomatoes, curry and green pepper. Add half a cup of water and a half teaspoon of soft salt, and mix. Boil for about 20 minutes. </p>
<p>Free of hormones, home grown, organic and free range; insects should be high on any health fanatic’s diet list.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/107967/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bronwyn Egan received funding from a government NRF grant to do the research on Blouberg Edible insects for her doctorate</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Martin Potgieter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Because insects are an affordable and local food source rich in protein, they can be used as a meat replacement.
Martin Potgieter, Professor, Department of Biodiversity, University of Limpopo
Bronwyn Egan, Associate lecturer, University of Limpopo
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/86293
2017-11-20T02:25:41Z
2017-11-20T02:25:41Z
A backlash against ‘mixed’ foods led to the demise of a classic American dish
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195227/original/file-20171117-19313-pzbofh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A drawing from the original edition of Lydia Maria Child's 'Flowers for Children,' which includes her famous Thanksgiving poem.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://archive.org/details/flowersforchildr00chil">Library of Congress</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>At the end of “Over the River and Through the Wood” – Lydia Maria Child’s <a href="https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/thanksgiving-day">classic Thanksgiving poem</a> – the narrator finally gets to his grandfather’s house for Thanksgiving dinner and settles down to eat. </p>
<p>“Hurrah for the fun!” the small boy exclaims. “Is the pudding done? Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!”</p>
<p>Pumpkin pie sounds familiar, but pudding? It seems like an odd choice to headline a description of a Thanksgiving dinner. Why was pudding the first dish on the boy’s mind, and not turkey or stuffing? </p>
<p>When Americans today think about pudding, most of us think of a sweet dessert, heavy on milk and eggs: rice pudding, bread pudding, chocolate pudding. Or we might associate it with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2ufnVD0hvI">Jell-O pudding mixes</a>. (When I was a child in the 1980s, I loved making pudding by shaking Jell-O instant pudding powder with milk in a plastic jug.) </p>
<p>For the most part, though, Americans today don’t think much about pudding at all. It’s become a small and rather forgettable subcategory. </p>
<p>That’s a dramatic change from the mid-19th century, the period when Child wrote “Over the River and Through the Wood” and when <a href="http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lincoln-proclaims-official-thanksgiving-holiday">Thanksgiving became a national holiday</a> under President Lincoln. Back then, virtually every American cookbook had a chapter devoted to puddings (sometimes two or three). </p>
<p>Pudding was important in Child’s poem because, when she wrote it, pudding was such an important part of American cuisine. </p>
<h2>From small budgets to banquets</h2>
<p>It’s not clear what kind of pudding Lydia Maria Child had in mind for her Thanksgiving poem because it was a remarkably elastic category. Pudding was such an umbrella term, in fact, it can be hard to define it at all.</p>
<p>Americans ate dessert puddings we would recognize today. But they also ate main course puddings like steak and kidney pudding, pigeon pudding or mutton pudding, where stewed meats were often surrounded by a flour or potato crust. Other puddings had no crust at all. Some, like Yorkshire pudding, were a kind of cooked batter. There were also green bean puddings, carrot puddings and dozens of other vegetable varieties. Puddings could be baked or steamed or boiled in a floured cloth. </p>
<p>Then there were other dishes called puddings that didn’t bear any resemblance whatsoever to what we mean by that word today. For example, apple pudding could be nothing more than a baked apple stuffed with leftover rice. Hasty pudding was essentially cornmeal mush. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195066/original/file-20171116-15448-1suum39.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195066/original/file-20171116-15448-1suum39.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195066/original/file-20171116-15448-1suum39.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=224&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195066/original/file-20171116-15448-1suum39.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=224&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195066/original/file-20171116-15448-1suum39.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=224&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195066/original/file-20171116-15448-1suum39.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195066/original/file-20171116-15448-1suum39.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195066/original/file-20171116-15448-1suum39.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A recipe for hasty pudding from ‘Smiley’s Cook Book and Universal Household Guide’ (1895).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://archive.org/stream/smileyscookbooku00smil/smileyscookbooku00smil#page/289/mode/1up/search/pudding">Library of Congress</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Puddings were also hard to define because they were consumed in so many different ways. They could be sumptuous dishes, dense with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suet">suet</a> and eggs, studded with candied fruits and drenched in brandy. Or they could be rich, meaty stews encased in golden pastry. In these forms, puddings appeared on banquet tables and as the centerpieces of feasts. </p>
<p>But puddings could also be much humbler. Cooks with small budgets valued them because, like soups, puddings could be made of almost anything and could accommodate all kinds of kitchen scraps. They were especially useful as vehicles for stale bread and leftover starches, and 19th-century Americans ate a wide variety made not just with bread and rice but with cornmeal, oatmeal, crackers and potatoes. Recipes with names like “poor man’s pudding,” “poverty pudding” and “economical pudding” reflect pudding’s role as a cheap, filling meal. </p>
<h2>Food ‘experts’ exert their influence</h2>
<p>So what happened to pudding? Why did this broad culinary category, a defining part of American cuisine for more than a century, largely disappear? </p>
<p>One reason was food reform. By the early 20th century, new knowledge about nutrition science, combined with an obsessive (but misinformed) interest in digestion, fueled widespread “expert” condemnation of dishes featuring a range of ingredients mixed together. This was due, in large part, to xenophobia; by then, many white Americans <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=BAXs3gWkEcQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=modern+food,+moral+food&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjHhrraqMbXAhWc0YMKHfwRAckQ6AEIJjAA#v=snippet&q=mixed%20foods&f=false">had come to associate mixed foods with immigrants</a>.</p>
<p>Instead, reformers insisted with great confidence (but scant evidence) that it was healthier to eat simple foods with few ingredients: meals where meats and plain vegetables were clearly separated. People started to view savory puddings as both unhealthy and old-fashioned.</p>
<p>The unique prevalence and zeal of American food reformers in the early 20th century helps to explain why so many puddings disappeared in the United States, while they continue to be an important part of <a href="http://www.greatbritishpuddings.com/">British cuisine</a>.</p>
<p>By the mid-20th century, claims about the digestive dangers of mixed foods had been debunked. But a new kind of dish had since emerged – the casserole – which largely usurped the role formerly played by puddings. An elastic category in their own right, casseroles could also be made from almost anything and could accommodate all sorts of odds and ends. There were hamburger casseroles, green bean casseroles and potato casseroles.</p>
<p>At the same time, the food industry had reimagined pudding as a cloyingly sweet convenience food. Puddings made from supermarket mixes of modified food starch and artificial flavors became the only kind many Americans ever ate.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xk4_hFE5E6I?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Most Americans today think of pudding as a cheap, sugary dessert.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The classic versions haven’t completely disappeared, however. On Thanksgiving, Americans are still more likely to eat 19th-century-style puddings than at any other time of the year. On some American tables, Indian pudding, sweet potato pudding or corn pudding make an annual appearance. Thanksgiving dinner isn’t the time capsule some people imagine, and most Thanksgiving menus today <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-first-thanksgiving-dinner-actually-looked-like-85714">have hardly anything in common</a> with the 17th-century Plymouth Colony meal they commemorate. But there are some culinary echoes from the 19th century, when the American national holiday officially began.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86293/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helen Zoe Veit does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
In the 19th century, puddings were as popular and widespread as pasta dishes are today.
Helen Zoe Veit, Associate Professor of History, Michigan State University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/74490
2017-04-17T22:56:16Z
2017-04-17T22:56:16Z
Medieval medical books could hold the recipe for new antibiotics
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/165279/original/image-20170413-11758-10u9ffg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A recipe for an eyesalve from 'Bald's Leechbook.'</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">© The British Library Board (Royal MS 12 D xvii)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>For a long time, medieval medicine has been dismissed as irrelevant. This time period is popularly referred to as the “Dark Ages,” which erroneously suggests that it was unenlightened by science or reason. However, some medievalists and scientists are now looking back to history for clues to inform the search for new antibiotics.</p>
<p>The evolution of <a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs194/en/">antibiotic-resistant microbes</a> means that it is always necessary to find new drugs to battle microbes that are no longer treatable with current antibiotics. But progress in finding new antibiotics is slow. The drug discovery pipeline is currently stalled. <a href="https://amr-review.org/sites/default/files/AMR%20Review%20Paper%20-%20Tackling%20a%20crisis%20for%20the%20health%20and%20wealth%20of%20nations_1.pdf">An estimated 700,000 people</a> around the world die annually from drug-resistant infections. If the situation does not change, it is estimated that such infections will kill 10 million people per year by 2050.</p>
<p>I am part of the <a href="https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/2015/march/ancientbiotics---a-medieval-remedy-for-modern-day-superbugs.aspx">Ancientbiotics team</a>, a group of medievalists, microbiologists, medicinal chemists, parasitologists, pharmacists and data scientists from multiple universities and countries. We believe that answers to the antibiotic crisis could be found in medical history. With the aid of modern technologies, we hope to unravel how premodern physicians treated infection and whether their cures really worked. </p>
<p>To that end, we are compiling a database of medieval medical recipes. By revealing patterns in medieval medical practice, our database could inform future laboratory research into the materials used to treat infection in the past. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to create a medieval medicines database in this manner and for this purpose. </p>
<h2>Bald’s eyesalve</h2>
<p>In 2015, our team published a <a href="http://mbio.asm.org/content/6/4/e01129-15.full">pilot study</a> on a 1,000-year old recipe called Bald’s eyesalve from <a href="http://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2016/01/balds-leechbook-now-online.html">“Bald’s Leechbook,”</a> an Old English medical text. The eyesalve was to be used against a “wen,” which may be translated as a sty, or an infection of the eyelash follicle. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164606/original/image-20170410-29390-1gtp4f5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164606/original/image-20170410-29390-1gtp4f5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=625&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164606/original/image-20170410-29390-1gtp4f5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=625&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164606/original/image-20170410-29390-1gtp4f5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=625&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164606/original/image-20170410-29390-1gtp4f5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=785&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164606/original/image-20170410-29390-1gtp4f5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=785&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164606/original/image-20170410-29390-1gtp4f5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=785&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Human white blood cells (in blue) take on <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> bacteria.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://phil.cdc.gov/phil/details.asp?pid=18140">Frank DeLeo, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A common cause of modern styes is the bacterium <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/hai/organisms/staph.html"><em>Staphylococcus aureus</em></a>. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/">Methicillin-resistant <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> (or MRSA)</a> is resistant to many current antibiotics. Staph and MRSA infections are responsible for a variety of severe and chronic infections, including wound infections, sepsis and pneumonia. </p>
<p>Bald’s eyesalve contains wine, garlic, an <em>Allium</em> species (such as leek or onion) and oxgall. The recipe states that, after the ingredients have been mixed together, they must stand in a brass vessel for nine nights before use. </p>
<p>In <a href="http://mbio.asm.org/content/6/4/e01129-15.full">our study</a>, this recipe turned out to be a potent antistaphylococcal agent, which repeatedly killed established <a href="http://www.radiolab.org/story/best-medicine/"><em>S. aureus</em></a> <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/8/9/02-0063_article">biofilms</a> – a sticky matrix of bacteria adhered to a surface – in an in vitro infection model. It also killed MRSA in mouse chronic wound models.</p>
<h2>Medieval methods</h2>
<p>Premodern European medicine has been poorly studied for its clinical potential, compared with traditional pharmacopeias of other parts of the world. Our research also raises questions about medieval medical practitioners. Today, the word “medieval” is used as a derogatory term, indicating cruel behavior, ignorance or backwards thinking. This perpetuates the myth that the period is unworthy of study. </p>
<p>During our eyesalve study, chemist Tu Youyou was awarded the <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2015/press.html">Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine</a> for her discovery of a new therapy for malaria after searching over 2,000 recipes from ancient Chinese literature on herbal medicine. Is another “silver bullet” for microbial infection hidden within medieval European medical literature?</p>
<p>Certainly, there are medieval superstitions and treatments that we would not replicate today, such as purging a patient’s body of pathogenic humors. However, <a href="http://www.loc.gov/preservation/outreach/tops/connelly/index.html">our work</a> suggests that there could be a methodology behind the medicines of medieval practitioners, informed by a long tradition of observation and experimentation. </p>
<p>One key finding was that following the steps exactly as specified by the Bald’s eyesalve recipe – including waiting nine days before use – was crucial for its efficacy. Are the results of this medieval recipe representative of others that treat infection? Were practitioners selecting and combining materials following some “scientific” methodology for producing biologically active cocktails? </p>
<p>Further research may show that some medieval medicines were more than placebos or palliative aids, but actual “ancientbiotics” used long before the modern science of infection control. This idea underlies our current study on the medieval medical text, “Lylye of Medicynes.” </p>
<h2>A medieval medicines database</h2>
<p>The “Lylye of Medicynes” is a 15th-century Middle English translation of the Latin “Lilium medicinae,” first completed in 1305. It is a translation of the major work of a significant medieval physician, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Bernard-Gordon-Studies-Texts/dp/0888440510">Bernard of Gordon</a>. His “Lilium medicinae” was translated and printed continuously over many centuries, until at least the late 17th century.</p>
<p>The text contains a wealth of medical recipes. In the Middle English translation, there are 360 recipes – clearly indicated with Rx in the text – and many thousands more ingredient names. </p>
<p>As a doctoral student, I prepared the first-ever edition of the “Lylye of Medicynes” and compared the recipes against four extant Latin copies of the “Lilium medicinae.” This involved faithfully copying the Middle English text from the medieval manuscript, then editing that text for a modern reader, such as adding modern punctuation and correcting scribal errors. The “Lylye of Medicynes” is 245 folios, which equates to 600 pages of word-processed text. </p>
<p>I loaded the Middle English names of ingredients into a database, along with translations into modern equivalents, juxtaposed with relationships to recipe and disease. It is very time-consuming to format medieval data for processing with modern technologies. It also takes time to translate medieval medical ingredients into modern equivalents, due in part to multiple synonyms as well as variations in modern scientific nomenclature for plants. This information has to be verified across many sources. </p>
<p>With our database, we aim to find combinations of ingredients that occur repeatedly and are specifically used to treat infectious diseases. To achieve this, we are employing some common tools of data science, such as <a href="http://epubs.siam.org/doi/pdf/10.1137/S003614450342480">network analysis</a>, a mathematical method to examine the relationships between entries. Our team will then examine how these patterns may help us to use medieval texts as inspiration for lab tests of candidate “ancientbiotic” recipes. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164608/original/image-20170410-7394-1xdr57r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164608/original/image-20170410-7394-1xdr57r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=222&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164608/original/image-20170410-7394-1xdr57r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=222&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164608/original/image-20170410-7394-1xdr57r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=222&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164608/original/image-20170410-7394-1xdr57r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164608/original/image-20170410-7394-1xdr57r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164608/original/image-20170410-7394-1xdr57r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Word cloud from the Lylye of Medicynes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Erin Connelly</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In March, we tested a small portion of the database to ensure that the method we developed was appropriate for this data set. At present, the database contains only the 360 recipes indicated with Rx. Now that the proof-of-concept stage is complete, I will expand the database to contain other ingredients which are clearly in recipe format, but may not be marked with Rx. </p>
<p>We are specifically interested in recipes associated with recognizable signs of infection. With Bald’s eyesalve, the combination of ingredients proved to be crucial. By examining the strength of ingredient relationships, we hope to find out whether medieval medical recipes are driven by certain combinations of antimicrobial ingredients. </p>
<p>The database could direct us to new recipes to test in the lab in our search for novel antibiotics, as well as inform new research into the antimicrobial agents contained in these ingredients on the molecular level. It could also deepen our understanding of how medieval practitioners “designed” recipes. Our research is in the beginning stages, but it holds exciting potential for the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/74490/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erin Connelly does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
A team of medievalists and scientists look back to history – including a 1,000-year-old eyesalve recipe – for clues to new antibiotics.
Erin Connelly, CLIR-Mellon Fellow for Data Curation in Medieval Studies, University of Pennsylvania
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.