BOHAR or BANYAN TREE, MEDICINE and HISTORY

THE BOHAR OR BANYAN TREE

The Bohar tree is native to India and Pakistan, although it now grows throughout tropical Asia. It is the Ficus benghalensis, a member of the fig family of trees. It is sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus. Krishna is said to have achieved enlightenment under one, and Shiva, in his role of Universal teacher, Dakshinamurti, sat under a bohar tree to enlighten the sages who had come to hear his teachings. It is India’s national symbol, symbolizing India’s unity through diversity (as the tree has several trunks and many aerial roots).

The Banyan tree is also a symbol of spiritual knowledge. In the Pralaya it is written that only Krishna survived the great Cosmic Flood, and he is depicted sucking his toe, while floating over the flood waters on a banyan leaf in many Indian Tajore paintings. In Hindu mythology it is known as the ‘wish fulfilling tree’. Its ever expanding branches represent eternal life

It got its English name from the word, banian, for Hindu merchants or traders, as English people on the subcontinent noted that traders would sit under a shady banyan tree to do business, or to relax in its shade. Indeed, whole villages could stay under one tree that was reputedly so big that 20,000 people could be accommodated under its branches. It reportedly had a perimeter of 600 metres. The aerial roots grow into accessory trunks, and help support the massive trees.
The tree is epithetic, so when birds drop the seeds from the fruits of the banyan or bohar on the branches of other trees, they germinate and grow roots which, when they become thicker and stronger, eventually strangle the host tree.

Its leaves are large and leathery, smooth on the upper side of the leaf, but with hairy undersides, and these are used as fodder, as well as being boiled and used as poultices, applied to abscesses and cracked soles on the feet. The milky sap which oozes from the stems, twigs and branches when it is cut is used to relieve inflamed areas of skin, sores and ulcers. It is also used to get rid of bruises and to treat rheumatism and lumbago.

 The bark has astringent properties and is used to help in cases of diabetes, and to treat dysentery. Western medical researchers have been slow to research the possibilities of the banyan tree, but studies underway suggest that it may indeed be helpful in the treatment of diabetes. In Ayurvedic medicine its bark and seeds are used in infusions as these are believed to have cooling properties and these are used as a tonic and to cool the body.The ripe fruits are not generally eaten by people unless there is a time of famine, but they are enjoyed by monkeys and birds. People use its twigs for toothbrushes.

  The banyan tree is useful in many ways. It is home to the lac insects, parasites that live on the tree, as they do on the tamarind tree. From the resinous secretions of these creatures we get shellac which is used in French polish, and to make lac dye which is good for dying wool and silk. Shellac is also used in cosmetics and hair lacquer.

 Fibres from the bark and roots are woven into rope, and the aerial roots make good tent poles as they are strong and flexible-they are stronger than the tree trunk wood. A modern craft involves making greetings cards with the leaves from the banyan incorporated into the designs. The milky sap from the tree is good for polishing metal ware, and the wood is suitable for making paper pulp.

Ghosts and demons are said to live in the banyan tree so people don’t sleep under it at night. However married women go to the tree to ask for a long life for their husbands. Young people are encouraged to plant banyan trees and to put a silver coin under the roots. They should also plant them near a Bo tree or pipal tree (Ficus religiosa) which is believed to be the banyan tree’s female counterpart. When the banyan tree is planted in this way the young person should be lucky in life.

There are no recipes for this tree as people don’t eat its fruit. Sorry! However you could go to one of our stand alone recipes, a chicken one, or a salad or moussaka and pastitsio. They all have Taste and are Treats.

ARROWROOT: RECIPE ARROWROOT PUDDING and FRUIT

ARROWROOT
Arrowroot’s Latin name is Maranta arundinacea as it was named after a 16th century medical practitioner, Bartommeo Maranta. There are different species of arrowroot, or Maranta, and Maranta malaccensis from Borneo has poison in its root, used to put on arrows. But the arrowroot we buy packaged from a chemist or drugstore is not harmful, in fact the Indians who know this plant in the rainforests of South America and in the West Indies, use it to draw out the poison from arrow wounds and snake and spider bites.

It originated in the West Indies, and the name arrowroot comes from the name given the plant by the Arawak Indians, aru root. As mentioned above, it also grows in the rainforests of South America.
It was introduced into Britain around 1732, and has been used ever since to calm stomach upsets and it is given to people who are recovering from illnesses. Apparently it is also good for infants who are in the process of being weaned, as it is farinaceous, and bland.
The powder, when put on feet, helps reduce excess moisture and so can help to prevent fungal ailments such as athlete’s foot. However it has no fungicidal properties, it only soaks up sweat.

The powder comes from the roots of the plant and is starch based, and easily digested. It is used as a thickener for puddings and sauces. You mix a tablespoon of powder to a pint of water, but first mix arrowroot powder with a little water or milk and then boil a pint of milk or water, and pour the boiling liquid over the arrowroot, slowly, stirring carefully to avoid lumps. You drink this mixture after vomiting or a bad bout of diarrhea to replace some of the nutrients the body has lost.


ARROWROOT PUDDING and FRUIT
Ingredients
2 tbsps arrowroot powder
1 litre milk
1 tbsp sugar
50 gr butter
¼ tsp nutmeg
500gr fruit of your choice

Method
Mix the arrowroot with a little of the milk so that it makes a smooth paste.
Boil the rest of the milk with the sugar and add it to the paste slowly, stirring carefully all the while.
Add butter and stir in well.
Pour the mixture into an oven proof dish that has been well greased, and sprinkle the grated nutmeg over the top.
Cook in a medium oven for an hour to an hour and a half.
Serve hot or cold.
Chop up the fruit and marinade in cointreau or grande marnier for an hour or so, then serve with the pudding.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

PAPAYA or PAPITA with PAPAYA AND COTTAGE CHEESE RECIPE

PAPAYA or PAWPAW

The papaya or pawpaw (papita in Urdu), is native to South America. It is thought that it has been cultivated from a wild variety that was virtually inedible and bitter, so we have this tasty, juicy, exotic fruit thanks to the painstaking efforts of South American Indians. The papaya was first documented by the Spanish chronicler Oviedo in 1526, when it was discovered along the Caribbean coastline of Panama and Colombia.

It can be grown from seeds and the tree grown from a seed will be fruit bearing 18 months after planting. The seeds are edible, and have a peppery taste, and can be used as a pepper substitute. They can be used in salads. For centuries, South Americans have used the juice of the papaya to tenderize meat. In Asia the leaves are steamed and eaten as a green vegetable, and the green fruit is used in Thai salads. Teas made from the leaves are said to be effective against malaria.

However if pregnant, don’t eat green papaya. In parts of Asia they are used to bring on abortions, and as a contraceptive (the seeds are spermicidal).They are thought to be effective in preventing heart disease and colon cancer, and their anti-inflammatory properties mean that they are good for asthma sufferers as well as those suffering from rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. They have nutrients which boost the immune system and can help when you suffer from recurrent earache, colds or flu. No wonder they were revered by the ancient South American Indians.

Fresh papaya can be used in fruit salads, with muesli, yoghurt or in green salads. You can slice one in half, remove the seeds and fill with crab, shrimp, or tuna or even chicken salad. Place a slice on top of a grilled fish to garnish it, and eat as an unusual accompaniment to it.

PAPAYA WITH COTTAGE CHEESE
Ingredients
1 papaya sliced in half and seeds removed

250 gr cottage cheese

1 lime
30 gr toasted almonds
freshly ground black pepper and salt if you wish
2 mint leaves to garnish


Method
Sprinkle the papaya halves with lime juice, then pile in the cottage cheese. Top with pepper, almonds and garnish with mint leaves.
Serves 2.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

WHAT IS MASTICA? RECIPE LEVANTINE CHICKEN BIRYANI WITH MASTICA

MASTICA

Mastica comes from a tree which is a member of the pistachio nut bearing tree family. The mastica tree’s Latin name is Pistachia lentiscus and it is native to the Mediterranean region, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, the Iberian Peninsula, southern France and Turkey, as well as the Canary Islands. However the trees grown on the Greek island of Chios are the only ones that ‘weep’ Mastica ‘tears’ when the bark of the trunk is scored. The cooperative that produces mastica on the island has been granted protection designation of origin rights, as well as protected geographical indication, because of the unique nature of the trees, and the fact that the island has been producing world-famous mastica for centuries. The villages which produce mastica were fortified in Mediaeval times to protect them from pirates and others who would try to take them over, as the trade in mastica was so profitable. Indeed, the islanders were given special privileges because of the trees’ harvest by their conquerors, the Genovese and Ottoman Turks.

Mastica is tree resin, and has been used in medicine for centuries. The ancient Greeks used it to counteract inflammation, coughs and bladder infections, and the Egyptians put it into their drinking water, to make it taste better. It is said to lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, help in cases of diabetes, and boost the immune system. It has anti-bacterial effects and was used as a remedy for cholera. Research conducted by the University of Thessaloniki has shown that chewing mastica can reduce plaque, and a separate study by researchers from the University of Nottingham has shown that 1 gram of mastica a day can cure peptic ulcers if this is done over period of two weeks.

The trees on Chios are said to weep because Saint Isidorus, in 253 AD was tortured under a mastica tree. The trees weep for his suffering.

In the villages which produce mastica on Chios, the Mastichochoria, the resin is harvested between June and September. After the ‘tears’ have been collected, the villagers wash each one separately and make this a social occasion. One tree will produce 200 to 300 grams of mastica each year.

Mastica is used in paints, varnishes, toothpaste, toiletries and drinks. It is used to make desserts and is one of the ingredients of loukoumia, or lokhma (Turkish Delight). You can buy it in crystal form or in a gooey liquid which you can eat like yoghurt if you have a sweet tooth. You can also get mastic gum to chew in Greece. The English word to masticate, meaning to chew, comes from the Greek mastica.

LEVANTINE CHICKEN BIRYANI

Ingredients

1 chicken jointed, or cut into smaller pieces

3 bay leaves

1 sprig thyme

1 handful of fresh mint leaves

salt and pepper

For biryani
2 glasses rice, cleaned
4 glasses water or chicken stock

2 cups yoghurt

1 egg,beaten

1 tsp cornflour or arrowroot

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp cumin seeds, dry fried and crushed

1 tsp cardamom seeds, crushed (remove seeds from husks of green cardamoms )

1 or 2 saffron threads, crumbled

2 inch stick of cinnamon

1 large onion, sliced

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 mastica crystals

oil

Garnish

50 gr toasted or dry fried almonds, chopped

30 gr pistachio nuts, crushed

1 handful fresh coriander leaves, torn finely

Method

Put mastica, chicken pieces, bay leaves, thyme, mint and seasonings into a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Remove scum and simmer for 40 mins, or until chicken is cooked through. Check and remove any other scum that rises to the surface during cooking.

Mix egg with the arrowroot or cornflour and beat in the yoghurt. Add spices and salt to taste.

Fry onions and garlic for a few minutes until the onions start to brown.

Put cooked chicken pieces in a large pan and pour the yoghurt mixture over them.

In another pan, put the rice and pour 4 glasses of the chicken stock over it. Allow it to absorb the stock.

Mix the onions and garlic with the rice and place over the yoghurt.

Now add water to quarter fill the pan and cook for 30 mins over a medium heat or until the rice is cooked.

Remove the pan from the heat and leave to stand, covered for 5 mins.

Turn out onto a large serving plate and garnish with the nuts and fresh coriander leaves.

This has Taste and is a Treat.