WHAT IS SHIMLA MIRCH? GREEN PEPPER: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF SWEET PEPPERS: YEMISTA, ASIAN- STYLE RECIPE

GREEN PEPPERS, SWEET PEPPERS, BELL PEPPERS CAPSICUM ANNUM

There seems to be some confusion about these types of peppers which should be cleared up before we start. In British English we call these peppers by their colour, so we have green peppers, red peppers, yellow and orange ones as well as brown, purple and white peppers. In American English they are Bell peppers because of their shape, or sweet peppers, to distinguish between these and chilli peppers. These peppers are in the Solanaceae family so are related to baingan (aubergines or eggplants), potatoes, nipple fruit, nightshade and tomatoes.

  Not all red peppers start off green some begin by being white, and not all green peppers will turn red, as they are harvested when ripe and dark green and glossy. However, most red peppers are ripe green ones. Yellow peppers start off green but are supposed to be yellow; they are sweeter and juicier and taste more like fruit than all other peppers. Equally orange peppers are meant to be orange and are sweet and mild. Purple peppers are green inside, and turn green when cooked, so they are best used to make a colourful salad. Basically peppers come in various shades because they variants of Capsicum annum.

  These peppers contain no capsaicin which is found in green chillies and red ones. This is the substance that makes chillies hot and spicy. Sweet peppers and chillies are in the same family but are in no way related to black pepper. Columbus discovered these peppers in South America when he was looking for black pepper, and they were first known in Spanish as pimiento. The pimiento pepper is actually a sweet one, but is heart-shaped rather than bell shaped, and this is the pepper used to stuff green olives. There are other pepper varieties including the banana pepper, so-called because it is yellow and shaped like a banana.

   The red pepper is the best in terms of health benefits as it contains more vitamins and nutrients than the other peppers. It is best used raw in salads to get the full health benefits. It has 9 times more carotene in it than a green one, and twice the vitamin C content. These also contain lycopene which is what makes them red, the same substance is found in watermelons and tomatoes. This is good for a man’s prostate health and for erectile dysfunctions. It also seems to help lower the risk of heart diseases. It may also help the eyes by helping to prevent cataracts.

  When green peppers are subjected to a high heat, such as when grilled they lose most of their lutein content, so they are best cooked for a short period on a low heat. Add them to dishes just before they are ready (about 15 minutes before).

  The pepper has been cultivated for more than 9,000 years in South and Central America to which it is native. Mexico is now the world’s second largest commercial producer after China, with the US third.

  In China these peppers are used in traditional medicine for digestive problems and to improve blood circulation.

  Tomatoes and sweet peppers are the only two vegetables which contain two-thirds of all listed nutrients; they have 18 amino acids, Omega-3 fatty acid, are rich in vitamins A and C, and contain the minerals iron, copper, calcium, molybdenum, zinc, selenium, manganese and magnesium as well as zeaxanthin and lutein (carotenoids) among other substances including dietary fibre.

  Use the coloured ones in salads and as garnishes and the green ones for cooking and try this tasty recipe below; it is fusion food, being typically Greek with added Asian influences.

YEMISTA, ASIAN - STYLE

Ingredients

4 green peppers

4 Mediterranean beef tomatoes

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

¼ cup olive oil

1 heaped tbsp rice per vegetable to be stuffed

50 gr pine nuts, dry fried

2 tsps cumin seeds dry fried and ground

50 gr sultanas

1 handful of fresh mint leaves shredded

2 handfuls shredded fresh coriander leaves or flat-leaves parsley

100gr grated Parmesan cheese, or kephalotyri, or Graviera

½ inch piece of cassia bark for each vegetable

1 pint chicken stock

1 glass white wine

olive oil

a little sugar

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to Gas mark 5, 180°C / 375° F.

Remove the tops from the vegetables and reserve for later use.

Remove the seeds and membranes from the peppers, keeping them in tact.

Remove the pulp from the tomatoes and puree it.

Mix the rice, onions, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, sultanas, cumin seeds, fresh herbs, and Parmesan cheese together with the tomato puree and stuff this into each vegetable leaving about ¼ inch from the top so that the rice can expand.

Put a small piece of cassia bark in the middle of each vegetable stuffing.

Top with lids which you have in reserve.

Place all the vegetables, upright in a baking tray and pour the chicken stock and white wine into the tray so that it comes a quarter of the way up the vegetables.

Baste the vegetables with a little olive oil and the stock.

Cook for 1¾ hours of until the peppers are tender.

Turn off the oven and leave the vegetables to settle for another hour.

Serve with a Greek salad and extra Feta cheese.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

  

RAGGED ROBIN - NOT JUST A PRETTY FLOWER: HISTORY AND USES OF CUCKOO FLOWER

RAGGED ROBIN, CUCKOO FLOWER, LYCHNIS FLOS-CUCULI

Ragged robins are native to the British Isles, Europe and western Asia, and love to grow in damp ground. They can be found growing in buttercup fields and along with Bugle, meadowsweet and marsh mallow. I loved to see them when I was very young because I had been told fairies made dresses from their ragged petals and this annoyed the goblins whose flowers they were. Apparently they are associated with goblins and evil spirits in some parts of the British Isles. I had thought that my grandfather was making up tales to amuse me.

  They can grow to heights of 75 cms but they are more often about knee height. There are white ones as well as the pink ones, and they attract bees and butterflies, which feed on the nectar.

  Writing in his Herball Gerard refers to them as Crowsfoot, says that they have no medicinal value, “but they serve, for garlands and crownes and to decke up gardens.” However, along with other Lychnis varieties they were, albeit unbeknownst to Gerard, used as a remedy for jaundice. Ragged Robins were also used along with Common or English ivy for common ailments such as stomach aches, toothache, headaches and muscle strains among other things, and were known as ‘magical’ herbs.

  The Latin name, Lychnis comes from the Greek word, for lamp, and these flowers stand out against a green background, attracting both people and insects. Flos -cuculi means cuckoo flower, and the ragged robin is sometimes known by this name, as is Lady’s Smock, to which it is not related nor is it related to the Cuckoo pint. Its pink (or white) petals have ragged edges, and perhaps it gets the name robin from the red-breasted bird, or Robin Goodfellow or Puck a mischievous imp or goblin in British folklore (and Shakespeare). It is a member of the carnation family of plants, the Caryophyllaceae.

  There are two superstitions surrounding ragged robin; the first is that bachelors would carry it in their pockets and if they didn’t die, but thrived, they believed this was a sign that they would be lucky in love. Young girls would give ragged robin plants the names of village boys and the flower that came out first bore the name of the boy the girl who had named the flower would marry.

  In the Language of Flowers, the ragged robin is a symbol of ardour and wit.

  The root contains saponins and has been used in the past as a soap substitute mainly for washing clothes. The flowers were also used, boiled in water and the water used to rinse hair after shampooing, to make it soft and fragrant.

  It may not be the most beneficial plant, but it is a pretty sight in the countryside.

ANNATTO ( LIPSTICK TREE): HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF ANNATTO TREE

ANNATTO, ACHIOTE, THE LIPSTICK TREE BIXA ORELLANA

The Lipstick tree which bears the fruit from which we get annatto is native to the Caribbean and Latin America. The tree grows to heights of around 9 metres, with rose- pink and sometimes white flowers. Now it is cultivated for its seeds from which we get the food colouring. . It was found in Latin America by the Spanish explorers in the 16^th century and named Orellana after one of them, Francisco de Orellanna. Bixa comes from the Carib name for the tree, bya or biche. There are only two known trees in the Bixa genus and both of them are native to South America. The pod containing the seeds looks a little like a red beech mast, and the seeds inside are small triangles 3-5 mm in size.

   Like gum Tragacanth (gond katira) annatto has its own E number, E610b as it is used as a food colouring. It is used in margarine and cheeses such as Red Leicester and Cheshire, and to colour smoked herring (kippers) and cod. .

  It is now cultivated in India, and Kenya as well as in the countries of its origin. In some of the Pacific islands, it is an introduced species which has become an invasive one, and it is classed as invasive in Hawaii too. It is cultivated in the Philippines where the seeds are ground and used as a condiment. It is from the seeds that a red food colouring comes, and this is easy to obtain by steeping the seeds in water. The resulting red liquid can be used to colour rice, and is known, as is turmeric (haldi), as “poor man’s saffron.”

  It is used in the cosmetics industry as well as the food industry and has traditionally been used as lipstick, rouge and to make the sandour mark on Hindu women’s foreheads in India.

  The pulp from the fruit which covers the seeds has been used as an insect repellant and when rubbed on the skin it is said to get rid of pimples and other eruptions. The leaves pulp and seeds have been used in traditional medicine for centuries to cure a number of ailments. A decoction of the leaves can be made with 8-10 leaves to a litre of water. Boil together for 10 minutes then leaves to cool and drink half a cup three times a day for liver problems. If applied to the skin the decoction can soothe burns and promote wound healing. The decoction is a diuretic and can also calm minor stomach upsets, as well as aiding digestion. In Brazil the decoction is used for heartburn, and prostate problems as well as a vaginal antiseptic.

In tribal medicine it has been used as an aphrodisiac and as a mild laxative, not as strong as senna or jamalgota or the castor bean’s action.

  Annatto can reduce inflammation and protects the liver it is believed after clinical trials. It can also kill bacteria in the lab, and research is underway to ascertain if it can be beneficial to our health. It seems also to raise blood sugar levels but lower blood pressure.

  The seeds are said to be expectorants so they can clear phlegm and mucous and the roots of the tree have been used as a digestive aid and cough suppressant.

  Annatto contains vitamins C and E as well as some B-complex vitamins, amino acids, minerals such as calcium, iron and phosphorous and bet-carotene. Annatto seeds also contain tocotrienols which are potent antioxidants with cholesterol lowering abilities, and which also have a neuro-protective action. These also have anti-inflammatory actions, so many of the traditional uses have their basis on a solid foundation according to medical scientists.

  The rainforests of the Amazon Basin and the South American continent have yielded amazing medicinal species, such as the quinine or fever tree, although sadly we may have lost some of these plants due to the wanton destruction of the rainforests that has gone on in the past.

ELEPHANT'S HEAD PLANT - HEALTH BENEFITS AND HOW TO USE

ELEPHANT’S HEAD, RED SPINACH, AMARANTHUS GANGETICUS OR A. TRICOLOR

This species of amaranth is not cultivated for its grain as are others in the Amaranthus species, but for its leaves which are a traditional food in Bangladesh. Other amaranths are currently being investigated for their grain for example A. caudatus, A. cruentis and A.  hypochondriacus as this is very nutritious, so could help stave off malnutrition in still-developing countries, and also may be a useful biofuel.

   There are seeds, of course from the elephant’s head amaranth, (also known as pigweed, Joseph’s coat and a number of other names) and these may be eaten, but the main reason for its cultivation is its leaves which are eaten like spinach. It is said to be a substitute for asparagus. The leaves are rich in vitamin A and contain B-complex vitamins as well as vitamin C. It contains the minerals phosphorous, calcium, iron, manganese and potassium. These make it useful for bones, blood and to help cure anaemia.

  The seeds from this plant contain saponins so before it is eaten it should be soaked for 12 hours and then the water should be discarded before they are boiled. They are very gelatinous, and need to be cooked slowly.

  The plant is used in traditional medicine in a number of countries, and in China the leaves are used to treat dysentery. The leaves are simmered for a few minutes, then honey is added and this is cooked for a few minutes longer, before it is eaten.

  A tisane can be made with a teaspoon of the leaves, chopped then boiled with a cupful of cold water. You should allow the leaves to steep for 10 minutes before straining and drinking.

  It is thought that the galactosyl diacylglycosides present in the plant can inhibit the growth of some cancer cells, although more research is currently needed.

  Traditionally the plant is used with Cucurbita moschato, winter squash, to stop haemorrhaging after abortions, while a decoction of very old leaves is taken to improve night vision and to strengthen the liver.

  It is thought that it may boost the immune system, but more research is needed, and it may also help to reduce the risk of heart disease.

   In Jamaica it is used as a salad green, and is believed to have diuretic properties and be useful in cases of oedema. In Ayurvedic medicine it is also used for menstruation problems, and for general weakness, and this makes sense as it contains protein as well as the vitamins and minerals needed in our diets.

  In many countries it is grown for purely ornamental purposes, so you may have it in your garden.

WHAT IS GHOBI? CAULIFLOWER: INFORMATION AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF CAULIFLOWER: ITALIAN CAULIFLOWER RECIPE

CAULIFLOWER, GHOBI, BRASSICA OLERACEA

The cauliflower was famously described by Mark Twain as “nothing but a cabbage with a college education.” He was right, as it is thought that the cauliflower as we know it came from a wild cabbage, just like cabbages. They are members of the same family of Cruciferous vegetables, and are also related to broccoli, kale, collard greens and mustard. They may have originated in Asia Minor in modern day Turkey, where they have been an important crop since at least 600 BC, and this is also true of the Italian cauliflowers. They gained popularity in France in the mid 16^th century, and were then cultivated in Northern Europe including the British Isles.

  The cauliflower has undergone great transformations since it began life as a wild cabbage. Today there are different coloured cauliflowers, purple, orange and green being the most common, as in the picture here. Scientists are keen to point out that this is a case of selective breeding, and not genetic engineering, as the orange one comes from a mutant cauliflower that was found in Canada. The green one is known as Romanesco and has been around since the 1990s.

  The carrot was also bred by the Dutch in the 17^th century to be the ubiquitous orange one that we have now. The cauliflower has had similar treatment. The ‘rainbow’ caulis look better on a plate than the white ones, although they still taste much the same. The orange variety (Brassica olearacea var botyris) has 25 times the beta-carotene content of the white one, while anthocyanins also found in red wine and red cabbage, give the purple one its colour. Anthocyanin may help prevent heart disease by slowing blood clotting, and beta-carotene has potent antioxidant properties.

  The name cauliflower comes from the Latin caulis meaning cabbage and floris, meaning flower and the French name chouxfleur has the same meaning.

  Boiling a cauliflower is not the best way to cook one to get the maximum health benefits from it. You should sautée the florets, or par boil them and sautée them or steam them. They actually need very little cooking, and you can coat the florets in a flour and water batter, shallow or deep fry and serve with an olive oil and lemon sauce, which just needs to be blended.

  A white cauliflower contains vitamins A, C, and K plus many of the B-complex ones, as well as 18 amino acids, Omega-3 fatty acid, and the minerals calcium, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, selenium and zinc.

Romanesco

  Studies are underway to determine if a diet which includes cauliflower can help to prevent cancers, heart disease, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and a variety of other ailments. The cauliflower has anti-inflammatory properties and can aid digestion. Glucoraphin, a glucosinolate contained in this vegetable can help protect the stomach lining and so helps the digestive system.

  Why not try one of the rainbow cauliflowers instead of the usual white variety? It seems that they could have more health benefits than the white one, but don’t boil them or you will not reap the full benefits from the cauliflower.

ITALIAN CAULIFLOWER

Ingredients

1 cauliflower, green leaves removed and cut into florets

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, shredded

2 tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed

¼ pint dry white wine

olive oil

salt

freshly ground black pepper

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cauli romanesco

Method

Pour 2 or 3 tbsps olive oil into a pan; add the garlic and parley and fry for two minutes, stirring so that the garlic doesn’t burn.

Blanch the cauliflower florets in boiling salted water for 2 mins. Remove from the heat and drain, and dry on absorbent paper.

Add the cauliflower to the oil and stir till a golden-brown colour (2-4 mins).

Stir in the tomatoes, wine and seasoning and cook, stirring, for 2 mins.

Serve hot and top with the grated cheese.

Cauli purple

This can be used as a side dish with veal, chicken or fish, or as a main meal with pasta of your choice.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

MARSH BARBEL ( HYGROPHILIA AURICULATA) - MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES

MARSH BARBEL, HYGROPHILIA AURICULATA

The Marsh Barbel is native to the Indian subcontinent, including Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands, as well as to Malaysia, South East Asia and parts of Africa, including South Africa, Senegal, Sudan, Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria and Mali. It has a few synonyms including Hygrophilia schulli and Asteracantha longiflolia and is known in English by many other names including the Temple Plant. It is a member of the Acanthaceae family and as the name suggests, likes to live in wet places. It can grow to 2 metres high or more, and has blue-purple flowers, with upper and lower “lips”. These flowers look a little like violas, or wild pansies.

  The whole plant is used in traditional medicine systems for a number of ailments. These include impotence and quality of sperm. The powdered seeds are given in milk to improve the male libido, so it is supposedly an aphrodisiac. It is used for liver problems, including jaundice, to treat urinary tract infections and for gout and oedema. It is said to have diuretic qualities.

  It contains vitamin C and flavonoids, phenolic compounds, saponins, steroid, terpenoids and cardiac glycosides.

  In Ayurvedic medicine the plant is used for rheumatism, inflammation, jaundice and other liver problems and as a pain-killer.

  Few clinical trials have been carried out on this plant, but the few that have were concentrated on proving the traditional uses of the Marsh Barbel. One study that was reported in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in April 2006, conducted by M. Vijayakumar et al., concluded that it has “significant anti-diabetic activity along with potent antioxidant potential in diabetic condition.” However, the study was performed on rats and an extract of the plant used.

  In an earlier study reported in the same journal in 1995 reported by Singh A. and Handa S.S, concluded that it does act to protect the liver, but once again, the study was done on lab animals.

  While there is no doubt that the plant has medicinal value, given its traditional use over centuries, no scientific studies have been conducted on people.

 

SWEET ALMONDS, BELOVED OF THE MUGHAL EMPERORS; HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF SWEET ALMONDS

SWEET ALMONDS, PRUNUS DULCIS

Sweet almonds and bitter almonds are closely related to the peach tree and it is believed that they may have had a common ancestor. They are in the rose family and so are also more distantly related to the plum, cherry and apricot. A gum exudes from the tree which can be substituted for Gum Tragacanth. (gond katira).  Like the peach tree Prunus dulcis is native to the Middle East and Pakistan Syria, and Turkey.

  By 3,000 BC the trees were domesticated in the Middle East, and we know from archaeological evidence that wild almonds were eaten 8,000 years ago. They were spread throughout the Mediterranean by Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, and it is thought that perhaps the Romans took them to Britain.

  They have been used for centuries both as food and medicine. The ancient Romans thought they could stop a person becoming inebriated, and so, apparently did John Gerard, writing in the 16^th century. He believed that eating 5 or 6 would prevent drunkenness.

  Not surprisingly the figure in some preparations made by 12^th century Arab physicians, for bronchial problems and coughs. Here is one for coughs and pharyngitis; -

Take six dirhams each of gum arabic, gum tragacanth, starch, licorice juice, sugar, and confection, and five dirhams each of seed of decorticated quince, pip of the sugared gourd, and decorticated sweet almond. Bray them all, sieve, and add some concentrated and foaming julep. Boil until it forms a single whole. Remove and use" (Al-Samarqandi)

 This remedy was for hoarseness:-

“fleawort, quince seed, marshmallow seed, violet [seed], purslane seed, [seed of] the two cucumbers, [seeds of] lettuce, poppy, mallow, pumpkin, almond, sesame, and their oils..."

These ingredients were used because of their mucilaginous qualities.

  Another prescription, for a child’s cough calls for liquorice, tragacanth, sweet almonds, gum Arabic, and sugar all kneaded in mucilage of quince, which was then made into pastilles. Ibn al-Tilmidh (ca 1165).

  Gerard has this to say about them: -

'The oil newly pressed out of Sweet Almonds is a mitigator of pain and all manner of aches, therefore it is good in pleurisy and colic. The oil of Almonds makes smooth the hands and face of delicate persons, and cleanseth the skin from all spots and pimples.'

Almond oil from the kernels is still used in cosmetics and soap today, and used for dry skin in particular.

  Writing later in the 17^th century, Culpeper has this to say, concurring with the Arab physicians that almonds are good for the liver and the brain when used in almond butter, and have a feel-good effect: -

   'This kind of butter is made of Almonds with sugar and rose-water, which being eaten with violets is very wholesome and commodious for students, for it rejoiceth the heart and comforteth the brain, and qualifieth the heat of the liver.”

  In Greek mythology Phyllis was changed into an almond tree when her lover Demophon abandoned her. She was grief-stricken and she, or rather the almond tree she had become, seemed to have died. However, the lover returned and hugged the tree which burst into blossom, thus making it a symbol of love triumphing over death.

  The almond was popularized in cooking by the Mughal emperors, but prior to that a woman with dark sultry almond-shaped eyes was the epitome of feminine beauty in the Indian sub-continent. In cards the heart suite is called badem or almond in many languages in the Indian subcontinent today.

  Spenser in his 16^th century epic poem “The Faerie Queene” has this image of the almond tree:

Like to an almond tree ymounted hye
  On top of greene Selinis all alone,
    With blossoms brave bedecked daintily;
      Whose tender locks do tremble every one,
        At everie little breath, that under heaven is blowne.
      - The Faerie Queene
         (bk. I, canto VII, st. 32)

While Christopher Marlowe has these lines:

    “Like to an Almond tree ymounted hye

      Upon the lofty and celestial mount Selinis queintly dect

      With evergreen blossoms more white than Hericanas browes,

      Whose tender blossoms tremble everie one

      At everie little breath that thorow Heaven is blowen.”

It is not certain which poet did the plagiarizing.

Shakespeare in “Troilus and Cressida” makes an illusion to the saying prevalent in his day in Renaissance England, “an almond for a parrot” which was considered the height of temptation. His line is “The parrot will not do more for an almond.”

  In traditional medicine, then the almond has been used to cure a number of ailments and apart from the ones mentioned above it was also used for gall and kidney stones in the form of almond milk mixed with gum Tragacanth or arabic. (You can make almond milk by pounding sweet almonds in water.) The oil has been used to promote hair growth, while the leaves were used to treat diabetes. Bruised leaves, rubbed onto the hands will remove the smell of garlic, onions etc. Almonds have been used to treat cancer, asthma, indigestion, water retention, peptic ulcers and have been used as a laxative (they are much more palatable than senna and jamalgota for example), and have been added to the oil of the castor bean for the same purpose, to make the oil more pleasant to take.

  The tree has other uses too, as in Tuscany, Italy the slender branches were used for divining rods, like wands from the hazel tree, but not to find water or thieves, but hidden treasure.

  The nuts contain the minerals calcium, potassium, iron and phosphorous as well as some of the B-complex vitamins, beta-carotene, fatty acids and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Hydrogen cyanide is present in both the leaves and nuts, so you should only consume them in small quantities. The nuts also contain amygdalin.

  The tree contains taxifolia which is a substance believed to be an anti-tumour compound, although research is still being carried out on it.

  Almonds are often found in bars of chocolate, ice cream, biscuits, cakes and desserts, as well as in biryanis (savoury rice dishes). You can also crush sweet almonds and add them to sattu for a refreshing, cooling summer drink. This is a folk remedy for gall and kidney stones.

 To try a recipe using almonds, why not see our biryani recipe?

WHAT IS JOO? BARLEY: HEALTH BENEFITS, HISTORY AND USES OF BARLEY: HEARTY BARLEY STEW RECIPE

BARLEY, JOO IN URDU, HORDEUM VULGARE

Barley and wheat are two of the most ancient crops and there are archeological records of barley being used in the Stone Age Lake dwellings in Switzerland, and around the Sea of Galilee 8,500 years ago. Barley originated in Ethiopia and South East Asia, where it has been cultivated for over 10,000 years. The first known recipe containing barley goes back to Babylonia and 2,800 BC. A barley water drink has been prepared throughout the ages, and one of the traditional drinks in the Indian sub-continent is sattu, which is very refreshing and cooling on hot summer days and nights.

  The ancient Greeks had the goddess Demeter who was the goddess of agriculture and barley figured in the religious rites of her cult. Barley was an offering to the goddess and made into a drink during the celebration of the Eleusian mysteries. In Roman mythology her equivalent was Ceres. There was a cult of the Corn-Mother (corn being used as a generic term for grain crops) in Europe in ancient times. Barley was made into bread, sometimes along with rye, and was a staple throughout the Middle Ages.

  The ancient Greeks and Romans gave their athletes barley in their diets to give them stamina and the ancient Hindus also offered barley to their gods and goddesses. The Romans fed their gladiators on barley and they became known as “hordearii” or “eaters of barley”; so this is where the botanical name comes from.

Hulled barley

  In ancient China barley was a symbol of male virility as barley has heavy tops which contain many seeds. There is a folklore figure in English songs, John Barleycorn, who had to die in order for others to benefit from bread made from barley. This song has its origins in the 16^th century, but its roots seem to go back much further in time to the myths of Demeter, the mother of Persephone who was forced to remain in Hades for 6 months of the year, the Underworld because she had been tricked into eating 6 pomegranate seeds following her abduction. The song was revived by popular musicians in the late 20^th century as “John Barleycorn Must Die.”

  Barley was not only used to make bread, but was fermented to make alcohol, both beer and whiskey, and in Britain there is still a potent bottled drink called “Barley Wine.”

  This grain when whole or just hulled has many health benefits, containing as it does a large amount of selenium, and other minerals which include potassium, copper, manganese, magnesium, iron, phosphorous and zinc. As for vitamins it has some of the B-complex ones along with vitamin E. It also contains lignans which are also found in flax and pumpkin seeds, coffee, tea, red wine and nuts. It has antioxidant properties and is helpful to reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers. It is good if you are prone to constipation because of the fibre content and this can also help in cases of diarrhoea. There is a long-term study of barley and its potential health benefits underway and preliminary results appear to confirm that a diet which includes barley can help stabilize blood sugar levels, although this has not yet been proved conclusively. It may also offer some protection against certain cancers. However the study still has a long way to go before results can be determined. The study centres on the beta-glucans that are contained in barley and is an effort to determine the effects of these not only on blood glucose levels but also on insulin. It is hoped that the study will help those suffering with Type II diabetes.

Pearl barley

  There is also some evidence to suggest that barley can help in a weight loss diet, although more research is needed in this area.

  The best barley to use is straight barley which had not been processed and this needs to be soaked overnight before using (see sattu), as does hulled barley which is the next best type to gain the maximum health benefits. Barley can be added to stews and sauces and has a nutty flavour and should be chewy, like al dente pasta. Try the recipe below. You can use it with chicken or beef or lamb for cold winter’s days, and because of the selenium it will give you a feeling of well-being.

  Pearl barley, pot or scotch barley and barley flakes have undergone a rigorous processing and do not have the same health benefits as the types of barley mentioned above.

  Like oats you can grind barely to a powder and mix with a little water to use as a face mask. You should apply the paste and leaves it to dry on your skin, before rinsing it off with tepid water, then splashing cold water on your face for the best effects. It is a good cleanser and will rejuvenate your skin, especially in winter when it may be damaged by the cold.

  Barley is very versatile and certainly has health benefits, unless of course you cannot take gluten.

HEARTY BARLEY STEW

Ingredients

100 gr barley (soaked overnight, drained and rinsed)

250 gr beef, cubed

100 gr beans of your choice,

  (chickpeas/garbanzos are good, soaked overnight)

2 large onions, sliced

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4-6 carrots sliced

1 stick celery (halved)

2 turnips, cubed

1 small swede, cubed

handful of fresh parsley shredded

1 tsp dried oregano or 2 tbsp fresh

1 tsp dried thyme or ajwain or1 tbsp fresh leaves

2 bay leaves, torn but whole

1 wineglass red wine

1 tbsp flour

olive oil for frying

Method

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the beef and seal well on all sides, then add the onions and garlic and fry for a few minutes.

Add the carrots and fry for a further few minutes.

Add the flour and stir well then add 2 pints water, slowly and bring to the boil.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring back to the boil, adding more water if necessary.

Keep an eye on the water level and cook for two hours or until all the ingredients are tender. Do not add salt until the last half an hour as this will prevent the barley and beans softening.

Remove from the heat and remove the celery stalk. Adjust the seasoning and serve with fresh crusty bread.

This has Taste and is a Treat.