They would eat liberally of seafood or other animal proteins and fats in the form of organ meats and dairy products; they valued animal fats as absolutely necessary to good health; and they ate fats, meats, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains in their whole, unrefined state.
Later research have shown that, almost universally, these societies allow grains, milk products and often vegetables, fruits and meats to ferment or pickle by a process called lacto-fermentation. Another technique found universally in ethnic cuisines is the use of bone broths, rich in gelatin as well as calcium and other minerals.
Cultured Dairy Products
Not only these isolated people share these preferences, but also our own ancestors and contemporaries. Before the age of industrialization, Europeans consumed milk as youghurt, cheese, clabber, or curds and whey. In Europe, soured milk products are still extensively used. Sour our fermented cream - creme fraiche - is an indispensable ingredient in soups and souces. The delicious sour butter of France and Germany is made from churning fermented cream. Cream cheese and cottage cheese are traditionally made by allowing the fermentation process to continue for several days until the white curds or casein-containing portion of the milk separates from the whey.
In Russia, a popular beverage is kefir, of fermented cow, goat or sheep milk. Koumiss, another Russian beverage popular in the eastern regions, is made from mare´s milk. In the Middle East, milk is soured in special containers to produce laban. In India, milk from cows or water buffalo is soured to produce dahi, which the Indians consume with every meal.
Fermentation of milk results in numerous beneficial changes. Fermentation breaks down casein, one of the most difficult proteins to digest. Culturing restores many of the enzymes destroyed during pasteurization including lactase, whoch helps digest lactose (milk sugar), and numerous enzymes, which help the body absorb calcium and other minerals. Both vitamin B and vitamin C content of milk increase during fermentation. In addition, cultured dairy products provide beneficial bacteria and lactic acid to the digestive tract.
Fermented Vegetables & Fruits
Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits putrefying bacteria. Starches and sugars in vegetables and fruit are converted into lactic acid by the many species of lactic-acid-producing bacteria. The proliferation of lactobacilli in fermented vegetables enhances their digestibility and increase vitamin levels. These beneficial organisms produce numerous helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic and anticarcinogenic substances.
A list of lacto-fermented vegetables from around the world is sufficient to prove the universality of this practice. In Europe the principle lacto-fermented food i sauerkraut. Cucumbers, beets and turnips are also traditional foods for lacto-fermentation. In Russia and Poland one finds pickled green tomatoes, peppers and lettuces. The peoples of Japan, China and Korea make pickled preparations of cabbage, turnip, eggplant, cucumber, oion, squash and carrot. American tradition includes many types of relishes - corn relish, cucumber relish, watermelon relish - all of which were no doubt originally lacto-fermented products.
The pickling of fruits is less well known but, nevertheless, found in many traditional cultures. The Japanese prize pickled umeboshi plums, and the peoples of India traditionally fermented fruit with spices to make chutneys. Use of mustard dates back to antiquity. ketchup provides us with an excellet example of a condiment that was formely fermented. The word "ketchup" derives from the Chinese Amoy dialect ke-tsirap or pickled fish-brine or sauce, the universal condiment of the ancient world. The English added foods like mushrooms, walnuts, cucumbers and oysters to this fermented brew; Americans added tomatoes from Mexico to make tomato ketchup.
Sprouted Grains, Nuts & Seeds
Credit for discovering the value of sproted seeds traditionally goes to the Chinese, who learned to germinate legumes many centuries ago. In the West, for centuries, beers of all sorts have been made with germinated grains. Bulgur, used extensively in Middle Eastern cooking, is made from coarsely ground sprouted wheat.
The process of germination not only produces vitamin C but also changes the composition of grain and seeds in numerous beneficial ways. Sprouting increases vitamin B content, especially B2, B5 and B6. Carotene increases dramatically. Even more important, sprouting neutralizes phytic acid, a substance present in the bran of all grains that inhibits absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc; sprouting also neutralizes enzyme inhibitors present in all seeds. Complex sugars responsible for intestinal gas are broken down during sprouting, and a portion of the starch in grains is transformed into sugar. Sprouting inactivates aflatoxins, potent carcinogens found in grains. Finally, numerous enzymes that help digestion are produced during the germination process.
Stocks
Meat and fish stocks are used almost universally in traditional cuisines - French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, African, South American, Middle Eastern and Russian - to produce nourishing and flavourful soups and sauces. Properly prepeared, meat stocks are extremely nutritious, containing the minerals of bone, cartilage, marrow and vegetables as electrolytes, a form that is easy to assimilate. Acidic wine or vinegar added during cooking helps to draw minerals, particularly calcium, magnesium and potassium, into the broth. The proteinaceous gelatin in meath broths has the unusal property of attracting digestive juices to the surface of cooked food particles, thus acting as an aid to digestion.
In folk wisdom, rich chicken broth is a valued remedy for the flu. Another traditional belief is that fish broth contributes to virility. Fish stock, made from the carcasses and heads of fish, is especially rich in minerals including all-iportant iodine. Even more important, stocks made from the heads, and therefore the thyroid glands of the fish, supplies thyroid hormone and other substances that nourish the thyroid gland.
Sauces, Marinades & Condiments
Sauces and condiments can be divided into two groups: those composed of raw ingredients and therefore valuable as sources of enzymes; and those that have been heated, made from stocks. The first category inludes vaious types of mayonnaise and marinades.
Mayonnaise imparts valuable enzymes, particularly lipase, to sandwiches, tuna salad, chiken salads and many other dishes. Mayonnaise is the base for many other chilled sauces and salad dressings.
Marinades that feature raw ingredients, particularly raw oils with their full complement of lipase, begin the digestive process of meats. Although the meats are usually cooked after several hours of steeping, their nutrients are nevertheless more available due to this predigestion; and, of course, they are more tender and flavourful as well.
End of part I.
Source: Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon
