Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and The... (127 page)

Variation: Welsh Oat Porridge (Llymru)

Use
oats
instead of millet. May be soaked in
buttermilk
instead of water.

Acid porridges prepared from cereals are still eaten. . .in different parts of the world, particularly in the developing countries, where they may represent the basic diet.
Ogi
(Nigeria),
Uji
(Kenya) and
Koko
(Ghana) are examples of these porridges prepared by the fermentation of maize, sorghum, millet or cassava followed by wet-milling, wet-sieving and boiling. . .. Ogi porridge has a smooth texture similar to a hot blancmange and a sour taste reminiscent of yogurt. . .. Ogi is consumed as a porridge(
pap
), with about 8% solids, or a gel-like product (
agidi
) by a very large number of Nigerians. Pap is by far the most important traditional food for weaning infants and the major breakfast cereal of adults. Infants 9 months old are introduced to ogi by feeding once per day as a supplement to breast milk. Keith H. Steinkraus, ed. p189
Handbook of Indigenous Fermented Foods,
Courtesy Marcel Dekker, Inc.

Millet is the chief cereal grain for millions of people, particularly those living on the poor dry lands of India, Africa, China and Russia. Millet was important in Europe during the Middle Ages before corn and potatoes were know there, but it is of minor importance in Europe today. It is used to make a fermented porridge in Africa and a fermented beer in several parts of the world. As millet lacks gluten, it cannot be used to make leavened bread but it is suitable in diets for those allergic to gluten. It is also relatively low in phytic acid compared to other grains. Millet is very high in silica, which helps keep bones flexible as we age. Millet does contain a goitrogen in the hull or bran, so should be avoided by those with thyroid problems; or, if consumed in large amounts, the bran should be discarded (as it is in African recipes). SWF

MILLET CASSEROLE

Serves 6-8

2 cups whole millet

4 cups warm filtered water plus 4 tablespoons
whey
,
yoghurt
,
kefir
or
buttermilk

1 teaspoon sea salt

2-4 tablespoons butter

Place millet and warm water mixture in a flameproof pot and leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours. (Note: Those with severe milk allergies can use
lemon juice or vinegar
in place of whey, yoghurt, kefir or buttermilk.) Bring to a boil, skim, reduce heat, stir in salt and butter and cover tightly. Without removing lid, cook over lowest possible heat for about 45 minutes.

That healthy plants are essential to animal life and that animal excrement acts as a soil rejuvenator is widely recognized, but that possible harm is done to human life when disturbances or deficiencies occur in any phase of the biological cycle is not widely recognized.

Modern man has gleaned his fields to fill his larder, but his system of sanitary engineering has destroyed most of the soil rejuvenating, organic materials. No longer does man return to the soil those materials taken from the soil. Instead he pours them into the ocean and loses them to his civilization. Harsh mineral fertilizers, which destroy soil bacteria and earthworms, are being substituted for the organic compost of the past to the long-range detriment of the soil at one end of the biological cycle and of human life at the other. Francis M. Pottenger, Jr., MD
Pottenger's Cats

MILLET CAKES

Makes about 8

4 cups cooked millet

4 eggs

½ cup
bulgur flour
or unbleached white flour

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Blend eggs with flour and seasonings and fold in millet, onion, cilantro and optional cheese. Form into patties and saute in a mixture of butter and olive oil.

BULGUR

Makes 4 cups

3 cups soft wheat berries

filtered water

Bulgur or cracked wheat is a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine, used in tabouli, kibbeh, soups and casseroles. It is traditionally made from sprouted grain for a product infinitely more delicious and digestible than today's store-bought cracked wheat.

Sprout the berries in two jars according to instructions (
Bean
). Drain well, spread on a cookie sheet and set in a warm oven, no more than 150 degrees, overnight or until the berries are well dried. Grind coarsely in a grain grinder. Store the bulgur in an airtight container in your refrigerator. As the bulgur has been sprouted, it does not require a long soaking before cooking.

Sprouting accomplishes a veritable predigestion of grains. Phytic acid, which blocks the absorption of calcium and magnesium, is largely decomposed. So are certain sugars which cause intestinal gas. Part of the starch is transformed into sugars and numerous enzymes that aid digestion are produced. Claude Aubert
Dis-Moi Comment Tu Cuisines

BULGUR FLOUR

(Sprouted Wheat or "Malted" Flour)
Makes about 6 cups

4 cups bulgur

Grind the bulgur into a fine flour. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Sprouted wheat flour may be used in cookie and cake recipes where soaking gives less than satisfactory results.

KISHK

Makes 1 quart

4 cups cracked wheat or bulgur

4 cups
yoghurt

This fermented dish comes from the Middle East. It is traditionally added to soups but can also be eaten with milk or cream as a cold breakfast cereal. In fact, it is the only cold breakfast cereal that we can recommend.

Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and soak at room temperature for 24 hours in a dark place. Spread as thinly as possible on oiled cookie sheets and bake overnight at 150 degrees or until kishk has dried. Place in batches in food processor and pulse until coarsely crumbled. Do not overprocess. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

An example of this product differentiation and cost cutting in action is the process used for making cereals which are shaped like little O's, crowns, moons and the like. The machine used for making shaped cereals, called an extruder, is a huge pump with a die at one end. . .. The slurry goes into the extruder, is heated to a very high temperature and pushed through the die at high pressure. A spinning blade slices off each little crown or elephant, which is carried on a stream of hot air past nozzles which spray a coating of oil and sugar on each piece to seal off the cereal from the ravages of milk and give it crunch. This extrusion process. . .destroys much of the nutrient content of the ingredients, even the chemical vitamins. . .. The amino acid lysine, a crucial nutrient, is especially ravaged by extrusion. Yet the only changes made in the dozens of variables in the extrusion process are those which will cut costs. . .regardless of how these changes will alter the nutritive value of the product. Paul Stitt
Fighting the Food Giants
.

KISHK GRANOLA

Makes 6 cups

4 cups
kishk

1 cup
crispy pecans
,
almonds
or
cashews
, chopped

1 cup
dried sweetened coconut meat

1 cup dried fruit, such as raisins or unsulphured apricots, cut into small pieces

½ cup Rapadura (see
Guide to Natural Sweeteners
)

This cereal will actually keep well for several weeks at room temperature and is a good provision to take when one is traveling and wants to avoid hotel breakfasts.

Mix all ingredients together. Store in zip-lock bags or airtight containers in refrigerator. Eat like granola with milk or cream.

Four sets of rats were given special diets. One group received plain whole wheat, water, vitamins and minerals. Another group received Puffed Wheat, water and the same nutrient solution. A third set was given water and white sugar, and a fourth given nothing but water and the chemical nutrients. The rats which received the whole wheat lived over a year on the diet. The rats who got nothing but water and vitamins lived for about eight weeks, and the animals on a white sugar and water diet lived for a month. But [the company's] own laboratory study showed that rats given vitamins, water and all the Puffed Wheat they wanted died in two weeks. It wasn't a matter of the rats dying of malnutrition; results like these suggested that there was something actually toxic about the Puffed Wheat itself. Proteins are very similar to certain toxins in molecular structure, and the puffing process of putting the grain under 1500 pounds per square inch of pressure and then releasing it may produce chemical changes which turn a nutritious grain into a poisonous substance. . .. I was shocked, so I showed the report to Dr. Clark, who shared my concern. His predecessor, Dr. Graham, had published the report and begged the company not to continue producing Puffed Wheat because of its poisonous effect on animals. Dr. Clark. . .went right to the president. . .. " I know people should throw it on brides and grooms at weddings," [the president] cracked, "but if they insist on sticking it in their mouths, can I help it? Besides, we made $9 million on the stuff last year." Paul Stitt
Fighting the Food Giants

BULGUR CASSEROLE

(Fraykee)
Serves 4

1 cup
bulgur

2 cups cold filtered water

pinch of cinnamon

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ cup butter, softened

¼ cup
crispy pine nuts

This delicious grain preparation comes from Arabia. Heat a heavy, cast-iron skillet, add the sprouted and cracked bulgur and stir around a few minutes until it is toasted. Place toasted bulgur, water, cinnamon and salt in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit 5 minutes before removing lid. Turn into a bowl or casserole, toss with butter and top with pine nuts.