To make ghee (clarified butter), put a lump of butter in a stainless steel or glass dish and place in the oven on 60-70 degrees Celsius until melted. Spoon off the whitish residue (the milk solids) and discard. Pour the clear ‘golden’ butter fat carefully into a glass jar, cool and refrigerate. Use ghee for high-heat cooking and frying as it is more “stable” than butter.

Butter is rich in the fat-soluble vitamins A,D, E and K2 and contains important trace minerals, including selenium and iodine. The short chain fatty acid in butter, butyric acid, is used by the colon as an energy source and has anti-carcinogenic properties. Lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid, is a potent antimicrobial and antifungal. The ancient Irish, Scots, Norsemen and Finns so revered butter for its nutritional and medical qualities, they were buried with barrels of it.

The Tuareg are mainly nomads living in the Saharan terrain of North Africa and operate the trans-Saharan caravan trade. Tuareg tea, a delicious mixture of green tea, fresh mint leaves and sugar is central to social life and is ritually consumed 4 times a day.

Hureiki J, Laqueille X (2003). The Tuaregs addiction to tea, to smokeless tobacco and to milk: ethnological and clinical approach. Encephale.29(1):42-8.

Curcumin, a yellow pigment found in the curry spice turmeric, is one of the most popular nutritional and medical compounds used in India. In vitro and in vivo studies suggest antioxidant,anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-amyloid and anticancer activities. Curcumin is substantially more bioavailable when consumed with piperine, derived from black pepper.

Sikora E, Scapagnini G, Barbagallo M (2010). Curcumin, inflammation, ageing and age-related diseases. Immunity & Aging.7(1):1

Paleolithic humans have long been considered predominantly carnivorous. However, grain residues on grinding stones recently discovered at three different archaeological sites suggests that starchy grains were already being processed around 30,000 years ago in Europe.

Revedin A, Aranguren B, Becattini R, Longo L, Marconi E, Lippi MM, Skakun N, Sinitsyn A, Spiridonova E, Svoboda J (2010). Thirty thousand-year-old evidence of plant food processing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 107(44):18815-9

“Man is what he eats.”

Ludwig Andreas von Feuerbach (1804 – 1872), German philosopher and anthropologist

“There are infinite possibilities of error, and more cranks take up fashionable untruths than unfashionable truths.”

Bertrand Russell, Principles of Social Reconstruction (1916)

Bertrand Russell (1872 – 1970), Welsh mathematician, logician and philosopher known for his work in mathematical logic, but also active in social and political campaigns advocating pacifism and nuclear disarmament.

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.”

Julia Child (1912 – 2004), American chef, author

“Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centred by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate”.

Zhuangzi , Chinese Daoist Philosopher (ca. 369 BC – 286 BC)

More than 3,500 fermented foods and beverages (milk, vegetable or fruit based) are produced worldwide, primarily in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Fermentation is the ancient and economical art of preserving food through the action of lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and their enzymes. Fermented foods are easy to digest, nutritious and associated with significant health benefits.

Traditional fermented foods/drinks found in Anatolia (Turkey) include fermented milks (yoghurt, torba yoghurt, kurut, ayran, kefir, koumiss), cereal-based fermented food (tarhana), non-alcoholic beverages (boza), fermented fruits and vegetables (tursu, salgam, hardaliye) and fermented meat (sucuk). There is considerable regional variety in the preparation of these traditional foods.

Source: Kabak B, Dobson A D W (2011). An introduction to the traditional fermented foods and beverages of Turkey. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.51:248-260