Coffee anyone?

I've gone slightly off the railings with this one - completely unrelated to Jewish cuisine/history/nutrition, but worth a read none the less.

Coffee. Apparently it’s the drink of this generation. If you’re not ‘going out for coffee’ you’re probably grabbing one on the go, or craving some caffeine. I’m not sure if its the taste, the smell, or the sophistication of the drink but either way, following along this train of thought I thought it would be appropriate to comment on the various types of ‘coffee drinkers’ out there. I do have to point out that each coffee drinker category is by no means exclusive. There might be a mixed breed coffee drinker, or an overlap of categories. But without further a due, here are some broad categories I have come up with. You are more than welcome to add in any others you conceive of. 

First up, there's the ‘social’ coffee drinker:

He/she might be going out to catch up with friends over a cup of coffee. Completely uninterested in the type of coffee he orders, a latte or a cappuccino are virtually the same thing. The coffee is merely a tool of something to socialise over. The coffee shop is pretty important in adding to the vibe, but generally it’s also just an accessory. Coffee, coffee shop - who cares, He is just here to chat and  might even order a can of coke if he doesn’t want to feel like an idiot ordering something that sounds Italian and causing in a boxing match in his stomach.

Onto the next: The ‘hardcore-always-on-the-hunt-for-the-ultimate-coffee’ coffee drinker:

He is the definition of a coffee drinker. I would say he is the complete opposite of the ‘social’ coffee drinker. He doesn't need to drink coffee in company - the coffee is the company. There is never a coffee good enough for him, he is always looking for something better, something with a richer, fuller flavour. Usually, the hardcore drinker will have his coffee without any additions - either plain espresso (ie. long black), or possibly a latte when he so desires a little bit of hot milk. He would never opt for iced coffee, frappacinos, or coffee with flavoured syrups. He definitely wouldn't touch instant or decaf coffee, they shouldn’t even fit under the coffee catagory. When he drinks his cup, he savours the flavour slowly and is in complete and utter bliss. He can taste the coffee before he even drinks it just by its aroma. He also analyses the foam (if he drinks it with milk) and the temperature of the beverage. He should probably just open up his own cafe.

** A variation on this one is the drinker who pretends to be an expert, but really can’t tell the different between one cup of coffee to the next.

The ‘regular' coffee drinker:

This fellow needs his daily coffee, and it needs to be exactly the same, from exactly the same café, in exactly the same sized cup. Usually the cafe will be on his way to work, or near his work place. He will usually be in a rush when he orders the coffee, and the cafe staff know his face because he arrives at the same time each day with the same frazzled look - the "I haven’t had my caffeine shot of the day look - give it to me now" kind of look you might be familiar with. He doesn't mind to drink his coffee in company, but usually the coffee is so engrained in this persons’ routine, that he'll be having it on the go, or at his desk. The regular cafe might be a franchise coffee shop, or it might be a quaint little local coffee shop. Usually its the quaint little one. He probably would have a nervous break down when his coffee shop closes - but until that day, you'll see him there...every day...

The ‘I-need-caffeine-in-me-right-now-can't-wait-a-minute’ coffee drinker:

This person doesn’t necessarily appreciate the taste of the coffee he drinks. For him, it’s the caffeine element that holds utmost importance. He might wake up every morning with the announcement “I neeeed a coffee”, and is only satisfied once the caffeine is running through his system. His craving for coffee might be at 3:00pm at work, where the caffeine is vital to get him through the rest of the day. It might be at 1:00am, studying for an exam or finishing off an assignment where the coffee is essential. Whenever it is, he needs the coffee – NOW. He is unable to focus on anything else, other than his brain commanding him to self-caffeinate. Once he drinks the coffee, he is at ease. His face returns to its normal colour. His eyes are no longer bloodshot. And he can resume normal life once more.

The 'I-love-the smell–of- coffee–and-the- coffee-shop-vibe' coffee drinker:

Just for the hell of it, this coffee drinker is a 'she'. She doesn't particularly enjoy drinking coffee. In fact, she never drinks coffee at home, and doesn't covet a coffee machine. Not that she'll admit it, but she only goes to cafes for the atmosphere. She will read all the articles in magazines and the paper about the latest, funky coffee shop to check out. And she will - check it out. Because for her - its about the vibe, the music, the smell of the freshly ground coffee beans, and the people the cafe attracts. You might classify her as a bit of a “social coffee drinker” but for her, the café is an important element to her social activities. Ok, I’ll admit – this is a little reminiscent of myself.

The ‘coffee is water’ coffee drinker:

This guy has no limit with the amount of coffee he drinks. You’ll see him holding a cup of coffee in the morning, in the car, at work, while his eating lunch, at any social event, walking down the street, sitting in a café, on the computer, on the phone and well…pretty much at any opportunity. He probably has one of those keep cups to be environmentally friendly from time to time. But he’ll also use any regular Styrofoam cup, and it is likely he has a slightly musty looking mug that he keeps at his desk. The coffee isn’t usually any fancy variety – it might just be instant or percolated. It might be a cappuccino once or twice a day. It doesn’t really matter. Drinking coffee is second nature to him. Don’t be surprised if he has stained teeth and runs to the toilet all day. You might also choose to call him an addict.

The ‘hot chocolate/mocha/fake’ coffee drinker:

I don’t think this one has the right to say she is going out for ‘coffee’ when in fact, she has never drunk a cup of coffee in her life. She’ll always order the hot chocolate or milkshake, and sometimes a mochacinno if she’s feeling experimental. Noone really notices, because she’ll never instigate the coffee outing. It will always be suggested by someone else, and because she completely despises the taste of coffee – she’ll be forced to order something that looks similar. The truth is, most of the coffee drinkers will be a little envious when they see that little marshmallow bobbing on the top of the hot chocolate, and they have to deal with a burnt, slightly tepid latte.

The ‘instant’ coffee drinker:

She likes her coffee instant. All she needs is a kettle, a jar of instant coffee with a splash of milk and maybe a couple of teaspoons of sugar and she’s good to go. No need for fancy cafes, with their complicated coffee orders. She is happy drinking her one cup of coffee in the morning – made exactly the way she likes it. She’ll offer her friends a cup of coffee when they come over – but they’re usually uninterested. Who drinks instant coffee these days? At least offer coffee from a real coffee machine! She has her usual blend, it might be NESCAFE or maybe an organic variety. She doesn’t mind ordering a cup of coffee once in a while, but in general – instant coffee is the way to go.

So there you go. A brief synopses on the different types of coffee drinkers out there. Of course there are many more. These categories are slight exaggerations of the truth. But I’m sure you could place your friends and yourself in of them.

Ha•man•tasch. [hah-muh n-tahsh, huhm-uh n-, hoo m-A] A small triangular cake often made with yeast and filled with a mixture of poppy seeds and honey with prune paste, prepared especially for the festival of Purim. Plural – Hamantaschen.

The origins of Jewish cookery fall under several categories:

1)     It fits in within the laws of Kashrut

2)     It is associated with countries that were heavily populated by Jews such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East

3)      It is symbolic to a Jewish holiday or celebration

That last category was particularly poignant when I spent the year in Israel. Contrary to living in Melbourne, where you have to remind yourself that a Jewish holiday is around the corner amidst the hum drum of every day life, living in Israel makes it difficult to forget. Throughout the month of any Jewish festival, bakeries and eateries produce en mass, the food relating to that holiday.

Hamentaschen, falling under the last category are eaten once a year on the festival of Purim. Around this time of year in Israel, you cannot avoid the smell of freshly baked Hamenstaschen on the street as you walk past any of the bakeries.

A little bit of history…

I’ve always thought the story of Purim bears semblance to a fairy-tale. There’s the king with his evil advisor ‘Haman’ who has his heart set on annihilating the Jewish nation. The beautiful Queen Esther and her loyal sidekick, Mordechai, heroically come to the rescue while Haman and his wicked sons are defeated. It definitely has the potential to become a Walt Disney Production.

Fast forward more then 2000 years. We are still celebrating this victory with costumes, reading the Book of Esther (which tells the story of Purim), eating festive meals and giving out charity and gifts. Hamentashen are often given as part of the gift, and eaten at the meal. The Hebrew translation of the word is “Oznei Haman” – Hamans ears, symbolizing our enemy. It is also thought that the triangular shape of the Hamentasch represents the three cornered hat Haman sported. Another opinion is that the original word “Montaschen” in German or Yiddish, meaning poppyseed-filled pouches, was later transformed to “Hamantaschen”, associating them with Haman. Finally, the Hamantashen symbolize the miracle that occurred when the Jews were saved from Haman. In contrast to the open miracles that the Jews were usually privileged to witness, the events that occurred on Purim weren’t as obvious. Just like the miracle was “hidden”, the filling is also hidden in the Hamentashen dough.

Spot the Nutrition…

Generally speaking, desserts don’t tend to boast much in terms of nutrition. I thought I’d focus on a few types of fillings in these colourful pockets of fun that are out there.

Poppy:

These are the most traditional versions of Hamentaschen, as poppy seeds are predominant in Eastern Europe, particularly in Germany, Hungary and Poland. Belonging to the family of nuts and seeds, poppy seeds offer protection against heart disease from their high content of essential fatty acids (linonleic and oleic acid). I often think they strongly resemble an army of ants, but they also have a low GI (glycaemic index), keeping your blood sugars level throughout the day.

Jam:

While jam isn’t the most highly recommended spread out there, I would promote using it over butter and margarine. Yes, it’s true that it has a high sugar content (from the fruit and added sugar) but also contains virtually no fat. If you were to compare a tablespoon of butter to a tablespoon of jam, the jam would have half the amount of calories. A homemade jam without added sugar is always a better option than a processed jelly-like jam, but having small amount of it in your hamentaschen isn’t really going to do you much damage.

Chocolate:

Mmm…Chocolate..say no more. But in this case I will. The cocoa in chocolate has been shown to improve our stress levels. A chemical found in the cocoa bean boosts our levels of serotonin, giving us an overall happy, relaxed demeanor. Unfortunately the dark, bitter chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa has a much better effect than the sugar loaded, milk chocolate that most of us love.


What filling do you do?

Wine: [wahyn] The fermented juice of grapes, made in many varieties, such as red, white, sweet, dry, still, and sparkling, for use as a beverage, in cooking, in religious rites, etc., and usually having an alcoholic content of 14 percent or less.

Excluding the number seven and the letter “chet”, wine also plays a prominent role in Jewish culture. Wine, vino, yayiin, wein – whatever language you prefer, wine appears recurrently at every Jewish celebration and festival. Being the month of Adar with Purim on its way, where wine sellers profits jump dramatically, I thought it would be significant to touch on some wine history/nutrition.

So in the spirit of combining wine, our beloved ‘chet’ and the number seven (in the words of a certain pink-haired singer) ‘so raise your glass’ and drink to life:

“Lechaim, lechaim, lechaim, lechaim, lechaim, lechaim, lechaim!”

A little bit of history…

Like I mentioned previously in my exegesis on Challah, wine also carries a lot of significance in Judaism – historically, spiritually, culturally and ritualistically. For your sake and mine, I won’t expand on all of these aspects. An area that I found particulary interesting is the specific strict laws of Kashrut that accompany wine. With all other foods and drink in Judaism it is generally the ingredients that determine whether or not it is Kosher. When it comes to wine, however, the laws are more around who handles and processes the wine .

Firstly – kosher wines must be processed, bottled, handled, opened and poured by observant Jews. The wine will immediately become “non-kosher” if a non-Jew pours the wine. Sound intense? A little.

There is one exception to this law. When wine is heated to almost-boling point, the wine can be handled by non-Jews. This wine is also called “mevushal” (cooked). Generally, a bottle of wine will state whether it is mevushal or not, so you won’t be left wondering. There are some other cases that may cause a wine to become not Kosher but that’s all we have time for today, folks.

That one aspect is only a small percentage of the symbolism wine holds in Jewish culture. I’d love for you to share your thoughts on what wine means to you in any aspect of Judaism.

Moving onto something a little less heavy..

Spot the Nutrition…

**Disclaimer**

For those of you who are struggling to get in those 8 cups of fluid every day: I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but wine (or any form of alcohol) does not count toward those 8 cups. Give water a try. If that fails – any other fluid will do (even coffee and tea).

Avoid if:

-                                  pregnant

-                                  fructose intolerant (especially dry wine)

-                                  under 18 years of age

Enough with the negative – I’m sure many of you are aware of the detrimental effects wine carries. And if you are interested in reading more, this government website is a good place to go: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/alcohol/publishing.nsf/Cont nt/standard

But does wine actually carry any nutritional virtue? The question that I seem to hear repeatedly is whether or not one glass of wine a day is good for you? This statement that you may have heard in the media, or from your friends (particularly mentioned in the company of wine) refers to the decreased risk of heart disease a daily drink of wine has been shown to provide. The reason that red wine may be slightly protective for the heart is because of certain components inside the wine called antioxidants. Studies have found that these antioxidants can lower blood pressure, prevent blood clots and increase our good (HDL) cholesterol.  At the same time, there are so many other foods that can provide these benefits, without the disadvantages that wine carries. Unfortunately, wine  is not an essential part of our diet in terms of nutrition. Fortunately, it does remain an essential part of Judaism. Thus: Enjoy drinking those 4 cups at the Pesach seder, the copious amounts of wine on Purim and the exorbitant alcoholic beverages imbibed on Simchat Torah. Try not to make a daily habit out of it.


On a completely different note, I thought I might briefly discuss the energy content of wine. It may be hard to believe, but drinking one glass of wine (250 mL) is equal in calories to 2.5 slices of bread, and would take 37 minutes of fast walking to burn this energy off. This means, drinking a glass of wine with a sandwich, is similar to having 5 slices of bread. I found this really great information sheet that provides the energy content of different alcoholic drinks if that area happens to spark your interest: 
https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment?ui=2&ik=0845189229&view=att&th=12e2b7f3236c8781&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_gk7ei4eb0&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P8aPTeBeDh4MuJEOISqlwYS&sadet=1298285016613&sads=Hdhq9iSZRjAotdYHIpaDNw9wd6o&sadssc=1

-                                

Potato ku•gel: [koo-guh l, koo g-uh l] a baked casserole resembling a soufflé or pudding consisting primarily of potatoes, eggs and onions.

A little bit of history…

There's nothing quite like a steaming hot piece of potato kugel. Or kigel (k-eeee-gelle), depending on where you’re from. It is one of the few dishes that is appropriate for most Jewish festivals (including Pesach), served as an entree, side dish, dessert, hot or cold, day or night -- always a crowd pleaser. There are of course, other vegetable kugels: carrot, broccoli, pumpkin, corn, even apple (although I never understood eating a sweet apple kugel as a main dish). But the potato kugel is a classic. And now for a little bit of background on the famous, irrevocable kugel.  

The word “kugel” is German for “ball” (or cannonball), likely referring to the round and puffed up shape of the original kugel (now evolved into a square shape). Kugels were originally savoury and can be traced all the way back to 800 years ago in Germany where bread and flour were replaced with noodles and eventually eggs, were incorporated into the mixture. Jews used to cook the bread and flour mixture inside their beloved cholent stew, until they invented a new dish and cooked it separately.

Contrary to my original belief, it was noodles that were part of the original kugel, not potatoes. So when did potatoes come into the picture? Honestly, I haven’t found an answer yet – so please indulge us if you have any idea. I’m thinking somewhere along the lines of Pesach, where potatoes were a substitute for noodles, or simply because of the popular usage of the potato in Eastern European cookery.

Side note:

You might have also heard of the amusing yet derogatory term “kugel” to describe a South African materialistic young woman. I would advise against confusing the two.

And now for something completely different, check out this clip on how to make a potato kugel:

 http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Make-Potato-Kugel-215139641

Spot the Nutrition..

Did someone say potato? Believe it or not the potato is a vegetable. With it’s modest, lumpy appearance it has the ability to appear in a plethora of dishes. Hot chips, roast potato wedges, mashed potato, bangers and mash, fried potato, cold chips, potato soup, potato salad…It certainly deserves a notable mention. In addition to its abundance in Western cuisine, potatoes do have some nutritional benefits to offer as well (although I wouldn't promote a daily intake of hot chips). You may have heard of potassium. It commonly goes hand in hand with bananas, and is important for heart health and regulating blood pressure. Here is an interesting piece of information. One medium banana contains 422mg of potassium. Compare this to a boiled potato: 515mg of potassium, which turns out to be 18% of a females daily potassium requirements (2800mg). Indeed, the humble potato trumps the banana in its potassium content. As a side note, potassium is generally found in all fresh fruit and veggies, so if you include these in your diet you shouldn't have to worry about having a potassium deficiency.

Chal•lah [KHah-luh, hah] A loaf of rich white bread leavened with yeast and containing eggs,often braided before baking, prepared especially for the JewishSabbath.

A little bit of history...

We eat it biweekly (and often triweekly in the event of Sunday morning French challah toast) and dub it the “Jewish Bread”. Many struggle with pronouncing the guttural “chh” sound, or completely avoid it and stick to “hallah”. But where does this bread come from? Of course, as with all Jewish traditions there are an exhaustive amount of explanations and theories as to the origins of challah. I’ve decided to stick to the Biblical version which goes something along the lines of:

Back in the old days, us Jews were wandering in the dessert after our exile from Egypt. Our only source of nourishment was the daily portion of food provided by G-d that fell from heaven, landing right outside our doorsteps. Commonly known as manna, I like to think of it akin to tofu, where it has the ability to taste like anything your tastebuds desire. The only catch was, we didn’t receive any manna on Shabbat. To compensate, we received a double portion on Friday and commemorate this miracle by having two loaves of challah on Friday night and Shabbat day.

Spot the nutrition...

Lets be honest. Challah does not have many redeeming ingredients in the way of nutrition. Of course there are always the healthy alternatives like wholemeal challah, water-based challah and de-sugar-nated (yes – fake word) challah. But what about classic, sweet challah – the one where 2 slices leave you wanting more? Well, after some deep contemplation I thought I would focus on a minor part of this plaited sweet bread. That is, the subtle sprinkling of sesame seeds strewn on the shiny egg-coated top. While they may be miniscule in size, and lacklustre in colour, sesame seeds are bursting with nutrients. They contain calcium (for strong bones and teeth), a nutrient that seems to be lacking in many of our diets as well as iron, magnesium and Vitamin E. Two nutrients unique to these seeds are ironically, called sesamin and sesamolin. Both have been shown to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure levels. That isn’t to encourage you to eat a whole large challah. But if you are deciding about which challah to buy, or baking your own – be generous with the seeds!

Tzim·mes [tsim-is] Also, tsimmes. Any of various sweetened combinations of vegetables, fruit, and sometimes meat, prepared as a casserole or stew.

The literal translation of tzimmes is “tzim – for” and “esn- eating”, also translated as a sweet carrot dish.  Interestingly enough, tzimmes is also a slang term for “a major issue made out of a minor event” – Don’t make such a tzimmes, perhaps due to the laborious task of peeling, slicing and mixing of the carrots. This dish is traditionally a mixture of cooked fruit and vegetables – usually carrots, sweet potatoes, honey and dried fruit like prunes, raisins and apples. The overarching flavour of tzimmes is: sweet.

A little bit of history…

Compote or stew is part of Eastern European culture, due to the cold climate in countries like Russia and Poland. This sweet carrot dish is usually eaten on Rosh Hashana, where we over indulge on sweet foods in the hope of having a sweet new year. The golden circles of carrots also symbolize gold coins, for a year of prosperity.

Spot the nutrition…

While this traditional dish usually requires sugar or honey in addition to chicken shmultz, carrots are the definitive ingredient of tzimmes. And when it comes to nutrition, carrots have quite a bit to offer. The first thing you should know about these radiantly orange veggies is that they are an excellent source of beta-carotene (giving them the orange ‘carrot’ colour). Beta-carotene is converted in the body into Vitamin A which is beneficial for the skin, the immune system and night vision. Often, cooking causes a loss of vitamin and minerals. However, in the case of beta-carotene – cooking the carrot will actually enhance the absorption of this nutrient! An added bonus to this cooked carrot dish. And if you’re really feeling adventurous – leave the carrot peel on in your tzimmes to increase the fibre content of the dish. Don’t stress if you prefer the carrots peeled – they still provide plenty of fibre on their own. Be wary of consuming too many carrots, your skin may begin to give off an orange glow (seriously). How’s your sweet tooth feeling?

Cho·lent [chaw-luhnt, chuhl-uhnt; Yiddish chawlnt] A stewed or baked dish, especially of meat and beans, served on the Sabbath but cooked the day before or overnight over a slow fire.

A little bit of history..

Also known as “chamim” (hot) in Hebrew, cholent comes from the concept mentioned in the Talmud – that we must eat a hot dish at Shabbat lunch. While the written law prohibits cooking on Shabbat, the oral law explains that one can use a fire that was lit before Shabbat to keep food warm that has already been cooked. This is where the slow- cooked stew, otherwise known as ‘cholent’ stepped in. The traditional ingredients in a cholent vary between Ashkenzic and Sephardic Jewery, and are essentially foods that cook well over a long period of time. Staple ingredients in an Ashkaznic Cholent includes potatoes, legumes, meat, onions, spices and often kishke. A Sephardic cholent may use rice over potatoes, chicken over meat, chickpeas and eggs. With society these days focused on innovative and creative cooking, I would be pretty curious to see the evolution of the cholent.

Spot the Nutrition...

Barley and beans. Two essential ingredients used in a classic cholent. Although they may be disguised amongst the masses of other ingredients in the pot, their benefits remain. Both are excellent sources of dietary fibre. 100g of uncooked barley gives us 12g of dietary fibre, while 100g of kidney beans provides  21.5g. These amounts of fibre make it easy to meet the daily recommendations of 25-30g of fibre for adults. Dietary fibre is a bit of a wonder-nutrient in the benefits it provides. It offers us healthy bowel habits (goodbye constipation), reduces cholesterol levels, reduces the risk of bowel cancer, helps us feel fuller for longer and aids with digestion and weight loss. Pass the cholent please, I want some fibre!

Jewish cuisine – connecting history and nutrition

Jewish cuisine has a notorious reputation for being oily, salty and generally not very high on the healthy and nutritious scale. Fried onions, chicken fat, smoked salmon and shmultz herring - what are the chances of finding a single ingredient in these dishes that are remotely healthy?

I like to follow the general view that most things in this world have some form of goodness in them. However small it may be, however deep you have to dig – you will usually be able to find something positive. Take something like mould, where we hold our noses in contempt at the thought of it. Without it, we wouldn’t have all the different varieties of cheese with their unique flavours. Going along the lines of this philosophy, the time has come to up the ante on the traditional Jewish food we all have grown to love and pay kudos to the subtle nutritional benefits the cuisine has to offer.

Jewish cuisine. The truth is, there really isn’t one specific dish that is essentially “Jewish”, since our cuisine has been formed by the dietary laws of Kashrut and from the different countries Jews have wandered through over the years including Eastern Europe and the Middle East. There are however, several dishes that immediately spring to mind. Nothing shouts classic J.food like a hot stew of potatoes, onions, meat, barley and beans. Oh yes. It’s Cholent…