Sach·lav (sahlab/salep): a starchy, demulcent drug or foodstuff consisting of the dried tubers of certain orchids.

I think I may have overdone it on the Ashkenazi food – times they are a' changing and by changing I mean Sephardi. Judaism is made up of many different sects, with subtle differences between them all. However, Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews hold unique distinctions throughout their culture, cuisine, and practice– sometimes appearing like two separate religions. Coming from an Ashkenazic background, Sephardic cuisine is foreign to me. Fortunately, my time spent in Israel allowed me the opportunity to enjoy this food culture while attempting to bring some of it home with me. If unsuccessful in the kitchen, at least it remains in the recesses of my memory.

One of my favourite comfort foods (breakfast, dessert or drink? I was never quite sure) that I turned to in times of need in Israel, was Sachlav. It took a while to muster up the courage to try this outlandish beverage, but once I did – I never looked back. Sachlav has a porridge/custard like texture, and is traditionally served from large adorned urns (to keep it hot),  with its signature thickening and fragrant ingredient – ground bulbs of the ‘early purple orchid’ (sahlab in Hebrew and Arabic means ‘orchid’), mixed with hot milk, orange blossom water, cinnamon and vanilla. It is commonly dished up with coconut shreds, chopped pistachios and sultanas. Cheaper versions of the drink use corn starch instead of sachlav powder. One of my many missions in Israel was to discover the best Sachlav in town, and for now the one served at “Tmol Shilshom” in the centre of Jerusalem takes the prize.

A little bit of history:

Sachlav refers to the actual orchid, and the drink. The tubers of the orchid are dried and ground up to create this fragrant flour. An unconventional theory claims that the name ‘sahlab’ is derived from the Arabic expression “hasyu al-tha’lab”, in English – fox testicles, a not-so-subtle depiction of the orchid tubers. Not too kosher. Possibly because of this reason, the orchid has historically been used as an aphrodisiac.  The actual beverage  originated in Turkey and the Middle East, and then went on to England and Germany, prior to the popularity of tea and coffee. Each country has minor differences in their sachlav beverages, while the ground up orchid has also been used in ice creams and desserts.

A Spot of Nutrition:

Before honing in on some of the specific nutritional benefits on sachlav here is a word on hot drinks, and their nutritional value. Benefits of hot drinks are largely psychological, as they give you a few minutes to de-stress in addition to relaxing a sore throat. When drunk alongside a meal, they also force you to slow down your eating, allowing you to eat less and feel full more quickly. I also find that the mere act of holding a hot drink in our hand, brings an instantaneous sensation of calmness and happiness. As a side benefit, many hot drinks contain the magical ingredient of milk – which is great for slipping some calcium into your diet.

Now what about this supernatural orchid you ask?
The root is commonly used in herbal medicine and has been found to restore the body after disease by stimulating its activity. It particularly has been shown to have a curative effect on the common cold and cough, hence is popularity during the winter months.

Point of reference:

Unfortunately it is extremely difficult/illegal to bring sachlav into Australia. If you do want to impress your friends and family – you could always purchase the powdered sachlav mix (made with artificial flavourings) and fabricate a tale that includes you trekking around the Middle Eastern dessert on a hunt to bring home Early Purple Orchids. Make sure you hide the box.

Here is a simple recipe assuming you don’t have any sachlav on you.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons Sahlab powder or 2 tablespoons cornstarch

4 cups milk

3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

2 teaspoons rose or orange-blossom water (optional)

2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios

Ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Mix the Sahlab powder or cornstarch with a few tablespoons of milk.

Bring the remaining milk to a boil. Pour in the starch mixture, stirring vigorously, so that lumps do not form.

Cook over very low heat, stirring continuously, until the milk thickens (about 10 minutes). Then stir in the sugar and the rose water or orange blossom water, if you so desire.

Serve in cups with the chopped pistachios and cinnamon as garnish. You may also sprinkle grated coconut on top.

Egg: The roundish reproductive body produced by the female of certain animals, as birds and most reptiles, consisting of an ovum and its envelope of albumen, jelly, membranes, egg case, or shell, according to species. Mm..yummy.

A burnt egg.

Oh, how I love the Jewish calendar. One festivity ends, and another one is on its way. While all Jewish holidays seem to be represented by one or two dishes, Pesach has at least 20 different symbolic foods prepared in its honour. Matzah, marror, charoset – they’ve all had their moments of glory. Alas, it is time for the burnt egg to have its turn in the spotlight. Coincidentally this ode to an egg has come at a good time with Easter on the way.

 A little bit of history:

The roasted egg is a feature on the Seder plate, along with its 6 other counterparts. In addition to the Seder plate, the egg  features in a large proportion of Pesach cookery including the well renowned kremselach, egg lockshen, kugels, cakes and ice cream. We would be lost without eggs on Pesach. I remember being told as a child that eggs are a symbol of life continuity because of their round shape and as an egg is given to a family when a child is born and eaten as part of the mourner’s meal. I was also taught that the burnt egg represents the offering (Karban Chagiga) brought in the times of the Temple, while the burning is symbolic of the Temple’s destruction.

Now in my old age, I’ve realized there is a little more to it. An interesting theory I came across is the belief that an un-hatched egg signifies an incomplete religious state. This is similar to the state that the Israelites released from Egypt were in. Although they had their freedom, they weren’t spiritually complete until they received the Torah at Mount Sinai. I’ve added my own interpretation to this – dipping our eggs into salt water adds a bitter taste, corresponding to the ‘incomplete’ state we remain in, despite receiving the Torah thousands of years ago. Come to think of it, I wouldn’t want to be eating a hatched egg, regardless of the religious state I was in. Eggcellent.

A Spot of Nutrition:

The good, the bad, and the ugly?

I always prefer to start with the bad. Because of the high temperatures used in the burning process certain substances, known as ‘polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons’ (or PAHs if you want to avoid that mouthful) and  heterocyclic amines (HAs) are produced, which have been shown to link to cancer. HAs are only produced from cooking meat, so no need to worry about them when it comes to eggs, while small amounts of PAHs are also  found in the environment.

Moving quickly along - and now for the good. Popular belief indicates that eggs are high in cholesterol and therefore we should steer clear of them. Well, the good news is, high amounts of cholesterol in our body don’t tend to come from foods that contain cholesterol (like eggs, liver and seafood). They’re usually a result of genetics or foods that are high in saturated fat, like butter and animal fat. The butter used to fry an egg, would be more of an issue than the egg itself. In fact, eggs should be included as part of a healthy diet. If you’re generally eating a balanced diet, you don’t need to limit the amount of eggs you eat per week unless your GP has told you otherwise.

One large egg has about 6 grams of protein and 3.8 grams of total fat – with 2.5 of these grams coming from healthy monounsaturated fat. Eggs also offer a bonus nutrient – choline – which helps with our brain and memory function. Don’t forget about the Vitamin B12, iron and zinc in eggs, which is great for any vegetarians (sorry vegans) out there, who often find these nutrients difficult to get in.

Try this at your Seder:

This game provides much entertainment at my family Seder. How many times can you put the word ‘egg’ in your sentence? Here’s an eggsample:

“Eggsactly, I eggree. Eggalitarianism is eggstremely important in mans eggsistance” 

Chrein: A Jewish relish made from grated horseradish mixed with chopped beetroot. Served with gefilte fish or cold fried fish.

There are two types of people in this world. Lovers of chrein, who refuse to eat gefilte fish without it, and chrein-haters, who will do anything to avoid touching a chrein-stained plate. The third category that I forgot to mention, is those who have never heard of chrein before and looking at the word, let alone trying to pronounce it, is confusing enough on its own. Out of all the foods and dishes I’ve discussed thus far on this food-fetish blog, the history of chrein has been the most difficult to explore. Maybe it’s just not as well known. Or maybe, as I hinted at before, it’s name just throws people off.

 A little bit of history…

Chrein would be nothing without its gefilte fish. Next time you feel like being romantic, use the phrase: “You are the chrein to my gefilte fish” – this will no doubt tug at some heart strings. Traditionally made from beetroot and horseradish, combining spicy and sweet, this Jewish relish provides some zingy flavour to the otherwise relatively bland and sweet fish. However, chrein has a little more to it, than simply being a great flavour combo with its side kick mr. gefilte.

Horseradish (chrein in Russian) was plentiful and cheap back in the old days.  It was used in relish with everything – from sandwiches, to meat, to fish, although it didn’t quite make it to chocolate cake.

Chrein is the star of the show when it comes to Passover, playing the role of the ‘bitter herb’ (marror), creating many a’ tears in the room. My family has the wonderful tradition of chrein-competitions, by testing eachothers’ endurance on who can consume the most chrein. The result? Red, anguished faces and sorrowful cries of pain. I wonder if anyone has ever compared the tear-inducing power of horseradish vs. onions. 

In Russia, chrein has a notorious place in many idioms, such as “Chrein be with you”. Translated as: “To hell with you”. This alternate meaning of chrein, may be due to the devilish shape of the horseradish root. If you do feel the desire to make your own powerful chrein, take a gander at this recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/heimishe-chrein-416597 and watch the tears fall. I wonder how it would taste with sushi?

Spot the Nutrition...

Bitterness aside, horseradish has quite a number of nutritional benefits. It falls under the ‘root vegetable’ family and has a great track record of helping reduce the symptoms of sinusitis (a sinus infection) through getting rid of built up mucous. Ironically, attempting to say the word chrein repeatedly can become quite…mucousy.

But wait, there’s more! Horseradish has traditionally been prized for its medicinal healting qualities for centuries. known to act as a natural healer.  Here are some more reasons to chow down on some bitter herbs:

·         The root contains ‘glucosinolates’ that have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer

·          It contains antioxidants that help to relieve aching joints

·         The radish is a natural antibiotic against infection as it increases blood flow to the infected area

·         Appetite stimulant (no wonder we have the ability to eat so much on Friday night and during the Seder)

·         Builds up our immune system

·         These are all in addition to the fact that its virtually fat free, high in fibre, vitamin C, folate, potassium, magnesium… I think you get the picture.

Mixed with beetroot – the combination is even more powerful. I think this seriously healthy ingredient is vital during Passover. After filling up on wine, matzah and salty potatoes, our body is in need of some healing.