Nixtamal techniques for different maize races prepared as tortillas and tostadas by women of Chiapas, Mexico

Nixtamalization, which means cooking maize in alkaline water, is the central technique for the culinary use of maize in Mexico and Central America. Without this procedure, relying on maize as the basic starch staple is inadequate because of nutriment deficiencies. Mexico has more than 50 principal racial types of maize, and these differ in grain qualities that can require the adjustment of the nixtamalization process. Properties such as hardness and grain composition influence nixtamalization because they are related to the absorption of water that occurs during cooking and steeping. Some maize preparations, like tortillas and tostadas, can also require the adjustment of nixtamalization to obtain a high-quality foodstuff. We studied how women in three regions of the state of Chiapas, which differ in the prevalent maize race available, prepare their nixtamal and whether they make changes according to the type of food they prepare. Interviews of 30 women follow the measure of relevant variables when the women prepared nixtamal. We found that nixtamalization is adjusted for different grain hardnesses and for environmental conditions. Variations were found in the cooking time of the nixtamal, in the amount of time the nixtamal was steeped, and in a special process of double boiling of the nixtamal performed by some women for tostadas. Women that specialize in production for the market have developed variations preferred by consumers. As practiced by women in Chiapas, nixtamalization is a flexible technique that is adjusted for maize type and for food preparations.

Pontic Greek cuisine: the most common foods, ingredients, and dishes presented in cookbooks and folklore literature

Introduction The Pontic Greeks, besides their long and distinguished history, have a special and important culture and identity, elements of which are still preserved and active by their descendants a century after their settlement in Greece. One element of their identity and culture is their basic yet diverse cuisine, which is an important and recognized local cuisine in contemporary Greece. This study aimed to identify the most common foods, ingredients, and dishes found in Greek Pontic Cuisine. Methods Six cookbooks, two cooking magazines, four folklore books, and four folklore magazines were reviewed in this study. A considerable amount of data was collected and processed using a text analysis tool. Results and discussion The study provides the most frequently encountered dishes, foods, and ingredients that feature in the publications. The most common dishes are soups, including tanomenon sorva (soup with coarse grains, salty strained yogurt, and mint). Among other dishes, siron (a pre-baked filo-based pastry dish), chavitz (a thick corn dish resembling porridge), and foustoron (an omelet with fresh cow butter) are quite common. Common staples are anchovies and greens. In cookbooks and cookery magazines, ingredients include butter, wheat, eggs, tomatoes, milk, bulgur, corn-flour, and cheese. Meanwhile, the study publications are an excellent way of passing down traditional food knowledge intergenerational, as they are largely descended from Pontic Greek progenitors. Conclusion After analyzing all the publications, it was declared that dairy products, grains, and vegetables were commonly used in Pontic cuisine. It was concluded that cookbooks are crucial for the preservation of the Greek Pontic culinary tradition.

Dynamics of indigenous community’s food and culture in the time of climate change in the Himalayan region

Global climate change has become the most significant challenge of modern times, confronting the lives and security of vulnerable societies around the world. The anticipated impact of climatic variability will be severe on local communities, particularly those residing near high-risk prone zones such as coastal areas and mountain regions. The indigenous knowledge and locally-held beliefs act as a refuge, which also prompt and prohibit the responsiveness towards climatic instabilities. Subsequently, ensuring food and nutritional security is the primary task of strategy makers. Hence, comprehensive knowledge of the indigenous traditional food habits and cultural values, beliefs, and gendered norms need to be explored on a priority basis to address the adverse impact of environmental changes, emphasizing the urgency of the Himalayan societies. Despite that, the integration of indigenous knowledge is not on the priority list of the researcher. Thus, this article reviews the existing literature on customary food habits to analyze the bidirectional association between climate change and the dietary practice of the indigenous communities for adaptation policy. PRISMA Statement technique is used for a systematic review of Scopus and Web of Science databases identified 24 related studies from 14 countries, with a specific focus on the Himalayan region, which resulted into four themes viz. impact of climatic variability of indigenous societies, the impact of climate change on community’s customary food beliefs, the impact of climate change on gender defined norms, climate change adaption strategies. The findings show that the current literature has failed to include the socio-ecological beliefs of traditional communities associated with dietary habits. Thus, the focus should be given to integrate the locally held beliefs of customary societies for the successful adoption of climate change adaptation and food security programs.

Exploring meal frequency and vegetable intake among immigrants 70 years or older in Sweden

Background Earlier research regarding immigrants has shown that lifestyle and environmental factors are of importance for the risk of developing certain diseases. Food habits are one of these factors. As there is little research concerning immigrants and food habits, the aim of the present paper was to explore food habits operationalised as meal frequency and vegetable intake among a group of older immigrants in Sweden. Specifically, the following questions were explored: changes in food habits when migrating, missing food from the native country, gender differences in food habits and association between food habits and self-rated health and well-being. Method A total of 131 persons from the health-promoting study “Promoting Aging Migrants’ Capabilities” (PAMC) conducted in Gothenburg, Sweden, 2011–2014, were included in this exploratory secondary analysis of questionnaire data. Participants were 70 years or older, cognitively intact, and living in ordinary housing. They had all migrated to Sweden from Finland or the Western Balkan Region (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia). Descriptive statistics as well as binary logistic regression were used to answer the research questions. Results Forty-eight percent of the participants in PAMC reported that they had changed their food habits when migrating, and 17% considered that they missed certain foods from their native country. Most of the participants migrated to Sweden more than 20 years ago. There was a significant difference in self-rated health in favour of the male participants (p = 0.02), but food habits, operationalised as meal frequency and vegetable intake, were not associated with self-rated health or life satisfaction. Conclusion Men rated their health as better than women did, but food habits operationalised as meal frequency or vegetable intake, were not associated with self-rated health or life satisfaction. Results from this secondary analysis were affected by methodological shortcomings. Further studies to understand the role of food habits in relation to health in a migration context are desired. Trial registration: NCT01841853, Registered April 29, 2013. Retrospectively registered.

Wild European dewberry, Rubus caesius L. (fam. Rosaceae), in Sweden: from traditional regional consumption to exotic dessert at the Nobel Prize banquet

European dewberry, Rubus caesius L. (fam. Rosaceae), played an insignificant role as local food in Sweden before the twentieth century. It is known as salmbär ‘Solomon berries’ in the severely endangered regional language Gutnish, spoken in the Baltic Sea islands Gotland and Fårö. From a largely ignored food product with limited regional use, European dewberry has made a quick culinary journey to the top. Today dewberry jam is popular throughout Sweden, and it is usually served during festive occasions with a local Gotland specialty, oven-baked saffron pancake. This dish symbolizes the food culture of the island, and the demand for dewberries has increased together with the development of local tourism, the search for exciting heritage food, and the regional identity building efforts. Berries are harvested by foreign seasonal workers for commercial purposes, and dewberry jam is now also available in specialized shops in mainland Sweden. Inspired by the New Nordic Cuisine movement in the 2000s, several chefs, especially from fine dining restaurants, have created innovative dishes with dewberry jam; it was even served at the Nobel Prize banquet in December 2014. This article discusses the change of status and ascent of a locally used berry to a fashionable dessert in Sweden.

Berries instead of bears: new insight into gastronomic attractiveness of Russian Siberia

Active use of berries in regional cuisines underlines gastronomic specifics of Russia. The present study focuses on three regions of Russian Siberia and establishes that edible berries are numerous there and determine specifics of the regional cuisine rooted into the cultural traditions. These cultural and gastronomic traditions developed during four centuries by Russian settlers in Siberia who adapted to severe natural conditions, explored new food resources, and interacted with the local peoples. If so, berries and berry products can be regarded as a kind of ethnic food. Modern berries-based tourism (bacatourism) initiatives and, particularly, berry picking and tasting at you-pick farms and raspberry festival are registered on the study territory. Sellers tend to position berry products as typically Siberian, which permits their use as regional, quasi-ethnic souvenirs. Berries determine significant gastronomic attractiveness of Southern Siberia, and further exploitation of this potential can contribute to sustainable development of this vast territory and maintaining its cultural identity within the broad and diverse Russian space.

Exploring the potentialities of the Mexican fermented beverage: Pulque

Traditional alcoholic beverages are today recognized for their potentialities and benefits to human health. Pulque is likely to be one of the most consumed traditional beverages in Mexico, which is currently being explored by the research community. Different research and applications have been developed towards the full identification and characterization of the compounds and microbiota presented in pulque. Moreover, to improve its commercialization, specific emerging techniques have been proposed and implemented for the processing of such a traditional alcoholic beverage. Therefore, the goal of this review is to release a comprehensive overview of the latest research and developments focused on exploring the pulque. Herein, a particular emphasis has been paid to the relevant studies and findings in the field. Moreover, a clear overview of the microbial, physicochemical composition, elaboration protocols, together with the main parameters influencing its quality, are given. Few applications and processes aiming for its commercialization have been done (e.g., microencapsulation, spray-drying and ohmic treatment); however, within the exploitation of pulque, its main compounds have been implemented towards the enhancement of properties of other commercial products, such as tortilla and bread. Finally, this review provides the current research gaps and recommendations to the new researchers in the field.

What is a traditional food? Conceptual evolution from four dimensions

The purpose was to specify the concept of traditional food and the dimensions that make it up, identifying: definitions, authors and research projects; as well as to determine what is known and possible topics for future research. A literature review of traditional foods was conducted that examined the conceptual development of the term. Social network analysis (SNA) was also used to identify the most relevant definitions and working groups on the topic. Twenty-three definitions were identified in the period 1995–2019. It reveals the difficulty of establishing one that encompasses such a dynamic concept. Although there is variability in the specific characteristics of these foods, four dimensions have been established: time, place, know-how, and cultural meaning. It was found that their main characteristic is the transmission of knowledge and raw materials between generations. The conceptualization of the term has been developed mainly in Europe, based on the perspective of consumers. New trends in research include the contrast and complementarity of innovation in traditional foods and the difference between these products and those named with similar attributes such as typical, regional, ethnic, local, among others. Social network analysis (SNA) was used to study the definitions of a concept, something that had not been done with this approach. Suggestions are made for possible research on the subject, such as the conceptual delimitation of related terms and the compatibility between innovation and tradition.

A new process on the basic formula of kimchi: derived kimchi from a combination of yangnyeom (kimchi sauce) and vegetables

This study proposes a way of reconsidering how to explain kimchi, which is quite diverse even though it is often referred to as if it expresses a single, universal dish, to non-Koreans, particularly given the worldwide rise in its popularity. Koreans are accustomed to the general process of explaining kimchi in terms of the different types of vegetables that are the main ingredients. However, this process makes it difficult for Westerners who are new to kimchi to fully understand the comprehensive meaning and value of the dish. For this reason, it is time to change the process of explaining kimchi for Westerners who are accustomed to food culture using sauces. We believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the literature and will be of interest to the readership of the Journal of Ethnic Foods journal because it reviews and draws from 15 kimchi recipes posted by the world-famous culinary YouTuber Maangchi and proposes that discussing and classifying the composition and structure of ingredients and the basic formula as the best way of introducing non-Koreans to the variety of this quintessentially Korean dish and encouraging them to create their own varieties of kimchi upon a simple foundation of ingredients. People worldwide will be able to evolve to the stage where they can recognize and reconstruct the basic formula in which various derived kimchi types are made by combining kimchi yangnyeom and vegetables.

Fermented fish products in South and Southeast Asian cuisine: indigenous technology processes, nutrient composition, and cultural significance

The cleaner production of biomass into value-added products via microbial processes adds uniqueness in terms of food quality. The microbe-mediated traditional process for transforming biomass into food is a sustainable practice in Asian food industries. The 18 fermented fish products derived through this process as well as the associated micro-flora and nutritional composition have been focused. This review aims to update the process of green conversion biomass into value-added food products for a more sustainable future. Fish products are classified based on the substrate and source of the enzymes used in fermentation, which includes the three types of technology processing discussed. According to the findings, these fermented fish contain a plethora of beneficial microbiota, making them a valuable source of probiotics that may confer nutritional and health benefits. Bacillus (12 products), Lactobacillus (12 products), Micrococcus (9 products), and Staphylococcus (9 products) were the most common bacterial genera found in 18 fermented fish products. Consuming fermented fish products is beneficial to human health due to their high levels of carbohydrate, protein, fat, and lactic acid. However, biogenic amines, which are produced by certain bacteria as a by-product of their catabolic activity, are a significant potential hazard in traditionally fermented fish.