Tag: Food
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Poison at the dinner table
Mithradates of Pontus, the Royal Toxicologist, testing poisons on a prisoner. Robert Thom, 1951. US National Library of Medicine. Putting poison in food has long been an expeditious way of disposing of one’s enemies. The many poisons traditionally available for this purpose include hemlock, aconitum, arsenic, cyanide, belladonna, and strychnine. Using food tasters to avoid…
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Pica: Eating starch and clay
The habit of eating non-nutritious or nonfood substances goes by the name of pica and strikes one as a rather peculiar phenomenon. It applies most commonly to people consuming starch or clay, but at different times and in different areas people have also eaten paper, dirt, soap, cloth, hair, ice, pebbles, charcoal, chalk, hair, or…
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The history of apples is the history of mankind
“Just a little longer.” Crop of photo by CasparGirl on Flickr. CC BY 2.0. The apple has been intertwined with human civilization for thousands of years. References to apples can be found in history, literature, religion, and folklore. The wild ancestor of the modern apple tree, Malus sieversii, originated in Central Asia and was domesticated…
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Eating cheese as medicine
Cheese has been part of human fare since the dawn of history. Already about 7,000 to 8,000 years ago the Sumerians were making cheese from milk by curdling it with enzymes from animal stomachs to prevent it from spoiling. They used it for food, but also for medicinal purposes, for diarrhea, constipation, digestive disorders, or…
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Feast or famine: Food in the art of Bruegel
Howard FischerUppsala, Sweden “Famine was part of everyday life.”1 Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525–1569), one of the most accomplished Netherlandish painters, often used peasant life as his subject. The survival of peasant agricultural society depended entirely on the success of their crops. The dream of abundant food, available without working for it, was the theme…
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Beets
George Dunea Chicago, Illinois, United States All but the most lionhearted would experience a sinking feeling on finding they have passed blood in their urine. With Sir Walter Scott they might wonder if changing the vowel A to I means they would soon be making earth. They would be greatly relieved to find out…
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The anorexia of aging
Alexandra MignucciAlbany, New York, United States While working at a medical home for patients with Alzheimer’s, I became fascinated by the difference in how much food the patients would eat when sitting at the table as a group versus when I would feed them in their rooms or on the couch. There was no difference…
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The ancient history of beer
Carol Sherman Chicago, Illinois, United States Cylinder seal (left) and modern impression (right) depicting two people drinking beer through long straws, found in Khafajeh, Iraq, c. 2600–2350 BC. Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Beer is a short word with a long history. According to the World History Encyclopedia, it is the world’s…
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Further observations on the centenary of Vegemite
Morris Odell Melbourne, Australia “Vegemite Breakfast.” Photo by Janeen on Flickr. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. The articles by doctors James Franklin and George Dunea on Vegemite and Marmite1,2 certainly struck a chord with me. Their observation that Vegemite is a symbol of Australia’s national identity barely does justice to its place in Australian culture and…
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Lentils
Lentils (Lens esculenta and Lens culinaris) are widely cultivated legumes. They are grown and consumed throughout the world, but almost half of the world’s lentils, 45%, are produced in Canada and another 18% in India. The legume is a good source of plant-based protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and is an excellent choice for vegetarians…