Xisca
Member
I think there are some nice things to take from part of their diet....
What I call traditionnal diet is when you HAVE to eat what is around, because trade is limites. So, ingredients are local, limites, seasons bound, and if something is wrong, well, you can ONLY adjust the way you prepare it. This is also what I concluded about RP mentionning masa harina. Corn got better for human consumption.
When you ask old people in the Canary, aboout their traditional diet, very much affected nowadays of course, well the diet was quite good up to a few decades ago!
I just saw yesterday the paper announcing the death of a 98 years old woman. Photos from the past century show very lean and strong people, all of them. Few cars and a lot of walking up and down... I live in La Palma, the western most, and when arriving by plane, the 1st question is where on this stone is it possible to live? There is a big difference between the health of the eldest, and the health of people who are 30-40 years younger. Now people are often plagued with fat and diabetis. Sunflower oil has already started... though a lot of people stick to their olive oil!
The aborigenes arrived there with goats and figs trees. Wheat and rye were also traditional. There were no fruits in those rocky volcanic islands. Milk has always been a stapple. Spaniards added other tress, and then migration to south America added more. Now prickly pears, almonds and chesnut are common wild. Then came the sugar cane, then banana plantations, still the main cultivation in the low parts, grapes for a highly estimated wine in the upland.
As in Tibet, if you have heard of the tsampa, they toasted grains before making flour.
Here it is called GOFIO.
Gofio - Wikipedia
I think the main interest of this traditional preparation is it helps neutralize some anti-nutrient from seeds. But there are also changes in the starch etc.
Local people who remember their good old "gofio" compared to the modern one, know the difference. When they buy from the few who stilll make the traditional one, they can have it right away in their milk. They could use it with no further cooking. The new one is not toasted properly, it is too raw, and give them bloating if it is not cooked.
Traditional breakfast for children here before going to school was to go to the goat and take some good fresh warm milk and put gofio in it.
Of course all families also had fresh goat cheese every day.
Afternoon snack was dry figs with -eventualy salted toasted- almonds. (remember all had to be locally produced)
Gofio was also put into veggy and bone broth for supper.
And people who could not afford more, had one orange tree that they watered with the water of house use.
And their main fat appart from olive oil was pork, but in those days, it was solid and yellow. Pigs were eating rests from the garden and whey from the goat cheese making. Now, the same pigs produce a whiter and more liquid fat! You all here know what it means...
Of course eggs and some chicken from time to time... In times of scarcity, women were passing the bone among neighbour, to flavour all soups with the same one bone. It was also common for families to have one cow.
Fat fish, called blue fish, was said to be bad, and they favoured the white fish. Shells were commonly used too. The most comon is called lapa, now protected but still collected... Tolerated for eating some at the shore, but not for retail.
Patella vulgata - Wikipedia
Is also protected the shaerwater, because people used to go and take their egg.
Shearwater - Wikipedia
The famous mojo sauce is from green or red pepper, comino and some garlic, and olive oil and vinegar. Still very common.
What I call traditionnal diet is when you HAVE to eat what is around, because trade is limites. So, ingredients are local, limites, seasons bound, and if something is wrong, well, you can ONLY adjust the way you prepare it. This is also what I concluded about RP mentionning masa harina. Corn got better for human consumption.
When you ask old people in the Canary, aboout their traditional diet, very much affected nowadays of course, well the diet was quite good up to a few decades ago!
I just saw yesterday the paper announcing the death of a 98 years old woman. Photos from the past century show very lean and strong people, all of them. Few cars and a lot of walking up and down... I live in La Palma, the western most, and when arriving by plane, the 1st question is where on this stone is it possible to live? There is a big difference between the health of the eldest, and the health of people who are 30-40 years younger. Now people are often plagued with fat and diabetis. Sunflower oil has already started... though a lot of people stick to their olive oil!
The aborigenes arrived there with goats and figs trees. Wheat and rye were also traditional. There were no fruits in those rocky volcanic islands. Milk has always been a stapple. Spaniards added other tress, and then migration to south America added more. Now prickly pears, almonds and chesnut are common wild. Then came the sugar cane, then banana plantations, still the main cultivation in the low parts, grapes for a highly estimated wine in the upland.
As in Tibet, if you have heard of the tsampa, they toasted grains before making flour.
Here it is called GOFIO.
Gofio - Wikipedia
I think the main interest of this traditional preparation is it helps neutralize some anti-nutrient from seeds. But there are also changes in the starch etc.
Local people who remember their good old "gofio" compared to the modern one, know the difference. When they buy from the few who stilll make the traditional one, they can have it right away in their milk. They could use it with no further cooking. The new one is not toasted properly, it is too raw, and give them bloating if it is not cooked.
Traditional breakfast for children here before going to school was to go to the goat and take some good fresh warm milk and put gofio in it.
Of course all families also had fresh goat cheese every day.
Afternoon snack was dry figs with -eventualy salted toasted- almonds. (remember all had to be locally produced)
Gofio was also put into veggy and bone broth for supper.
And people who could not afford more, had one orange tree that they watered with the water of house use.
And their main fat appart from olive oil was pork, but in those days, it was solid and yellow. Pigs were eating rests from the garden and whey from the goat cheese making. Now, the same pigs produce a whiter and more liquid fat! You all here know what it means...
Of course eggs and some chicken from time to time... In times of scarcity, women were passing the bone among neighbour, to flavour all soups with the same one bone. It was also common for families to have one cow.
Fat fish, called blue fish, was said to be bad, and they favoured the white fish. Shells were commonly used too. The most comon is called lapa, now protected but still collected... Tolerated for eating some at the shore, but not for retail.
Patella vulgata - Wikipedia
Is also protected the shaerwater, because people used to go and take their egg.
Shearwater - Wikipedia
The famous mojo sauce is from green or red pepper, comino and some garlic, and olive oil and vinegar. Still very common.
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