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Zulejka Javersek on 19 Sep 2016
“The book that will change your outlook on cooking

Books by Michael Pollan have a transformative power, it seems. Often run into blogging format, which incidentally mention what Pollanovo book (in this respect, particularly stands out Omnivore's Dilemma), the author (ICA) implies that Pollanovo writing to profound changes in his / her view of the food - and thus the world . It is not uncommon, therefore, that the book Cooked (boiled), his most recent book of essays, subtitled A Natural History of Transformation (Natural History transformation) of the type - transformative, ie.

Its transformative power of announcing already blurb (short inscriptions, excerpts from reviews - who knows a translation into English?), which is described as "a book of disclosures" and "important reading that can change your life", and calling "to change you."

The book consists of four comprehensive essays, which in the broadest sense of dealing with how the four elements: fire, water, air and soil, transform nature (ingredients) in culture (meal), and how culture (especially as agri-culture) affects back the nature. But this is not the only reaction taking place. To a greater extent than with the (micro) biology is Pollan deals with the anthropological aspects (preparing) food. His style of writing essays is a typical American pripovedniški with a strong personal touch, which spice up the sometimes almost poetic language and humor on their own account, so that reading is always interesting and enjoyable.

You could say (and Michael Pollan us to this posting himself in the Introduction ) that is at the center of each section of the book is a basic recipe: barbecue, damping, bread and sauerkraut. But each recipe actually represents a transformation of the principle ingredients in food. Cooking in this way becomes a highly reflected and highly unalienated doing - the exact opposite of what is already a good time going to the US (and increasingly also comes to us).

In the US, the cooking in the last sixty years largely moved from the kitchen to the TV screens: Americans spend more time watching cooking shows and cooking. Large corporations have reached to the people in this field into a particular consumer. "Cooking has the power to change more than just plants and animals: also changes us from mere consumers to producers," says Pollan. And the fact that you 'producer' own food, you can find a deep and unexpected satisfaction. " Cooked is an invitation to change, though still so small, the relationship between production and consumption in your life."

Fire or grilled mythology

The first part of the book focuses on flames or better - grilling ( barbecue ) respectively. cooking (baking) with a single fire, without the presence of water, thereby mostly meat, so for me this was part of the book rather ... um, flashy, but nevertheless instructive and interesting, especially with the anthropological point of view. Micheail Pollan did not stop the cooking itself, but also included historical, even mythological aspect of cooking animals. It is not neglecting ethical point of view that is somehow present from the outset, which can be observed in the tribes that animals treated with his unique awe, and of course the rituals of sacrifice, bearing in Pollan notes that we modern people with a non-reflective eating meat from industrial farming more primitive than the people who are the rituals of sacrifice recognize that when this happens something important, something that can blind our full attention. Michael Pollan here raised an important question: where to start cooking? It begins when you take ingredients out of the refrigerator and start sekljati? Or perhaps much earlier, on farms and farms?

In this part of the Pollan he talked with some "pit masters" (Masters barbecue) and terribly interesting chefs from the Basque Country, Bittorjem Arguinzonizom that even ice cream inhales the aroma of the smoke-wood, and tested in baking in your own garden.

"Cooking placed several types Distance between brutal facts of matter (dead animals for dinner) and a dining table with napkins and silverware polished, "says Pollan. Culture is mixed in nature and makes it edible. Man is the only animal that cooks (fermentation could also apply to other animals, as we shall see). Cooking is what separates us from the animals.

Water or magic from the pot

When grilling dominated by men, it's happening in the public sphere (or at least free) and is usually a social event, worthy of special occasions. Women happy to leave the male monopoly on the grill - perhaps also to men, at least the part of the cook, as someone hinted Pollanu.

Cooking with water, which happens every day in hiddenness and (relative) solitude cuisine throughout history left to women. Because antifeministi?nega passwords that a woman belongs to the stove, the feminists strongly resisted cooking as a form of oppression, which is the food industry (in the post-war hungry customers for its products developed for the front, like mashed into powder, etc.) Wear their coach and offer their products under the guise of women's liberation. While it is of course not the most skillful maintain - and strengthen! - A bias that is a concern for the human family the exclusive domain of women. However, not all feminists see cooking as repression, at least not in its entirety, Simone de Beauvoir writes that cooking can also be a form of "discovery and creation; and a woman can find special satisfaction in the managed cake or delicate pastries, as this is not something you can do every: You must have a gift. "

A time when cooking at home is actually optional (can be left to corporations and Americans are at much do ), we can say that the stove is to be reactionary, but progressive (if not revolutionary) position. "If it is the first gastronomic revolution took place under the sign community, they gathered around the animal, which was burning over the fire, and the other within the family gathered around the pot, just place the third, which is dedicated to the individual: Have it Your Way *". * (This is the slogan of the chain fast-food restaurants Burger King)

A study shows that this trend is very harmful: preparing food at home is proving to be an increasingly important factor for health, such as the social situation. In societies where most of the meals prepared at home, it is also far less obesity, as corporations prepare food use much more sugar, fat and salt as you cook at home (not to mention the ingredients that home never used).

Cooking water is going to pot and cook under a single fire. The pot is a very important discovery, it is actually our second stomach as a cooking allows you to unlock the nutrients of certain ingredients and "digested" foods that would otherwise be eaten by us (eg. Potatoes), and save time and energy they would otherwise have to pay large amounts of chewing food.

Pollan that he feels chopping onions pressure is in this part of consorting with an interesting young chefinjo Samin Nosrat. Samin taught him about choking and other culinary tricks, which include water, and especially the humble art of cooking, which does not impose, but can humble ingredients with patience, time and vigilance, creates a very nutritious and satisfying meals. In search of taste, umami, he taught Pollan also preparing dashija, Japanese broth. At the time of socializing with Samin and the introduction of the new ritual of cooking on Sundays, he realized that you can also enjoy cooking, if he could just leave.

The air is not equal to zero

Section titled Air is dedicated to ... ah, bread, or rather, the search for a full loaf of bread. Happened to be wondering what the air is carried out with the bread? Great! What is bread without air? Definitely not bread. The air bubbles - a "hole" in the bread - it hides its essential charm: flavor. From the air also it depends on its tenderness, of course.

"The real bread" is baked with sour dough starter, of course. Pollan is its bread furnace started from white flour, but after talks with experienced bakers know that whole grain flours more real way. Wholemeal flour are in fact more complex and biologically active than white flour, which is actually a dead starch, as the germ and bran, containing living cells, removed from it. The processing of food (which began with the fermentation and cooking, thus shortening the period of digestion and make nutrients available from a number of previously inaccessible), we are here as civiliziacija gone too far. Principle, which has helped us that we as a species spread across the world, we drove so far that the sprevergel into its opposite: civilization diseases are largely the result of too much processed food, which play a key role white flour and refined sugar .

late in the 19th century, the white flour in force for more nutritious and healthier than whole wheat. From wholegrain it was hard to bake a good, well-leavened bread, moreover, it was wholemeal flour perishable (due to omega-3 fatty acids, which are present in wheat germ). White flour is by hook does not spoil, it is more sweet taste and out easily fluffy baked bread. Before industrialization milling mills were local, as it should be freshly milled flour. "Flour" are getting the screening, thereby removing only the most coarse bran. But with the emergence of modern mills, which remove shell and really make white flour, which is nothing more than starch, it can be centralized milling. Due to the nature of the mill has turned herself straw wheat - farmers, millers have to be told, they began to cultivate wheat, hard grains, which facilitated the separation of the bran from the starchy core. Shortly after the entry into force of modern mills has increased significantly the appearance of so-called Western diseases (heart disease, stroke, diabetes, gastrointestinal diseases, including cancer). At the end of the 19th century we have already experienced doctors, who see a link between white flour and chronic diseases, but they could not agree, what is the real reason for them: lack of fiber and vitamins or too many simple carbs.

Problem is not only white flour, but also industrial - brewer's yeast, which most of us baked bread (including me! But this is going to change - after Pollanovi thanks), it is also a bad alternative. Brewer's yeast is greatly speeds rise, therefore, no degradation of the phytic acid, which is present in the whole grain cereals and the role of which is to lock the minerals (not only in cereals but also in jedcu if eaten enough). In the process of fermentation, sourdough, the phytic acid is degraded, and thus allows the nutrients become available. In addition, it also becomes easier to digest gluten, starch absorption is slower (and thus lower GI). In short, everything speaks in favor of sour dough, except for the time and attention that we need it, however, take longer, at least until we move into the blood.

This section is Pollan learned to bake sour bread, talking with two bakers of bread sour dough, visited the factory of bread, which was not long after went bankrupt (no thanks to him;)), and a modern mill. And finally, he visited a wheat field, a few weeks before the harvest, which is, as stated, has never stood, but he still seemed familiar. "If you stand in a field of wheat at this time, a few weeks before harvest, it is not hard to imagine that watching a scene from mythology: all these golden sunlight, brought to earth trapped in golden beans, and adjusted for food to mortals. But of course this is not no myth, just simply miraculous fact. "

Country or secret fermentation

The Earth is Pollan devoted to fermentation, which is connected with the earth through the principle of the circuit; Cabbage grows from the soil, ferment and ultimately converted into compost - into the ground. Fermentation, which is controlled by the people, so 'broken rot "," delayed return to dust. " Therefore, the consumption of fermented things learned taste, known fermented foods (from other cultures, for example.) Disgust us. Some form of fermentation is known in every known culture, they know it even animals, for example. Monkeys storing flowers and fruit that starts to rot and are seeking to develop alcohol. Fermentation is one of the most mysterious transformations, you can experience some food (Consider only the transformation of fruit juice into wine). And even so important, that in the beginning of the 20th century there was a hypothesis (1908, Solomon Katz) that the permanent settlement of the desire of man credited with alcohol, and do not need to eat. It is difficult to prove, but in favor of this hypothesis, says the discovery that ancient peoples in South America enjoyed in the form of maize (alcoholic) drinks and not as food, because the skeleton is not followed by maize proteins.

The traditional diet was more rich in fermented foods, because this was the only way that our ancestors even in the winter can eat vegetables (sauerkraut, for example). Many foods that we really respect, they are actually fermented, but do not even know this: coffee, chocolate, vanilla, ketchup, soy sauce, some teas, prosciutto and salami, and of course, more obvious: yogurt, bread, cheese, wine and beer.

enthusiasts fermented foods argue that this "living foods" healthy intestinal flora, which was excessive disinfection and antibiotics destroy, and thus some diseases, according to some (unconfirmed) claims even autism, but certainly plays an important role in inflammatory conditions, which are to blame for some chronic diseases. Probiotics (which are found in fermented foods) have been shown to help with inflammation, allergies, colds, diarrhea, reduce the risk of certain cancers, reduce anxiety and much of this.

Pollan in studying the fermentation visits nun sirarko and consider the connection cheese-feelings of disgust -seksa-death, all of which are great fun to read, and notes that it has so many cultures their characteristic "stinking food" by the price of such a grill, as the rest of the world disgusts, and that the food is, as such, can be a powerful identification and cohesive agent of culture, but in order to be such, must be a learned taste, not universal (everyone we love fresh strawberries, kim?ija (-> click in my first post, so you can see what photos I worked then;)) but do not like all ).

the oldest form of fermentation, and the most popular is the alcoholic fermentation, and for all this is the responsibility of a single type of yeast: Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Alcohol is a toxin produced by the yeast to exiled competitors for food. People have developed a way to modify the toxin and alcohol in moderation has become even healthy for us. But people have not invented alcohol, but rather encounter it, because in nature quite often comes to alcoholic fermentation. Pollan in this section tests in welding mead and beer, with some success, but this effort later suspended.

In conclusion, the book Michael Pollan notes that, from a practical point of view, difficult to justify welding own beer, preparing sauerkraut or yogurt, baking bread, except perhaps the fact that these products use as personalized gifts are a concrete expression of generosity, which is cooking. But more important than this is what you learn in this, because here all activate the senses, which, in the modern way of life immersed in the monotony. Cooking and other tasks in the spirit of "DIY" as an antidote to abstraction. Moreover, this effort puts us on the other side of the consumer chain - we are no longer only consumers but also producers. "Everything we market presents itself as a product, is in reality a network of relationships between people, of course, but also between us and all other kinds, some of which are still dependent." In addition, every time we start something new, learn also something new about themselves, which is another good reason to tackle cooking. And finally: "Is it still what activities less selfish, in what work less alienated, in what time less wasted as preparing something delicious and nutritious for people you love?"

The reading I really enjoyed (except for the description of meat ), and finally feel sufficiently motivated to begin oven bread from sourdough (my mother in law since always bakes great Carinthian rye bread with sour dough which we would make it easier to transition;)), I will try fermetirati some more vegetables and again to do kimchi, now that you know how healthy is scary but I was also tempted brewing, although I think it might be a bit too exotic (I hope to succeed nagvoriti Tadeja to this :)). It is also what you tempted?”