International Foods

Food is essential to life. It can also be one of our finest pleasures. Savoring a favorite dish satisfies our primal needs and also elevate our emotions to a high level.

I discovered this painfully during the first three months of my recent hospital stay. Doctors surgically implanted a feeding tube into my intestines that bypassed my stomach and eliminated the need to eat food. Both nutrition and medicine were delivered through the tube; nothing was taken orally. The diversion was necessary because a medical condition impaired my throat muscles which are used to swallow. 

Eating and drinking were forbidden until I could pass a "swallow test." That involved being X-rayed while swallowing to see if food was going down the esophagus or being dangerously aspirated into my lungs. I failed the first swallow test in March and didn't pass it until a second one in May. On May 5th, to be exact. I remember that date as a Red Letter Day in my personal history. For three intolerable months I couldn't eat, I couldn't taste food and I wasn't allowed to drink anything including water. I watched breakfast trays being carried to fellow patients with intense envy. I fantasied about food and made lists of favorites I hoped to consume in the future.

Now that I'm back to eating I don't take food for granted. I explore stuff unknown to most Americans. The world is a big place and there are cuisines that depend upon ingredients we never eat. Or even know about. Here are two that I've tried recently and enjoy.

In Japan most people eat something called miso which is a paste of fermented soybeans. Miso is nutritious and flavorful. Most Japanese eat it every day. Miso comes in a variety of types (red, white, black, etc.) which have different taste. You may have seen "Miso Soup" on menus at Chinese restaurants; miso soup is made with miso but also other ingredients like seaweed.

You can find miso in plastic containers at Asian food markets and some American stores. It's easy to prepare: you simply drop it into any dish at the end of cooking. Don't add it before then because heat destroys miso's valuable probiotic benefit. I use miso frequently to deepen a dish's flavor. Plus you can mix it with hot water to make an easy hot drink. 

Teff. Teff is an edible seed prepared like grain. Teff is a staple in Ethiopia where it not only supplies most people's nutrition (75% of protein) but also supports their economy and culture. Few Americans have ever encountered teff but efforts to introduce it here have begun.

Teff can be prepared several ways. My favorite is to make porridge with it as a breakfast dish. You can customize the the porridge numerous ways, such as adding maple syrup and milk or butter. Teff has a nice nutty flavor and is incredibly healthy. It provides more nutrients than anything else you're eating.

Teff isn't widely available here but can be ordered from Amazon. The cost is low, about $7 per pound.

Have you ever tried miso or teff? Get cracking!