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Contemporary Concerns: Diet
and Health
As
modernity, takes hold, traditions are filling to one side. Spirituality
as a guide for conduct in everyday life is something of the past; now we
turn to Science for answers. Ironically, as McDonald’s and Pizza Huts are
popping up everywhere, the traditional way of eating is also making a come-back.
What our grantmothers knew all the time is now being confirmed by modern
science: a diet which is fundamentally based on giants, vegetables and
fruits with meat and dairy products used sparingly and as flavoring, is
a healthy one. Furthermore, some combinations are better than others, because
they complement each other for balanced nutrition. Turkish cuisine sets
an example in these respects. The recent "Food-pyramid" endorsed by the
United States Department of Agriculture resembles age-old practices in
ordinary households. Even the well known menus of boarding schools or army
kitchens, hardly known for their gourmet characteristics, provide excellent
nutrition that can be justified by the best of today's scientific knowledge.
One such combination, jokingly referred to as "our national food," is beans
and pilaf, accompanied by pickles and quince compote a perfectly nourishing
combination which provides the essential proteins, carbohydrates and minerals.
Another curious practice is combining spinach with yogurt. Now we know
that the body needs calcium found in the yogurt to assimilate the iron
found in the spinach.
Yogurt,
a contribution of the Turks to the world, has also become a popular health
food. A staple in the Turkish diet, it has been known all along for its
detoxifying properties. Other such beliefs, not yet supported by modern
science, include the role of the onion, used liberally in all dishes, in
strengthening the immune system along with garlic for high blood pressure
and olive oil as a remedy for forty-one ailments. The complicated debate
concerning, mono- and polyunsaturated fats and the good and bad cholesterol
is ridiculously inadequate to evaluate olive oil. Given what we know about
health food today, one could even envy the typical lunch fare of the proverbial
construction worker who eats bread, feta cheese and fresh grapes in the
summer and bread and tahini helva in the winter. The variety of pastry
turnovers with cheese or ground meat, meat pide, or kebabs are fast food
for millions of working people. These
are all prepared entirely on the premises using age-old practices. One
of the main culprits in the modern-day diet is the snack, that horrible
junk food designed to give a quick sugar-high to keep one going for the
rest of the day. Again, modern science has come to the rescue, and healthy
snacks are now being discovered. Some of these are amazingly familiar to
the Turks! Take, for example, the "fruit roll-ups". Visit any dried-food
store that sells nuts and fruits, and you will see the authentic version,
such as sheets of mashed and dried apricots and grapes. In these stores,
there are many other items that await the discovery o I some pioneering
entrepreneur from Western markets. Another wholesome snack, known as "trail
mix" or “gorp" is well-known to all Turkish mothers, who traditionally
stuff a handful of mixed nuts and raisins in the pockets of their children's
school uniform to snack on before exams. This practice can be traced to
ancient fables, where the hero goes on a diet of hazelnuts and raisins
before fighting with the giants and dragons, or before weaving the king
a golden smock. The Prince always loads onto the mythological bird, the
"Zümrüt Anka", forty sacks of nuts and raisins for himself, and
water and meat for the bird that takes him over the high Caucasus Mountains.
As far as food goes, it is reassuring to know that we are re-discovering
what is good for our bodies. Nevertheless, one is left with the nagging
feelings that such knowledge will always be incomplete as long as it is
divorced from its cultural context and metaphysical traditions. The challenge
facing modern Turkey is to achieve such continuity in a time of genetic
engineering, high-tech mass production and the growing number of convenience-oriented
households. But for now, the markets are vibrant and the dishes are tastier
than ever, so enjoy ! |
