RE: how traditional is soaking grains?

February 8, 2002

I remember seeing a list of soaked cereals from different countries - I

think this was in a Wise Traditions article. Not sure which one, it was a

sidebar - and I don't think they put the sidebars/boxes on the WAP website.

In NT - there is a sidebar with information about Mexicans (I think) soaking

corn meal in limewater. The U.S. southerners did not do this and suffered a

B vitamin deficiency, pellagra, if I remember correctly.

I have tried finding cookbooks myself - no luck. BUT - I have consistently

found quick-rise breads/muffins to make use of buttermilk and statements

indicating that the batter can be refrigerated overnight. - This was from

the Joy of Cooking. I think these statements constitute the little

knowledge that remains of traditional cooking methods in this country.

Also, if in WAP's book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, there are many

examples of soaking - from making sourdough bread (the Swiss) and soaking

nuts and beans (the Australian Aborigines).

Finally, soaking was not always necessary because the grains sat long enough

to sprout - hence, eliminating or reducing the phytic acid.

Hope this helps,

Deanna

----- Original Message -----

From: " Carolyn Gutman-Dey " <cgd@...>

< >

Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2002 10:07 PM

Subject: how traditional is soaking grains?

I have a general question, something I have been pondering. Sally argues

that many cultures soaked or fermented their grains before cooking and she

lists several examples (pg 452). However, as I read cookbooks I don't

really see that many examples of soaking or fermenting grains. I understand

this is largely due to traditional ways dieing out, but I would think you

would run into examples more often. Am I just not seeing these examples?

Okay, I haven't read every cookbook out there, and certainly not from every

cultural background, so I am sure part of the issue is I need to read

more.... But, I have read lots of Italian cookbooks. Did Italians soak

their corn meal before making polenta? And if so, did they soak it in an

acid (ie whey)? I have never read that they did. Italians and other

European cultures use lots of nuts in their cooking/baking... I have never

read that they soaked their nuts (although they do roast them). Have they

just not been digesting well all these years? :-) I could list other

examples, but my main question is how widespread is/was the soaking of

grains? Were there as many cultures that DIDN'T soak grains as did? Were

they just ignorant of the benefits? I am not trying to be overly skeptical

here, just curious. :-) Also, Sally says that rice (and millet and

buckwheat) don't contain gluten and therefore are more easily digested. Yet

she calls for a long soaking and cooking time for brown rice. Is this how

traditional cultures cook their brown rice? Also, in general, in cultures

that DID soak their grains, did they use whey etc to help things along, or

is this technique unique to the diet in NT? This sound like a confusing

question as I am typing it out.. hope I am making sense.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Thanks! I am really enjoying being on this list, I am learning so much!

Carolyn

February 8, 2002

Carolyn,

I can't speak about many cultures, but I can speak quite a bit about the

culture that I know pretty well, because I lived in West Africa for 2

years.

In Ghana (and, from what I've heard, most of Sub-Saharan Africa), all sorts

of grains are soaked for all kinds of time. Corn was soaked for one or

more days, both before and after it was ground. Millet was soaked for one

or more days. There is an interesting food which is used like our

breakfast cereals, which was made from grated, fermented, then dried,

cassava (like a potato). The only food I don't remember ever being soaked

was rice, although I never saw brown rice, only various forms and colors of

polished rice.

I believe that most of the soaking was just with plain water, rather than

an acid medium, but sometimes the soaking water had tamarind, a very sour

pasty fruit, added to it for acidity.

I don't know if I've communicated this very well, but I remember it seemed

to me when I was there that everywhere I turned there was another (usually

grain-based) dish which had been fermented in some form!

" Carolyn

Gutman-Dey "

< >

<cgdteleport (DOT) cc:

com> Subject: how

traditional is soaking grains?

02/07/2002

09:07 PM

Please respond

to

native-nutriti

on

I have a general question, something I have been pondering. Sally argues

that many cultures soaked or fermented their grains before cooking and she

lists several examples (pg 452). However, as I read cookbooks I don't

really see that many examples of soaking or fermenting grains. I

understand this is largely due to traditional ways dieing out, but I would

think you would run into examples more often. Am I just not seeing these

examples? Okay, I haven't read every cookbook out there, and certainly not

from every cultural background, so I am sure part of the issue is I need to

read more.... But, I have read lots of Italian cookbooks. Did Italians

soak their corn meal before making polenta? And if so, did they soak it in

an acid (ie whey)? I have never read that they did. Italians and other

European cultures use lots of nuts in their cooking/baking... I have never

read that they soaked their nuts (although they do roast them). Have they

just not been digesting well a!

ll these years? :-) I could list other examples, but my main question is

how widespread is/was the soaking of grains? Were there as many cultures

that DIDN'T soak grains as did? Were they just ignorant of the benefits?

I am not trying to be overly skeptical here, just curious. :-) Also,

Sally says that rice (and millet and buckwheat) don't contain gluten and

therefore are more easily digested. Yet she calls for a long soaking and

cooking time for brown rice. Is this how traditional cultures cook their

brown rice? Also, in general, in cultures that DID soak their grains, did

they use whey etc to help things along, or is this technique unique to the

diet in NT? This sound like a confusing question as I am typing it out..

hope I am making sense.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Thanks! I am really enjoying being on this list, I am learning so much!

Carolyn

February 8, 2002

Oh, I forgot one more thing:

Northern Ghanaians are peanut-farmers extraordinaire, and peanuts (have you

ever heard of African peanut soup?) were always soaked in salt water for

some time before they were roasted and eaten or ground for cooking.

I should say also that prepared Ghanaian peanuts are fantastic to eat, and

that my Ghanaian friends who are here in the U.S. now have not been able to

find any peanut butter of any kind which has the same lovely roasted taste

that they know from home.

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February 8, 2002

Speaking of peanuts, has anyone had the phenomenal pleasure of consuming the

boiled peanuts (aka bawld paynuts) from down around Mississippi and

Louisiana? They're delicious...especially when they're properly spiced.

I'm not sure about the nutrition factor, although I'm pretty sure they'd be

healthier than roasted peanuts. I love driving to New Orleans from