Black Foods, Healthy Trend in Gourmet Food
Chefs and Nutritionists Agree. Black is the New Color of Superfood.
Visual appeal for chefs. Nutritional benefits for all. Black rice, vinegar, beans, seeds, lead the way in this dramatic food trend. Black foods: so hot, so delicious.
“Eating Color” has been touted as the path to a healthy diet. It’s true that vitamins and minerals are prevalent in bright green, red, orange fruits and vegetables. New superfoods trend darker, all the way to black. These new "superfoods" may rival the LBD for staying power.
Drama on the plate, pleasure on the palate.
While some chefs like Wylie Dufresne of WD50 adore the drama of black foods, like black sesame seeds; others sing their praises as healthy additions to our diets. Here are some of the black foods you can enjoy and the health claims that come with them.
Black Beans, Black Lentils, Chickpeas
Black beans are rich in antioxidants and anthocyanins, the anti-inflammatory compounds associated with cranberries and other fruits. Nearly all legumes are rich in fiber and will help the body regulate blood sugar. This is important for normal weight maintenance but particularly for those with blood disease, insulin problems or hypoglycemia. Combined with rice, beans will give you nearly complete protein with virtually no fat and no cholesterol.
Black soybeans
Like their yellow and white counterparts, black soybeans have been shown in studies to be high in isoflavones. Several studies have shown that these natural plant hormones may have some health benefit, including protection against breast cancer, prostate cancer, menopausal symptoms, heart disease, and osteoporosis.
Black Vinegar
Unlike balsamic vinegar which is made from grapes, black vinegars both Chinese and Japanese begin with grains. The type of grain used and the fermentation method largely determine the final product. Sorghum, millet, wheat, glutinous rice, malt can each produce a black vinegar. The Japanese and Chinese both believe black vinegar to be a tonic for the blood. Chefs like Ming Tsai like it for its flavor. Naturopathic healers believe it thins the blood and helps control blood pressure.
Black Sesame
From ancient Aryuvedic medicine in India to modern Japanese FOSHU (Foods for Specified Health Use) status black foods are a red-hot category for sales at many gourmet grocers worldwide. Aryuvedics have long taught that black sesame was good for bone health, a fact which modern Western medicine confirms. High in antioxidants, calcium, proteins, iron and magnesium, black sesame adapts to many recipes quite well. Try some in your salad dressings, sprinkled on rice, or for a real treat, try some black sesame Gelato.
Riso Nero, Forbidden Rice and Anthocyanins
Italian cuisine has not only given us squid ink pasta, but also riso nero which is a hybrid of the Chinese Forbidden rice. This black rice cooks up to a dark purply-black. It is nutty in aroma, dense in flavor and nutrition. Once reserved for emperors, black rice is available to all of us now. Try this recipe for Riso Nero from Boston's own South End Formaggio Cheese Buyer, Leslie Mann.
Black rice contains more vitamin B, niacin, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc than white rice. It's also rich in anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants. Anthocyanins are also responsible for the rich colors and antioxidant qualities of fruits and vegetables.
Consider the Radish
Sometimes sold as Russian radishes or European radishes, black radishes are large and quite pungent. They are much better known in Eastern Europe than in the United States. They have a jet black peel and snow white interior - making a small matchstick of them adds drama to a salad. You can mellow them for raw uses by salting them and then rinsing. Or, they can be peeled and cooked like turnips.
Black Foods Around the Globe
Spain has chipirones or squid in its own ink. This is an earthy, sexy dish that exemplifies the drama black foods bring to the plate and palate. Frijoles negros are black turtle beans prepared many ways in Mexico. Black Nigella seeds or kalonji are used in Indian dishes of the eastern regions to impart a mild onion flavor. Chinese black chicken or Silkies are known to contain higher levels of antioxidants than other breeds. They have black skin and bones with snow white feathers.
Black Foods as Aphrodisiac
Some claim true black licorice is an aphrodisiac, and others have sung the praises of black olives, or black caviar. Perhaps the heart-healthy qualities of these foods contribute to these claims. Certainly, Kurobuta and Pata Negra are enjoying a revitalized interest approaching near cult-like status among foodie circles. Swooning over swine is not uncommon in these parts.
Many have discovered the eating pleasure to be enjoyed from heritage breeds of black footed pigs, or Pata Negra. The US version of Japanese Kurobuta, or Berkshire pig is another "black" pork delicacy. Strictly speaking these are not black foods, but interestingly enough, they are proving to be healthier pork varieties with fats that are richer in the heart-healthy Omega 3 fatty acids.
Health claims aside, good, tasty food is sexy. Black foods are tasty, sexy, and healthy. Move over LBD, there's a new kid in town. Black foods are the LBD of the pantry.
black rice
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Nigella, Chickpeas, Sesame
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Nigella, Chickpeas, Sesame
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