Discovering Traditional Foods
Two years ago, I started to follow a few YouTube channel in the hope of finding foods that reflected my cultural heritage. I am biracial, and I know the food of my mother's side...my father's side was lacking. In my search for finding traditional German and Irish recipes I stumbled upon something called "Traditional Foods".
I went down into the rabbit hole of searching for traditionally prepared foods. Channels like Mary's Nest, Farmhouse on Boone and Bumblebee Apothecary were some of the channels I began to watch. I was inspired to make foods that were easy to create and nutritionally dense.
I learned about real foods. Whole foods that are not processed, so fresh veggies, I think this includes canned and frozen when they contain no preservatives, fruits, natural sweeteners, and meats. Raw dairy or low temperature pasteurized dairy in all it’s forms, my children can eat 10 lbs. of cheese a month if I let them. Traditional foods focus on real foods and cooking them in a way that allows all the nutrients to be bioavailable. Each culture has unique foods that are based on the local produce and animals. European cultures relied on rye, dairy products, game and fermented vegetables, like sauerkraut. Preserving the freshness of the harvest to give you the goodness of dairy and vegetables was very important in the colder months when fresh food was hard to come by. Grains and meats were harvested and store away. Meats were brined, packed in fat or salt, smoked and dried. Cheese was a way to preserve the nutrient rich milk created from cows grazing on springs and summer pastures. Fermented and dried vegetables were an important way to get vitamins and minerals during the cold dark days of winter. Medicinal fruits and herbs were stored away in either cordials or dried for teas.
Starting this journey I had to learn what traditional foods, traditional cooking, and properly prepared foods were. I did discover the book Nourishing Traditions that is based of the research of a Dr. Weston A. Price. Dr. Price was a dentist that observed peoples that were "primitive" and those that were "modern". From the grasslands of Africa to the Artic tundra to the Swiss Alps, he saw that these traditional peoples ate foods that were animal based and foods that were prepared in a way that extracted nutrients. Organ meats, bone broths and animals fats were used, nothing was wasted, dairy was eaten frequently and vegetables were fermented or cooked in a way that did not cause digestive discomfort. This nose to tail and farm to table way of cooking made the people strong and robust. These people that ate traditional foods and did not partake in commodity foods, refined sugars and flours and vegetable oils, they were healthy with strong teeth and the women did not suffer from painful periods or childbirth. Child birth hurts but they were able to deal with it much better than modern women. This is what sparked my interest.
Not long ago, I had my Nexplanon birth control removed from my arm. The wonders of modern birth control are good, but for me I now regret it. I feared that it will take me a long time to get pregnant again. And it took nearly two years to conceived after I had it removed. So the idea that these traditional foods can help heal my fertility, that's something I am willing to try. I know that I may have to have modern medicinal help, but I would like to do this holistically first.
This food calls to me on levels that I cannot explain, but eating foods that my great grandparents ate in Germany and Ireland seems beautiful for me. I already know the foods my mother’s ancestors, and my family adores it. If I can eat healthy, eating foods my ancestors would have eaten and help heal my hormones imbalances holistically, I think it’s a win all around. I want to start sharing my journey through this. I hope you will join me in the recipes I share.