Eat, Pray, Love The Planet
Relentless quest for low-carbon, sustainable development has seen a nomenclature revolution.
By ET Bureau |
The relentless quest for low-carbon, sustainable development has seen a nomenclature revolution. As people forage for labels such as ���organic��� or ���high fibre��� in their grocery stores as well as in trendy restaurants, it would seem that the world���s forests and hinterland were in danger of being stripped bare. ���Wild��� is a particular favourite prefix for ingredients, guaranteed to carry off a 20% mark up without a murmur of protest from conscientious consumers.
In India, of course, any wild meats are off limits, but in the west where no such caveats apply, from salmon to
boar, salsify to borage, the wilder the better. The less cooked the better too, given other buzz words such as ���colourful��� and ���crunchy��� that chefs seem to prefer these days. In fact, it is sometimes difficult to understand why so many people invest in expensive gadget-laden kitchens if the whole idea is to use them as little as possible. Centuries down the timeline, researchers may well consider that 21st century humans had an irresistible urge to mimic their Neanderthal ancestors when it came to what they put into their mouths.
If the previous two centuries of western civilisation saw an explosion in culinary techniques, the current one has definitely taken a step back, eating things raw that once would not even have been considered edible cooked. Nettles, dandelions and all manner of weeds, nuts and tubers are all being greeted with the same enthusiasm that was once reserved for the choicest cultivated vegetables and fruits. Indeed, in England there is concern that its fabled hedgerows and forests are being stripped bare by misguided healthfood junkies in search of their fix of ���non-bought��� essentials.
Was humankind���s entire agrarian quest a massive mistake, after all? Surely, a feasible balance has to be struck, both at a culinary and ecological level, between the artificially bolstered produce of intensive farming and regression into enormous, roving, hunter-gatherer societies which the planet is equally ill-equipped to sustain any more.
In India, of course, any wild meats are off limits, but in the west where no such caveats apply, from salmon to
boar, salsify to borage, the wilder the better. The less cooked the better too, given other buzz words such as ���colourful��� and ���crunchy��� that chefs seem to prefer these days. In fact, it is sometimes difficult to understand why so many people invest in expensive gadget-laden kitchens if the whole idea is to use them as little as possible. Centuries down the timeline, researchers may well consider that 21st century humans had an irresistible urge to mimic their Neanderthal ancestors when it came to what they put into their mouths.
If the previous two centuries of western civilisation saw an explosion in culinary techniques, the current one has definitely taken a step back, eating things raw that once would not even have been considered edible cooked. Nettles, dandelions and all manner of weeds, nuts and tubers are all being greeted with the same enthusiasm that was once reserved for the choicest cultivated vegetables and fruits. Indeed, in England there is concern that its fabled hedgerows and forests are being stripped bare by misguided healthfood junkies in search of their fix of ���non-bought��� essentials.
Was humankind���s entire agrarian quest a massive mistake, after all? Surely, a feasible balance has to be struck, both at a culinary and ecological level, between the artificially bolstered produce of intensive farming and regression into enormous, roving, hunter-gatherer societies which the planet is equally ill-equipped to sustain any more.
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