Deliciously Cool Foods That Fight the Summer Heat, And
Are Good to Eat
By Epic
P Dee
If you are one of the millions suffering from
the summer heat in the North American heatwave, spare a thought for those who
live in climates where it regularly gets to a hundred in the shade, or where it
stays that way almost all year round! Then again, maybe not, because being used
to extreme hot weather, they know a thing or two about how to keep cool. Take a
lesson from the kitchens and cupboards of some of the hottest places on earth,
and learn what foods will keep you cool, while being pretty tasty too.
The Japanese are so attuned to heat and cold
in their cuisine that most of the Japanese restaurants you go to will have a
hot menu (for winter) and a cold menu (for summer). Noodles, for example, a
diet staple in the country and all over Asia, can be served hot or cold.
Another thing you will see is barley water. Barley water is prepared by
toasting and grinding barley and takes advantage of the grain's well-deserved
reputation for cooling the body. In fact, the Japanese often serve barley water
hot in order to balance the cooling effect. You can drink it cold of course, by
cooling it in the refrigerator after brewing.
The Japanese, as well as the Chinese, also
know of the cooling effects of crab. Steamed or boiled fresh crab is
mouth-wateringly delicious, with its sweet white meat that seems to lightly
dance on the tongue. Beware of Western-style dips like lemon-butter though,
because the oils in it will produce heat, negating the cooling effect of the
crab. Many Asians just dip the meat in a light vinegar, with or without chopped
onions, or enjoy it without any dipping sauces at all.
China and India, as well as many other regions
of Asia are blessed with the very healthy karela, or bitter gourd as it is
known in the West. True, the flavor is an acquired taste, but the body-cooling
properties of the vegetable is lauded by chefs and nutritionists alike. Bitter
gourd is also prized as a natural medicine against diabetes,so much so that
enterprising companies are manufacturing capsules and tablets made from it, so
that takers can get the benefits without the taste. As to taste however, the
Asians have invented many ways to serve it which tone down, mask, or in some
cases use the bitterness to good effect. Karela is served in India curried or
with yogurt, stir-fried in China, stuffed with meat and well-spiced in Pakistan
and Bangladesh, and it has even found its way to Japan, with Okinawan cuisine's
use of it being hailed as some as one of the reasons the natives live so long.
Closer to the homes of Westerners who need its
cooling effects the most, cucumbers are found in almost any grocery or
supermarket in North America. It is very easy to prepare too: just wash and
slice thinly and eat as a crunchy snack, or mix with a little yogurt or cream
cheese as a salad. In the Philippines, thin cucumber slices are pickled in
vinegar and pepper, with a little sugar to take the acidic edge off, and served
cold.
More body-cooling foods: bananas, clams and
oysters, lettuce, sugar cane, water chestnuts, watermelon, bean curd, egg
white, pears, strawberries, tangerines, tomatoes, peppermint, and marjoram.
These are just some of hundreds, maybe thousands of foods that can cool you
down in the summer heat. If you notice, the list doesn't have red meat or oily
items on it, because these two belong to the list that heat your body up.
Body-heating foods: pepper, cinnamon, oil,
chicken, ham, mutton, brown sugar, eel, coffee, coconut, guava, grape, mandarin
oranges, shrimp, mangoes, peaches, and cherries. Again, the list goes on and
on.
Some of the items on these lists are obvious,
but some may seem to be out of place. The Chinese traditional medicinal belief
is that cooling foods are generally saltier than sweet, leaner (instead of
fattier), soft and wet instead of dry and hard, and grow in little sunshine
instead of needing to be under a hot sun.
We hope this helps you keep your cool in the
hot summer months, and feast on something delicious to boot!
Epic P. Dee has been a writer for close to
three decades, and has found new inspiration in publishing helpful articles on
the internet. Visit his latest work at http://engravedpensinfo.blogspot.com/ which
features information on engraved pens for the collector, the
mass-marketer, and everyone in between.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Epic_P_Dee/363919
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