NUTRITION: The Healthy Kitchen, Recipes From Rural Lebanon

Every indigenous culture has an innate wisdom of traditional healing and therapeutic use of their native plants. However much of this knowledge is deteriorating due to increased globalization and imports cheaper and available "fast food diet. This trend, consequently, causes a wide variety of wild edible plants to be removed from the diet and Lebanese heritage.

After a two-year research project entitled 'Wild edible plants: promoting diversity of food in poor communities of Lebanon, "University of Ottawa professor Dr. Malek Batal partnered with the American University of Beirut Nature Conservation Center for Sustainable Futures (IBSAR), produce 'The healthy kitchen, recipes from rural Lebanon. "

According to Dr. Batal ", the region is blessed with a great biodiversity, and the population has access to many edible wild plants that could be easily harvested and used. Harvesting and use of wild plants, however, attack the distortion of knowledge and environmental degradation, which threatens the survival of these fragile resources. "

Today the Lebanese diet is moved from the traditional Mediterranean diet, and now relies on refined foods like white flour and vegetable fats, creating an increase in obesity rates.

After two years of research, Dr. Batal has collected a number of recipes are still used in three rural areas of Lebanon - Hermel, a special place Kuakh, Aarsal in the eastern Bekaa and the Chouf village Batloun, Kfarnabrakh and Warhaniyeh. One easy and nutritious meal is tabbouleh with lentils and hearty salads rich in vitamin C and contain a considerable amount of iron you get from parsley and lentils.

"In the case of rural Lebanese population, the traditional diet, we found a shift in food consumption. It was more pasta or rice dishes are unlike traditional dishes using edible wild plants and traditional crops," says Dr. Batal. "The poor are always the first affected by poor diet, one of the reasons that refined starch, vegetable oil, white bread, chips and processed foods are cheaper than healthier alternatives such as fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats. We try to encourage people to engage more vegetables, fruits and protein for a healthier diet. "

recipes in the book are original recipes acquired in the field coming from. For each edible plant used in the recipe, the author gives a detailed description of its regional and historical dynamics and the therapeutic benefits of biologically active compounds and scientific name.

The idea was to compile a book that offers a view of the traditional Lebanese cuisine, because people tend to choose a more Western diet. Research and interviews with women who were known in their communities, to the knowledge about traditional Lebanese cuisine.

Making a written record of these dishes is of vital importance for all of the recipes from the village were orally transmitted from mother to daughter. The ten most common foods mentioned during interviews replicated and tested for nutrients and potential health benefits.

The book brings the reader back to the Lebanese in touch with the ancient knowledge that has been preserved through generations. It offers in-depth research and scientific knowledge of various medicinal properties of plants that exist in traditional Lebanese culinary practices.

Although most of these wild plants are not readily available in Beirut, Dr. Batal book offers readers a fun and fast approach to creating a healthier way of life and replacement is always possible with a more readily available to plants.