Food

You need travel vaccines

Cathy Forman — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:11:00 +0100

If your teenager is planning somewhere exotic for their gap year, don’t forget to sort out the travel vaccines sooner rather than later. It is always worth consulting a travel clinic to ensure they have the right protection before travelling particularly for those heading to developed countries.

According to the World Health Organisation people are at risk of rabies in 85 countries worldwide, encompassing most parts of the African and Asian continents, as well as many parts of South America. Rabies is transmitted to humans from animal bites, most commonly dogs in these countries. The vaccination course takes a month to complete before travel and comprises three injections. It is generally a very well tolerated vaccine with mild, if any, side effects.

Typhoid is contracted from dirty water and contaminated food: the majority of cases in returning travellers in the UK who have travelled to India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. The risks to travellers vary but anyone who visits an area with sub-standard living conditions or poor sanitation is at most risk particularly travellers to the Indian sub-continent. The risk of typhoid is very much reduced if you are able to access clean water and hygienically prepared food. The vaccination for typhoid can be given two weeks before travel and can also be given as a combination vaccine with hepatitis A.

Yellow fever occurs in the tropical parts of Africa and South America with more than 1,500 cases a year in these areas. It is an illness carried by infected mosquitoes in these areas so as well as having the vaccination, travellers need to try to prevent mosquito bites as well. Yellow fever vaccination is given in specially approved travel centres and a certificate is issued which is essential to be presented at immigration in many countries, if you have arrived from a yellow fever area. The vaccine is given more than 10 days before travel and is a one-off vaccination which lasts 10 years.

Finally, have a look at the teenager’s vaccine records for tetanus protection. If they have not had a booster in the past 10 years it is worth getting one in case they cannot access medical care quickly when travelling. The tetanus vaccine given for protection in the UK confers immunity for travel and most teenagers should have had a booster.

www.Twitter.com/Dr_Ellie

Pregnant? Keep moving!

Thu, 02 May 2013 16:15:40 +0100

Pregnancy brings about significant physical changes that affect how your body functions over nine months and beyond. Generally, unless medical limitations indicate otherwise, women are encouraged to continue with or start an exercise programme and to keep moving. Common pregnancy symptoms including back pain, nausea, excessive weight gain and varicose veins can be prevented or reduced with exercise.

If unused to exercising, it is recommended you start with 15 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise three times a week, gradually increasing to 30 minutes, four times a week.

Sports to avoid include skiing, kick-boxing, ice-skating, horse-riding and outdoor cycling to protect from falls, abdominal stress and other potential injuries. Instead, consider Pilates and yoga or the slightly more vigorous walking or dancing. Swimming is a good choice as being in water relieves joint pressure and helps support increasing baby weight.

Seasoned exerciser or not, it’s important not to overheat, so intense activity should be avoided and a moderate programme adopted, shown to make the placenta more effective in transporting blood, nutrients and oxygen to the foetus. At around 16 weeks, exercises where you lie on your back should be stopped as there is a risk of reducing the flow of blood back to the heart.

The pregnancy hormone, relaxin, allows the pelvis to expand gently enabling the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles to stretch in anticipation of labour. Pelvic floor muscles help support the increasing weight of the baby and performing pelvic floor exercises can even prevent stress incontinence.

It’s important to maintain a well-balanced and nutrient rich diet and pregnancy alone requires an additional 200-300 calories a day and more when exercising. Eat regularly throughout the day, specifically have a light snack approximately two hours prior to training and drink water before, during and after exercise.

Every pregnancy is individual so it’s best to seek the advice of a trainer with an ante- and postnatal qualification. Do listen to your body and if you experience any unusual symptoms, stop exercising and consult your doctor.

Always consult your doctor before starting an exercise programme.
@laurelfittips www.laurelalper.co.uk

No longer cheesed off

Victoria Prever — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:29:36 +0100

With Shavuot approaching thoughts turn to all things dairy. And it is an area close to the hearts of many Israelis.

The depth of love was evidenced by last year’s demonstrations over the high price of a staple food — cottage cheese. The Government eventually intervened to reduce prices but there remained a resentment of dairy industry giants like Tnuva and supermarket chains who were accused of inflating their profit.

The result has been a boost for Israel’s thriving artisan cheese making businesses which already number close to 40. And this Shavuot Israelis will travel to farms across the country to buy unusual cheeses for the festivities.

But until about 30 years ago Israel’s cheese makers could have been described — at best — as unsophisticated.
Their dairy industry had one of the highest dairy cow yields in the world, producing cottage cheese and soured milk products of a high standard.

But the only indigenous cheese of note was Safed, a soft silky cheese when young, but when aged, hard and salty — ideal for grating. Other local cheeses were predominantly bland, yellow, sliced and processed. Trade policies restricted the importation of foreign cheeses so there was little to inspire.
But in the 1980s, some kibbutz kitchens experiencing financial difficulties started to experiment with cheese production. Israel’s gastronomic scene was starting to burgeon and small boutique cheese-makers began to emerge predominantly using goats’ milk.

One of the first producers was artist Shai Seltzer — known to some as the Godfather of cheese. The former botanist, moved to a farm in a local beauty spot called Sataf in the Jerusalem Hills to enjoy the quiet life and founded his farm in 1974. A local monk gave him his first lesson in cheese-making and he has been raising goats and producing yoghurt and cheeses similar to cheeses like Tomme de Savoie and Gorgonzola ever since.

Seltzer compares his cheese-making process to painting a watercolour — starting with a wet canvas and slowly but surely, adding colours to create a masterpiece: “With artisan cheese, one begins with the milk and then the specialist enzymes, yeasts and bacteria are added, and slowly but surely, the unique cheese is created.”

“Milk is the ultimate food and the foundation on which life is developed,” says Seltzer. “We then carefully nurture this base to create our cheeses.”

Seltzer is totally hands on, tasting the cheese at every stage of preparation, adjusting and refining as he goes.

Seltzer explains the location of his farm has a huge affect on his goats’ milk.

“The cheese we create is an expression of the land on which it is created,” he says. “Month to month, year to year, according to the weather, what the goats are eating and the land on which they are grazing, the cheese changes. Our cheeses are an expression of the Judean mountains.”

After solidifying, the cheeses are salted and aged. A process known as affinage. The affinage process gives the cheeses their flavour. Some are coated with coal powder, others with grape leaves or wine barrel residue. This varies according to the desired characteristics Seltzer wants to produce.

The affinage process takes place in a natural limestone cave next to the mountainside on which Seltzer’s 170 or more goats graze. These goats have adapted to their lush, mountainous surroundings producing high quality, fatty milk.

Seltzer travels the world learning about cheeses, wines and new preparation techniques. “Cheese making is a way of life, we live within the cheese making process,” he says. “I travel from Europe to Africa to Asia, tasting, smelling and learning as I go.”

His farm has become a firm fixture on the circuit for foodies and professional chefs alike. The Seltzer family serve their range of cheeses to visitors alongside kosher wines advising on the best pairings.
Seltzer himself has also inspired others such as Daniel and Anat Kornmehl — thought by some to be the finest makers of goats’ cheese in Israel. Daniel Kornmehl spent time with Seltzer learning how to make cheese before he and Anat set up by themselves in 1997. The agriculture science graduates now produce a range of French-inspired versions of Brie, Cambembert and Tomme cheeses on their farm in the Negev.

Another favourite is Eretz Zavat Chalav u-Dvash in Petach Tikva. Founder Aharon Markovich was raised on a religious Zionist farm and has chosen to raise sheep rather than goats as their milk doesn’t have the same heavy aroma. He produces 40 different types of kosher cheese.

No longer the land of bland yellow cheese, Israelis celebrating Shavuot this year will be spoilt for choice.

Beware flawed theories

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:08:54 +0100

If I were to devise a diet plan that was built around a fallacy, or worse still, a biochemical impossibility, but the foods that were recommended were basically good, would that be dishonest? I grapple with this question when I read about the so-called “acid alkaline” diet. It is based on the theory that disease thrives in an acid environment but eating certain foods promote alkalinity.

The measure for levels of acid or alkalinity is known as “potential hydrogen”, or ph for short, and ranges from 0 to 14. A low ph is acidic, higher is alkaline. In the stomach, food is exposed to a strong acid with a ph of between 1 and 3. This works with enzymes to break down foods into a substance called chyme which is passed through a valve into the intestines.

Chyme has a low ph, having been lolling around in stomach acid for several hours but if it remained acidic it would, in simple terms, burn a hole in the intestines’ soft tissue. Were this true then we would die the first time we ate. Instead the body cleverly neutralises the acid by combining it with sodium bicarbonate, and the ph is instantly changed to around 5 in that part of the intestines (the majority of the body has a ph of 7.3 but some parts are naturally a little more acid).

What we eat has no meaningful bearing on the body’s ph, and we can’t change the ph. The body has built-in mechanisms to prevent it becoming too much of anything and levels of ph are tightly regulated.

That we can change our ph for anything longer than a milisecond is a misconception. Yet the foods that supporters claim can do this are generally good. They include lean protein, vegetables, nuts, seeds and some grains while acidic foods include the usual suspects — that’s refined anything, alcohol, saturated fats, sugars, dairy etc.

This is where I am conflicted as I think that a good diet has a multitude of benefits but selling it based on a myth undermines the plan’s integrity. You would question the professionalism of an engineer who suggested you put high octane petrol in your car because the elves that pedal the wheels prefer it to the regular stuff, and so I feel that the supporters of the alkaline plans shoot themselves in the foot.
Eat well, of course, but it’s better to understand why rather than do so because of some flawed theory.

Ian Marber is one of the UK’s most highly regarded nutrition experts and the author of 11 books. www.ianmarber.com

Overheard: ‘Is placenta kosher?’

Victoria Prever — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:59:18 +0100

We are heading towards the pinnacle of the Gefiltefest year with the fest taking place on the 19th of next month.

It is not too late to vote in the JC-Gefiltefest 2013 Food Awards. Who makes Britain’s best challah? Will Kaifeng scoop the Best Kosher Restaurant award for the third year running? Cast your votes at www.thejc.com/promotions/gefiltefest-jewish-chronicle-2013-food-awards

Gefiltefest’s contributors are busy preparing their demonstrations and talks.
Chef patissier David Mendes of Baking Dreams Together has conjured up the chocoholics dream — a perfect white chocolate challah (right). Whoever correctly guesses the weight will win the chocolate challah. Chocoholics can post their bids at www.gefiltefest.org.
If you don’t win you can always try fashioning your own when Kosher Kingdom, which sells the moulds, gets new supplies.

On May 12, Cardiff-based cook Ruth Joseph, co-author of Warm Bagels and Apple Strudel, will be speaking at London’s Jewish Museum about the One Hundred Year History of a Jewish Cake Tin — the tale of a Gugelhopf tin (below) carried by Ruth’s late mother Judith Carlebach as part of her luggage escaping from Germany with the Kindertransport. As well as stories, Joseph will be sharing cake — selling almond kipfel to raise money for Jewish Care.

In other news, Amsterdam’s Jewish Museum has just held its first kugel contest. Fifteen participants from all over the country came with their pots and pans. The winner, Dave Delwel, made a kugel based on the recipe of his 91-year-old aunt, Jo. Key ingredients were roodkoker pears (that
turn red when they’re cooking), ginger and almonds.

My wife overheard an odd kashrut question at her pregnancy yoga class: “Is placenta kosher?” The swift riposte was, “It isn't on the KLBD list, so probably not.”

Israel: ‘A real foodie destination’

Victoria Prever — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:44:51 +0100

Rachel Johnson got her first taste of Israel 30 years ago when she and big brother Boris spent their summer — she on a post-school gap year and he on a holiday while at Oxford University — working on a kibbutz.

“My father was married to Jenny Sieff whose father, Teddy Sieff, was the then head of Marks and Spencer,” she recalls.

The sum extent of her Jewish food memories are of what she laughingly terms “Marks and Spencer Seder nights. We used to chant things about bitter herbs,” she smiles, admitting her only memories of the nights were that they were long and that they ate matzah.

That was the extent of the young Rachel and Boris Johnson’s experience of Jewish food, until the pale-skinned, fair-haired pair were dispatched on their working holiday.

“The Sieffs had links to Kibbutz Kfar Hanassi and they arranged for us to go out there,” she explains. Both were assigned arduous manual jobs — “Boris’s memories aren’t quite as fond as mine,” she smiles.

He was assigned work in the kibbutz’s kitchen, which catered for 600 hungry mouths daily. “It was brutal as the kitchens were searingly hot in mid-July and Boris has only ever returned to Israel on official business,” she laughs.

Her food memories are limited to “endless hummus, yoghurt, tomatoes and eggs”.

She also recalls the large amount of falafel they ate on their tour of the country after finishing their stint at the kibbutz and an unfortunate bout of food poisoning that laid her low after a meal in a Tel Aviv beachside restaurant.

The stomach upset failed to cloud her memories of having really enjoyed her times there.

Having not returned for several decades, she felt a yearning to revisit Israel to investigate what has been increasingly touted as a fantastic food scene. “I watched Ottolenghi’s programme on Jerusalem so knew I would find good food out there,” she explains.

As a guest of the Israeli tourist authorities she was treated to some of the best the country has to offer and had the chance to see just how much things had changed.

“It’s not consistently amazing and you do have to know where to find it, but the best Israeli food is up there with the best French and Italian food,” she enthuses. “The great thing is that the Israelis pick and choose from the best from many cultures.”

First on her tour was the Rosh Pina spa Mizpe Hayamim which she describes as restful but in need of a makeover. The food though needed no improvement — “Everything was organic — yoghurt, bread, cheese and fruit and vegetables from its own gardens and farm.”

The next stop on her whirlwind gourmet trip was to Uri Buri’s eponymously named restaurant.

“He looked like Father Christmas and was the most interesting man,” she says. Buri’s restaurant has become a destination for Israeli gourmands seeking the best fish in Israel, who will drive there for lunch and dinner from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. “I ate the best thing ever — ‘Ben-Gurion rice’.”

Buri also has an ice cream parlour where he insisted Johnson tasted every flavour. “I liked every one and didn’t even want to try half of them,” she laughs going on to explain: “He just has a knack for combining a few simple ingredients like lychee soup with wasabi ice cream.”

Buri, who cooks in the tiniest kitchen, has also opened a chic hotel which Johnson describes as “very Condé Nast traveller and very swank”.

Johnson also visited Machineyuda in Jerusalem which had been immortalised in Yotam Ottolenghi’s homage to Jerusalem. “Amazing restaurant. It’s very simple and a fun place to be where they play really loud music.”

Johnson’s love letter to what she ate in Israel continued with the market in Tel Aviv’s port — “as good as New York’s Dean and Delucca and so yuppie” — and a Druze restaurant that served amazing garlic bread, stuffed pizzas and hummus scattered with fried lamb.

She laughingly admits to having returned heavier but won’t think twice about returning for seconds. “I was surprised at the quality of the food Israel offers — it’s a real foodie destination.”

Time to get running

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:39:06 +0100

The London Marathon takes place later this month and I, like millions of others, will watch in wonderment as the runners push themselves beyond normal limits to complete the 26 mile, 385 yard distance, spurred on to achieve their personal bests or raise money for their chosen charities.

Undeniably, marathon training and the event itself is extreme and causes tremendous strain on the body, beyond the physical capabilities of many recreational runners.

Reassuringly, you don’t have to run a marathon to reap the rewards of this excellent form of exercise. Even running short distances increases stamina and burns calories. It improves blood circulation efficiency as well as reducing the risks of angina, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and strokes.

Being a weight-bearing exercise, it builds bone strength too, reducing the risk of osteoporosis as we age.
Best of all perhaps, it releases endorphins, those happy hormones that produce feelings of euphoria and relaxation which help decrease stress levels and encourage a good night’s sleep.

So there’s every reason to take up running. Begin by walking for 10 minutes, gradually building up speed until you are able to walk briskly. Once achieved, begin jogging until you are out of breath, then walk. When you’re breathing steadily again, resume jogging and repeat this until you are able to run continuously.

You are then ready to extend running time by five minutes a day until you can run non-stop for 20-30 minutes. Remember to warm-up, cool-down and stretch too.

For good technique, run with shoulders down, arms relaxed and lean slightly forward from the hips. Ensure you invest in the correct footwear to help protect your joints.

Very overweight people can begin with shallow-water walking to support bodyweight and as fitness improves, progress to water-running before starting on a treadmill or outside.

Sadly, the high-impact nature of running means those with inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis or anyone with pre-existing joint conditions should avoid it.

Always consult your doctor before starting an exercise programme.
@laurelfittips
www.laurelalper.co.uk

Kosher bread’s new twist

Victoria Prever — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:27:07 +0100

The bread revolution seems to have left the UK’s kosher bakery market behind.

In the past 10 years, artisan bakeries have sprung up all over the country offering all sorts of breads from sourdough to spelt. Israel is regularly touted as one of the trailblazers in the new fashion for handmade artisan loaves — their bakers flocking here.

However, UK kosher bakeries idle in the 20th century with an unchanging menu of bagels, cheesecake, rye and rugelach. A wholemeal challah or mini bagel is about as radical as it gets.

Avraham Cohen spent considerable time studying various bakeries when he moved here from Israel seven years ago. He worked as a Kedassia and London Beth Din shomer for a number of different retailers including Carmelli, Sharon’s and Paradise.

“Every kosher bakery has pretty much the same line that hasn’t changed for 30 years,” he explains. Now he and wife Simona are on a mission to change that.

The Cohens have recently opened Cohens Bakery on a new 5,500 square foot kitchen site in Brent and have plans to introduce a whole range of exciting new breads to the kosher market.

“I have always loved food — my whole life revolves around it,” says Eilat-born Mr Cohen.

As a boy, he spent much time helping in his father Jacob’s bakery in Rehovot. He also ate well at home: “My mother’s heritage was Polish-Austrian and my father’s is Tunisian, so we tasted a wide variety of foods at home,” he recalls.

He began his formal catering training during his national service when he spent time as an army chef. “I used to cook meals for the 1,200 soldiers on the base where I was stationed,” he smiles.

After he completed his Israeli army military service he worked in restaurant management — “I worked as a manager in the kitchens of the two restaurants at the Herods Hotels in Eilat. It was gourmet, upmarket food.”
Italian-born wife Simona — who heads up the administrative side of the bakery — also has a strong foodie heritage. “My family have restaurants and coffee shops all over Rome,” she explains.

Mrs Cohen is passionate about baking: “I experiment with dishes at home. I really like the homemade foods I used to eat in Italy, and I want to bring them here.”

Which is what has inspired them to develop a new range of Italian desserts like tiramisu and Italian breads like ciabatta and focaccia.

Mrs Cohen’s family are helping the couple to build a range of recipes. “They have been here helping us adapt their recipes for the UK. French and Italian bread is the best in the world because of the water. Our water is different and breads rise and prove differently in our cooler, damper climate,” Mr Cohen explains.

He has also just returned from a course with master Italian baker Gabriele Bonci and has also changed some of the bakery’s suppliers so they have the best quality ingredients at their disposal.

Ironically, the first experience that many will have of their bread will be the traditional challah they are baking for Waitrose.

The couple have taken over the licence to bake the Buckingham’s Boulangerie challah, which has been stocked by Waitrose for the past 10 years and is one of very few kosher challah lines to be sold by a supermarket chain.

Mr Cohen was working as shomer there when the opportunity arose — “Robert Simon — the owner — and I are friends and had a very good business relationship. He was looking for someone to take over the kosher bread line, so I started in mid-June last year.”

And you will soon be able to find kosher challot in more than 180 Waitrose branches across the country giving many more access to a freshly baked kosher loaf for Shabbat.

The Cohens also hope to bring kosher bread lovers across the UK a greater range to choose from, as plans are afoot to expand their kosher product range at Waitrose to include baby challah loaves, bagels, pitta and a multi-seeded loaf as well as a marbled chocolate cake.

And those who are already fans of the Buckingham’s Shabbat staple need not worry. “Our customers won’t allow us to change the recipe — I’ve had no complaints,” laughs Mr Cohen.

The Cohens Bakery range, which includes 40 types of biscuit and 20 breads, is currently sold wholesale to kosher caterers, schools and residential homes but they have also not ruled out opening a retail shop in the future.

“It’s a new beginning for us — we’re bringing a new taste,” says Mr Cohen proudly.

How to eat well: Add more fibre to meals

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:29:35 +0100

Unlike other elements of the diet fibre doesn’t get mentioned so often these days. Yet it’s a vital part of a healthy eating plan and many people simply don’t get enough.

Fibre is derived from plant-based foods and comes in two forms — soluble and insoluble — although they are usually found together. Soluble fibre dissolves in water and can act as a prebiotic, supporting the activity and growth of the beneficial bacteria in the digestive system. It also slows down the speed at which foods pass through the system, which, in turn, has a positive influence on blood glucose levels. The knock-on effect is reduced appetite and more consistent energy levels thus avoiding that fatigue that means we reach for an energy boost. Insoluble fibre adds bulk to food as it doesn’t break down in water, and can help bowel regularity and enhance elimination.

In 2011 the National Cancer Institute in the US published the results of a nine-year study into fibre intake and life expectancy. Some 400,000 adults were tracked over the period and the results found that those who are a high fibre diet resulted in a 22 per cent reduction in mortality rate than those eating little fibre. The conditions that were most reduced were cancer, infection and cardiovascular disease.

The study recommends that men of 50-plus should be getting 38g of fibre daily while women should have 25g (aged less than 50 this figure reduces slightly to 30g and 21g respectively). In this country the Government recommendations are that we should be having at least 18g a day, although it’s estimated that most adults get no more than 13g. Bear in mind that fibre comes from vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, legumes and grains and so getting a little of each every day is an efficient way to get what you need.

But what would you have to eat to achieve this? You might have porridge and fresh fruit at breakfast. Then a mid morning snack of a handful of unsalted nuts, with their skins on, and some sliced peppers. Lunch might be a granary bread sandwich, with a salad including chickpeas or kidney beans. Your afternoon snack might be a rye cracker with cottage cheese and sliced tomato while you could have brown rice and vegetables served with fish or poultry in the evening.

Wines to get you in the party spirit

Victoria Prever — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:01:29 +0100

Every year, my wife has a birthday party. Not my favourite evening of the year. For me, to paraphrase Jean-Paul Sartre very loosely: “Hell is a crowded room with lots of people.”

My job is to organise and pour the wines, and buying always poses the same question: What is good enough to (A) make the guests feel well treated and (B) be pleasant to drink if there’s any left over, but also (C) reasonably priced and (D) sold by someone who will also deliver rented wine glasses?

Questions A through C (and many others) are addressed in Helen McGinn’s The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club (Macmillan, £12.99). The book, arising from Ms McGinn’s blog, gives a lot of the wine basics (production techniques, grape varieties etc.) in plain, chatty style without making you feel you’re taking a wine course.

What I like best about it, however, is that it addresses questions ordinary wine books do not address. Such as: what wines should you serve at a book club? And: what should you serve to the parents whose children have come over for your child’s birthday party? Call it a wine book if you will. It’s also a book about contemporary parenthood. I heartily recommend it.

Ms McGinn proposes easy-going wines from the New World for parties. Easy-going – definitely. New World? Not necessarily. Our supplies usually come from Oddbins or Majestic, which both hire out glasses, and they’re usually European. This year it was Majestic, which had an offer on two exactly suitable low-priced wines.

One: Mont St Jean 2011, Corbières, a medium-weight specimen with very accommodating tannins. Two: Cuvée de Richard Blanc 2012, Comté Tolosan; very quaffable citrus flavours, 11.5 per cent alcohol. Snap up both at £4.99.

My final bottle is the one I pulled out of the freezer (I don’t drink at parties) when everyone had left. Russian Standard is the best-value vodka in the UK. Clean, sweet flavour. Widely
available at £15 to £18. I sipped a
Martini slowly while washing those glasses. Of course, it tastes far better in company. Just not too much company.