Healthy steamed meals

published on 11/6/13 12:30 PM

Photo: archive

The popularity of fried, fat, hot and salty food in Bulgaria has been rapidly decreasing over the recent years. People in this country learned to respect their own health and started to care more about themselves in times when the healthcare system is not so helpful. Bulgarians started to use more frequently well-proved healing methods. They eat healthier and take better care of their stomachs. Slow food is now more preferred than fast food which was quite popular in the beginning of the transition period in Bulgaria. Burgers loose ground to hot soup and fresh meals made under ancient recipes. A steamed apple or pumpkin is surely a mouth-watering sight. The popularity of steamed fruit and vegetables in this country has been constantly on the rise. This cooking method is widely spread in Bulgaria since time immemorial.

A clay pot for steam cooking from the 7th c. found on Cape St. Athanasius near Byala

Although the historical evidence about the culinary methods used on our lands is scarce, archaeology gives us some details. Clay pottery found during excavations proved that our ancestors also boiled their food. Steaming was also used, although in a later period. Evidence of this culinary healthy method is hidden in the Fish Primer of Doctor Peter Beron published in the Romanian city of Brasov in 1824, Professor Dr Donka Baykova reminds. Renowned Czech historian Konstantin Jirechek who once lived in Bulgaria wrote in his memoirs that he tasted a very delicious food made of whole steamed products. He tried many steamed potatoes and peppers when he traveled across the country. Of course, food was once made only in clay pots. Nowadays, the Bulgarian market is flooded with various cheap and expensive steamers. Clay colanders are now replaced by metal ones. Before the actual steaming, you need to cover the bottom of the pot with some water. The colander must be placed just several centimeters above the bottom of the pot. However, the boiling water should never touch the colander and respectively the products placed for steaming.

Steaming has long ago become a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. It eliminates the fat, people lose weight quicker and the human body looks younger and vital.
With regard to overweight, we should remind the fact that 22% of the young Bulgarian women suffer from this disease. Statistics has it that nearly 40% of all mature women face similar problems. This also refers to half of the men in active age. The number of children with overweight has been rapidly increasing over the recent years, Professor Baikova reminds, stating the advantages of the steamed meals.

“Steaming preserves the natural composition of the certain product. This culinary method preserves 85% of the vitamin C, while in usual boiling only 50% of these vitamins are preserved. In fact, the water-soluble vitamins are preserved twice better when food is steamed. In this case we are talking about all water-soluble vitamins rather than of vitamin C only. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, etc, are also very well-kept during steaming. Secondly, the antioxidant effect of the products is much stronger unlike in boiling when the food comes into contact with the water and quickly looses its good qualities. The color of the food is also well-preserved during steaming. Most of these colors are natural antioxidants and are quite beneficial for human health. Moreover, steamed food preserves its good taste. It has a very low fat content and does not need additional fats to taste delicious”, contends Dr Baykova.

Can we expect soon the first Bulgarian restaurants, where only steamed meals and healthy food are offered? “Yes, we can expect such restaurants to appear in this country soon”, says Dr Baykova. Many soup restaurants, where people can taste delicious hot homemade soups, already opened doors in Sofia. Such a restaurant recently opened in the Bulgarian capital just opposite to a large fast-food chain where burgers, chicken wings and drumsticks with a taste of old and burnt fat are sold. Soup is now gaining advantage over burgers and French fries. However, we need some more time to realize that the commercial of a certain product is less important in nutrition than the experience of our ancestors and our common sense.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov

По публикацията работи: Milka Dimitrova

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Healthy steamed meals

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