The Roots of Fall

I know I’ve been MIA and that I missed Halloween, (in fact it’s getting pretty darn close to Thanksgiving!) and for this I apologize. So I’ve had plenty of time to think about what my next topic should be & was inspired by the cooler temperatures and my favorite holiday All Hallows Eve. Its origins lie in the Celtic holiday: the feast of Samhain. Back then lanterns were made of carved turnips (hey – I guess you use what you have!) to ward off evil spirits. Later when Celtic immigrants came to the Americas, they didn’t find turnips – they found pumpkins and thus the tradition began.

Nice story – huh? But you want to know what this has to do with food, right? Well pumpkins, beets, turnips – they are all winter vegetables and we don’t cook or eat as much of them in the US as they do elsewhere. Maybe it’s just because we don’t know enough about them to try.

Turnips are part of the Cruciferae family along with cabbages, radishes, mustard, horseradish, broccoli, cauliflower and many others. Specifically they are Brassica rapa, part of the Brassica genus (cabbage). Both the roots and leaves are edible; in fact Bok Choy (aka Chinese cabbage) is a variety of Brassica rapa that is just grown for its leaves. The turnip root has a flavor similar to radishes and cabbage (not too surprising), while the leaves taste like mustard greens. Turnip roots are high in vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, folate, calcium and lutein. They can be boiled, roasted, or braised, while the leaves are best steamed or braised.

Rutabagas (Brassica napobrassica) are a cross between a cabbage and a turnip; and like the turnip, both the leaves and root are edible. Both turnips and rutabagas have anti-cancer properties (a trait shared by the Cruciferae family) by acting as an androgen receptor antagonist. The roots are high in vitamin C, folate, vitamin B6, potassium and manganese. The cooking for rutabagas is the same as for their cousins the turnips.

Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) are related to the carrot, as can easily be discerned by their appearance. Parsnips are known for their sweetness, but their flavor doesn’t develop until they’ve been exposed to near-freezing temperatures for 2 – 4 weeks. In fact, if you want really sweet parsnips, leave the roots in the ground to overwinter & pick them in the spring; the starches will have converted to sugar. Parsnips can be used as a replacement for potatoes in recipes and can be roasted, boiled, braised, fried, sautéed, or steamed. They are higher in potassium and fiber than carrots, high in folic acid, calcium & zinc. When choosing parsnips, look for ones that are 8” or smaller, so they won’t be woody, and that are crisp & firm. Their flavor is sweet & nutty, while their aroma is similar to celery.

Beets (Beta vulgaris) are part of the amaranth family, along with chard and sugar beets. The most familiar color of beet is red, but there are golden beets (my personal favorite) and candy-striped beets called Chioggia (think peppermints). The color of beets is due to betalain pigments; the betacyanins are red to purple, while the betaxanathins are yellow to orange. The earthy aroma and flavor of beets comes from Geosmin, an organic compound that humans can detect a levels of 5ppm of lower. Beet roots are high in folic acid, potassium, vitamin C, calcium and antioxidants (betacyanin). The leaves, also edible, are high in vitamin A, potassium, calcium and iron. Beet roots can be pickled, steamed, baked or roasted, while the leaves are best braised or steamed.

I hope that these underused vegetables have become a little less scary and a little more interesting to those of you who may never had tried them. Now is the perfect time to grab some at your grocery store or farmer’s market and enjoy some of the fall harvest on your dinner plates!

MSG - Good or Bad?

MSG – monosodium L-glutamate. One of the most commonly despised ingredients in the US. What is so horrible about this ingredient that hundreds of pages of the Internet are spent on its bashing? I’m not sure why it is so vilified, but I do know quite a bit about the ingredient.

MSG is the sodium salt of the amino acid glutamic acid. It is produced by fermentation of glucose (usually from molasses) to glutamic acid which is then neutralized with sodium hydroxide to produce sodium L-glutamate. In 1908 a Japanese scientist was researching the flavor enhancing properties of a seaweed used in cooking (Laminaria japonica). But MSG does more than “enhance” flavor; in fact, I don’t like that particular description. MSG is more of a potentiator than an enhancer. It attaches to receptors on your taste buds so that you taste things more intensely. It also affects your perception of mouthfeel, complexity and roundness/harmony of flavors. We call this sensation Umami – the fifth flavor (the other four are: sour, sweet, bitter, salty).

Glutamates (there are other salt versions besides sodium) occur naturally in vegetables, meats (beef, poultry, pork, fish), and milk (including human breast milk). Some foods with the highest levels of glutamates include mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, chicken, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.

Glutamates are often misrepresented as MSG. Many of the websites demonizing this material infer that those of us in the food industry are purposely misleading consumers by hiding MSG in other ingredients such as caseinate, whey protein, yeast extract, gelatin, etc. when in reality these are naturally occurring sources of gluamates and not “hidden” MSG. That is not to say we don’t add MSG to foods, we do, but it is labeled.

If you firmly believe that you react to MSG, then nothing I’m saying is going to change your opinion, and that is fine. (Personally, I have a jar of MSG in my spice rack; I love adding it to soups and gravies.) Avoiding MSG should prove rather easy, glutamates less so, and glutamic acid nearly impossible. (I just have to say, I’ve never heard someone who just ate a big piece of chicken cooked with mushrooms and tomatoes ever complain about symptoms).

There has been and continues to be ongoing research into the effects of MSG consumption. Although to date, nothing conclusive has been produced (and reproduced) to show any negative effect of consumption, if you are at all concerned, make sure you eat other foods along with your MSG. The dilution effect should be enough to ward off any potential side effects. And of course if you are watching your sodium intake, you should be aware of the high sodium content of MSG containing foods.

I hope that this was informative (and no, I do not work for or with any MSG companies – I’m not working any angles here). Please let me know what other questions you have about the foods you eat - I'm here to help!