Food For Thought

Challenging ideas / mouth puckering pickles – A Pickled seaweed & mushroom salad

Ingredients: wakame, nori & hijiki seaweed / black fungus / black rice / rice wine vinegar / mirin / tamari / goji

Sometimes when faced with new foods – unusual textures – weird names and strange colours we can find ourselves seriously challenged. We are taken out of our comfort zone and can feel nervous and vulnerable. But, like good conversation and serious debate, when we open ourselves to new opinions and difficult ideas, we can find great value & deep learning. Seaweeds and mushrooms have been a key part of many Asian cuisines for centuries and feature heavily in Chinese Traditional Medicine. In fact the Irish relied heavily on seaweed for many things historically but we have lost touch with its
powerful properties in more recent history. Seaweed is one of best dietary source of iodine, which helps support your thyroid gland, and also contains a variety of other vitamins and minerals such as B Vitamins, Vit K, zinc and iron. Rich in Vit B complex the Black Fungus or Wood Ear Mushroom has long been used in Chinese Traditional Medicine to help breathing, sore throats, to reduce colds and fevers, to enhance well-being and to boost circulation. It is also thought to be beneficial in preventing the development of degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. Together we can meet future challenges.