superfoods

The walnut tree is found from the Balkans to China. It is a slow-growing tree, and its fruit has been eaten by Europeans for more than 8,000 years. The ancient Greeks began cultivating the trees and the practice spread throughout Europe. The walnut tree came to North America with the English settlers in the early 19th century –  and thus the walnut got its name the English walnut. Today the largest groves of walnut trees are found in Kyrgyzstan at high elevations.

Deep in the heart of Southern Chile in South America lives a group of indigenous people called the Mapuche. According to legend, the Mapuche warriors were able to resist the Spanish by consuming a fermented beverage that gave them strength and stamina. That fermented beverage came from the maqui berry.

Love them or hate them, beets are an incredibly healthy root. Starchy, sweet, and bursting with nature's nutrients, beetroots are an ancient food with many purposes. Belonging to the same family as chard and spinach, they contain as many phytonutrients as well as the addition of long sought after plant pigments. If you find yourself beet curious, read on to satisfy your fascination.

The production of molasses was developed in India in approximately 500 B.C.E.  Arab invaders brought the product to Spain, and a century later it came to the West Indies with Christopher Columbus. The British began cultivating sugar cane in Barbados in 1646, and by the end of the century molasses was a commodity. It is not clear when blackstrap molasses was first used for human consumption.

Ginseng was discovered more than 5000 years ago in the mountains of Manchuria, China. The name is derived from the Chinese word “jen” meaning the form of man and “shen” defined as the crystallization of the essence of the earth.  However, this ancient herb was used approximately the same time in North America by many of the tribes there, though the European invaders did not know of its existence until the 16^th century.

Superfoods will always be a thing: That's because they're loaded with important nutrients humans need to flourish, such as fiber and vitamins. These nutrients can lead to overall better health and even fight diseases.

Brown rice is believed to have first been cultivated in China about 9000 years ago. Arab travelers brought the grain to the Middle East and subsequently rice traveled throughout the world. The whole grain is known as brown rice – it contains the inner grain, the hull and the germ. Together, they are a rich source of minerals, vitamins, and proteins.

Admittedly, the rutabaga is a homely vegetable with a fun-to-say name. You’ve probably seen them in the produce section, and quickly walked by, avoiding a direct look at them in case they might turn into fairytale trolls out to get you. So call them by their other name, swedes, and keep reading.

Tahini is ground sesame seeds – it’s a product which is rich in nutrients and has been used in recipes and as a healing agent for centuries. The sesame plant is native to India and was found growing naturally from northeastern Africa to the far east. The seeds were primarily used for their oil, as a base for perfumes and as a seasoning. The name sesame is derived from the ancient Egyptian word sesemt and later from the Greek word sesamon.

Seaweed is often touted as some of the most nutrient dense food in the world. Seaweed has been used for centuries in the Far East and India, but only in the late 20^th Century did it become popular in the United States where its primary introduction was during the health food trend in the 1970s. Today it is a popular addition to sushi. Seaweed is a term that defines many plants that grow in the ocean. Kelp is one of these.