Julia's Benchmark Q1

Eastern European food(Jewish)-Kasha Recipe 

Ingredients

Instructions

Step 1:  Get a large pot, pour in broth, mix in a tbsp. of butter and bring to a boil, .

 Step 2: Meanwhile, mix Kasha and egg together.

 Step 3: Put Kasha and egg mixture into a wok/ frying pan on medium heat.

 Step 4: Stir continuously (so that the kasha mixture will not stick to the pan or together), let the grains separate. Should look dry but not brown.

 Step 5: When broth comes to a boil, pour into wok/frying pan.

 Step 6: Stir and cover on medium heat for 30 minutes (check every 5-10 minutes to stir), let the Kasha absorb the broth.

 Step 7: When the Kasha has absorbed all of the broth, season to taste with mixed seasoning salt and cumin.

Analysis:

 This meal is an easy and healthy option for any family. It consists of two whole ingredients and two processed ingredients. As a staple food in Eastern Europe, kasha is filling and nutritious. It is 82% carbohydrates, 12% protein and 6% fats. Kasha is also a good source of dietary fiber and magnesium with 155 calories for 168 grams. The dietary fiber is the part of food that your body cannot process; therefore it acts as a regulator for your digestive system. Magnesium is important for numerous functions in your body: nerve impulse transmissions and formation of healthy bones. It’s safe to say that this food is nutritious. It is also an environmentally friendly dish.

             The buckwheat used was organic and the eggs were from free-range chickens. The store we purchased these items from look for local farms to buy from so the buckwheat groats and eggs didn’t travel far. The item that traveled the farthest was the vegetable broth that we used to be vegetarian. It was imported from Canada and creates a large carbon footprint, which is ironic and an example of the choices and priorities consumers have.

            The cost of a meal is a big deciding factor for consumers. This meal is fairly feasible. The entire bag of buckwheat costs only 3 dollars and this recipe calls for half of the bag. One organic egg costs 32 cents and the broth costs around 3 dollars. While the total is much more than a fast food meal, this is a pretty cheap meal considering that two of the items, if not more are organic.

            An important aspect of kasha is that most of these products can be produced through a self-sufficient process. Chickens can make the eggs and are easy to contain as livestock in backyards. Buckwheat is apparently easy to grow and can be used in numerous types of food. The only issue with the self-sufficient food process is the limited resources in certain urban areas. Ashley and I are fortunate to own houses with backyards, but many people live in apartments or row homes and cannot grow their own food. However, many of these items were purchased in Acme and were still labeled “organic” so this meal could still be accessible.

            Therefore, Kasha is a good food to know how to cook. It is nutritious, environmentally friendly and affordable. All of the items needed for kasha can be bought at grocery markets such as Acme or local stores or even grown at home. As a dish, kasha follows a lot of the food rules. It is less than 5 ingredients, it is something my grandmother would recognize as food, and it’s vegetarian and organic. All in all, it’s a great dish.

 Personal Reflection: 

When Science in Society first started talking about food, I was ignorant to my role as a consumer. It was only after watching Food Inc. and reading the informative articles that I began to see the error of my ways. I felt extremely guilty. Obesity rates are through the roof, people are buying the cheap and easy choices, and farmers are being exploited daily because of my choices in the grocery store. The entire empire of food seemed messed up.

However, as the class progressed, options began to appear on the horizon. I began to understand how buying food means a vote for that product. Also, I understand now that eating is a responsibility and consumers need to do research before they mindlessly buy everything. However, my work as an eater is unfinished. 

 Some changes I plan to make are to research the products I consume daily such as milk, yogurt, and cereals. I, also, plan to buy only local vegetables and fruits that are in season. Fortunately, the Weaver's Way co-op will make these goals easier to achieve. This store usually buys locally and even plants it's own food. I'm lucky that it's in my neighborhood. Lastly, I need to teach other people about the food industry. Even if nothing comes from it, they at least will be more aware than before.

Food Rule: