Stinky Favourites

I STINK. But know what, I8217;m quite happy to do so. I forget everything when I bite into that crisp, yet yielding texture of a big, fat, ...

I STINK. But know what, I8217;m quite happy to do so. I forget everything when I bite into that crisp, yet yielding texture of a big, fat, raw onion. It8217;s the same with its smaller but more deadly relative, garlic. Leeks and spring onions also loom large and the musty-smelling Roquefort blue cheese it is when I want to pamper myself silly. My favourite odoriferous packages, though bad news for those around me, are excellent for my health and well-being. Here8217;s how8230;

Garlic: The sulphur-containing substances that give garlic its pungent aroma are also what give it its anti-carcinogenic character. Evidence in its favour is mounting steadily in different garlic-consumption and cancer-risk studies. It has been found that garlic juice inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi. However, while it is an impressive antibiotic in laboratory studies, it remains to be established whether or not garlic works the same way when eaten. Certain studies show that large amounts of garlic8212;10 to 12 cloves a day8212;help reduce the bad cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol. It also ranks as the best source of the mineral selenium, which is one of the nutrients that cancer researchers have cited for its impressive anti-oxidant properties.

I love eating garlic in various forms8212;the cloves, added to vinegar and olive oils and drizzled on raw veggies, rubbed on the inside of the wooden salad bowl, stir-fried into my veggies, and most of all, tripping on the heady, nutty flavour of a whole big pod of garlic roasted in the oven. Goes brilliantly with grilled meats.

Onion: Once again, the medically active agent here is the one which gives the onion its strong taste. Research has shown that onions greatly help in increasing good cholesterol.

The high density lipoprotein HDL boost is the greatest with raw onions and almost dissipates with cooking. The stronger the onion taste, the sharper the elevation of HDLs.

Based on ancient Egyptian texts, Dr Hans Gurewich, a director of the vascular laboratory at St Elizabeth8217;s Hospital in Boston and a professor of medicine at Tufts University, decided to feed his patients onions. He found that it possesses a lively concoction of chemicals and compounds that are known to lower blood pressure. It contains adenosine and other chemicals that keep platelets from sticking together and also has clot-dissolving chemicals. The final good news is boiled, raw, dried as well as fried onions could also partially clear blood of the ill effects of fat.

Blue cheese: My knees go weak at the mere thought of the French Roquefort blue cheese and the Italian Gorgonzola. My mother-in-law can8217;t stand the dirty socks smell, but for me, the distinct bouquet and the combination of the sweet, burnt caramel taste of sheep8217;s milk and the sharp, metallic twang of the blue mould is beyond compare. This blue mould is a strain of penicillium that goes into the milk before the rennet is added either in liquid or powder form. This cheese is extremely high in protein and, in fact, more than equals that obtained from red meat. And all this is a bonus because what I love most is the firm and silken, yet crumbly texture and that distinct aroma and bouquet.

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Don8217;t say I didn8217;t warn you8212;this is the first in a series of 8216;The true confessions of a skunk8217;.

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