Culinary trends are just as fickle as fashion. Find out which of the gourmet foods you love used to be fed only to animals or prisoners.
1. Tomatoes TOMATOES
Tomatoes were once so feared that they were called poison apples .Their bad reputation was all a tragic
mistake, however: Wealthy diners ate the fruit on pewter (made with lead)
plates; the acid from the tomatoes leeched lead from the plates, sickening
diners. Even people who didn’t use pewter plates avoided the fruit because
tomatoes are part of the deadly nightshade family. Today, however, we love
tomatoes, eating them in everything from pasta sauces to pizza to salad.
2. Lobster LOBSTER
You’d never guess it today but one of the priciest dishes on
fancy menus – lobster – used to be so universally disliked that it was only seen fit to feed to prisoners. And even then there
were laws restricting how many days in a row they could have it, lest their
punishment be considered too harsh.
So how did the crustacean undergo such a radical image change?
“Let’s be honest, it’s one of the most Instagrammable foods there is, a
registered dietitian. But besides making you look posh in pictures , the
high-protein crustacean has also become much scarcer in the last century,
making it more valuable, Eating crustaceans like shrimp or lobster before bedtime may bring on an easier sleep.
3. Kale KALE
Kudos to whichever adventurous human decided this bitter green
was edible. No one is exactly sure when kale was first discovered as a food
source but it only became popular in the last couple of decades. These days
it’s earned the coveted “health halo” and is in every store, everywhere. Why?
Cooking techniques!
“We now have the luxury of modern cooking appliances and the
time to spend cooking – a century ago their only option was to eat it raw or
throw it in a stew and hope for the best,” “Today we make it into chips with an
oven or hide it in a smoothie with a blender or use other recipes to make it
taste good.”
4. Potatoes POTATOES
This humble tuber has had quite the wild culinary ride through
human history. When it was first introduced in Europe, skeptical peasants and royalty
alike wouldn’t touch it. Eventually, they adopted it as edible but then it was
seen as peasant food and it was often the only food for the poor.
Today, however, the potato is the fifth most important crop in
the world and is eaten in a mind-boggling number of ways from curly fries to
mashed potatoes to a starch additive in processed desserts.
“Unfortunately they’re mostly popular as French fries; however,
if you eat them baked, with the peel on, they are a healthy source of fiber and
potassium.”
5. Chocolate CHOCOLATE
Chocolate lovers, cover your eyes: When the beans were first
introduced it was in the form of a bitter drink that was so far from today’s
hot chocolate as to be unrecognizable.
Today’s crave-worthy candy version only became popular in the
last few hundred years. Thankfully you can indulge your sweet tooth in a
healthy way by eating dark chocolate in moderation, Dark chocolate has been
shown in research to lower your risk of heart disease and is full of
antioxidants. It turns out that eating chocolate might actually
have a pretty significant health benefit.
6. Bone broth BONE BROTH
There’s nothing trendier these days than bone broth but a
century ago, leftover bones were given to the dogs. This is pretty much regular
broth with a new, fancy name. It’s high in protein while being low in calories
and fat, making it the perfect comfort food.”
7. Offal OFFAL
Back in the days when nothing went to waste, every part of the
animal from skin to hooves was used for something.
But about a century ago, we started becoming more wasteful,
prizing only the muscle meat and ditching everything else – including the
nutrient-rich organ meats like the liver and heart.
Thankfully these foods are making a big resurgence as people recognize
how healthy they are for you
8. Caviar CAVIAR
Again, oversupply rendered this delicacy “poor people’s food”.
That is, until around 1910, when the sturgeon population crashed from
overfishing and the once plentiful eggs – they used to be served as bar food –
were impossible to find. This led to several generations of people who may have
heard of it but never actually eaten it. Recently, however, it’s gained
popularity as part of the “champagne and caviar” aspirational lifestyle you see
all over social media,
9. Cabbage CABBAGE
People have been eating cabbage as long as they’ve known of its
existence, but it was never considered a truly sought-after food until quite
recently. As separate nations have imported more and more international
cuisines, they’ve discovered the joy of traditional recipes based around the
veggie, like kimchi, sauerkraut, steamed dumplings, stewed cabbage and lo mein,
There are also a lot more varieties of cabbage to choose from on the average
grocery shelf, adding to its culinary flexibility. Many of these recipes use
fermented cabbage, which provides healthy probiotics.
10. Oysters
OYSTERS
Around 1900, oysters were so plentiful that their shells were
used to pave Pearl Street in New York City; people ate them daily as a cheap
source of protein.
However, like the sturgeon, they quickly became overfished, to
the point where they were considered functionally extinct in
the New York harbor and other popular harvesting grounds.
Scarcity means higher prices and a higher status, so now,
instead of being seen as the poor man’s beef, they’re prized as gourmet foods.
“Oysters are a good source of zinc, which may explain why they
are considered a sexual stimulant. “There may be some truth to that as men’s
prostates are rich in zinc.”
11. Quinoa QUINOA
This plant grown high in the Andes was cultivated for centuries
by native people for its nutrition and taste. Yet hardly anyone outside of the
small region even knew of its existence.
It was “discovered” in the 1970s and sold as a health food, but
it didn’t really catch on until the last decade. Now it’s so popular that the
Peruvians who farm it can’t afford to eat it.
There’s a good reason for its new status as a super food though,
It’s the only plant food that is a complete protein, containing all the
necessary amino acids, As vegan and vegetarian diets have risen in popularity,
they’ve increased the demand for quinoa.”
12. Lard LARD
In the 1800s and prior, lard was used for everything from
cooking to making soap, but as industrialization took over, the fat dropped in
popularity in favor of other fats, like butter.
Then, in the early part of the last century, shortenings like
Crisco took over.
Recently, however, scientists have discovered the Trans fats in
most shortening are hard on the heart. With people looking for a less-processed
fat, lard is making a comeback,
13. Rye bread RAY BREAD
This staple of health food bakeries and Reuben sandwiches used
to be considered food fit only for people so poor they couldn’t afford wheat.
But it rose in popularity thanks to the blending of cultures;
Rye bread is often used in Jewish cuisine. It’s a good thing, too, as the whole
grain bread is high fiber and can aid in weight loss, she adds.
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