Surprised by Soy: the Toxic Bean You Thought You Knew

update from July 13, 2008

NB- Since writing this blog, I was so amazed by what I learned about Hitler’s favourite food, soy, that I pitched the story and landed a gig at Gremolata. I urge you to follow this link and read a more refined and well researched article with quotes and insight from a thyroid expert, a scientist and nutritionist, a vegan cookbook author, and a woman who almost died from eating soy.

www.gremolata.com/soytrouble.htm

Beware of soy!

What if I told you that all that heart-healthy, cancer-fighting, protein-rich miracle soy food is a lie? You would laugh in my face.

So I won’t tell you that. I’ll say this instead: on top of actually being devoid of all these properties, soya food products are actually toxic and poisonous!

I see my vegan Vancouver friends throwing darts at my picture. While vegetarians have several thousand options for vegetable foods, somehow they think soy is a major food group. Soy milk, scrambled tofu for breakfast, soy bars, soy protein supplements, mock meat made of soy, soy patties, soy bean marmalade, yada yada. At the time, I thought it was a hopelessly meagre variety. Now I think it’s damn dangerous. Soy is one of the reasons that meat eaters think vegetarians look grey. I always thought it was the tobacco and weed. In fact, vegetarians who love soy are turning out to be MALNOURISHED in comparison to both meat eaters and their non-soy fellow vegetarians.

Now I was a vegetarian for about five years, and have been eating meat again for about eight. I also bought into the illogical arguments against meat, and replenished my protein with the so-called superior soy. Now I can say with absolute certainty that nutritionally speaking, there’s nothing like fish, meat, and eggs. But I won’t diss vegetarian people because there IS something to be said for the humane treatment of animals. If you aren’t eating meat because you care about our furry friends, or because today’s flesh factories are morally abhorrent, you are totally right and that’s great. Unfortunately, though, despite it’s ridiculously bad rep, which I myself bought into for years, animal protein is extremely vital to the body. Yes, you can live without it. But it’s better not to.

That said, the veg camp will often show up healthier because they must avoid a huge number of additives as they ban themselves from most fast food and unfoods and eat more plants. They avoid the sick hormones and drugs that factory farm meat is saturated with. Most meat eaters do not stick to organic, free-range, grass-fed options. Most meat eaters also eat massive amounts of sugar and never try things like carrot juice or wheatgrass.

What both camps do wrong is feast on starchy grain products and on sugar. The health nutters look to whole grains, the could-care-lessers indulge in white flour and have never heard of other grains like teff or quinoa. The problem is that humans have been eating these grains, whole or otherwise, for about one percent of their stay on earth. We are slaves to our biology in many ways, and vegetarians who claim health superiority are delusional. I used to tell people myself that hunter-gatherer people ate very little meat. I was constructing our history to suit my nice-girl spirit. I couldn’t imagine us to be killers. That’s just the truth of it: sometimes we tell ourselves nice fairy tales to avoid harsh truth. Our history is one of savage hunting. But the gathering was important, too- the foods that are good for us are meat and fish- hunted foods- and vegetables, fruits, and seeds- gathered foods. Low-carb camps threw the baby out with the bathwater: we need carbs, oh, how we need them. Fruits and vegetables, all you can eat. Along with that big juicy slab.

What you eat is up to you, but I don’t want to hear about the wonders of soy any more. Umm, can you READ? The news is everywhere. I can totally respect a person’s vegan diet because they care about animals. But telling me soy is healthy just means you have refused to read or believe the truth in science. You can tell me for hours the nutritional value of carrots, of green beans, of kale and chard, or tomatoes and apples and kiwis. But you have to accept that the soybean industry pulled one over on you, just like it did me once upon a time. Your health depends on it, and so does your credibility. You wouldn’t try to tell me Kool-Aid is good for you, without looking like a total idiot. You could say you love it, and we’d all agree we like soda pop or any other guilty pleasure. But imagine if the nation’s favourite health food was worse for you than soda? And it is.

I have nothing personally against the soy bean or any other bean or plant, believe me. But I won’t touch it with a ten-foot pole, treating it like the poison that it is. I believe in plants, yo. But why is it so hard to swallow that some plants are poisonous? Every scientist knows that. Did you know that just a bit of soy milk every day can irreversibly damage the thyroid in a healthy person? Unfortunately, not only did I deprive my thyroid of much-needed animal protein for five years, but I pumped it full of soy. I didn’t know then that I’ve been hypothyroid since I was a child. Imagine the further damage I did. Though soy has thousands of ill-health effects, thyroid suppression is huge, instant, and automatic.

I know, you’ve all heard about the Okinawa diet. They live longer than anywhere else in the world. Hmm, they also eat a large amount of raw fish, the healthiest food on the planet. You’ve heard about those Asians and their lower rates of cancer. Hmm, but actually they average less than two teaspoons a day of soy: it’s a garnish. They eat massive amounts of fish and vegetables.

I don’t ask you to buy into my anti-soy theory. I do ask you to inform yourself, even if you think you already are sure, because the soy industry is laughing all the way to the bank. So I’ll list the many dangers of soy, and then I’ll tell you to go and do your own research. Why believe me, when I could care less about your man boobs, your poisoned infant formula, your reproductive sickness, your thyroid, or anything else? Actually, I do care, in the general way I care about people, and if you are my friend and know me, then please hear me out as obviously I am not attacking you. I care about you very much. I’m much more stubborn by nature than you are, and I’m admitting my deception publicly! It’s hard to let go of a belief, especially if you feel foolish or love a food. But you deserve the integrity of the truth, and if you are standing up for soy, you don’t know the truth yet. I mean, we all love potato chips and ice cream, but few would argue that they’re health food. We may excuse the occasional indulgence as well-deserved, or as delicious, but never as nutritious.

What’s wrong with soy?

• high levels of phytic acid- this blocks mineral absorption, meaning your body won’t absorb the nutrients being digested along with the soy
• these phytates cause malnutrition, effectively nullifying the other food you eat!
• high levels of enzyme inhibitors, which means you can’t make use of the protein in soy, either- fermented soy products like soy sauce and miso soup do not have this particular problem
• haemagluttin, which is an inhibitor of oxygen uptake to your cells, and also stunts growth
• phytoestrogens, long pumped as ‘healthy plant estrogens’ to women, causing endocrine disruption and disease on a massive scale- plus, it puts major amounts of estrogen into male bodies, causing some boys to grow up infertile, or hormonally confused, or to grow breasts
• eating soy causes ‘inexplicable’ loss of vital minerals like copper, calcium, iron, magnesium , selenium, and especially zinc, even in people who are ‘getting enough’ because of the malabsorption that soy causes
• this leads to bone problems, psychiatric problems, intestinal problems, reproductive problems, and much more
• soy is one of the top allergins, along with wheat, peanuts, dairy, corn, etc
• 2/3 of people allergic to dairy will also be allergic to soy, though they are encouraged to switch to soy if they must exclude dairy-best to exclude both, and fill up on healthy fish and veggies
• soy protein isolate is acid-washed in aluminum. hello, Alzheimer’s!
• even one serving of soy a day in clinically proven over and over to seriously suppress thyroid function. yet millions with thyroid disease are never told to religiously avoid soy products.
• soy hormones eaten in pregnancy cause brain damage in infants
• ‘vegan’ infants fed nothing buy soy formula actually die of malnutrition
• nursing infants of soy-eating mothers receive toxins through the milk!
• soy-eating vegetarians have a five-fold chance of giving birth to a boy with hypospadias, a birth defect of the penis, due to toxic estrogens
• babies on ‘healthy soy formula’ have estrogen levels up to 22 THOUSAND times of other babies
• soy-fed babies are likely to develop serious thyroid problems
• about one percent of soy fed baby girls begin puberty before the ago of THREE
• breast is best, obviously, but soy is not second best
• for those of you who do not know, the thyroid is a tiny gland that regulates hormones and every cellular function of the body, and it also is connected with liver function, totally vital to all aspects of nutrition, detox, etc- every single function of the body’s metabolism is dependant on the thyroid. love yours, and throw out that soy.
• eating just two servings of tofu a week causes accelerated brain aging and puts you at a high risk of earlier dementia
• women are told that soy helps prevent breast cancer. funny, because excess estrogen is a major CAUSE of breast and other cancers. Genistein, a soy ingredient, promotes breast cell proliferation, which often turns cancerous.
• the long process of fermenting renders the toxins in soy neutral, so miso, tempeh, and soy sauce are better options if you insist on soy- that doesn’t mean they are nutritious, but not toxic!
• genistein and daidzein, which are chemicals that occur naturally in soy, are proven to cause chromosomal damage and DNA disruption
• nitrosamines are often referred to as known cancer-causing chemicals. but no one tells you that soy is loaded with them!
• the body can’t use the B12 analogs in soy
• soy causes vitamin D deficiency!- which causes osteoporosis, among other things
• but it’s a complete protein, right? wrong again- another sick lie they told us. soy is not a complete protein- it is very low in methionine and cystine: plus, lysine levels are easily destroyed.
• soy is trumpeted over meat because it is low in fat…the fat in meat is not unhealthy, but that is still to come out in the wash. we are more sedentary than our hunting ancestors, so we need less, but small amounts are vital.
• processed soy products like soybean oil are high in trans fat, the only ‘bad’ fat, because it is artificial and not recognizable by the body
• the worst offenders are soybean oil, texurized vegetable protein, soy protein isolates, and all the soy products and their derivatives that are stuffed into veggie dogs, tofu nuggets, veggie patties, yada yada…still, eating the plain edamame bean is still toxic!
• while many studies claim that high-protein diets may cause health problems of every ilk, if all of these were revised with reduced grains, sugars, and chemicals, and increased vegetables and fruits, the opposite would be shown. animal protein has been used by humans for millions of years, and our brains are made out of DHA, found only in fish.
• soy contains many toxins, and one is naturally occurring MSG
• it is a toxic myth that soy helps prevent cancer- longer-term scientific studies show that it CAUSES cancer
• soy is not a green option, as often assumed- in fact, soy crops are usually genetically modified and use very high levels of pesticides
• soy toxins are often hid under labels like ‘vegetable oil’- not only are they hydrogenated poisons, but those allergic to soy will not avoid that product because of its misleading ingredient names

I’m not done yet. The list GOES ON AND ON. Don’t take my word for it- places to start your own research:

http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/index.htm
A New Zealand nutrition expert and scientist tells all.

http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/articles/veganism.htm
Read the New York Times article here: yet another vegan infant starves to death. Even babies BREASTFED by a vegan mother are deficient nutritionally.

http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Soy-Story-Americas-Favorite/dp/0967089751
The Whole Soy Story- the dark side of American’s favorite health food

http://www.utne.com/2007-07-01/TheDarkSideofSoy.aspx
The Dark Side of Soy: Is America’s favorite health food making us sick? from Utne Reader

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/07/21/soy-cancer-part-two.aspx
Soy Maker Omits Studies That Soy May Cause Cancer

http://www.vegansareevil.com/soy.html
umm, well, the site name is harsh, but there is lots of real information here

http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/vegetarian.html
lots about soy dangers, our history of omnivorous eating, misconceptions, etc.

That should be enough to get you started. Please protect yourself and your family. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, remember that soy is not synonymous with vegetarian. We all eat too much soy, even if we think we’re avoiding it. There is a growing movement of vegetarians who do not eat soy or any other kind of poison. Here are a few resources to start with:

http://www.amazon.com/Mediterranean-Vegan-Kitchen-Donna-Klein/dp/1557883599
soy-free Mediterranean recipes

http://www.foodallergysurvivalguide.com/
a book about avoiding certain food groups

http://www.amazon.ca/Alternative-Vegan-International-Straight-Produce/dp/0977080420
a soy-free vegan cookbook, with many gluten free recipes as well!

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/vegex/msg0917221522922.html

visit writer Lorette C. Luzajic at www.thegirlcanwrite.net

How Your Noodle Order Can Help Save a Child

It’s hard to imagine that a torture survivor from the Killing Fields could be a jovial and joyous eccentric. It seems a man who spends his meager restaurant profits to support landmine victims in his homeland Cambodia shouldn’t have much to smile about. Yet upon entering Angkor Restaurant at 614 Gerrard Street East, I’m soon caught up in Chef Chandaramony Eang’s boundless enthusiasm.

“Canadians do not know how to eat fish,” he explains out of the blue, motioning with his hands how he would pare thin slices. “First season,” he says. “Then slice thin. Taste great with beer!” He pats his belly and pulls a chair right up to my table. I’m taken aback when he throws his arms around me, too, but I’m the touchy feely type and soon fit right in.

This master chef, a rare escapee from the Khmer Rouge death camps, fled to Thailand where he studied Asian cuisine. He came to Canada and expanded his knowledge at George Brown’s school of social work. For ten years, for twelve hours a day, he has been running his cheerfully odd little restaurant, the first Cambodian resto in Canada, and very likely the best.

It’s a crying shame that I walked by Angkor a million times in my two decades of Toronto life. I inadvertently let the finest noodles in town pass me by. The resto itself is like a shrine of sorts to history, spirituality, folklore, death, and food, which are all apparently interchangeable aspects of life itself. The cheery and eerie mingle on crowded walls- portraits of Cambodian ancestors, landmine victims, and gods and goddesses with long elegant finger decorations. While there are a half dozen laughing Buddha statues taking up a fair bit of the limited space, Chandaramony himself could be the Buddha, and I hope that’s not sacrilegious to say so. This self-sacrificing fellow feels it is his mission in life to share his food magic and his love with his fellow human beings, even when he was subject to witness massacre and abomination. When not helping Cambodian refugees settle in Toronto, he is operating his rescue organization, helping landmine victims back home with his own money. And the only time he thinks about himself? LOL- when he’s cooking.

“I can cook with my eyes closed,” he says, demonstrating some chopping and seasoning in the air. “You tell me, and I make it from scratch. I make my own pastes, nobody makes like me.”

The taste will knock you off your feet! the menu’s welcome claims. Apparently the ingredients have remained the same since the dawn of the Khmer empire. I’m not so sophisticated a fooknik that I can spot the subtle differences between Thai and Cambodian cooking, but Chef Chandra makes it easy for me: “If you like Thai food, you will LOVE Cambodian.”

My lunch mate and I begin with lychee and soursop milkshakes- this is something I have never had, and they are absolutely delightful.

The meal starts with a bowl of steaming chicken mushroom soup in coconut milk. The flavours are complex and robust. Vegetarian spring rolls are a beautiful accompaniment. The stir fried spicy chicken with peanuts and steamed rice is so delicious I can’t find the words. It’s also blazing hot, and though I am crazy about spicy food, I can barely tolerate the heat and make a note to ask for mild seasoning in the future.

The stir fried spicy rice noodles with chicken are like a pad Thai without being gummy. The star of the show, however, is the stir fried spicy beef with eggplant. Chef Chandra creates the spice paste from scratch, and my palate identifies turmeric, kaffir lime, galangal, and ginger- maybe tamarind? The eggplant melts in my mouth. I spoon the sauce into my gullet as if I were a starving man.

The meal closes with a pot of tea and a bowl of crushed, frozen mango. If this little spot is not the garden of Eden, I don’t know what is. There’s more charm, more history, more love, and more flavour than I’m used to in my very colourful life. The place is a treasure trove and the crown jewel is my new friend Chef Chandra. I must find a way to let Angelina Jolie, the only outsider citizen of Cambodia! know about this man and his mission- and his food.

When I mention this, he seizes me and kisses me. “You read mind, you read mind!” he exclaims, scurrying behind the bar to bring some news clippings of Angelina. “I pray every day for way to find her. She is not afraid of landmines. If she would help my cause, I would cook for her my very, very best!”

If you know Angelina’s people, please let her know about the Aid for Victims of Cambodian Landmines at www.rescuecambodia.org. Please visit the site to learn more about the plight of landmine victims and to donate.

You can also help by eating frequently at Angkor Restaurant at 614 Gerrard Street East, Toronto. Bring all your friends!
416.779.6383

Visit writer Lorette C. Luzajic at www.thegirlcanwrite.net.
You can purchase her poetry collection, The Astronaut’s Wife, through indigo or amazon online, or through her site.

I Heart Cilantro/ I Hate Cilantro

Got too much time on your hands? Hate cilantro? Then you, too, could join over 1000 others at www.ihatecilantro.com. You can even order a hoodie making your loathing of this herb clear to any doubters.

As for me, I’m with MJ when he purred, “I’m a lover, not a fighter.” It’s true that cilantro is an acquired taste, but then again, so are most of the best ingredients in life including wine, coffee, chili peppers and asparagus.

Few herbs inspire the love-hate camps that cilantro does. Detractors find the sharp, astringent, soapy taste too bitter, but fans are addicted to these exact qualities. Mexican and Thai dishes use the herb liberally, and Indian and Portuguese cuisine is not complete without it. I find that cilantro adds distinctive, unusual flair to all kinds of dishes in my kitchen, but if you don’t like the flavour, there are plenty of reasons to add it to your diet anyways- this herb is extremely nutritious and healing. Its medicinal qualities are wide-ranging, from promoting urinary tract health, boosting the immune system, fighting allergies, aiding digestion, reducing gas and nausea, soothing inflammation, balancing blood sugar, fighting salmonella, alleviating arthritis symptoms, detoxifying the liver, and killing viruses and bacterial infections. In addition, the fresh herb is a good source of thiamin and zinc, Vitamins A, B6, C, E, and K, riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper and manganese.

Cilantro is unique in its ability to help eliminate toxic metals like mercury and aluminum from the body. It is so efficient and swift at chelating metals that they can be found in the urine directly following ingestion! Many naturopathic doctors recommend chelation therapy even though it is time-consuming and introduces a chemical compound called ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) into the body to get rid of metals, because lead, arsenic, and mercury are highly poisonous and cause severe symptoms in metal-sensitive people. Cilantro is the only known natural chelation agent.

Coriandrum sativum is a hearty annual with vibrant green, fan shaped leaves. It resembles flat-leaf parsley, and is sometimes called Chinese parsley. Asian cookery uses the root as well as the seeds, called coriander, and the leaves, called cilantro. Keep in mind that the seeds and leaves are two different ingredients. Seeds can be powdered and added to dishes to help marry flavours together. They have a warm, nutty taste with a hint of lemon. Do not interchange these ingredients when following a recipe. Also, do not use the flavourless dried cilantro, though this may be useful to those who don’t like the taste. The dried herb retains some of the health benefits, but does not pack the medicinal punch of fresh leaves. Most recipes call for cilantro to be added at the end of cooking because heat removes much of the flavour- this may be desirable if you are adjusting your taste buds to the tangy wonder herb. It’s also a good idea to freeze the herb rather than letting it go rotten- a fresh bunch keeps for a few days in your fridge and a few months in your freezer, retaining much but not all of its flavour.

The best way to begin exploring this amazing plant is to head out for some Vietnamese, Thai and Mexican cuisine. Or impress your friends with a killer Mexican-style hors d’oeuvre that is easy and spectacular- melt a bit of butter and lemon juice with piles of chopped leaves and garlic, then grill shrimps in the mixture. Everyone will ask for the recipe!

Few dishes excite me as much as my recipe for Summer Soup. Its warm lemony chicken broth contrasts with a dollop of ice-cold but hot cilantro salsa, and makes a perfect appetizer or light meal. Sautee two chopped leeks in butter with a pinch of cinnamon. Add about eight cups of chicken broth, juice from two lemons, salt and pepper and a beaten egg. Use a hand-blender on the mixture, but leave a few chunky leeks, then toss in a few egg noodles. In the blender, mix a cup of chopped cilantro, a tomato, half a red onion, lemon juice, a red and green chili, 2 tbsps olive oil, cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until cold. Spoon into piping hot soup with a bit of yogurt or sour cream just before serving.

visit the writer, Lorette C. Luzajic, at www.thegirlcanwrite.net.

order Lorette C. Luzajic’s book through Indigo or Amazon online, or visit thegirlcanwrite.net.

The Mighty Reuben

There are some things better left for another to cook. Try as I may, Thai always tastes like either nothing, or rubber tires, when I attempt a recipe at home. My restaurateur friend has no issue with the subtleties of Thai broths and chili seasoning: John also makes a spectacular Reuben sandwich. This is something I really only like to order in New York City. I live in Toronto, so it’s not a sandwich that appears regularly on my menus. The odd time I’ve ordered it here at home, it’s either flavourless or sloppy with grease. The one Toronto spot that shone was The Tulip, at Queen and Coxwell. Overall, had John not served me up a masterpiece, I may never have had one again.

Like all great mysteries, the origin of the Reuben sandwich is hazy. Two conflicting legends are circulating, and both involve a Jewish guy named Reuben and a slab of rye bread. I like to go with the classic 1938 account of Arnold Reuben, who slapped together a sky-high sandwich for a New York actress who came into his deli. She said she was famished, and he made a sandwich she called unforgettable. Arnie said he would name it the Anna Selos Special, and she said it should be named The Reuben. The competing story has a 1956 Omaha, Nebraska sandwich recipe contest winner named Reuben as the diner designer. But it seems solid to me that this thing was born in New York. Where else could sauerkraut go gourmet?

John assured me it’s not difficult to master at home, with major benefits like no charge for half a dozen pickles on the side and stuffing as much of everything as you want into the bread. I was game- I make a mean grilled cheese, and as a German gal, thought a messy sauerkraut sandwich should be a breeze.

Umm, yeah.

Tuesday afternoon starts out with the search for some corned beef. I already know that ‘corned beef’ means brine-salted brisket. Apparently, the salt chunks used to be called ‘corns’- perhaps salt-corns as to peppercorns, but I’m not sure. I don’t really know what I’m doing at the market because I seldom purchase cured meats for home use. Mainly because I could eat an entire row of fat Genoa salamis in front of a How to Look Good Naked marathon with my girl Gok Wan.

I can only find one tin, imported from Brazil, and I wonder about the little key attached to the tin. I’ve never used a device of this kind, and the strangely triangular tin seems odd. I know it’s so that the corned beef will slide out easily, so I don’t worry. Until I get home. None of my brute strength can open the damn thing. I rip half of a fingernail off tinkering with the damn can. Then I ruin my most expensive kitchen knife and practically commit suicide by error as the blade slips a dozen times, butchering several fingers, severing a few arteries, and ruining my shirtsleeve. As a modern girl, I head online, only to find that many others have been driven mad by this can and have thrown it out the window. The simplest suggestion is to use a regular can opener, so I do, with great difficulty going around the weird corners, but I manage.

But what is this inside? Lord help us all, it’s dog food. My stomach retches as I spoon a heap of reeking meat. What if it’s not dog food, but DOG? What if it’s not dog meat, but human? I’ve read somewhere that most of us have actually eaten human flesh at least once. In times of extreme poverty, handy corpses have stretched that meat dollar by conveniently fattening up sausages and ground meat. While we are all quick to blame this type of stuff on urban legends with no basis in truth, the truth is that things are always MUCH WORSE than they appear, and that humans are capable of absolutely anything. So I can assume that there is a good chance that those girls who disappeared on a trip to the beaches of Cancun ended up in this tin of Brazilian brisket.

It matters not: I’m adventurous, and millions eat this every day, so it must be good. I scoop it out and bravely lay it on the rye, topping with sauerkraut and Thousand Island salad dressing and Swiss cheese. Authentic Jewish versions call for homemade Russian dressing, apparently, but the popular versions today use Thousand Island and so did my friend John. The grilling bread and cheese smells marvelous, except for the acrid, cat-food stench of the meat rising up from the pan as well. Oh, boy.

Two bites in and I can’t recall ever being so disgusted in my life. I watched my brother eat chocolate covered cockroaches that I bought him for Christmas, and didn’t feel the bile rising. Thanks to this festering funky flesh, I will always loathe rye bread and Thousand Island dressing. I have never had such a disastrous kitchen drama. Stuff has burned, stuff has been flavourless, stuff has been too spicy, stuff has been gross. But never before did I burp barf.

The remedy is simple: never, ever use can-corned. Use deli shaved. Or use tuna, which is what my friend John used, but didn’t tell me until it was too late. I may now be able to make a beautiful Reuben but I will never again be able to eat one. Goodbye, Reuby Tuesday.

Lorette C. Luzajic
thegirlcanwrite.net

Paprika, Hungary’s Spice of Life

Without paprika, there would be no goulash- or any other passionate cuisine in Hungary. What Hungarians ate before Christopher Columbus brought back the capsicum annum from Mexico is a distant memory. Hungary’s red gold is truly the spice of life, an integral part of their culture. At harvest season in Kalocsa, the “paprika capital”, the shiny little red pepper can be seen far and wide. Fields of plants shimmer in the sun, and strings of peppers hang from every porch and doorway.

Paprika is nearly a synonym for Hungary. This bright red, sweet spice with a light bite of heat and bitterness enlivens everything from sausages to mushrooms to potatoes. The use of paprika seems an innocent enough freedom, providing a colourful and affordable condiment. However, during the Turkish rule, cultivating this pepper was prohibited and the punishment for flouting regulations was death. Thankfully, many Hungarians took this risk and cemented growing and curing traditions that now yield the piquant, sweet flavour to many dishes around the world.

Hungary was hit hard again in the mid-1990s when unscrupulous growers began adding lead oxide, a poisonous pigment used in red paint, to intensify the colour of lower-grade crops. This led to stomach aches, paralysis and death, and caused a drought in spices when paprika was pulled out of the marketplace, creating lost revenues and economic fallout. The hearty, pragmatic Hungarians refused to eat without their beloved spice and bought coffee grinders to make their own from whole dried plants, instead of relying on merchants and producers to create the peppery powder.

The spice was banned again in 2004, this time when it was found to contain aflatoxin B 1, a carcinogenic microtoxin produced by mold. Growers and cultivators were horrified that their world-class crops, renowned as the best paprika in the world, were contaminated. Merchants of Hungaricum, this world-famous paprika, were incensed to discover that the bad batches contained peppers imported from Spain and Brazil and not their own products. Despite these seemingly constant setbacks, few cabbages or stews are ever made without the national spice, and most Hungarians consider paprika a food group.

Hungary sure is valiant about a good goulash or chicken paprikash, and its historical methods of production and curing give us the bittersweet and pungent delicacy, but Spain was the first to powder the pepper. Legend says Columbus gave samples of the capsicum to the monastery in Guadalupe, and cooking with the new world pepper spread rapidly through Spanish cuisine. It also became a classic ingredient in Serbia and Croatia and other Balkan lands. Each country has slightly different preferences in strain of the pepper, in drying times, in smoking (or not) procedures, and so on. It’s still popular in Central America and Mexico, though the palate must share this flavour with dozens of other hotter peppers. Americans love it, too, often using it as a cosmetic to liven up the colours on the plate. It’s a handy condiment to have in the pantry when fruits and fresh veggies are lacking, because paprika is laden with Vitamin C, and its transport via ships in the days of world exploration saved many smart sailors from scurvy.

Hungarians would say there’s no taste like home, and it’s easy to try your hand at some classic, hearty dishes. To make goulash, simply simmer a couple of chopped onions in butter with garlic and paprika (I like to use lots, in the Hungarian tradition that this is a food group!) Stir over low heat (high heat scorches paprika and makes it bitter). Add chunks of beef and a little bit of water, a few potatoes, and some salt, and let it simmer on low heat for an hour or so. Many recipes call for tomatoes, but many traditional Hungarian cooks veto this idea. The tomato can overshadow the sweet intensity of the paprika.

Chicken paprikash is just as easy and quite possibly the best chicken I ever made at home. Though leaner cooking calls for boneless, skinless breasts, cooking with the meat on the bone makes this so tender it’s worth a few extra calories. Sautee, on low heat, a few chopped onions in butter and garlic until tender. Add sour cream and as much paprika as you want, making a vivid red sauce. Pour this simple mixture over your chicken and cook in the oven for an hour. Salt, and sprinkle with another dash of the good stuff before serving.